Something for everyone: Plays – Musicals – Reimaginings – Solo Shows – Festivals – Puppets and More . . . .

Our Class begins previews at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Fisher Fishman Space on January 12. Opening night is set for January 18 and the limited engagement runs through February 4. www.BAM.org

The Ally (Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St.) When Asaf is asked to sign a social justice manifesto, he becomes embroiled in an increasingly conflicted web of relationships that challenge his commitments as a liberal, a husband, an academic, an American, an atheist, and a Jew. With tensions at an all-time high, Asaf is forced to confront the age-old question: “If I am only for myself, what am I?” By Tony-winning playwright Itamar Moses. February, 2024. (publictheater.org)

An American Soldier (PAC NYC, Perelman Performing Arts Center, 250 Fulton St.) The New York premiere of composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang’s opera based on the powerful true story of U.S. Private Danny Chen. 5/12 thru 5/19/24. (pacnyc.org)

The Apiary (Second Stage’s Tony Kiser Theater, 305 W. 43rd St.) Twenty-two years in the future two lab assistants hatch a plan that could change the world. All they need are a few volunteers. A raucous and provocative world premiere work by Kate Douglas about sacrifice, ambition, and honeybees. Part of the Next Stage Festival. 1/31 thru 2/25/24. (2st.com)

Aristocrats (Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 W. 22^nd St.) Set in Ballybeg Hall in County Donegal, Brian Friel’s Chekhovian masterpiece chronicles the decaying home of District Justice O’Donnell, where the family congregate for a wedding, but stay to attend a funeral. Friel’s tale of three sisters and their ‘eccentric’ brother reveals the way in which the ache of one family becomes the microcosm for the ache of a society. 1/11 thru 3/3/24. (irishrep.org)

Between Two Knees (Perelman Performing Arts Center, 250 Fulton St.) The Indigenous sketch comedy group The 1491s (Reservation Dogs) presents an outrageously funny play which spans 90 years in the life of a fictional Native American family. 2/3 thru 2/24/24. (pacnyc.org)

Beverly Johnson: IN VOGUE (59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59^th St., Theater B) An intimate “live-autobiography” in which Johnson takes the stage, sharing personal dispatches on the ever-shifting fashion and entertainment industries. Touching upon everything from her career, relationships, the truth about Bill Cosby, and her involvement in the #MeToo movement, the show, like Johnson herself, is funny, fearless, and unapologetic while illustrating how she bucked trends and blazed a trail through barriers. 1/9 thru 1/28/24. (59e59.org)

The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu (New York Live Arts, 219 W. 19^th St.) South African performance artist Albert Ibokwe Khoza examines the indignity and pain of these bygone racist institutions and their modern counterparts alike, countering violent action with extremities of performative ritual. The Black Circus wields theater as a weapon and a salve, turning its gaze outward in service of healing the soul and reclaiming the body’s dignity through the power of confrontational art. 1/11 thru 1/13/24. (utrfest.org)

Brooklyn Laundry (New York City Center, Stage I, 131 W. 55^th St.) Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley’s latest is about three sisters and a guy who runs a laundry in Brooklyn, and the sometimes savage tricks life plays on them. Tragic and funny by turns, this story will remind you what is important in life…and the sorrow and joy of fully embracing adulthood. From 2/6/24. (nycitycenter.org)

The Connector (Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, 511 W. 52^nd St.) Set in the late 1990s amid a rapidly changing media landscape we meet a fast-rising journalist, Ethan Dobson, and an assistant copy editor, Robin Martinez, at the revered magazine The Connector. In a world that values the next big sensation, Ethan’s writing prowess and ambition force him to confront how far he’ll go for the ultimate scoop and Robin to consider how far she’ll go to stop him. Featuring Scott Bakula. 1/12/24 thru 2/18/24. (mcctheater.org)

Cultural Exchange Rate (Invisible Dog Art Center, 51 Bergen St., Brooklyn) An interactive live art project in which artist Tania El Khoury shares her family memoirs of life in a border village between Lebanon and Syria. One marked by war survival, valueless currency collection, brief migration to Mexico, and a river that disregards the colonial and national borders. 1/11 thru 1/21/24. (utrfest.org)

Dark Noon (St. Ann’s Warehouse, 45 Water St., Brooklyn) A cast of South African actors and members of the audience re-enact the story of the American wild, wild west through the lens of Hollywood Westerns. This incendiary spectacle turns American history on its head—from the land rush to the gold rush, to gunfights and gunslingers, the territorial conflicts between the European settlers and the indigenous natives are all there. It’s an absurd and vicious game, playful until it isn’t. 6/7 thru 7/7/24. (stannswarehouse.org)

Dead Outlaw (Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane) A new musical centering on ambitious outlaw Elmer McCurdy, whose death at the hands of a Western posse ended a life of failed crime and alcoholism and began a brilliant career as a mummified side-show attraction that travelled the USA for decades — until a grip for a 1970s TV series discovers him in an amusement park’s house-of-horrors, which launches hunt for the origins of this enigma. 2/28 – 4/7/24.

The Desire of the Astronaut (Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, 304 W. 47^th St.) This original musical explores the enduring myth and popular iconography of the astronaut through the fictional story of Esteban Only, the last Boricua in space. Drifting on a dying spacecraft with only intermittent contact with Earth, Esteban undertakes repairs that may facilitate his rescue or accelerate his court martial on grounds of insubordination. 5/2 thru 6/2/24. (p

The Eagle and the Tortoise (BRIC, 647 Fulton, Brooklyn) In this collective reading of a hand-made book, Sister Sylvester’s work moves between myth and documentary, tracing the history of the aerial view in art and journalism, and following the true story of a young woman who became an icon of leftist resistance, an armed militant, a political prisoner, and finally, a proxy soldier in an American war. 1/11 thru 1/21/24. (utrfest.org)

Eddie Izzard: Hamlet (Greenwich House Theater, 27 Barrow St.) The King of Denmark is dead and Prince Hamlet is set on revenge, initiating a cascade of events that will destroy both family and state. In his solo take on Shakespeare’s famous work, Izzard portrays men, women, ghosts, scholars, tyrants, courtiers, lovers, fools, and poets. This is a production for everyone, a timeless drama with an accidental hero, adding up to an accessible, touching, scary, and dramatic Hamlet. 1/25 thru 3/3/24. (eddieizzardhamlet.com)

El Otro Oz (Atlantic Stage 2 Theater, 330 W. 16^th St.) Inspired by The Wizard of Oz, this new bi-lingual musical with salsa, merengue, and Mexican folk-infused music follows Dora, a contemporary Latiné teenager, struggling with her family’s ideas about tradition. But, when she’s swept to a strange new land, she learns how to celebrate her unique rhythm and embrace her cultural identity. 1/13 thru 2/18/24. (atlantictheater.org)

Concrete Temple Theater at Dixon Place presents Ernie’s Secret Life an episodic odyssey that fuses ever-changing puppetry and stagecraft with humor, music, and a raw understanding of our profound collective reality. Written and directed by Renee Philippi and featuring puppetry and set design by Carlo Adinolfi, Ernie’s Secret Life runs January 4–27, 2024, at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie St, Manhattan) www.dixonplace.org

The First Bad Man (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Samuel Rehearal Studio, Rose Bldg., 7th Fl., 165 W. 65th St.) Pan Pan’s book club wants you prepared, so if you purchase your ticket before 12/10 and share your address, you’ll receive a free copy of the novel The First Bad Man. Read as much or as little as you want and bring the book with you when you attend…you’ll need it! If you purchase after 12/10, you’ll receive a digital copy and receive a free hard copy when you arrive. 11/5 thru 1/13/24. (utrfest.org)

The Following Evening (Perelman Performing Arts Center, 250 Fulton St.) An intimate portrait of a couple creating what may be their final performance together after a lifetime at the heart of the experimental theater scene. A unique collaboration between two theater-making couples a generation apart. 2/1 thru 2/18/24. (pacnyc.org)

Fun with Panic Attacks (INTAR, 500 W. 52nd St., #4W) In this new performance piece by Florencia Lozano, Floppy explores her life’s journey with anxiety as she invites you to take off your shoes, lie down on the floor, and check in to see if you are holding your breath. Psychological funhouse meets choose-how-immersive-you-want-it-to-be theatrical event. 1/12 thru 1/28/24

Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me (Performing Garage, 33 Wooster St.) This original work for theater explores a genre of Black American storytelling called Toasts—rhyming epic poems that tell fantastical and bawdy stories about legendary street heroes. Set in a late-night radio DJ studio, actor Eric Berryman, as host, performs renditions of several classic Toasts from the 1976 LP on which the show is based, contextualizing with reflections on Black male identity. 1/11 thru 2/3/24. (thewoostergroup.org)

The Greatest Hits Down Route 66 (59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59^th St., Theater A) It’s the summer of ‘99. The Franco family is taking the Great American Road Trip. Challenged at every turn by their kids, the parents find themselves detouring into their own childhood memories. Part family comedy, part musical odyssey, the work careens around America’s iconic landmarks and cultural relics accompanied by live music drawn from Carl Sandburg’s American Songbag, a 1920s anthology of U.S. folk songs. 1/13 thru 2/18/24. (59e59.org)

Grenfell: In the Words of Survivors (St. Ann’s Warehouse, 45 Water St., Brooklyn) The extraordinarily resilient Grenfell community in London protected and cared for one another before, during, and after a deadly fire many of them foresaw. Crafted from verbatim interviews and public inquiries, the survivors’ haunting recollections, heroic acts, and unspeakable loss amplify a fierce campaign for justice and reform. 4/13 thru 5/12/24. (stannswarehouse.org)

Hamlet | Toilet (Japan Society, 333 E. 47^th St.) Theater Company Kaimaku Pennant Race (KPR), renowned for its nonsensical yet profound style that seamlessly weaves Japanese pop culture into reimagined scenes from Shakespearean plays, debuts their version of the Bard’s renowned play, Performed in Japanese with English surtitles. 1/10 & 1/13/24. (japansociety.org)

Here I Am (AMT Theatre, 354 W. 45th St.) This new musical by Samantha Roberts and Christian Cantrell is a modern love story centering around social media and the effect it has on interpersonal relationships and our self-conception. From 3/1/24. (amttheater.org)

The Hours Are Feminine (INTAR, 500 W. 52nd St., #4W) In the summer of 1960, Hurricane Donna ravages the Northeast and a Puerto Rican family of three, who has never left home before, moves to rural Long Island. Evalisse, Fernán, and their son Jaivín rent a dilapidated little house on the property of an old middle-class Italian named Charlie. Tensions rise between the families of old immigrants and new. Written and directed by Jose Rivera. Begins 5/11/24

The Human Dream Project (The Tank’s 98-Seat Theater, 312 W. 36th St.) Cross the liminal curtain and navigate the odd, sometimes hilarious, sometimes despairing world of dreams that all humans experience as they sleep in this irreverent, moving multimedia performance that illustrates recordings of people describing their dreams with technicolor handmade costumes and textural foley and music. 4/5 thru 4/28/24. (thetanknyc.org)

The Hunt (St. Ann’s Warehouse, 45 Water St., Brooklyn) A rural hunting community goes mad when a teacher is accused of misconduct by a 6-year-old child. A modern-day parable/thriller, where guns and drinking songs are the way of life and truth is no match for the impulses unleashed. Begins 2/16/24

Jelly’s Last Jam (New York City Center, 131 W. 55^th St.) A vivid, impressionistic portrait of legendary jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton, the show puts the “inventor of jazz” in a purgatorial afterlife, accusing him of denying and denigrating his cultural legacy. By utilizing two of this country’s most potent forms of storytelling—jazz and musical theater—Jelly’s Last Jam weaves a complex fable of American history, legacy, and truth. Featuring Tony winner Billy Porter. 2/21 – 3/3/24.

Jonah (Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center, Laura Pels Theatre, 111 W. 46th St.) Ana knows that everybody has a fantasy and she’d do anything to make it come true. And when she meets Jonah, a student at her boarding school, everything she’s ever wanted is finally falling into place. Except Jonah is not all that he seems. A haunting and heart-racing coming-of-age tale that will keep you guessing until its final twisting moments. 1/11 thru 3/10/24.

Jordans (Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St.) Bitingly funny, this new play by Ife Olujobi is set in an overwhelmingly white workplace where a long-suffering receptionist finds herself in personal, professional, and psychic jeopardy when her ruthless boss hires a hip new employee in an effort to improve the company’s image and “culture.” Suddenly, the two young, Black social climbers are forced together and torn apart by their race, ambition, and otherworldly circumstance. April, 2024. (publictheater.org)

Like They Do in The Movies (Perelman Performing Arts Center, 250 Fulton St.) The world premiere of a one-man tour-de-force written and performed by the Tony and Emmy Award winning actor Laurence Fishburne. 3/10 thru 3/31/24. (pacnyc.org)

The Lonely Few (Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, 511 W. 52^nd St.) In this new rock musical, Lila and her band, The Lonely Few, have a standing gig at Paul’s Juke Joint in their small Kentucky town. When an established musician, Amy, gives them a chance to join her on tour, they take it. Love blossoms between Lila and Amy on the road, but can it endure? April, 2024. (mcctheater.org)

The Lydian Gale Parr (Target Margin Theater, 232 52nd St., Brooklyn) In this surreal and poetic chamber oratorio with ballet, a child emissary sent from a city under siege to deliver a letter to the attacking general, begins to shapeshift from boy to girl to man to woman, as he travels through space and time, always just missing the elusive general who’s just moved on. 4/5 thru 4/21/24. (thetanknyc.org)

Macbeth (an undoing) (Theatre For A New Audience @ Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Pl., Brooklyn) Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth is ruthless and driven, yet she quickly descends into madness and despair. Writer/director Zinnie Harris’s thrilling new version undoes the story we know, and remakes it, examining Lady Macbeth’s trajectory asking if we have really heard the whole story.  4/5 thru 4/28/24 (tfana.org)

Midnight Coleslaw’s Tales from Beyond the Closet!!! (The Tank’s 98-Seat Theater, 312 W. 36th St.) This evening of queer horror hosted by Drag-Vamp Midnight Coleslaw includes a chair made of skin that turns into a humanoid third wheel in a couple’s relationship, a father back from the dead to make sure his little (lesbian) girl is thriving, and a party of disappearing guests. WARNING: You may get up and dance at the end like you’re a middle-aged white person at a matinee of Mamma Mia. 5/31 thru 6/23/24. (thetanknyc.org)

munich medea: HAPPY FAMILY (WP Theater, 2162 Broadway at 76^th St.) When childhood friends Caroline and Alice reestablish contact after 20+ years, they begin to unravel shared memories, including the part that Caroline’s father, a renowned theater actor, played in both their lives. This new work by Corinne Jaber captures the wild vulnerability of youth and the heavy armature of adulthood in unsparing, theatrical detail. 1/27/24 thru 2/25/24. (wptheater.org)

A Musical About Star Wars (AMT Theater, 354 W. 45^th St.) With a subtitle like “Or, Why Star Wars Is The Greatest Thing To Ever Happen In The History Of The Galaxy Much, Much Better than Star Trek” you kind of see where this is going—or do you?  Scott and Taylor dream of performing their very unauthorized Star Wars musical at Comic-Con, but Dark forces are looming over their production…and her name is Emily. Part parody. Part tribute. Totally rad. Thru 1/28/24. (amusicalaboutstarwars.com)

Next Stage Festival (Second Stage’s Tony Kiser Theater, 305 W. 43^rd St.) This first ever event consists of four distinct programs dedicated to supporting early career playwrights. Programs include The Judith Champion Reading Series (three new plays presented in one night only readings), The Nancy Denovan Musical Reading (Inside Voices by Ross Golan), and the world premiere of Kate Whoriskey’s The Apiary. Visit website for complete schedule. 1/6 thru 3/11/24. (2st.com)

The Night of the Iguana (Pershing Square Signature Center, Irene Diamond Stage, 480 W. 42^nd St.) In Tennessee Williams’s classic work set on the brink of WWII, it’s a stormy night at Acapulco’s Costa Verde Hotel where a defrocked clergyman, four women and a 97-year-old poet have gathered. As the five engage in the clergyman’s spiritual struggles, their lives leap dramatically forward. Starring Tim Daly, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Austin Pendleton, Lea DeLaria and Jean Lichty. 12/6 thru 2/25/24. (iguanaplaynyc.com)

Nobody Cares (Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Ln.) Tony-winner Laura Benanti wrote and performed this new show debuting all-new music created with Todd Almond, as well as a few sensational stories. 2/2 thru 2/4/24. (audible.com/ep/minettalane)

Number Our Days (Perelman Performing Arts Center, 250 Fulton St.) A multi-media oratorio based on Jamie Livingston’s “Photo of the Day” series, which explores our era’s strange alchemy of technology, memory, and community. 4/12 thru 4/14/24. (pacnyc.org)

Of the Nightingale I Envy the Fate (LaMama, 6 E. 4^th St.) The Italian performance collective Motus’s feminist retelling of the Trojan prophecy myth in which the seer Cassandra sits in a dark temple damned to die unheard, but still she cries out furiously, incomprehensibly. Utilizing intricate choreography, challenging sound and outrageously visceral physicality, a millennia-old archetype of victimhood is redefined as a very human, very vital powerhouse. 1/10 thru 1/15/24. (utrfest.org)

On Set with Theda Bara (The Brick, 579 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn) In this hallucination of a one-person show starring David Greenspan, a genderqueer teen who goes missing and their gay detective father come face-to-face with the supernatural and consciousness-devouring Theda Bara, the real-life vamp and silent film star of the 1910s. Part gothic coming-of-age story and part campy melodrama about identity consumption and the horror of not knowing who you are. 2/6 thru 3/9/24. (transportgroup.org)

Once Upon a Mattress (New York City Center, 131 W. 55^th St.) Sutton Foster stars as Princess Winifred (“Fred”) the Woebegone, an unapologetic free spirit loose in a repressed kingdom that revels in her ability to charm and transform with willpower, honesty, and a little bit of help from her friends. Full of gloriously catchy melodies, this uproarious update of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea” promises both classic charms and new delights. 1/24 thru 2/4/24. (nycitycenter.org)

Pericles (Classic Stage Company, 136 E 13^th St.) From confident leader to yearning lover to seeker of meaning, the Prince of Tyre in Shakespeare’s tragicomedy is launched into a Mediterranean adventure full of riddles, betrayals…and pirates by the ever-inventive Fiasco Theater. 2/26 thru 3/24/24. (classicstage.org)

Philadelphia, Here I Come (Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 W. 22^nd St.) Set in 1962, Brian Friel’s bittersweet comedy centers upon Gar O’Donnell on the eve of his departure from Ireland to America. His heartache from losing his girlfriend to a successful businessman has propelled him to live with an aunt in Philadelphia. Despite the wild fantasies of what life in America might hold, and his yearning to escape the tedium of small town Ballybeg, a kind word from his taciturn father could change his mind. 3/16 thru 5/5/24. (irishrep.org)

Primordial (The Tank’s 98-Seat Theater, 312 W. 36th St.) In one of the first verbatim documentary theater productions entirely about pregnancy and childbirth, playwright Lillian Isabella weaves together diverse race, age, and gender experiences into overlapping stories that amplify one another and include patient advocacy, maternal health, birth without violence, and birth equity. 2/1 thru 2/25/24. (thetanknyc.org)

Public Obscenities (Theatre for a New Audience, Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Pl., Brooklyn) When Choton returns to Kolkata on a research trip with his American boyfriend Raheem he finds he loves being the translator, toggling nimbly between Bangla and English, interviewing queer locals, showing Raheem his world. But through the lens of Choton’s grandfather’s old camera, Raheem begins to notice things Choton can’t. 1/17 thru 1/21/24. (utrfest.org)

Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” in Our Own Words (BRIC, 647 Fulton St., Brooklyn) In Krymov Lab NYC’s production of the Pushkin classic, four Russians try to communicate the value of an untranslatable classic to a New York audience. Why should we be made to care about the trials of a shallow Byronic hero, a too-deep teenage girl, and a less-than-successful birthday party? Is there still a place in today’s world for Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Pushkin? Can beauty and intellect survive today? And should it? 1/10 thru 1/21/24. (utrfest.org)

Queens of Sheba (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Clark Studio Theater, Rose Bldg., 7th Fl., 165 W. 65th St.) Turned away from a nightclub for being “too black,” the Queens navigate the minefields of misogynoir, seeking power in the songs of Tina Turner, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin, finding elevation in sisterhood, and relief in laughter and tears. Packed with fury and soul, the show offers a unique meditation on Black Women’s identity, suffering, and joy. 1/5 thru 1/13/24. (utrfest.org)

Russian Troll Farm: Workplace Comedy (Vineyard Theatre, 108 E. 15^th St.) Steve likes Masha; Masha likes Nikolai; and Egor just wants to win a microwave. It’s another day at St. Petersburg’s infamous (real-life) Internet Research Agency, whose job is manipulating social media to advance Russia’s agenda at home and abroad. Set in the lead-up to 2016’s U.S. presidential election, office comedy meets political satire in Sarah Gancher’s examination of the power, seduction, and danger of a good story. 1/25 thru 3/3/24. (vineyardtheatre.org)

Sally & Tom (Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St.) Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ edgy dramedy celebrates the craft of theater while taking a hard look at history. The off-off-off-Broadway theater troupe Good Company is putting on a play about Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. Writer Luce is cast as Sally; her romantic partner, and the play’s director, Mike, is cast as Tom—really, people, what could possibly go wrong? March, 2024. (publictheater.org)

Search Party (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Clark Studio Theater, Rose Bldg., 7^th Fl., 165 W. 65^th St.) Creator/performer Inua Ellams elicits audience suggestion and open conversation as a catalyst to search through his archive of his vast collection of projects on his tablet to unearth refined or raw gold, and present his treasure in a spontaneous performance. At this uniquely futuristic and puckishly chaotic interactive event, the artist couldn’t be more present. 1/5 thru 1/13/24. (utrfest.org)

The Seven Year Disappear (Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 W. 42^nd St.) Cynthia Nixon and Taylor Trensch star in the world-premiere of Jordan Seavey’s play about a mother and world-famous performance artist who suddenly reappears after having gone missing. From 2/6/24. (thenewgroup.org)

A Sign of the Times (New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St.) Summer, 1965. As the war in Vietnam rages on and struggles for civil rights and women’s lib command headlines, a young photographer finds herself in New York City ready to make her way amid the changing times. Featuring the songs of Petula Clark, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, and other classic pop hits of the ‘60s, the score includes “Rescue Me,” “Downtown,” and “I Know a Place.” From 2/7. (yorktheatre.org)

The Sweet Spot (59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59^th St., Theater C) Jerry and Vita are an independent, passionate couple with 50 years of marriage under their belts, the type of couple that knows each other so well they can finish each other’s complaints. An opportunity to move to an assisted living community arrives sooner than expected and they must quickly make a life-changing decision. 1/11 thru 1/27/24. (59e59.org)

this house is not a home (Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St.) Nile Harris’s experimental play finds the artist turning to performance lecture, minstrelsy, and dance to intervene on the tradition of theater and narrate incisive cultural critiques inspired by collaborations with his close friend, the late interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker Trevor Bazile. Evocative of childhood play, the work represents the sinister monuments that come and go in the wake of contemporary social and political catastrophe. 1/6 thru 1/14/24. (utrfest.org)

Three Scenes in the Life of a Trotskyist (The Tank’s 56-Seat Theater, 312 W. 36th St.) This play about politics, literature, and the corrosive power of success in America traces the 43-year story of Lev Trachtenberg from leftist firebrand at City College in 1939 to the other side of campus picket lines in the 1960s to zealously embracing the Reagan Right in the 1980s, leading his one-time comrades to question if he’s abandoned his ideals or held them too tightly as the world around him changed. 2/22 thru 3/17/24. (thetanknyc.org)

Titanic (New York City Center, 131 W. 55^th St.) Pared down to its essence and highlighting the majestic sweep of Maury Yeston’s nearly sung-through score, this striking production meditates on the nature of ambition and the human scale of this epic tragedy, focusing on the class divides both illuminated and transcended by the ship’s inexorable sinking, and painting a heartrending portrait of the individuals whose dreams of America were dashed in the Atlantic. 6/12 thru 6/23/24. (nycitycenter.org)

Titanic Depression (New York Live Arts, 219 W. 19th St.) A solo absurdist manifesto from the peerlessly subversive and unpredictably bonkers alt-cabaret icon Dynasty Handbag (alter ego of performer/visual artist/playwright Jibz Cameron), that takes the plot of 1997’s Kate and Leo movie and puts it through the cracked kaleidoscope of Dynasty’s eye-popping signature style. 1/14 thru 1/120/24. (utrfest.org)

Travels (Ars Nova Theater, 511 W. 54^th St.) This cross-continental play-meets-electronic-music-set by James Harrison Monaco fuses synthesizers with storytelling to share accounts of modern-day travel – from vacation to work trips, border-crossing, asylum-seeking and long-distance relationships. Over the span of a setlist sown with adventure, heartbreak and euphoria, audiences traverse the complex topography of language, borders, power and privilege one beat at a time. 3/15 thru 4/13/24. (arsnovanyc.com

Under the Radar (Various venues in Manhattan & Brooklyn) New York’s cutting-edge festival of experimental works returns in partnership with 12 venues, including Lincoln Center, La MaMa, and St. Ann’s Warehouse. In short: three weekends…16 shows…a symposium… coming attractions… parties… late-night talks. Visit website for descriptions, dates and locations. 1/5 thru 1/25/24. (utrfest.org)

The Vicky Archives (The Attic at The Tank, 312 W. 36^th St.) An elite group of 30 guests have been granted special access to travel through a collection of memories belonging to and maintained by the Vicky Archive’s peculiar members who recount and uncover their life stories shaping one another’s narratives through experimental group exercises. This immersive experience explores intimacy, collective, and individual identity, and the intoxicating promise of a life of purpose. 4/18 thru 5/22/24. (thetanknyc.org)

Volcano (St. Ann’s Warehouse, 45 Water St., Brooklyn) Part theater, part dance, part sci-fi thriller, Volcano is a live performance for the mini–series era. Director/performer Luke Murphy leads audiences on a voyeuristic journey in a glass-enclosed living room of disrepair somewhere between earth and space, reality and fiction. Two people recreate the greatest hits of their old lives, clinging to memories of a life out of reach. 1/10 thru 1/21/24. (stannswarehouse.org)

The Welkin (Atlantic Theater Company, 336 W. 20^th St.) Rural England, 1759. As the country awaits the return of Halley’s comet, a young woman is sentenced to death. When she tries to escape the noose by claiming she is pregnant, 12 ordinary women are gathered to decide whether she is telling the truth. Lucy Kirkwood’s dark, fierce, funny play is about democracy and housework. 5/16 thru 6/30/24. (atlantictheater.org)

What Became of Us (Atlantic Stage 2 Theater, 330 W. 16^th St.) Two siblings. One born there. One born here. How do they maintain their connections to The Old Country, and to This Country, and to each other? This new work marks playwright Shayan Lotfi (First Gen MixFest 2022) Off-Broadway debut. May–June, 2024. (atlantictheater.org)

The White Chip (The Frankel Theatre at MCC Theater Space, 511 W. 52^nd St.) Steven is on top of the world: he’s married, has good friends, and is steps away from his dream job running one of the hottest theaters in the country. He also happens to be an alcoholic spinning out of control. This play by Sean Daniels follows his trajectory from first sip to rock bottom, where he carves an unusual path to sobriety. From 1/22/24. (whitechipplay.com)

White Rose: The Musical (Theatre Row, Theatre 3, 410 W. 42^nd St.) Set against the backdrop of Nazi Germany, this new musical follows Sophie and Hans Scholl and a group of young activists as they create and distribute leaflets challenging Hitler’s propaganda. Based on a true story, the show vividly captures the unwavering spirit of youthful resistance against oppression. 1/17 thru 4/2/24. (whiterosethemusical.com)

William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, A Radical Retelling by Cliff Cardinal (NYU Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Pl.) The Bard’s timeless tale of mistaken identities, gentle ruses, banishment, and forgiveness takes on new meaning in this daring retelling centering on the relationships between Indigenous communities and colonial settlers, where both sides continue to struggle to be clearly heard. 1/12 & 1/13/24. (utrfest.org)

Wine in the Wilderness (Classic Stage Company, 136 E 13^th St.) Fortune has smiled on artist Bill Jameson—his friends just introduced him to a model for the final piece of his triptych on Black womanhood, and she’s about to give the artist much more than he bargained for. Set against the backdrop of the 1964 Harlem riot this a rarely seen play by Alice Childress, is directed by Tony winner LaChanze. 5/2 thru 6/16/24. (classicstage.org)

The formula for Off-Broadway: Seats between 100-499 and off-off Broadway seats under 100.