Limited run: The now-or-never list

A new off-Broadway musical built around real stories of identity, belonging, and life beyond the labels we get stuck with, performed by a young-adult cast at The Duke on 42nd Street. Drew Lachey (98 Degrees, Dancing With the Stars) and Lea Lachey wrote and direct, with an original rock-pop-R&B score that folds in "Born This Way" and "Rise Up." Closes Aug 29.

Hawkins, 1959, a generation before Eleven and the Upside Down. When new student Henry Creel arrives in town, his family's fresh start unravels in ways that ripple through the whole Stranger Things mythology. Stephen Daldry's Olivier-winning production landed at the Marquis after a sold-out West End run, with stagecraft doing the heavy lifting Netflix can't.

Running through Sep 7 at The Club, this off-Broadway parody takes Heated Rivalry (the hockey-romance series your group chat hasn’t shut up about) and reroutes it through full musical-theatre camp. Expect bob wigs, scene-stealing cameos, and a Broadway cast committing to the bit harder than the source ever did. Best paired with a Canada Dry and a friend who’s already memorized the season.

This Pulitzer-winning drama at the Booth Theatre through Jul 19 skips the usual "math genius" tropes to focus on the messy, inherited nature of brilliance and family loyalty. It’s a grounded, dialogue-heavy production that explores the thin line between genius and instability with a sharp, contemporary energy.

Through Jul 26 at MCC's Newman Mills Theatre, Jonathan Spector's three-hour drama follows six Jewish American friends from a 2006 Birthright trip through a fractured 2024 reunion. It's a four-week window for a play built almost entirely out of overlapping conversation, with two intermissions to move between Chaya's parents' suburban Virginia living room and the outdoor hot tub.

Studio 54 is leaning back into its rowdy, late-night roots through Nov 29 with a revival that feels more like a community rite of passage than a standard musical. Expect a lot of leather, plenty of shouting from the rafters, and a production that stays true to the campy, glam-rock heart of the original cult favorite.

This soulful August Wilson masterpiece is running at the Barrymore through Jul 26, capturing the search for identity and "song" in a 1910s boarding house. The play is deeply rhythmic and atmospheric, providing a meaningful, heavy experience for anyone who appreciates theater that acts as a profound historical lens.

This show at the Hudson is essentially an interactive hug running through Jun 28, where the audience helps compile a list of everything worth living for, from ice cream to old records. Because the crowd is so involved in the storytelling, every performance feels like a one-of-a-kind event that’s both deeply personal and communal.

Running through Jun 28 at the August Wilson Theatre, this stage adaptation captures the frantic energy of a Brooklyn bank heist gone wrong during a sweltering summer. It focuses on the media circus and the human motives behind the famous 1970s headlines, bringing a gritty, cinematic intensity to the stage.

The spectacular at the Al Hirschfeld stays in town through Aug 30, offering a sensory overload of velvet-soaked sets and a pop-heavy soundtrack you already know by heart. It’s a maximalist party where the immersive design and high-fashion costumes are just as much of a draw as the high-energy performances.

Nominated for the 2024 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for Outstanding Solo Performance, this autobiographical 90 minutes runs through Jul 25 at Pershing Square Signature Center. Robert Montano traces his own path from a small kid teased for his size, to a jockey at the track, to a Broadway dancer who shared a stage with Chita Rivera in Kiss of the Spider Woman. It's a story about family, racism, and what it costs to find your way to the work that fits you.

At Cherry Lane through Aug 30 only, this Olivier-nominated romance follows Dre and Des, a couple pulled back together years after one stayed and one left. Fresh off a sold-out Bush Theatre and West End run, it's a rare North American premiere with a hard close date.