NYC Off-Broadway Week, February 10–23, offers 2-for-1 tickets for the biggest shows on the City’s smaller stages, including this season’s original plays, pop culture parodies and revivals of classic musicals. No matter your theatrical taste, there’s a show for you. Check out six great participating shows, and why you’ll want to book your ticket for each of them, below.
If you can’t decide between hitting the comedy club or the theater: Forbidden Broadway
Broadway’s biggest hits—Oklahoma!, Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen and plenty of others—get roasted in this fast-paced musical spoof. Gerard Alessandrini’s lyrics spare no one, even skewering theater royalty like Bette Midler and Billy Porter. Alessandrini, winner of Tony Honors for Exellence in Theatre, also directs the limited-run revue.
If you want to celebrate Women’s History Month a bit early: The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Molly Brown was a progressive champion of labor rights, women’s rights and many other reforms—and to top it all off, this powerhouse survived the sinking of the Titanic. See Beth Malone (Fun Home) star as Brown in this musical, reworked for 2020 from the original 1960 Broadway production.
If you’re a true-crime junkie: Dana H.
This new one-woman show tells the true story of Dana Higginbotham, a psych ward chaplain kidnapped and held captive for five months by one of her patients. Playwright Lucas Hnath, who received a Tony nomination in 2017 for A Doll’s House Part 2, brings this story to life for the stage with a unique authority—the real Dana is his mother.
If your smartphone might as well be glued to your hand: Emojiland
Take a two-hour break from texting and watch your favorite emojis take the stage instead. In this lighthearted original show, which is set inside the world of a smartphone, emoji characters like the skull, smiley face, princess and others band together in the face of an impending software update.
If you’re looking to spice up your theatergoing life: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Based on the eponymous 1969 film, this irreverent new musical follows two married couples navigating non-monogamy in the swinging ’60s. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega takes on the role of the bandleader; other notable cast members include Jennifer Damiano (Next to Normal) and Joél Pérez (Fun Home).
If you’re not-so-patiently waiting for the next Star Wars movie premiere: A Musical About Star Wars
This musical comedy starts off in a galaxy not so far away: Staten Island. It’s there that two Star Wars superfans write a show-within-the-show about their favorite sci-fi franchise and set out to stage it at Comic Con. Along the way, expect plenty of pop culture jokes and love for the Star Wars legacy that even nonfans can appreciate.
The above shows are part of NYC Off-Broadway Week. To see all participating productions and to book tickets starting January 27, visit our NYC Off-Broadway Week page.