Theatre Gift Guide: Gift these Broadway and Off-Broadway shows this holiday season

Check out our recommendations for the best theatre tickets to give everyone on your list this year.

Theatre tickets make an ideal gift, especially right now. You don't have to wait in long lines to get them, and you can always find a ticket for a different day or show if one is sold out, unlike a popular toy or the newest tech gadget. Plus, most theatres provide e-tickets now or you can pick them up at the box office. Either way, you don't have to worry about the tickets getting lost in the mail or not arriving in time for Christmas. And you don't have to spend time and money on wrapping paper and tape, just to have to clean it all up and throw it away later.

But perhaps the best reason of all to get a theatre ticket for everyone on your holiday shopping list is that it's more than a thing; it's an experience. A theatre ticket is the start of a special memory that you can share with whoever you're giving a ticket to. Get one for yourself as well, and you can enjoy a show as part of a date night, a family bonding trip, or a night out with friends.

There are dozens of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows that would make great gifts for all sorts of people, from your theatre-obsessed friends to your old-fashioned parents to kids, teachers, dates, grandparents, and more. We've hand-picked a curated list of shows to get your gifting started — and many are on sale for a limited time only during New York Theatre Guide's Black Friday sale.

Broadway shows to gift

Broadway show tickets make a great gift for theatre lovers, and we've rounded up a few shows that make great gifts for parents, friends, partners, and new Broadway fans. 

Get tickets to a Broadway show on New York Theatre Guide.

& Juliet

Gift this show to: Millennials who grew up listening to Top 40 radio, your karaoke-obsessed friend

Featuring 30 pop hits from Bon Jovi to Britney Spears to NSYNC, & Juliet is the perfect gift for a nostalgic millennial or anyone looking to have two and a half hours of pure fun. Go along with Juliet, of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, as she goes on a journey to Paris to find herself rather than ending it all over Romeo.

Get & Juliet tickets now.

The Book of Mormon

Gift this show to: Anyone except a priest

With a hit Broadway run of 10 years and counting, The Book of Mormon is a great way to introduce a casual or first-time theatregoer to musical comedy. Anyone who likes South Park and its sense of humor will be treated to plenty of laughs with a ticket to this musical.

Get The Book of Mormon tickets now.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Gift this show to: Hopeless romantics, your friend that keeps looking at flights to France

If a trip to Paris isn't in the cards, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the next best gift. The musical fully immerses you in the Bohemian nightclub, and with 10 Tony Awards to its name including Best Musical, the show is a certified spectacular perfect for pop music lovers, fans of the 2001 movie, or anyone looking to escape the routine of daily life for a few hours. 

Get Moulin Rouge! The Musical tickets now.

The Great Gatsby

Gift this show to: Your party-hearty friends, lovers of classic novels

Broadway's biggest party is The Great Gatsby, bursting with Roaring Twenties glamour and energy. So grab your friends, don your best flapper dresses and pinstripe suits, and party like Gatsby at this musical adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic book.

Get The Great Gatsby tickets now.

Hamilton

Gift this show to: History buffs, anyone who thinks history is boring, someone you really want to impress

Nearly a decade after its Broadway premiere, Hamilton is still one of Broadway's hottest tickets, and it's sure to impress any family member or friend. This hip-hop and rap retelling of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton's life story brings American history to thrilling new life.

Get Hamilton tickets now.

Wicked

Gift this show to: First-time theatregoers, The Wizard of Oz fans, your best gal pals

Now that the Wicked movie musical came out, you might know people who saw it and want to experience the show live. It's a thrillifying experience — Wicked has defied gravity on Broadway with its songs and stagecraft for 20 years. Young audiences love the magic, and older audiences appreciate the themes of female friendship and standing up for what's right, even when it's hard.

Get Wicked tickets now.

Back to the Future

Gift this show to: People with '50s and '80s nostalgia, car enthusiasts, sci-fi fans

Need a gift yesterday? Travel back in time with the family-friendly Back to the Future musical, which features the hit songs from the film and more. And yes, the DeLorean really does fly on stage.

Get Back to the Future tickets now.

The Outsiders

Gift this show to: Your teenage son and his friends, fans of the book and movie, people who like darker, edgier shows

Winner of the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical, The Outsiders brings S. E. Hinton's novel about teenage gangs in Tulsa to life. The show's about survival and brotherhood, and it unfolds with exciting fight sequences and stirring Americana music.

Get The Outsiders tickets now.

The Lion King

Gift this show to: People who have never seen a Broadway show, Disney lovers, safari enthusiasts

When The Lion King premiered on Broadway, its beloved story and songs made it instantly beloved, and the unique, intricate animal puppetry made it revolutionary. More than 25 years later, the circle of life is still turning and bringing in millions of theatregoers.

Get The Lion King tickets now.

MJ The Musical

Gift this show to: Michael Jackson fans, concert lovers, people who dance along to music videos in their bedrooms

MJ The Musical has all the energy of a Michael Jackson stadium concert — which makes sense since it's set during rehearsals for his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. As he perfects his performances, including his iconic dance moves, audiences get an electrifying look into his life and career, hearing his greatest hits along the way.

Get MJ The Musical tickets now.

Elf The Musical

Gift this show to: Anyone who needs a little holiday cheer

As the famous line from the 2004 Will Ferrell film goes: "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" So hear Buddy the Elf, Santa, and more sing in the Broadway musical adaptation, in which Buddy travels from the North Pole to NYC in search of his family.

Get Elf The Musical tickets now.

Aladdin

Gift this show to: Families who take an annual trip to Disney, significant others looking for a fun date-night outing

Take friends, family, or a date to a whole new world at Aladdin. A ticket to this Disney hit, based on the 1992 film, is perfect for anyone who loves a musical spectacle and plenty of classic theatrical magic — and a flying carpet's only the half of it.

Get Aladdin tickets now.

Chicago

Gift this show to: True crime podcast fans, first-time Broadway theatregoers

Chicago is the second-longest-running Broadway show of all time and, since The Phantom of the Opera closed in 2023, the longest currently running show. This Kander and Ebb classic, with sleek moves and a script co-created by Bob Fosse, has razzle-dazzled audiences since 1996 with the story of two 1920s murderesses who compete to win over the press and the public to get acquitted — and get famous.

Get Chicago tickets now.

Hadestown

Gift this show to: People who know every underground artist in the local indie scene, anyone who was obsessed with Greek mythology in high school

Get Hadestown tickets for someone and they'll be livin' it up on top. It's a perfect show to gift a significant other, as the musical tells an epic love story from ancient Greek mythology that's just as stirring now.

Get Hadestown tickets now.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Gift this show to: People who grew up with the books and movies, people who love magic and illusion shows

A Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ticket is nothing short of a magical gift that will leave a recipient of any age spellbound. You can even make a whole Harry Potter-themed experience out of your gift, coupling the show with a trip to the Harry Potter store in Manhattan to get merch and butterbeer while you're in the city.

Get Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tickets now.

Six

Gift this show to: Your closest group of girlfriends, anyone planning a bachelorette party, anyone getting over a breakup

Get your friends tickets to the feminist musical that's still ruling Broadway. Six features Henry VIII's six wives as a contemporary girl group, sharing their lives as queens in their own words and competing over who gets to lead the band. Anyone on your gift list will lose their head once they unwrap Six tickets.

Get Six tickets now.

Off-Broadway shows to gift

If you're buying a gift for a longtime theatre fan who's seen everything on Broadway, introduce them to the equally varied world of Off-Broadway musicals and plays. 

Get tickets to an Off-Broadway show on New York Theatre Guide.

The Play that Goes Wrong

Gift this show to: Comedy club regulars, anyone who's ever performed in theatre themselves

Anyone who needs a good laugh will get one — two hours' worth of them, in fact — at this long-running slapstick show. People of all ages can find humor in the Cornley Drama Society, an amateur group who tries to stage an original murder mystery play. Things go hilariously haywire in every way you can imagine and plenty of ways you can't.

Get The Play that Goes Wrong tickets now.

Titanique

Gift this show to: People who've watched every season of RuPaul's Drag Race, Celine Dion fans

This queer, campy parody adaptation of Titanic boasts a boatload of up-to-the-minute pop culture references, laughs, and good old pizzazz. Celine Dion, who famously sang the theme song for James Cameron's movie, is the main character in this show, singing all her greatest hits while retelling her own kooky version of what happened to Jack and Rose.

Get Titanique tickets now.

Little Shop of Horrors

Gift this show to: Fans of the movie, fans of campy (and not-too-scary) horror, botanists and gardeners

This horror comedy about a hapless flower shop worker and a flesh-eating plant is a fan favorite, and the latest revival has been blossoming off Broadway since 2019. Hear songs like "Somewhere That's Green" and "Skid Row" performed in an intimate venue — just watch out for the plant's snapping jaws, especially if you're close to the front!

Get Little Shop of Horrors tickets now.

Nutcracker Rouge

Gift this show to: Parents looking for a kid-free date night, people who've seen the traditional Nutcracker more times than they can count

Including an immersive burlesque-circus-opera show, treats, and themed cocktails, a ticket to Nutcracker Rouge isn't just a gift — it's an experience, perfect for your friends or significant other looking for a fun night out.

Get Nutcracker Rouge tickets now.

Sleep No More

Gift this show to: Haunted house and haunted maze lovers, anyone who wishes masquerade balls were still popular

Don't just gift a show this holiday — gift an experience. Fans of Shakespeare and classic movies alike will love Sleep No More, an immersive adaptation of Macbeth inspired by the aesthetic of Alfred Hitchcock's films. Explore five floors of the McKittrick Hotel, and if you're lucky, you might come upon a secret room or interact with the actors.

Get Sleep No More tickets now.