It’s a big season for Black voices on Broadway. Be it revivals of Pulitzer Prize-winning material from Black playwrights, debuts from Black creators breaking ground in their fields, grand openings, and renamings that honor Black legends, this winter’s stages are packed with can’t-miss moments.
Stars of the screen like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and John David Washington are making splashes on stage for their first turn on Broadway, bringing the words of Suzan Lori-Parks and August Wilson to life, while Wendell Pierce and Emilie Kouatchou are shattering ceilings as first-ever Black leads in classic plays.
Catch these shows while you can! Check out what’s new and Black on Broadway this winter below.
01
Ain’t No Mo’
Produced by Lee Daniels and the brainchild of star Jordan E. Cooper, the youngest American playwright in Broadway history, this mischievous comedy examines the scenario of the U.S. offering reparations for generations of ills and ongoing racism…by giving Black Americans one-way tickets back to the motherland.
Opening Dec. 1 – Belasco Theatre
02
Some Like It Hot
A multicultural reimagining of the famed 1959 comedy classic, this musical comedy caper follows 2 struggling jazz musicians who have the particular misfortune of witnessing a mob hit in prohibition-era Chicago. On the run for their lives, they take refuge in disguise – masquerading as women in an all-female traveling jazz band. With heavy buzz and a production boost from Mariah Carey, this is sure to be a hot ticket all winter long.
Ongoing – Shubert Theatre
03
Topdog/Underdog
The first-ever revival of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, directed by the legendary Kenny Leon, Topdog/Underdog brings Corey Hawkins and Broadway newcomer Yahya Abdul-Mateen II together for an emotional sleight of hand as two brothers thrust together to work through the worst of circumstances and locked in a loop of fruitless sibling rivalry. Catch this limited engagement before its mid-January close.
Through January 15 – John Golden Theatre
04
Death of a Salesman
Renowned television actor Wendell Pierce is the first Black man to lead this production, starring as Willy Loman, a man with 24 hours left to live, who examines his existence through memories and dreams and recounts various confrontations over his refusal to accept change and loss of his sense of self. Catch Pierce while you can, as this one is another limited engagement.
Through January 15 – Hudson Theatre
05
The Piano Lesson
John David Washington makes his Broadway debut in this revival of an August Wilson classic, alongside his “Aunt and Uncle,” director LaTanya Richardson Jackson and co-star Samuel L. Jackson. Also starring Danielle Brooks, the play finds a brother and sister duo fighting tooth and nail over the fate of a rare family heirloom; a piano carved with the faces of their family ancestors. Only through revisiting their own history can they have hope of moving forward. Catch this limited engagement while you can.
Through January 29 – Ethel Barrymore Theatre
06
Phantom of the Opera
Broadway’s longest-running classic, this season finds the production with its first-ever Black female lead. Emilie Kouatchou breaks ground as Christine Daaé, a young operatic phenom whose voice and beauty mesmerizes a disfigured musical genius who stalks the Paris Opera House in secret.
Ongoing – Majestic Theatre
07
MJ: The Musical
A jukebox-style sing-along musical, this toe-tapping production follows the life, times, and timeless hits of one of the greatest performers of the 20th century.
Ongoing – Neil Simon Theatre
08
A Strange Loop
This laugh-out-loud funny musical and 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winner follows a Black queer writer, writing a musical about a Black queer writer writing a musical, about a Black queer writer writing a musical… A semi-autobiographic tale about creator Michael R. Jackson, with all words music and lyrics coming straight from his soul.
Through January 15 – Lyceum Theatre
09
Ohio State Murders
Legendary Broadway actress Audra McDonald leads this Kenny Leon-directed mystery, following a famed writer who returns to her collegiate stomping grounds with the intention of revealing a shocking truth about what happened to her there while she was a student.
Opening December 8, 2022 – James Earl Jones Theatre
