B'way Update: Daniel Radcliffe; Rocky Horror; Ian McKellen

Daniel Radcliffe

Tony winner Daniel Radcliffe (Merrily We Roll Along, Harry Potter films) will return to Broadway in Every Brilliant Thing, a one-character play by Olivier Award nominee Duncan Macmillan (People, Places and Things) with Jonny Donahoe. Directed by Olivier and Tony nominee Jeremy Herrin (People, Places and Things, Wolf Hall), the play will begin previews on Feb. 21, 2026 at the Hudson with an opening scheduled for March 12 for a 13-week engagement through May 24. Every Brilliant Thing follows a man looking back at his life and the glimmers of hope that carried him through. All told through a list of every wonderful, beautiful, and delightful thing—big, small, and everything in between—that makes life worth living. The list was originally made for the character's mother and carried her through her depression. Audience participation is involved. This one-of-a-kind solo show, which has been performed across the globe in over 80 countries on stages of all sizes—and for an HBO Special starring co-creator Jonny Donahoe—makes its long-awaited Broadway premiere following a hit season @sohoplace in London’s West End, where it is currently running with Minnie Driver through November 8. The show opened at the Edinburgh Festival and then played Off-Broadway's Barrow Street Theater in 2014 with Donahoe. (So I am counting it as a revival in my Broadway Breakdown list. See below.)

“Every Brilliant Thing tackles some serious subject matter, but the overall experience is one of joy and celebration,” said Macmillan. “Every performance is unique and unpredictable and it requires virtuosic skill from its central performer. When Daniel told us how much he loved the play, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. He has the intelligence, quick-wit and charm to roll with the spontaneous moments that the show invites – he can be a clown one moment, then grab you by the heartstrings the next. He has huge depth and humanity. I can’t wait to get started.”

Luke Evans

In other news, Luke Evans (Gaston in the live-action film of Beauty and the Beast) will star as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania, in Roundabout Theater Company's revival of The Rocky Horror Show, directed by Tony winner Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!). Previews begin March 25, 2026 at Studio 54 in advance of an April 23 opening. Evans' screen credits include The Hobbit, Clash of the Titans, and Nine Perfect Strangers. He's also appeared onstage in London in Rent, Miss Saigon, and Avenue Q. Rocky Horror will mark his Broadway debut.

"I'm giddy to crack this untamable classic open with the razor-sharp Luke Evans at the center," said Pinkleton in a statement. "And I hope to do at Studio 54 what The Rocky Horror Show has done for people around the world for decades—open a dimension to another possible reality. It seriously is the honor of a lifetime to bring the freakiest people I've ever met into the freakiest theatre I've ever been in to revisit the freakiest show there's ever been. No pressure, of course. Rocky Horror is, to me, a sublime, ridiculous, giant-hearted act of love—a trashy little musical that means so many things to generations of tender weirdos with mascara streaming down their faces. I hope we can make something joyous, unfathomable, straight from outer space and I can't wait to welcome, really WELCOME you into the slimy tentacles of Studio 54.” Further casting is to be announced at a later date.

Ian McKellen in Lord of the Rings:
The Return of the King (2003).

Speaking of Hobbit cast members, Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) will headline An Ark, the first play created for and in mixed reality. Written by Olivier and Tony Award winner Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), directed by UK Theatre Award winner Sarah Frankcom, and produced by mixed reality pioneer Todd Eckert, the production runs for an exclusive seven-week engagement from January 9 to March 1, 2026, in The Shed’s Level 2 Gallery (545 West 30th Street).

In this groundbreaking format, an audience of up to 200 people seated in The Shed’s Level 2 Gallery will share a performance that feels intensely intimate—where the ensemble of actors appear in a headset to speak directly to each audience member. Though the actors will not be physically present, this radical reimagining of live theater is made possible by the magic of mixed reality.  

Also in the cast are Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton), Arinzé Kene (Misty, Get Up, Stand Up!), and Rosie Sheehy (Machinal, Old Vic).

2025-26 Broadway/Off-Broadway Calendar
Fall 2025
Oct. 29--Bat Boy (Encores!/City Center)
Oct. 30--Little Bear Ridge Road (Booth)
Nov. 2--Messy White Gays (Duke on 42nd)
Nov. 3--Kyoto (LCT/Newhouse)
Nov. 5--Queens (MTC/City Center) 
Nov. 6--Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets (Broadhurst)
Nov. 7--Gruesome Playground Injuries (Lortel)
Nov. 9--The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire (Vineyard)
Nov. 10--Queen of Versailles (St. James)
Nov. 10--Richard II (Red Bull/Astor Place)
Nov. 11--The Baker's Wife (CSC) 
Nov. 12--Archduke (Roundabout/Laura Pels)
Nov. 13--Oedipus (Roundabout/Studio 54)
Nov. 13--The Seat of Our Pants (Public)
Nov. 16--Chess (Imperial)
Nov. 17--The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (New World Stages)
Nov. 17--Meet the Cartozians (Second Stage/Signature Center)
Nov. 18--This World of Tomorrow (Shed)
Nov. 18--Practice (Playwrights Horizons)
Nov. 20--Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) (Longacre)
Nov. 20--Initiative (Public)
Cottonfield
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Sugar Daddy

Winter 2025-26

Dec. 4--A Christmas Carol (Perelman Performing Arts Center)

Dec. 8--Marjorie Prime (Second Stage/Hayes)

Dec. 11--Anna Christie (St. Ann's Warehouse)

Dec. 12--All Out: Comedy About Ambition (Nederlander) (previews begins; opening TBA)

Dec. 16--Tartuffe (NYTW)

Dec. 18--Amahl and the Night Visitors (LCT/Mitzi Newhouse)

Jan. 8--Bug (MTC/Samuel J. Friedman)

Jan. 9--An Ark (The Shed)

Jan. 2026--Ulysses (Elevator Repair Service/Public)

Feb. 1--Coriolanus (TFANA) (previews begin; opening TBA)

Feb. 4--High Spirits (Encores!/City Center)

Feb. 11--Monsters (MTC/City Center)

Feb. 25--Meat Suit, or the shitshow of motherhood (Second Stage/Signature Theater)

February--Marcel on the Train (CSC)

February--Bigfoot! the Musical (MTC/City Center)

Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) (Public)

Chinese Republicans (Roundabout/Laura Pels)

The Dinosaurs (Playwrights Horizons)

Jesa (Public)

Public Charge (Public)

The Reservoir (Atlantic Theater Company)

Mother Russia (Signature Theater Company)

2026

Dolly: An Original Musical

Wanted (formerly Gun and Powder)

Spring 2026

March 5--What We Did Before Our Moth Days (Greenwich House Theater)

March 10--Cold War Choir Practice (MCC)

March 12--Every Brilliant Thing (Hudson)

March 18--The Wild Party (Encores!/City Center)

March 23--Giant (Music Box)

March 23--Hamlet (Teatro La Plaza/TFANA)

March 30--Dog Day Afternoon (August Wilson)

April 7--Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Broadhurst)

April 8--Becky Shaw (Second Stage/Hayes)

April 16--Proof (Booth)

April 20--Schmigadoon (Nederlander)

April 23--The Rocky Horror Show (Roundabout/Studio 54)

April 26--The Lost Boys (Palace)

May 7--The Receptionist (Second Stage/Signature Center)

May--The Emporium (CSC)

: Girls : Chance : Music (Vineyard Theater)

Animal Wisdom (Signature Theater Company)

The Balusters (MTC/Friedman)

Fallen Angels (Roundabout/Todd Haimes)

Indian Princesses (Atlantic Theater Co.)

Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Montauk

My Joy Is Heavy (NYTW)

No Singing in the Navy (Playwrights Horizons)

Rheology (Playwrights Horizons)

2026-27

Death of a Salesman

Let the Good Times Roll: A New Orleans Gumbo

Private Lives

Summer 2026

June 17--La Cage Aux Folles (Encores!/City Center)

June 24--Birthright (MCC)

July 14--The Whoopi Monologues (LCT/Mitzi Newhouse)

Fall 2026

Dreamgirls

Future--10 Things I Hate About You; Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death; Beaches the Musical; Beat Street; Black Orpheus; Coal Miner's Daughter; Come Fall in Love--The DDLJ Musical; Crazy Rich Asians; The Devil Wears Prada; Ella: An American Miracle; Eurovision Song Contest; Everybody's Talking About Jamie; Fahrenheit 451; Fire and Rain: The James Taylor Musical; Frida, the Musical; Game of Thrones; Get Happy; The Griswolds' Broadway Vacation; High Noon; Imitation of Life; The Interestings; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; The Karate Kid; La La Land; The Mousetrap; Nancy Drew and the Mystery at Spotlight Manor; The Nanny; The Normal Heart/The Destiny of Me; Pal Joey; Particle Fever; Purple Rain; The Queen's Gambit; Rear Window; The Secret Garden; Sing Street; Slumdog Millionaire; Soul Train; Studio 54; Waking Ned Devine; Working Girl.

2025-26 Broadway Season Breakdown

New Plays

All Out: Comedy About Ambition

The Balusters

Call Me Izzy

Cottonfield

Dog Day Afternoon

Giant

Liberation (transfer from Off-Broadway)

Little Bear Ridge Road

Montauk

Oedipus

Punch

New Musicals

Dolly: An Original Musical

The Lost Boys

Schmigadoon

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Queen of Versailles

Play Revivals

Art

Becky Shaw

Bug

Every Brilliant Thing

Fallen Angels

Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Marjorie Prime

Proof

Waiting for Godot

Musical Revivals

Beetlejuice

Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Chess

Mamma Mia!

Ragtime

The Rocky Horror Show

Solos/Specialties
Jeffrey Ross: Take a Banana for the Ride

Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets