Best Broadway Musicals (October 2026)
As October 2026 arrives, Broadway continues to showcase an impressive array of productions that first opened in 2023, maintaining the season's reputation for artistic excellence and cultural relevance. The top-rated shows currently average an exceptional 87 out of 100 from critics, reflecting a year that brought both celebrated revivals and bold new voices to the stage.
Leading the pack is the Gershwin revival "Crazy for You," which critics describe as pure musical theatre heaven, with Susan Stroman's dazzling choreography earning particular acclaim. Close behind, "Operation Mincemeat" proves that inventive British musicals can thrive on Broadway, while "Merrily We Roll Along" stands as a triumphant revival that finally unlocks the potential of Sondheim's once-notorious 1981 work under Maria Friedman's direction.
The season demonstrates remarkable range, encompassing intimate solo performances like "My Son's a Queer but What Can You Do" and "Just for Us," both praised for their humor and insight, alongside powerful ensemble pieces. "Appropriate" delivers a searing family drama with blistering performances, while "For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy" offers a vital choreopoem exploring Black masculinity. Classic revivals also shine, with "Purlie Victorious" proving startlingly relevant nearly seven decades after its original production.
The presence of acclaimed one-person shows, meta-theatrical explorations like "The Motive and the Cue," and Jodie Comer's extraordinary Broadway debut in "Prima Facie" further illustrate the season's diversity. Whether you're drawn to Golden Age revivals, contemporary dramas, or innovative new musicals, these highly-rated productions offer compelling reasons to experience Broadway this fall.
15 shows | Last updated: October 2026
How We Rank
Rankings are based on CriticScore, an aggregate of professional reviews from 400+ outlets including The New York Times, Vulture, and Variety. Top-tier outlets carry the most weight in the composite score. Each show needs a minimum number of reviews to qualify. Scores are recalculated weekly. Learn more about our methodology.
This beloved Sondheim flop finally triumphs in a brilliant Broadway revival, with critics hailing the "perfect" trio of Groff, Radcliffe, and Mendez and Friedman's smart direction that cracks the show's backward-chronology code.
Critics hail this timely revival as stunning and necessary, praising its sophisticated score, lean staging, and powerhouse performances from Platt and Diamond, though a few find the material overly earnest or uncertain in its aims.
This acclaimed revival achieves greatness with its full-scale ambition, featuring Josh Groban's triumphant performance, Annaleigh Ashford's hilarious turn, and a lush 26-piece orchestra that does justice to Sondheim's masterpiece.
Critics largely embrace this goofy revival as hilarious escapism with a stellar comic cast, though some find the 20-year-old material dated and question whether it needed to return so soon.
Critics praise the immersive disco staging and all-Filipino cast as electrifying, though some question whether the dancefloor spectacle glamorizes the Marcos regime more than it critiques it.
Critics find this aggressively corny musical a relentless barrage of puns and dad jokes that largely works. Most praise the catchy country score and cast's commitment, though humor's mileage varies wildly depending on your tolerance for hokum.
Critics find this meta-musical silly fun elevated by the chemistry of stars Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, though many note the thin premise and lightweight material stretch across two hours.
Critics are mixed on this Fosse revival, praising the dancers' spectacular athleticism and high-energy performances while questioning updates to the original and debating whether it captures the legendary choreographer's essence.
Critics praise the groundbreaking casting of seven autistic actors but find the musical itself uneven, with heartwarming moments undermined by conventional Broadway storytelling and an overstuffed narrative.
Critics offer mixed reviews for Manilow and Sussman's decades-in-the-making musical about the Comedian Harmonists, praising its timely subject matter and harmonies but citing structural flaws and tonal inconsistencies that keep it from fully resonating.
Critics find this spectacle-driven adaptation a crowd-pleasing nostalgia trip with impressive effects—especially the flying DeLorean—but most agree the forgettable score and slavish adherence to the film make for uninspired musical theater.
Critics find this Kander and Ebb musical a well-intentioned but overstuffed love letter to NYC that struggles with an unfocused book, though Stroman's choreography and production values occasionally dazzle.
Critics are divided on this Britney Spears jukebox musical, with some enjoying its campy, high-energy fun while others find the feminist fairy tale mashup derivative and heavy-handed. Praise centers on choreography; complaints focus on a tired premise.
Aaron Sorkin's magic-free rewrite and Bartlett Sher's somber direction drain the life from this Camelot revival, though Phillipa Soo's vocals and the lush orchestra earn praise. Critics find it a gloomy, overlong disappointment.
Critics savage Lloyd Webber's fairy tale update as confused, tasteless, and rudderless, with most finding it inept despite occasional entertainment. Carolee Carmello's stepmother performance stands out in an otherwise chaotic misfire.