Best of the Week: Washington & Gyllenhaal Face Off, La Música Matters at Buena Vista, Mincemeat Meets Ultimate Mission

Clooney! Denzel! Culkin! Gyllenhaal! As Broadway bursts with genuine Hollywood star power across just four New York City blocks, the electricity is undeniable. In just a few days, Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal celebrate the opening night of Othello, joining three other anticipated premieres lighting up the spring theater season this week. Illustrations by Tug Rice for Broadway.com.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19
ISLAND TIME
It's billed as a musical based on an album, but it's so much more. Buena Vista Social Club (opening tonight after a successful off-Broadway run) is a joyful, soulful tribute to Cuba’s rich musical heritage and the people shaped by it. Named after a real members-only club in Havana, the musicians who gathered in 1996 to record what became an international Billboard sensation weren’t just reviving a sound—they were reclaiming a legacy. A hit documentary followed, introducing audiences to the faces behind the songs. Now, with sweeping emotion and a red-hot band, the musical tells the stories of four legendary musicians, tracing their journeys from Cuba’s vibrant 1950s music scene to the 1990s: singers Omara Portuondo (Avenue Q’s Natalie Venetia Belcon) and Ibrahim Ferrer (Mel Semé), guitarist Compay Segundo (Julio Monge) and pianist Rubén González (Jainardo Batista Sterling). Developed and directed by Saheem Ali, with a book by Marco Ramirez and choreography by the husband-and-wife team of Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado, Buena Vista Social Club promises to transport audiences—just as its music has for decades.
INFO: Open run at the Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street). Get Tickets  

THURSDAY, MARCH 20
OPERATION BROADWAY
Opening tonight, Operation Mincemeat is a classic showbiz underdog story. After premiering in the 80-seat New Diorama Theatre in London in 2019, this improv-born, history-inspired show became a full-fledged West End sensation, pulling off a shocking upset at the 2024 Olivier Awards by beating not one but two Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals, Next to Normal and A Strange Loop! Now, it’s infiltrated Broadway, bringing its fast-paced, razor-sharp tale of a daring team of intelligence officers who outwit Hitler with a dead body, fake documents and an absurdly risky plan that somehow actually worked. The original London cast of five is still at it, with three of the show’s four writers—David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts—doubling as performers, alongside the fantastic Claire-Marie Hall and Olivier winner Jak Malone, who brings the house down (emotionally) with a sweet song called “Dear Bill.” With a stacked season of new musicals, the question is: Can this little-show-that-could pull off another bold mission come Tony time?
INFO: Limited run through August 18 at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street). Get Tickets

SUNDAY, MARCH 23
STARRY SHAKESPEARE
Othello opens tonight as the highest-grossing play in Broadway history, and it’s easy to see why. Broadway audiences love being in the room with a movie star—give them two, and it’s a sensation. And when those stars are Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, going head-to-head as Othello and Iago? That’s must-see theater. Oscar winner Washington has been commanding stages since his college turn as Othello, leading to celebrated performances in Julius Caesar, Fences, A Raisin in the Sun and The Iceman Cometh. Gyllenhaal, meanwhile, has redefined what it means to be a Hollywood star on Broadway, impressing in everything from Nick Payne’s one-man A Life to Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. For this, his third play of the season, Tony-winning director Kenny Leon has assembled a powerhouse ensemble, including Molly Osborne as Desdemona, Andrew Burnap (Tony winner for The Inheritance) as Cassio, Anthony Michael Lopez as Roderigo, and Kimber Elayne Sprawl as Emilia. With a cast like this, Broadway’s Othello isn’t just a revival—it’s an event.
INFO: Limited run through June 8 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street). Get Tickets 

MONDAY, MARCH 17

After his success last season with Appropriate, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins opens Purpose tonight. Tony-winning star Phylicia Rashad makes her Broadway debut as director with the drama about an affluent African-American family rooted in politics. Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis, Jon Michael Hill and Harry Lennix reprise their roles from last year’s Steppenwolf Theatre premiere, joined by LaTanya Richardson Jackson as the matriarch and 2024 Tony Award winner Kara Young as the outsider who exposes family secrets. | Hayes Theatre | Get Tickets 

TUESDAY, MARCH 18

• If there were a Tony Award for replacement casting, Oh, Mary! would have our vote as another fantastic star puts on the bratty curls and takes to terrorizing our 16th president. Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) starts a three-week run as Mary Todd Lincoln tonight in Cole Escola’s outrageous comedy sensation, before Escola returns for a second term. | Lyceum Theatre | Get Tickets
• Cathy and Jamie are never gonna make it as a couple, but Jason Robert Brown’s powerful score will always entice actors to give it a musical go. Tonight, pop star Nick Jonas and Tony winner Adrienne Warren (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) bring the long-admired song cycle The Last Five Years to Broadway, telling the story of a short marriage moving in opposite directions. | Hudson Theatre | Get Tickets

THURSDAY, MARCH 20

As Stranger Things: The First Shadow preps for a Broadway premiere, one of the Netflix series stars returns to the boards. Sadie Sink headlines John Proctor is the Villain, Kimberly Belflower’s play about a group of contemporary Georgia high school students studying Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Gabriel Ebert, a Tony winner for Matilda, plays their charismatic teacher. | Booth Theatre | Get Tickets

FRIDAY, MARCH 21

• Recent A Beautiful Noise star (and expert Broadway.com vlogger) Amber Ardolino joins the ever-evolving cast of off-Broadway's Titanique as Céline Dion. | Daryl Roth Theatre | Get Tickets
• Disney’s live-action Snow White hits movie theaters across the U.S., featuring plenty of Broadway connections: Recent headliner Rachel Zegler (Romeo + Juliet, just announced for Evita this summer in London) is the titular princess, Othello star Andrew Burnap (two mentions in one column!) is the charming prince and the new songs are by EGOT kings Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman). | Movie Theaters Everywhere | More Info
• Did you hear they made a movie of Wicked? Thanks to Peacock, you can stream the Oscar-winning Wicked: Part One ad nauseam starting today! | Peacock | More Info