Best of the Week: Groff Croons, Culkin Closes and Jonas Breaks Hearts

Broadway is giving us the full spectrum of masculinity this week: a bunch of desperate salesmen, one legendary showman, and a hopeless romantic who sings his feelings in reverse. With big names, big emotions and one very big swing band, the spring season is fully in motion. Here are the three theatrical events you’ll want to see before everyone else is talking about them. Illustrations by Tug Rice for Broadway.com

MONDAY, MARCH 31
THE LEADS ARE WEAK. THE CAST IS NOT.
Glengarry Glen Ross opens tonight with a cast as cutthroat as the salesmen they’re playing. Kieran Culkin stars as slick-talking Richard Roma, Bob Odenkirk takes on the desperate Shelley Levene, and comedian Bill Burr makes his Broadway debut as the scheming Dave Moss. David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about high-pressure real estate deals and toxic ambition returns under the direction of Patrick Marber, bringing a new edge to all the lying, yelling and office-coffee gatekeeping. Let’s be honest—you already want to see this trio tear into Mamet’s sharpest lines.
INFO: Limited run through June 28 at the Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway) | Get Tickets

MONDAY, MARCH 31
A DREAM LOVER RETURNS TO BROADWAY
What do you get when you combine Jonathan Groff, a 14-piece swing band, and a custom-built nightclub on Broadway? The answer is Just In Time, a brand-new musical starring Groff as the one-and-only Bobby Darin, beginning previews tonight. Directed by Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!) and choreographed by Shannon Lewis, this immersive experience at Circle in the Square practically begs for a dry martini and a dance break. Come for the hits (“Mack the Knife”! “Dream Lover”!), stay for Groff crooning directly to your section.
INFO: Previews begin March 31 at Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50th Street) | Get Tickets

SUNDAY, APRIL 6
LOVE, ACTUALLY (AND IN REVERSE)
After more than two decades of fan devotion and countless global stagings, The Last Five Years finally arrives on Broadway. Written by Tony winner Jason Robert Brown, this cult-favorite musical tells the story of a relationship between a novelist and an actress—played here by pop star Nick Jonas and Tina Tony winner Adrienne Warren—from two different timelines: his moving forward, hers moving backward. Directed by Whitney White, this long-awaited Main Stem debut reintroduces one of modern musical theater’s most emotionally resonant—and structurally inventive—shows.
INFO: Open run at the Hudson Theatre (141 West 44th Street) | Get Tickets

MONDAY, MARCH 31

• Michael Maliakel (Aladdin) joins The Great Gatsby tonight as Nick Carraway, our wide-eyed guide through the jazz, heartbreak and recklessness of West Egg. Broadway alums Linedy Genao and Austin Colby also step on stage for their first performances as Myrtle Wilson and Tom Buchanan. | Broadway Theatre | Get Tickets
• Orville Peck makes his Broadway debut as the Emcee in Cabaret—joined tonight by Eva Noblezada as Sally Bowles and Ellen Harvey as Fraulein Schneider. | August Wilson Theatre | Get Tickets

TUESDAY, APRIL 1
Tatianna Córdoba stars as Ana in Real Women Have Curves, starting previews tonight. Tony-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo makes his Broadway directing debut. | Shubert Theatre | Get Tickets

THURSDAY, APRIL 3
Edward R. Murrow. Cigarette smoke. A First Amendment mic drop. George Clooney opens in Good Night, and Good Luck tonight. | Winter Garden Theatre | Get Tickets

FRIDAY, APRIL 4
Pirates! The Penzance Musical begins previews, reimagined in New Orleans with Ramin Karimloo, David Hyde Pierce and Jinkx Monsoon. | Todd Haimes Theatre | Get Tickets

SATURDAY, APRIL 5
Jasmine Amy Rogers opens in BOOP! The Musical, leading this pop-powered musical from hitmaker David Foster—a longtime passion project for the composer. | Broadhurst Theatre | Get Tickets