5 Broadway Shows to See This Winter in NYC

There’s truly nothing quite like the holiday season in New York City. As the weather gets colder, the city somehow manages to get cozier and brighter, filled with lights, music and plenty of holiday magic. The giant tree at Rockefeller Center presides over legions of bundled-up shoppers searching for the perfect gift, and skaters fill the iconic ice rink with peals of laughter and joy.

Entertainment options in the Big Apple feel nearly endless during Christmastime, too: the sounds of Mariah Carey fill the air, the Rockettes take over Radio City Music Hall with their annual high-kicking extravaganza, and Broadway lights up with the best live theater the country has to offer.

Below, we’ve rounded up seven of the best NYC Broadway shows for the whole family to enjoy during the holidays — and beyond — from long-running Disney favorites to the hilarious return of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Scroll through the discovery guide and check out our picks for this season’s can’t-miss shows.

Spamalot

Spamalot is back! The new revival of the uproariously funny musical based on the comedy classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the hottest tickets in town after transferring from its sold-out run at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center. Starring Saturday Night Live alum Taran Killam as Lancelot and James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, the show also features Broadway stars Christopher Fitzgerald (Patsy), Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (The Lady of the Lake), Ethan Slater (Historian/Herbert), and more. Come for the running gags like “He Is Not Dead Yet” and “The Song That Goes Like This,” but stay for The Lady of the Lake’s Act 2 showstopper “Diva’s Lament (What Ever Happened To My Part?).”

Get Broadway tickets to Spamalot here.

Aladdin

There’s a party going on in Agrabah, and it’s happening eight times a week at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The Broadway re-telling of the 1992 animated Disney classic brings the story of Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, the Genie and more to vivid life with favorite songs like “A Friend Like Me,” “Prince Ali,” and “A Whole New World,” plus multiple musical numbers written by the late Howard Ashman and Tim Rice that were cut from the original film like sentimental tearjerker “Proud of Your Boy.”

Get Broadway tickets to Aladdin here.

The Lion King

Hakuna matata! Now the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time, The Lion King has enchanted generations of kids since it first debuted on the Great White Way in 1997. The lavish production incorporates giant puppets and mind-boggling costuming as the actors on stage transform into Simba, Nala, Rafiki, Scar, Timon, Pumbaa, Mufasa and more. It’s a perfect show to introduce kids to the magic of Broadway, and the whole family will recognize songs like “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and “Circle of Life.” When it comes to Broadway shows in New York, you can’t do better than this classic.

Get Broadway tickets to The Lion King here.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

It’s been more than two years since Moulin Rouge! The Musical dominated the 74th Tony Awards, taking home 10 trophies including Best Musical. Since then, the show has been transporting audiences back to the Belle Époque, when a dashing young composer named Christian falls for Satine, the star of the famous Parisian cabaret Moulin Rouge. Taking cues from the 2001 movie musical of the same name, the jukebox musical provides a feast for the senses as the star-crossed pair fall in love to the sounds of “Lady Marmalade,” “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” the famous “Elephant Love Medley” and more. Plus, in February 2024, Boy George will join the proceedings for a limited run as Moulin Rouge owner Harold Zidler!

Get Broadway tickets to Moulin Rouge! The Musical here.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Return to the Wizarding World as the next generation of Harry Potter stars make their mark at Hogwarts… and the very history of magic. Albus Severus Potter may be the younger son of the Boy Who Lived, but his experience at school is far from his famous father’s glory days. Not only does Albus get sorted into Slytherin, his only friend is Scorpius Malfoy — son of Harry’s old rival Draco — and the pair find themselves relentlessly bullied at the very bottom of Hogwarts’ social hierarchy. Getting their hands on a powerful prototype of a Time-Turner, Albus and Scorpius are determined to rewrite the past and travel back to a time filled with familiar faces like Cedric Diggory, Dumbledore, Snape and even the return of He Who Must Not Be Named.

Get Broadway tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child here.

This article has been updated.