The best part of theatre is its ephemeral. And it's maybe also the most bittersweet part of theatre as well; once a performance happens, it can never be replicated again. Though Broadway shows can sometimes run for years, many shows actually close after a short time on the boards. And once a show departs the stage, it rarely comes back in the same form.
This month, a number of shows are closing, with no guarantees that they will return anytime soon. From a Tony-winning play to a six-time Tony winner's most ferocious performance on the stage, here are five shows to catch before they close.
Purpose
This year's Tony Award winner for Best Play is only playing for a few more weeks, and if you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' bracing, yet also hilarious, drama about a well-to-do Black family navigating multiple crises has been captivating audiences since it premiered last year in Chicago. There's a reason this show won Best Play and a Pulitzer Prize, plus you get Tony-winning performances from Kara Young, surrounded by a powerful ensemble of actors that includes Brenda Pressley, Harry Lennix, Jon Michael Hill, Glenn Davis, and Alana Arenas. Purpose is the perfect show to take your mother, father, grandmother, siblings, anyone in your family to.
Purpose closes August 31.
Call Me Izzy
Anytime you can see Jean Smart (Hacks) in anything, you should. And that's especially true of her return to Broadway in the one-woman show Call Me Izzy, where she plays a put-upon housewife who finds escape through writing. Smart gives a heartbreaking performance as Izzy, making her someone you desperately want to root for. The last time Smart was on a stage was 25 years ago, so who knows when will be the next time you see the stage and screen star live next. So make your way to Studio 54 now.
Call Me Izzy closes August 24.
Gypsy
Momma's movin' on! Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will hang up her coat in Gypsy this month, having been playing Rose on Broadway since last November. So you only have a couple more weeks to catch her revelatory, ferocious take on the infamous stage mother—providing dramatic pathos to Rose's desperation for her daughters to be famous. And with standout supporting performances by Joy Woods as Louise, Danny Burstein as Herbie, and Jordan Tyson as Baby June, this Gypsy is truly one for the Broadway history books.
Gypsy will close August 17.
John Proctor is the Villain
This is the play that has all the young people talking, which is very rare for a play to do. But John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower isn't just any play, and it's not just a modern take on The Crucible. Instead the play, set in a Georgia high school, has struck a chord with Gen Z-ers for its authentic portrayal of teenage girls, their close-knit friendships, and their attempts to figure out their own voices and points-of-view in a world that is determined to tell them what to think. Plus, that ending moment in the play is one of the most satisfying endings in a play in years. It'll leave you wanting to jump out of your seat. After John Proctor closes on Broadway, it will get a film adaptation. But it won't be the same, so see the original Broadway production now.
John Proctor is the Villain closes September 7.
Joy: A New True Musical
Sure, you might be thinking, "Why should I go see a musical about a lady and her mop?" Well, because she's played by the always luminous Betsy Wolfe (previous of & Juliet), who is a standout in whatever she's in. This bio-musical about the creator of the Miracle Mop, Joy Mangano, is filled with heart and humor, as it recounts Mangano's journey from a put-upon divorced mother to a star inventor. As the titular character, Wolfe overcomes her challenges, and sings the show's soft-rock songs with verve and charisma. Also, the Joy team sent the Playbill team a mop, and it's a now a treasured possession in our office.
Joy closes August 17.
Plus, get a complete listing of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows that are about to close here.
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