Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s Pass Over is set to begin performances at the August Wilson Theatre August 4, becoming the first play to return to Broadway since COVID-19 shutdown theatres in March 2020. Many shows—including Hadestown, Hamilton, and more— will follow suit in September, returning to their theatrical homes and welcoming eager audiences.
In anticipation of the return of Broadway, Playbill is taking a look back at the joy of opening night, a celebration between a show and an audience honoring the achievement of creating live performance.
Stephen Sondheim on the opening night of West Side Story
Stark Sands, John Gallagher, Jr., and Reebeca Naomi Jones on the opening night of American Idiot
Tina Turner, Adrienne Warren, and the cast and creative team on the opening night of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Peppermint and cast on the opening night of Head Over Heels
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Cast on the opening night of Jagged Little Pill
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Cast and creatives
Lucille Ball on the opening night of Wildcat
Bailey Ryon, Oona Laurence, Sophia Gennusa, Milly Shapiro, and Frenie Acoba on the opening night of Matilda the Musical
Cast on the opening night of Moulin Rouge!
Arin Arbus, Terrence McNally, Audra McDonald, and Michael Shannon on the opening night of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Cast and creative team of The Lightning Thief
Jeremy O. Harris, Robert O'Hara, and cast on the opening night of of Slave Play
Alex Brightman
Marc J. Franklin
Cast
Cast of Be More Chill
Marc J. Franklin
Jonathan Groff, Okieriete Onaodowan, Jon Rua, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson, and Anthony Ramos on the opening night of Hamilton
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Cast on the opening night of All My Sons
Sutton Foster and cast on the opening night of Anything Goes
Cast on the opening night of SpongeBob SquarePants
Marc J. Franklin
Rosdely Ciprian, Heidi Schreck, Thursday Williams, and Mike Iveson on the opening night of What the Constitution Means to Me
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Chester Gregory, Patina Miller, Victoria Clark, and cast on the opening night of Sister Act
Julie Andrews and Richard Burton on the opening night of Camelot
Jeremy Pope, Taylor Symone Jackson, Derrick Baskin, Rashidra Scott, and Ephraim M. Sykes on the opening night of Ain't Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations
Ariana DeBose on the opening night of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Tony Sheldon, Will Swenson, Nick Adams, and cast on the opening of Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Kelli O'Hara on the opening night of Kiss Me, Kate
Cher and cast on the opening night of The Cher Show
Joshua Henry, Jessie Mueller, and cast on the opening night of Carousel
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Michael Hsu Rosen, Mercedes Ruehl, Moisés Kaufman, Michael Urie, Harvey Fierstein, Richie Jackson, Ward Horton, Jack DiFalco, and Roxanna Hope Radja on the opening night of Torch Song
Adam Chanler-Berat, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Christian Borle, and cast on the opening night of Peter and the Starcatcher
Jeff Richmond, Tina Fey, Casey Nicholaw, and cast on the opening night Mean Girls
Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy on the opening night of It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman
Caissie Levy, Patti Murin, Greg Hildreth, and cast on the opening night of Frozen
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Christy Altomare on the opening night of Anastasia
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Beth Leavel on the opening night of The Prom
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Rachel Chavkin, Anaïs Mitchell, David Neumann, and Cast
