Broadway has increasingly become the home of rock and pop stars bringing classic or original tunes to jukebox revivals, movie adaptations, and entirely original works. It’s a trend that’s been growing over the last 10 to 15 years. We’ve seen Green Day’s American Idiot turned into a boisterous production; Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance summoned the words and music for the Pretty Woman musical; and most recently, Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman created the original Harmony about a German singing group with Jewish members persecuted by the Nazis.
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[RELATED: The 5 Broadway Musicals with the Hands-Down, We-Dare-You-to-Argue Best Music]
The next group of musical luminaries arrive on the Great White Way in 2024. Here’s a breakdown of their shows to look out for. And be warned, the Madonna-inspired musical Holidays is currently running in Paris and no doubt has blonde Broadway ambitions, too. Maybe 2025?
1. The Who, Tommy
Pete Townshend’s landmark Who album-turned-musical Tommy, about a traumatized young pinball prodigy who becomes an international messiah, is being revived on Broadway for the first time since its debut in 1993. For the Chicago production in 2023 some changes were made—script revisions to the first version, rewritten lyrics to “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” and the removal of “Tommy’s Holiday Camp.” It opens at the Nederlander Theatre on March 28th.
[AS OF THIS WRITING: Tommy Tickets Are Available! – Get ‘Em Right Here]
2. Alicia Keys, Hell’s Kitchen
Working with Pulitzer Prize-finalist playwright Kristoffer Diaz, 15-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys created this semi-autobiographical tale of a 17-year-old aspiring pianist living with her mother in a New York housing development predominately occupied by fellow performers. Adolescent conflicts arise with her mother including staying safe in the city and her attraction to an older man. While the show features many of her hits, Keys also conjured new compositions for the production. This show has been gestating for a decade. It opens at the Shubert Theatre on April 20th.
[AS OF THIS WRITING: Hell’s Kitchen Tickets Are Available, Too! – Get ‘Em Right Here]
3. Huey Lewis, The Heart of Rock and Roll
Inspired by and spotlighting the big hits from ‘80s chart toppers Huey Lewis and the News, The Heart of Rock and Roll is a rom-com about a former rock singer in his thirties who is faced with a dilemma: maintain his new corporate status quo or take another stab at fame with his old bandmates? Naturally, love comes into play as well. Lewis has reworked some of his lyrics to allow them to fit into this new context for the book from Jonathan A. Abrams. The show opens at the James Earl Jones Theatre on April 22nd.
[AS OF THIS WRITING: Yup, Heart of Rock and Roll Tix Are Also Available – Get ‘Em Right Here]
4. Ingrid Michaelson, The Notebook
The singer-songwriter with two platinum singles and two Top 10 albums under her belt has become a Broadway composer, collaborating with book writer Bekah Brunstetter for this musical adaptation of the best-selling Nicholas Sparks novel that inspired the acclaimed 2004 film. The story follows lovers Allie and Noah throughout their lives as outside influences and and other forces try to keep them apart. The show opens at Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 14th.
[AS OF THIS WRITING: Last But Not Least, Get Notebook Tix Right Here]
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