Here’s what to see on Broadway in January taking up the mantra that shows folks say daily: “the show must go on” — here is a list of shows to see in January before they close.
The Music Man — closing Jan. 15 at the Winter Garden Theater, Hugh Jackman returned to the stage in the role of Harold Hill opposite Sutton Foster as Marian, the librarian in Jerry Zaks’s revival of Meredith Willson’s canonical musical comedy.
Ohio State Murders—closing Jan. 15 at the James Earl Jones Theater. Audra McDonald (The six-time Tony Award winner) stars in this autobiographical drama by the master experimentalist Adrienne Kennedy, who made her Broadway debut at 91. Directed by Kenny Leon. The play examines the impact of savage racism experienced by an African American writer who returns to her alma mater to discuss the “violent imagery” in her work.
The Piano Lesson—closing Jan. 29 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. Samuel L. Jackson and Danielle Brooks rocked the house in the robust revival of this August Wilson play set in 1930s Pittsburgh. LaTanya Richardson Jackson directs. (Through Jan. 29 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater.)
A Strange Loop — closing Jan. 15 at the Lyceum Theater. Michael R. Jackson’s Tony Award for best musical focuses on the purists of the young, African American, queer artist working as a Broadway usher as he works on a musical about his life.
Topdog/Underdog—closing Jan. 15 at the John Golden Theater. Suzan-Lori Parks’ Broadway revival, directed by Kenny Leon, centers on a pair of African-American brothers whose names bind them together and set them up for rivalry.