As Shakespeare said in Hamlet, "the play's the thing." For the current Broadway season that's never been more true. And while none of the plays to open (yet) are being used to catch out an adulterous family member, they are all pretty amazing. Since the season began, eleven plays have already opened, with eight more set to follow beginning in January. While the number of plays is not unlike previous seasons, this season is rich with some of the best plays we have seen on Broadway.
No one could have expected that the jukebox and blockbuster musicals that have taken over Broadway is recent years could be overshadowed by plays. There are several plays about journalism, several revivals, some shows that have never been seen on Broadway before, and a couple of transfers from across the pond. All of these shows are bound to create and unforgettable season for plays.
The Ferryman, one of the shows to make the jump from the West End, has been wowing audiences since it opened in October, and it's not alone in receiving acclaim. Many of the plays this season have opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews, also giving an unprecedented number of critic's picks from The New York Times.
The landscape for plays is changing, and for the better. Now that is not to say that previous seasons have not given us some amazing plays. Personally, I loved both Travesties and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, both from last season. But there has never been such a level of acclaim for plays. And it's far from over.
Beginning in January we will see Choir Boy, True West, King Lear, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, Burn This, Hillary and Clinton, Ink, and All My Sons open. It will be unsurprising if this trend of incredible plays continue. As new playwrights get their chances on the Great White Way and older plays are dusted off for acclaimed revivals, the Broadway community has been gifted some incredible work, that looks to be on full speed ahead for the forseeable future.