The Manhattan at Times Square Guide to the Essential Broadway Shows

One of the items on people’s New York Bucket List is to see a show on Broadway. Here is our guide to the biggest and most beloved shows, but before running to the theater to purchase your tickets, you should know that there are many ways to get discount prices. Go to the TKTS Booths and purchase a same-day ticket, get a Standing Room Only ticket (wear comfortable shoes!), or sign up for Broadway discount ticket newsletters and social media (Playbill and Theatermania are good options). Luckily for our guests, all theaters below are less than a 10-minute walk from the hotel!

The Phantom of the Opera

If you are choosing only one show, this is the one. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” premiered in 1988 and is the longest-running show in Broadway history! It doesn’t seem like this will change, as no musical has been able to surpass the success of the love story between Christine and Raoul, and the Phantom’s sinister obsession with the young opera singer.

Majestic Theater
247 W. 44th St

Cats

We are lucky to be alive right now because “Cats” is on a Broadway revival! Another of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpieces, this musical premiered in 1982 and it continues to capture audiences around the world. The fantastic and bizarre costumes, songs and original story based on T.S. Eliot’s poetry make this legendary musical a must.

Neil Simon Theater
250 W. 52nd St

Chicago

“Chicago” has everything required to dazzle an audience: a great score, incredible dancing, a gripping plot and a lot of girl power. The story follows two murderesses who meet in a jail in Chicago in the 1920s. Their rivalry as performers increases as they attempt to walk free by outshining each other to get the best attorney in town and playing the system.

Ambassador Theater
219 W. 49th St

The Lion King

Running since 1997, “The Lion King” is based on Disney’s animated film about a lion prince and his journey after his father is betrayed by his own brother. The plot might seem grim, but the well-known songs, vibrant costumes and choreographies will transport the audience to the African savanna, as no musical has done before. This is a great show to introduce children to musicals!

Minskoff Theater
200 W. 45th St

Wicked

The most recent show on this list premiered in 2003 but its success has turned it into a beloved musical appropriate for all ages. “Wicked” is set years before the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy, and explains the story behind the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. The story teaches the audience lessons about love, friendship and dealing with opposing personalities. The score and visual appeal is everything you would expect from a tale set in the magical world of Oz.

Gershwin Theater
222 W. 51st St