Editor's Top 5 Picks for February 2020 on Broadway and Beyond

Here's a guide to our theatrical highlights of the month...

The Broadway season switches up a gear in February as a handful of new productions begin performances on the Great White Way and the Off-Broadway scene is really heating up with new offerings from renowned companies such as the Public Theater, The New Group, Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Atlantic Theater Company, MCC Theater, Signature Theatre, Second Stage Theater, Playwrights Horizons, and Lincoln Center Theater, among others. Yes, there's plenty for theatre fans to sink their teeth into this month, but which theatrical gems will make our Top 5?

Before we get to our picks, here's a little 'Last Chance Saloon' reminder...

Which Broadway shows are closing this month?

- New wave fans be warned, you only have until February 16 to catch Talking Heads icon David Byrne up close and personal at the Hudson Theatre, as David Byrne's American Utopia comes to the end of its extended Broadway engagement.

David Byrne's American Utopia Tickets are available now for performances through February 16, 2020.

- Four-time Tony Award nominee Laura Linney's Broadway return in the solo show My Name is Lucy Barton is currently scheduled to play its final performance at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on February 29, 2020.

My Name is Lucy Barton Tickets are available now for performances through February 29, 2020.

And, without any further ado, here are our Top 5 picks for February 2020...

- Something's Coming, Something Good...

Mark your calendars, Broadway fans! On February 20, Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove's fresh and reportedly violent take on the Bernstein/Laurents/Sondheim classic musical West Side Story finally celebrates its official opening at the Broadway Theatre. The new revival has been in previews since December 10 and hasn't been without its own controversies already as a couple of injuries have been sustained by cast members, including leading man Isaac Powell. We have our fingers crossed that all the blood, sweat and tears will have been worth it, when the New York critics share their opinions on February 20! And in the massive confines of the Broadway Theatre, there's a place for you... somewhere a place for you...

West Side Story Tickets are available now for performances through September 6, 2020.

- Something for the "Forever Young"?

There is a "Hurricane" heading to the Great White Way from February 7 in the form of Conor McPherson's classy musical Girl from the North Country that showcases the greatest hits of one Bob Dylan. Set in 1934 in the midst of The Great Depression, this original and universal story of family and human connection plays out in Duluth, Minnesota; Dylan's hometown. The production has embarked on an illustrious journey since 2017, with its world premiere at London's Old Vic, two limited West End engagements, an Off-Broadway premiere at the Public Theater and a Canadian premiere in Toronto, but now it finally takes its rightful place on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre.

Girl from the North Country Tickets are available now for performances from February 7 through September 27, 2020.

- Divorced, Beheaded... Live on Broadway!

The Real Housewives of Tudor, anyone? The UK's musical phenomenon SIX finally lands on Broadway this month, beginning performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on February 13. This smash hit show, which was nominated for four Olivier Awards last year (including 'Best Musical'), rides in a lane all of its own. Part history lesson, part pop concert, SIX has already burst out of the theatre bubble and boasts a cast recording that has been streamed countlessly across the globe, second only to Hamilton. Get ready to witness the testimonies of the six ex-wives of Henry VIII... through the medium of a girl band gig! And see if you can spot the influences of the music queens of today, including Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Adele, and even Nicki Minaj!

SIX Tickets are available now for performances from February 13, 2020 through January 3, 2021.

- The Return of Two Gothic Legends

Our Off-Broadway pick for February sees two iconic characters of gothic literature treading the boards once again, courtesy of Classic Stage Company. Two brand new adaptations of Bram Stoker's Dracula (by Kate Hamill, who also stars as Renfield) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (by Tristan Bernays) are now in repertory at CSC's Lynn F. Angelson Theater and celebrate their official opening on February 17. Matthew Amendt stars as Dracula, whilst Stephanie Berry takes on the dual roles of Frankenstein and The Creature. So, if you like your theatre on the darker side and if you don't shy away from things that go bump in the night, why not check out these innovative new takes on everyone's favorite classic monsters?

Dracula Tickets are available now for performances through March 8, 2020.

Frankenstein Tickets are available now for performances through March 8, 2020.

 - In Memory of Jerry Herman...

Our final pick for this month is a sentimental choice, but a deserved one. The Broadway community mourned the loss of two-time Tony Award-winning composer & lyricist Jerry Herman on December 26, 2019. He was probably best known for his scores of classic musicals Hello, Dolly!, La Cage aux Folles, and Mame, and thanks to the Encores! program, another one of his better-known works, Mack and Mabel, will be gracing the Mainstage of New York City Center this month. With a cast led by Tony Award nominee Douglas Sills (as Mack Sennett) and Alexandra Socha (as Mabel Normand) and, as always, accompanied by The Encores! Orchestra, Mack and Mabel will offer up the perfect farewell to a true Broadway legend.

Mack and Mabel runs from February 19 through February 23, 2020 at New York City Center.

Check out our full Broadway listings for February 2020 here and our full Off-Broadway listings here.