Best of the Week: Dorian Gray, Demogorgons and a Dream Deferred

From Sarah Snook’s shape-shifting tour de force in The Picture of Dorian Gray to the theatrical wizardry of Stranger Things and the long-awaited revival of Floyd Collins, this week’s theater offerings are as daring as they are diverse. Whether you’re craving multimedia magic, 1920s Americana or a heart-punch of musical storytelling, Broadway (and beyond) has something truly transporting. Here are the events you won’t want to miss. Illustrations by Tug Rice for Broadway.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 27
A ONE-WOMAN MASTER CLASS
If you missed Sarah Snook’s Succession mic drops, fear not—she’s delivering another tour de force in The Picture of Dorian Gray, opening tonight on Broadway after a critically acclaimed run in London that won her an Oliver Award. Adapted and directed by Kip Williams, this version of Oscar Wilde’s decadent morality tale is a high-wire solo act, with Snook playing every role—yes, all 26 of them. Wilde’s classic is reimagined with cutting-edge live video, split-second costume changes and multimedia sleight of hand that turns the stage into a haunted hall of mirrors. But it’s Snook who keeps it grounded: slipping between Dorian, Basil, Lord Henry and more with such control and charisma, you can’t look away. The result is something rare: a literary adaptation that feels thrillingly modern, emotionally charged and radically theatrical.
INFO: Limited run through June 15 at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street) | Get Tickets

THURSDAY, MARCH 27
A CAVE, A DREAM, A HEARTBREAK
Floyd Collins begins its first major New York revival tonight, and for musical theater lovers, this is a holy grail moment. Based on a haunting true story, the show follows a Kentucky caver trapped underground in 1925—and the media circus that erupts above him. But this isn’t just a historical drama. It’s a soaring, soul-stirring work that blends folk, bluegrass and operatic art song into one of the most singular scores ever written for the stage. Directed by Tina Landau (who also co-wrote the book), this new production at Lincoln Center Theater features a cast that feels tailor-made: Jeremy Jordan in the title role, Jason Gotay as brother Homer and singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine in her theatrical debut as reporter Nellie. With Guettel’s Days of Wine and Roses score still echoing from last season, this revival reminds us why his earlier masterpiece remains so deeply beloved.
INFO: Limited run through June 22 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 W 65th Street) | Get Tickets

FRIDAY, MARCH 28
A BROADWAY UPSIDE DOWN
Break out your Walkman and brace for Demogorgons: Stranger Things: The First Shadow begins previews tonight, bringing Hawkins, Indiana to the Main Stem. But this isn’t your average screen-to-stage cash-in—it’s a time-traveling origin story set in 1959, diving deep into the roots of the sci-fi saga that turned a Netflix series into a global obsession. Written by Kate Trefry, a writer on the TV show, from an original story co-conceived by the Duffer Brothers, this prequel combines theatrical magic with cutting-edge effects that blew London audiences away. Expect jaw-dropping stagecraft, a healthy dose of mystery and a few familiar names before they made it big (a young Hopper! Baby Vecna!) Directed by Stephen Daldry (The Inheritance, Billy Elliot), The First Shadow aims to please theatergoers and superfans alike—and might just turn the Broadway Theatre into the Upside Down.
INFO: Open run at the Maquis Theatre (210 W 46th Street) | Get Tickets

TUESDAY, MARCH 25
Stephen Sondheim’s greatest hits come back to Broadway as Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends begins previews, featuring a stacked company led by Sondheim legend Bernadette Peters and Miss Saigon favorite Lea Salonga. Limited run through June 1 | Friedman Theatre | Get Tickets

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26
Love Life, the rarely revived 1948 gem from Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner, gets the Encores! treatment with a cast led by Brian Stokes Mitchell and Kate Baldwin. Limited run through March 30 | New York City Center | Get Tickets

FRIDAY, MARCH 28

• At long last, the cast recording of Once Upon a Mattress, starring Sutton Foster, Michael Urie and Ana Gasteyer, drops today—just in time to relive last summer’s delightful romp. Streaming Platforms Everywhere | More Info
• New fave show alert! Mid-Century Modern, a bright new comedy starts streaming, starring Nathan Lane as a bachelor of a certain age who moves his two best friends, Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham, into his Palm Springs home. In her final role, Linda Lavin plays his mom. Hulu | More Info