If you’re among the throngs of holidaymakers descending on New York to soak up the city’s festive charm, chances are a trip to the theater is on your list. Beyond the usual seasonal fare like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular or The Nutcracker lie a plethora of options to choose from, both on and off Broadway.
It’s no secret that the Manhattan theaters are home to some of the greatest stage talent in the world — and this season was no exception. Treading the boards this year was Hollywood royalty like Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, taking on Shakespeare’s Othello, newly minted Oscar winner Kieran Culkin in Glengarry Glen Ross, and George Clooney making his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck.
2026 promises to be much the same, with Taraji P. Henson, Ayo Edebiri, Don Cheadle, Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss‑Bachrach among the biggest names set to take the stage by storm.
To help you decide what to see, The Independent’s New York Culture team has handpicked a selection of standout plays and musicals that have opened in recent months.
Whether you’re shopping for the theatre lover in your life, surprising a friend, or simply treating yourself, these seven shows are well worth booking.
Chess (Broadway)
- Starring: Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, Nicholas Christopher
- Where: Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street)
- When: Through May 3, 2026
- What: A Cold War-era musical about two of the world’s greatest chess players, the woman between them, and the ensuing love triangle.
Whether you’re an OG “Gleek,” a Les Misérables (2012) stan, or a board game aficionado, Chess has something for everyone. Michele, Tveit, and Christopher are at the top of their vocal game, with the latter delivering one of the best performances of the year. Aided by an ensemble cast that includes the hilarious Bryce Pinkham in the dual role of the narrator and Arbiter, a deliciously feisty Hannah Cruz as Svetlana, and dancers delivering Lorin Latarro’s choreography with precision and ease, the performances are top-notch across the board. Even if you can’t quite make sense of the dynamics of a proper chess game, the music (by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and EGOT Tim Rice) is sure to have you grooving in your seat — even when the lyrics are about kings and pawns. With a new book by Emmy winner Danny Strong that caters to a 2025 audience while retaining its Cold War setting, Chess is an absolute must-see.
Gruesome Playground Injuries (off-Broadway)
- Starring: Kara Young, Nicholas Braun
- Where: Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street)
- When: Through December 28
- What: A play exploring the lives of two friends who, over the course of 30 years, find each other in bizarre intervals and trade stories of the physical oddities that keep bringing them back together.
Don’t let the title alarm you: the playground war stories traded in Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s play are (mostly) imaginary; there are only a few seconds here and there of special effects-produced gore. Young made history twice this year; first by earning her fourth consecutive Tony nomination in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play category and then by winning for the second straight year, becoming the first Black actor to win back-to-back Tonys. Seeing her on stage is an absolute treat, regardless of the role; her energy is infectious, and her range of emotions is on full display as Kayleen. She’s paired here with Braun, the three-time Emmy nominee of Succession fame, who holds his own as Doug in this two-hander about friendship, loss, and life.
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) (Broadway)
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- Starring: Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts
- Where: Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street)
- When: Through July 5, 2026
- What: An original musical about the unlikely friendship between a Brit landing in New York City to meet his dad for the first time and the woman who picks him up from the airport.
One of the only true original musicals currently gracing Broadway, Two Strangers is cleverly written with plenty of laughs. Tutty is the real star of the show and leads with ease, having been with the production through various iterations, including the West End mounting. His comic chops and soaring tenor give the show its heart. Pitts, playing a brash born-and-raised New Yorker, showcases her comic timing and emotional depth. It’s a feel-good meet-cute that will have you laughing, misty-eyed, and unexpectedly grateful to be in New York at Christmastime.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (off-Broadway)
- Starring: Jasmine Amy Rogers, Kevin McHale, Lilli Cooper
- Where: New World Stages (340 West 50th Street)
- When: Through April 12, 2026
- What: A musical comedy centered around a local spelling bee and the unique youngsters competing for the trophy.
Packed with audience participation, fresh jokes for 2025, and planned pandemonium (in the best possible way), Spelling Bee is a breath of fresh air. Rogers, straight off her Tony-nominated turn as the titular character in Boop! The Musical is absolutely charming as spelling bee participant Olive Ostrovsky, though the standout is McHale — another Glee alum — as the hilarious William Barfée. The entire company delivers laugh after laugh, leading to the poignant “I Love You Song” and culminating in a heartfelt ending as the winner is crowned. Chances are, your face will hurt from smiling so much by the end of the 105-minute run time.
Oedipus (Broadway)
- Starring: Mark Strong, Lesley Manville
- Where: Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street)
- When: Through February 8, 2026
- What: An adaptation of the Greek tragedy set on election night.
Robert Icke’s Oedipus is a smart adaptation. The circumstances in which it’s set leave the theater feeling like a pressure cooker, with audience members gripped by the action and eager to see what’s coming next — even if they already know. Strong and Manville, reviving their performances from the Olivier-winning West End mounting, are absolute forces. Manville, especially, is magnetic and commanding in her Broadway debut. It’s a riveting production — even if Greek tragedies aren’t your thing, the performances in this production are worth seeing.
Liberation (Broadway)
- Starring: Susannah Flood, Betsy Aidem
- Where: James Earl Jones Theatre (138 West 48th Street)
- When: Through February 1, 2026
- What: A memory play exploring a group of women in 1970s Ohio trying to change their lives — and the world.
Liberation is a timely, thought-provoking production likely to strike a chord among women, sure. But Flood’s charm in her dual role as Lizzie and Lizzie’s daughter wins audiences of all shapes and sizes from the moment she takes center stage to deliver her opening monologue. Flood leads the ragtag group of women trying to better themselves and the world around them through the Women’s Liberation movement, and their trial-and-error methods will have you laughing one second and crying the next. Early in the play, Aidem delivers a monologue cataloguing the endless responsibilities of a 1970s housewife — a moment that draws laughs and applause before settling into something far more profound. The story manages to be both uplifting and quietly devastating, capturing the contradictions of the Women’s Lib movement in a way that leaves you fired up for change. Timely, indeed.
Ragtime (Broadway)
- Starring: Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, Brandon Uranowitz
- Where: Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center (150 West 65th Street)
- When: Through June 14, 2026
- What: An adaptation of E. L. Doctorow’s classic novel, weaving together three fictional families of different backgrounds all in pursuit of the American Dream at the turn of the 20th century.
Another timely production better suited for those who enjoy their historical dramas with a melody, Ragtime features heart-wrenching performances. Henry, Levy, and Uranowitz — all Tony nominees or winners — are the leaders of their respective families at the heart of the show; each has moments of joy and heartbreak conveyed with gorgeous vocals and superb acting. They’re supported by an uber-talented ensemble lending their voices to a score with lyrics as relevant as ever.
