As fall takes Broadway by storm with exciting new productions, many thrills are to be found outside of the Theatre District as well. From the stage returns of Ariana DeBose and Tom Hanks to world premiere productions, here’s a look at some of the Off-Broadway productions we’re looking forward to this season.
Caroline, MCC Theater
In performances
Chloë Grace Moretz returns to the stage for the first time since her theater debut over a decade ago, alongside Amy Landecker in the world premiere of Caroline by Preston Max Allen (We Are the Tigers). Tony Award–winning director David Cromer helms the new play, which explores the complex relationships between generations of mothers and daughters.
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The Least Problematic Woman in the World, Lucille Lortel Theatre
In performances
Actress and content creator Dylan Mulvaney’s acclaimed solo show is coming to New York following a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer. As described by the production, “From Catholic school kid to trans TikTok icon, Dylan’s odyssey through girlhood, fame, and self-discovery is unapologetically camp and not to be missed.” Experience her autobiographical solo play this fall at the Lucille Lortel.
Let’s Love!, Atlantic Theater Company
In performances
After making her stage debut two years ago in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Aubrey Plaza is returning to the Off-Broadway theater scene this fall in the world premiere of Let’s Love!, a new play written by Academy Award winner Ethan Coen (Fargo). A trio of one-acts exploring love in all its miserable glory, it will play a limited run through November 9.
Oratorio for Living Things, Signature Theatre
In performances
After its acclaimed premiere at Ars Nova in the spring of 2022, Heather Christian’s genre-defying Oratorio for Living Things is back this fall, playing at the Signature Theatre. As described by the production, in Oratorio, “voices and the bodies they inhabit envelop an in-the-round audience, as Christian contemplates time on quantum, human, and cosmic scales and reminds us of music’s ability to contort—and momentarily even unbind us from—time as we know it.”
Oh Happy Day!, The Public Theater
Begins performances October 2
Jordan E. Cooper has returned! After his Tony-nominated Ain’t No Mo’ took Broadway by storm and made him the youngest Black American playwright on Broadway, Cooper has now penned Oh Happy Day!, a new play described as an outrageous reimagining of Noah’s Ark. Featuring original songs by Grammy Award winner Donald Lawrence, Cooper leads a cast that includes theater standouts Tamika Lawrence and Tiffany Mann.
Messy White Gays, The Duke on 42nd Street
Begins performances October 6
“It’s Sunday morning in Hell’s Kitchen. Brecken and Caden have just murdered their boyfriend and stuffed his body into a Jonathan Adler credenza. Unfortunately, they’ve also invited friends over for brunch.” With a plot description like that, do you need more convincing to snag a ticket? Written by and starring Drew Droege, the play’s cast also includes Derek Chadwick (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Tony nominee James Cusati-Moyer (Slave Play), and Aaron Jackson (Dicks: The Musical).
Beau: The Musical, St. Luke’s Theatre
Begins performances October 13
Fresh off an acclaimed run earlier this year, Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar’s Beau: The Musical will transfer to the St. Luke’s Theatre this fall for an extended run. Starring Matt Rodin (Company National Tour) and Tony nominee Jeb Brown (Dead Outlaw), the musical follows a young queer singer-songwriter who discovers his deceased grandfather, the titular Beau, is actually alive.
Queens, Manhattan Theatre Club
Begins performances October 14
Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok’s (Cost of Living) epic drama about the hunt for the American Dream returns to the Off-Broadway stage this fall in a newly imagined version. Helmed by director Tripp Cullma, cast members of the upcoming production include Anna Chlumsky (Veep), Marin Ireland (Reasons to be Pretty), and Julia Lester (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series).
The Baker’s Wife, Classic Stage Company
Begins performances October 23
For the first time since winning an Academy Award for her performance in the 2021 film adaptation of West Side Story, Ariana DeBose is returning to the stage. Starring alongside Scott Bakula, DeBose will take on the titular character in The Baker’s Wife, the musical that features the iconic tune “Meadowlark” by Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz. Head to Classic Stage Company this fall to catch the rarely produced show’s first-ever full-scale production in New York City.
The Seat of Our Pants, The Public Theater
Begins performances October 24
The Skin of Our Teeth will look and sound a little different this fall. Obie Award–winning playwright and songwriter Ethan Lipton and two-time Tony-nominated director Leigh Silverman bring their rollicking musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize–winning classic to the stage this fall. With a cast that boasts Tony Award winners Shuler Hensley and Ruthie Ann Miles and Tony Award nominees Micaela Diamond and Damon Daunno, expect The Seat of Our Pants to be a hot ticket.
This World of Tomorrow, The Shed
Begins performances October 30
One of the most revered actors in Hollywood is taking the New York stage this fall. Tom Hanks, last seen on Broadway in the 2013 play Lucky Guy, this time heads Off-Broadway at The Shed in This World of Tomorrow, a new play written by Hanks and James Glossman. Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara coleads the cast of the Kenny Leon–directed production.
Gruesome Playground Injuries, Lucille Lortel Theatre
Begins performances November 7
Two-time Tony Award winner Kara Young (Purpose) is back on stage this fall in a new revival of Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries. Nicholas Braun will star alongside Young in the play that examines why two childhood friends keep being drawn together.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, New World Stages
Begins performances November 7
20 years after opening the Tony Award-winning show on Broadway, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is back on the New York stage this fall. Featuring a score by the late Tony Award winner William Finn, the cast of this New York revival will include Glee star Kevin McHale and recent Tony Award nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers.
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Anna Christie, St. Ann’s Warehouse
Begins performances November 25
Emmy Award winner and five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams returns to the stage this fall, for the first time since her 2016 Tony-nominated turn Blackbird, in Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie. Helmed by Thomas Kail, the director of Hamilton (and Williams’s husband), Anna Christie stars Williams in the titular role as a reformed sex worker alongside stage regulars Brian d’Arcy James and Tom Sturridge.
