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Best Broadway shows in New York in January 2026

Here are our top picks of theatre to check out in January 2026, including world-premiere Off-Broadway shows and last-chance Broadway hits closing this month.

Julia Rank
Written byJulia Rank

Beat the January blues by seeing a New York show! There's no better place to escape the winter chill than in a warm, cozy theatre, big or small. Plus, with the holiday rush over, January performances have great availability on seats.

Between Broadway blockbusters and intimate Off-Broadway shows, there's plenty to choose from. Only a few new Broadway and Off-Broadway shows start up in January, but this month is your last chance to catch some limited-run hits from 2025 before they close. You can also venture off Broadway and be the first to see some new offerings at smaller theatres around the city.

Get tickets to a Broadway show on New York Theatre Guide.

Summary

  • Celebrity-led plays in January include Bug starring Carrie Coon and Anna Christie starring Michelle Williams; Last-chance Broadway shows in January include Mamma Mia!; Liberation; Bug; and Oedipus
  • New Off-Broadway shows in January include Data
  • The Disappear
  • and the multimedia production An Ark
1.

Mamma Mia!

2.

Liberation

3.

Bug

4.

Oedipus

5.

Data

6.

Anna Christie

7.

The Disappear

8.

An Ark

1.

Mamma Mia!

Broadway
Jukebox musical
Comedy
Romance
Stage to screen
Last chance

Beat the January blues with a trip to a Greek island and all your favorite ABBA songs. We’ll have to say “Thank You for the Music” for the last time when the musical comedy’s joyful Broadway return ends February 1, so don't miss your chance to dance, jive, and have the time of your life.

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Mamma Mia!

2.

Liberation

Broadway
Play
Award winner
Last chance

Described by our critic as “an essential, tour-de-force memory play,” Liberation jumps between the 1970s, when a feminist group forms in suburban Ohio, and the 2020s, when the founder's daughter tries to piece together her mom's history. Don’t this inspiring, acclaimed play before the rec room closes February 1.

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Liberation

3.

Bug

Broadway
Play
Drama
Thriller
Stars on stage
Last chance

Emmy and Tony Award nominee Carrie Coon (The White Lotus and The Gilded Age) is back on Broadway in Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts’s (August: Osage County) psychological thriller. Coon plays a lonely waitress who gets involved with a Gulf War veteran (Namir Smallwood) obsessed with conspiracy theories. You only have until February 8 to crawl over to this intense, intimate play.

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Bug

4.

Oedipus

Broadway
Play
Drama
Stars on stage
Classic
Award winner
Last chance

The polls close on February 8 for celebrated British playwright/director Robert Icke’s bold interpretation of Sophocles’ tragedy. Mark Strong (Dune: Prophecy) and Lesley Manville (The Crown, Phantom Thread) star as Oedipus and Jocasta, a political power couple whose world comes crashing down on one life-changing election night.

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Oedipus

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Breakfast at Liberty Bagels

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One of the world’s largest stores, Macy’s is a sight to behold, especially when it’s decked out for the holidays.

5.

Data

Off-Broadway
Drama
Thriller
Stars on stage

There’s no escaping talk about AI and everything that it’s capable of. Matthew Libby’s tech thriller unveils the dark side of Silicon Valley in Data, about a talented young programmer who learns his algorithm is the key to a major surveillance project. The state-of-the-art cast features Karan Brar (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Brandon Flynn (13 Reasons Why), Sophia Lillis (I Am Not Okay With This), and Justin H. Min (The Umbrella Academy).

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Data

6.

Anna Christie

Off-Broadway
Drama
Stars on stage
Last chance

Don't miss Michelle Williams in one of theatre’s most prestigious leading roles. In Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie, the five-time Oscar nominee stars with Tony Award nominees Tom Sturridge as Anna’s sailor lover, Mat, and Brian d’Arcy James as her barge captain father. You only have until February 1 to sample this play about second chances — perhaps with a whiskey with ginger ale on the side.

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Anna Christie

7.

The Disappear

Off-Broadway
Dramedy
Stars on stage

Oscar-nominated writer and director Erica Schmidt’s (Cyrano) newest play tells the story of a perfect couple that goes off the rails, taking their relatives and friends along for the wild ride. Dylan Baker (The Good Wife), Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Chevalier), and more star in this Audible Theater production. So before The Disappear gets recorded for streaming as an audio drama, you can say you saw it staged first.

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The Disappear

8.

An Ark

Off-Broadway
Play
Multimedia
Experimental

This unique experience is sure to shake up your ideas of what theatre can be. An Ark is a lyrical play that charts a full lifetime in under an hour through an inventive use of mixed media. With virtual appearances from Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings), Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton), Arinzé Kene (Death of a Salesman), and Rosie Sheehy (Machinal), this piece explores what it means to live, grieve, and connect.

Check back for information on An Ark tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

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An Ark