Top theatre to see in New York in September

Check out our picks for must-see theatre on and off Broadway in September 2023, when the fall Broadway and Off-Broadway seasons ramp up after the summer.

September is when three things begin in earnest: fall, school, and theatre. New shows opened during the summer, but September is when the Broadway season gets into full swing, with lots of new Broadway shows playing their first performances. The stars are out on Broadway this month, too, with multiple shows featuring celebrity cast members.

Many Off-Broadway theatre companies begin their seasons in September, too, so take a chance on a new play, musical, or comedy show this month, and see it in an intimate space. Learn more about all the major new theatre shows opening in September, and get your tickets right here on New York Theatre Guide.

Broadway shows to see in September

Lots of musicals and plays start performances on Broadway this month, including exciting revivals and new shows by award-winning artists. Be sure to check out these widely celebrated shows, many with celebrities in the cast.

Get Broadway tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

The Roommate

Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow have moved into the Booth Theatre to star in Jen Silverman's comedy. Sharon (Farrow) is a recent divorcée from Iowa who takes in Robyn (LuPone), a boarder from the Bronx, who cracks Sharon's world open.

Get The Roommate tickets now.

McNeal

See Oscar-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. make his Broadway debut in the title role of McNeal, a new play by Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar. Jacob McNeal is an acclaimed writer with an unhealthy obsession with AI and other past hangups that start catching up to him.

Get McNeal tickets now.

The Hills of California

Playwright Jez Butterworth and director Sam Mendes reunite on Broadway with The Hills of California, their latest collaboration following the Tony and Olivier Award-winning The Ferryman. The play, which premiered to acclaim in London, jumps back and forth between the childhood and adulthood of the Webb sisters, who face their past choices — and their consequences — as they visit their dying mother.

Get The Hills of California tickets now.

Yellow Face

See Lost star Daniel Dae Kim return to Broadway in Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang's comedy. Inspired by true events, the show follows an Asian playwright, based on Hwang, who protests yellowface casting in shows — and then mistakenly casts a white man as the Asian lead in his own play.

Get Yellow Face tickets now.

Our Town

The population of this town is starry: Jim Parsons, Zoey Deutch, Katie Holmes, Richard Thomas, Ephraim Sykes, Julie Halston, and more star in director Kenny Leon's fresh revival of Our Town. Thornton Wilder's time-honored play explores life, death, and the in-between via the residents of a fictional village.

Get Our Town tickets now.

Romeo + Juliet

Wherefore art thou Romeo? To make a Broadway debut, of course. Heartstopper's Kit Connor and West Side Story Golden Globe winner Rachel Zegler make theirs in a new production of Shakespeare's tragedy about star-crossed lovers. Also making his debut is Grammy-winning music producer Jack Antonoff, who composed original music for the show.

Get Romeo + Juliet tickets now.

Left on Tenth

Surprises in life and love are always just around the corner. That's what You've Got Mail screenwriter Delia Ephron discovered when she unexpectedly fell in love while undergoing a dramatic life change. Her memoir Left on Tenth, in which she tells this story, is now a Broadway play starring Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher.

Get Left on Tenth tickets now.

Sunset Boulevard

Nicole Scherzinger is ready for her close-up. The former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman brings her award-winning performance as fading film star Norma Desmond from London to New York. How far will Norma go to reclaim the fame she once had — and thinks she still has?

Get Sunset Boulevard tickets now.

Off-Broadway shows to see in September

Off-Broadway theatres have it all this month: innovative new plays, comedy shows, and more. Whatever your taste in theatre, you'll find it off Broadway, so check out these shows starting New York performances this month and find one that's best for you.

Get Off-Broadway tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Hold on to Me Darling

A big star returns to an intimate place both on stage and in real life. Hold on to Me Darling follows Strings McCrane, a country star who comes back to his hometown and reevaluates his future following his mother's death. The actor playing Strings is Oscar nominee Adam Driver, returning to theatre at the cozy Lucille Lortel Theatre.

Get Hold on to Me Darling tickets now.

The Big Gay Jamboree

Marla Mindelle, the award-winning co-creator and original star of Titanique, is back off Broadway with her latest laugh-out-loud musical. The Big Gay Jamboree pays tribute to — and makes loving fun of — old-fashioned Broadway via the story of Stacey, who gets stuck inside a musical after a wild night and must find her way out.

Get The Big Gay Jamboree tickets now.

Woof!

See the latest comedy show by internationally acclaimed comedian Hannah Gadsby, the creator of Nanette. Woof!, described as "mischievous echo of Nanette," is inspired by Gadsby's experiences processing the ever-changing, ever-contradictory world around us all.

Get Woof! tickets now.

Table 17

Get a seat at the table for this new romantic comedy by Douglas Lyons. Jade and Dallas, former fiancés and current exes, meet up to hash out their past and move on — but difficult memories and sassy waiters can't keep them away from the truth. Performances run through September 22 only.

Get Table 17 tickets now.

Counting and Cracking

Generations and histories collide in this sweeping play by S. Shakthidharan. Everything changes when Siddhartha, an Australian man, receives a call informing him of his past — in which his mother fled Sri Lanka while pregnant — and a life he never knew. Performances run through September 22 only.

Get Counting and Cracking tickets now.

Good Bones

When Aisha's job gives her an opportunity to revitalize the run-down neighborhood she grew up in and build her dream home with her husband, she's excited. Her neighbors, not so much. Good Bones, by Pulitzer Prize winner James Ijames (Fat Ham) explores the intersections of gentrification, history, and community.

Get Good Bones tickets now.

Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song

The Forbidden Broadway franchise has been an Off-Broadway mainstay for years, encompassing numerous cabaret shows featuring original spoofs on beloved Broadway tunes. Its latest installment, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song, parodies Broadway premieres from recent years as well as composer Stephen Sondheim's classic hits from shows like Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along.

Get Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song tickets now.

The Counter

Every day, the routine is the same: The regular customer arrives at the diner, the waitress pours his coffee. They develop a friendship over small talk and ordinary shared moments — until one day, he asks a shocking favor that upends their relationship.

Get The Counter tickets now.

Vladimir

An independent journalist covering Putin's first term in office is on the cusp of breaking a massive story. But doing so will put not only her, but also her sources, in danger. Is it worth it? Find out at this gripping drama about a reporter trying to maintain her integrity, sanity, and safety in increasingly hostile conditions.

Get Vladimir tickets now.

Our Class

Following an acclaimed run at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Our Class comes to Classic Stage Company for an encore run. Ten Polish classmates — five Catholic and five Jewish — begin as friends and playmates, but they fracture as the Nazi regime rises, with their actions affecting their lives from 1925 to the present day.

Get Our Class tickets now.

Photo credit: The Hills of California in London. (Photo by Mark Douet)