5 Gay, New Broadway Shows To See in the Spring 2022

April 1, 2022
TOMMY

TAKE ME OUT

Listen… I’m single. All I want is for some hot guy to take me out. But since that doesn’t seem to be the case these days, I’ll certainly settle for a bunch of hot, naked men in Broadway’s upcoming production of Take Me Out. Opening on April 22nd, Take Me Out stars Jesse Williams, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and non-Jesse actor, Patrick Adams. For reasons I’m about to make clear, the latter of the Jesses is the only one that matters to me. Take Me Out, written by Richard Greenberg, tells the story of a fictional baseball team, “The Empires,” and focuses on one of their players coming out as gay (Williams). It explores the themes of homophobia and racism in sports, as well as toxic masculinity. It's not like any of those are relevant to today! The reason the Jesses are so notable is because Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a darling of Broadway, film, and TV (thanks to Modern Family), and Jesse Williams apparently shows his massive uncut cock in a plethora of full-frontal nudity. Take Me Out is set primarily in The Empires’ locker room, and as word would have it, Jesse Williams’ cock deserves top billing. The original production opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2003, winning that year’s Tony Award for Best Play. It’s currently in previews now at the Second Stage Theater.

FUNNY GIRL

Next is one of the most iconic musicals of all-time, and decidedly part of the gay musical canon, Funny Girl. Originally starring one of the all-time queens of gay icons, Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl tells the story of a young Vaudevillian actress named Fanny Brice who works her way up to being the biggest star of Broadway. I’m ecstatic for this musical for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is my obsession with Vaudeville, and because "Don't Rain On My Parade" is one of the great Broadway belting songs of all-time. Stepping into the immeasurably big shoes of Babs is Beanie Feldstein, who made her Broadway debut in the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! and just won critical acclaim playing Monica Lewinsky in Impeachment. The musical co-stars the gorgeous stud Ramin Karimloo, Manifest's Jared Grimes, and gay icon Jane Lynch, another performer who is obviously no stranger to song and dance (#Glee). Lynch also plays the fictional Sophie Lennon, a former darling of Vaudeville turned brash stand-up comedienne on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In previews now, Funny Girl opens on April 24th at the August Wilson Theater.

A STRANGE LOOP

Broadway may have been nicknamed The Great White Way because of the bright, beautiful, luminescence of the iconic marquee lights of the theaters, but Broadway is also notoriously white, starring mostly white actors, and telling predominantly white stories, a dynamic the Broadway League is supposedly trying to tackle head-on. There have been big moves to increase the amount of plays and musicals telling non-white stories, as well as an increased in casting of non-white actors (though to be clear it’s just a start). One show that will broaden the cultural experience of Broadway is A Strange Loop. The musical tells the story of a young, large-bodied, Black, gay writer named Usher who is, funny enough, an usher at Broadway’s The Lion King, living in New York, and trying to find success in a white, gay landscape. The musical stars newcomer Jaquel Spivey as Usher in his Broadway debut. Loop explores how we fight our inner demons, the Black gay experience through the white lens, how religion factors into the Black gay identity, and the implications of a society that tells us we’re different. Not only does Loop tell the story of a Black, Queer person, but the musical is entirely comprised of Black, Queer performers. The musical originally made its debut at Playwrights Horizon, winning the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, along with every other major off-Broadway award, and landed itself on the No. 6 slot of Billboards Cast Albums chart. In rehearsals now, its Broadway debut starts previews on April 6th and opens on April 26th at the Lyceum Theatre.

THE LITTLE PRINCE

Anyone with even the most peripheral knowledge about children’s literature has most likely at least heard of The Little Prince, the English translation of 1942’s Le Petit Prince by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Little Prince is the classic example of a story that, although aimed at children, explores the very adult concepts of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. It was, in a manner of speaking, the OG Rick and Morty. The musical version of The Little Prince is a reimagining of the beautiful world (and worlds) of this story, comprising of ballet, beautiful aerial arts, and what will hopefully be a near full-immersion experience. I love all the things that are supposedly “gay things” like theatre, the opera, ballet, interior design, etc. And a French ballet musical featuring Cirque du Soleil-esque aerial arts that tells the story of a hot twink? Oh, yeah. I’m interested. The show stars Lionel Zalachas in the title role and Chris Muron as the narrator (Muron is also the co-director of the show) is currently in previews at The Broadway Theatre (next to Colbert) and opens on April 11th.

PLAZA SUITE

Finally, we’ve got a show that has JUST opened on Broadway, but that I have yet to see. Inarguably one of the greatest playwrights of all-time is Neil Simon. His command of the English language, his understanding of the nuances of human complexity, and his seemingly scientific understanding of the art of comedic timing are nearly unmatched. Which is why I’m so incredibly excited to see his three-act play, Plaza Suite. Starring gay icons and real-life couple Carrie Bradshaw and Ferris Bueller (aka Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick), Plaza Suite is comprised of three separate one-act plays, all taking place at New York’s iconic luxury hotel, The Plaza Hotel. In "Visitor from Mamaroneck" (Act I), a middle-aged married couple tries to rekindle their dying spark. "Visitor from Hollywood" (Act II) showcases a Hollywood producer who invites his childhood love to a hotel for sex. And in "Visitor from Forest Hills" (Act III), a young bride gets the jitters and locks herself in the bathroom on her big day. Neither SJP nor Broderick are strangers to the Broadway stage. SJP made her Broadway debut at the age of 11 in 1976 revival of The Innocents before she landed herself the titular role in 1979’s Annie. And Broderick is a two-time Tony Award winner, and three-time nominee, having won in 1995 for Best Actor In a Musical (How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying), and in 1993 for another Neil Simon play, Brighton Beach Memoirs. The early reviews are saying this production is both hilarious and outstanding, and I cannot wait to go see one of my favorite plays, by one of my favorite playwrights, starring two of my favorite actors! The limited engagement show is running now through June 26th at the Hudson Theater.

If you're planning to travel to NYC any time soon, these shows are definitely worth checking out. What shows are you excited about? Any Broadway tours coming through your town, you're really stoked to see? Let us know!

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected].