The Fall 2024 Broadway Theater Season is Upon Us!

Openings on Broadway started Thursday, September 12, as Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow open much-anticipated The Roommate. There are revivals - Gypsy! Our Town! Sunset Boulevard!! - and new works; straight plays, comedies, musicals. Just a sample: an updated adaptation of Romeo and Juliet directed by Sam Gold; Yellow Face, a play about the fallout of casting a non-Asian to be the lead in Miss Saigon; Tammy Faye, Elton John's musical about the one and only Tammy Faye Bakker; A Wonderful World, a catalog musical about Louis Armstrong. Stars shine everywhere, from Robert Downey, Jr. in his Broadway debut, to six-times-Tony winner Audra McDonald. There's something for everyone. Come to the theater, come hear the music play!

The Roommate

Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow in a comedy about roommates and reinvention. Opened September 12.

The Hills of California

Family trauma drama; in Blackpool, England, a dying stage mom's performer daughters gather at the bedside, and memory cascades. Until a shot at fame appears. Opens September 29.

McNeal

Robert Downey Jr.'s Broadway debut, at the Beaumont at Lincoln Center. A writer, his estranged son, and AI. Opens September 30.

Our Town

First Broadway revival in 25 years; directed by Kenny Leon, with a huge and stellar cast. Opens October 10.

Maybe Happy Ending

Two robots get swept off their feet in this new musical. Darren Criss is one of them. Opens October 17.

Romeo and Juliet

Sam Gold directs this up-to-date adaptation. Opens October 24.

Sunset Boulevard

Ready for your close-up? A re-imagining of Andew Llloyd Webber's musical. Huge hit in London, lots of awards. Opens October 20.

Yellow Face

David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face deals with the fallout from casting Jonathan Pryce in Miss Saigon in 1990. Opens October 1

Left on Tenth

Delia Ephron's romcom memoir, directed by Susan Stroman. Opens October 23

A Wonderful World

A musical about the life of the legendary Louis Armstrong. James Monroe Inglehart will play both Armstrong and trumpet. Opens November 11.

Tammy Faye

Elton John does Tammy Faye Bakker; Rupert Goold directs. Opens November 14.

Death Becomes Her

Two women determined to stay young, at any cost, including magic potions. Based on the 1992 film. Opens November 21.

Cult of Love

Family drama surrounds the holidays. Opens 12/12

Eureka Day

Vaccination debate in a private California elementary school. Sometimes, you can't make all of the people happy. Opens December 16

Gypsy

Audra does Mama Rose. What else do you need to know? Oh, yes: George C. Wolfe directs. Let them entertain you! Opens December 19.

James Earl Jones (Photo: Jeremy Daniel)

James Earl Jones, a boundary-breaking actor with a voice of gold, has died.

One of the best known, most versatile, and most beloved actors of our time, Jones's many talents earned him EGOT status. He won two Emmy Awards, one for supporting actor (Heat Wave), one for lead actor (Gabriel's Fire); a Grammy for his recording of the Emancipation Proclamation on the album Great American Documents; three Tonys - for The Great White Hope, Fences, and a Lifetime Achievement Tony; and an honorary Oscar.

Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, in 1931, Jones had a speech problem he overcame magnificently, using his golden voice in role after role. It's hard to think of Jones without thinking of Darth Vader, arguably his best-known voice role, although his Mufasa in The Lion King might be just as well known. The list of his film and television work ranges from Dr. Strangelove to The Simpsons, Field of Dreams to Roots to The Great White Hope. On stage, he lent his formidable presence to Othello, You Can't Take It With You, Of Mice and Men, The Gin Game. the list goes on.

Broadway recognizes those it loves: the Cort Theatre was renamed The James Earl Jones in 2022.