Curtain Up! Live From Broadway Finale Concert Takes Over Times Square September 10

Light the lights—the Curtain Up Broadway Festival is back to take over Times Square for a celebration of all things Broadway. September 10 is the third and final day of the festival. Playbill, The Broadway League, and the Times Square Alliance have brought the outdoor experience back for a third year, presented by Prudential Financial with additional support from the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Music Performance Trust Fund, The Film Fund, Open Jar Studios, and Hotel Edison. The festivities began September 8.

Stretching between 45th and 47th Streets, the Festival includes interactive events and performances that are all live, free, and open to the public.

Sunday will host the the festival's exciting finale concert, Curtain Up! LIVE From Broadway. Starting at 11 AM at the Duffy Square Mainstage, The Cottage and Will and Grace star Eric McCormack will host a special event featuring live performances and special guest appearances from the season's Broadway shows. The entire event will broadcast live on WABC. The concert will feature musical direction by Andrew Resnick with live music provided by The Music Performance Trust Fund and The Film Fund, and is written by Eric Ulloa. The WABC finale broadcast is directed by Michael J. Moritz Jr. Foresight Theatrical's Devon Miller is serving as general manager.

Participating shows include & Juliet; A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical; Aladdin; Back to the Future: The Musical; The Book of Mormon; Chicago; The Cottage; Hadestown; Harmony; Here Lies Love; How to Dance in Ohio; Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Kimberly Akimbo; The Lion King; Melissa Etheridge: My Window; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; The Shark Is Broken; Shucked; SIX: The Musical; Some Like It Hot; Spamalot; Wicked; and more.

But don't get too sad—the finale concert isn't the real end of the Curtain Up fun. Head to the Dueling Pianos for one last sing-along with pianists Sarah Glassman and Drew Wutke, running from 1 to 3 PM.

“What better way to kick off a new Broadway season than to celebrate the Curtain Up Broadway Festival in Times Square. This incredible three-day festival will host special concerts, sing-alongs, and workshops, just to name a few of the many exciting events planned,” says Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “Last season, Broadway had a total attendance of 12.3 million, indicating just how much live theatre means to so many and its pivotal role in NYC’s economic development. We’ll wrap up the weekend with the Curtain Up! LIVE from Broadway finale concert on Sunday, September 10th and thank WABC for returning to live broadcast the star-studded show.”

"We at Playbill are extremely excited to help bring the Curtain Up Broadway Festival to Times Square once again with our friends and partners at Prudential, the Times Square Alliance, and The Broadway League,” adds Alex Birsh, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Playbill. “It brings us so much excitement to welcome all patrons of Times Square to celebrate Broadway in such a fabulous way. Join us in the fun as we celebrate Broadway’s new season during our three days in Times Square, culminating in our finale concert on Sunday.”

“At Prudential, we recognize that Broadway and local theatres help drive inclusion and expand access to the arts for millions of people in New York City and across the globe,” explains Susan Somersille Johnson, Prudential’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We are proud to be partnering once again with Playbill, The Broadway League, and the Times Square Alliance to help stimulate the local economy and positively impact the industry while giving aspiring and emerging artists the opportunity to capitalize on their 'Now What?' moments.”

“Broadway is the beating heart of Times Square and New York City, and we are thrilled to join our great partners at The Broadway League, Playbill, and Prudential to kick off the new season with Curtain Up Broadway Festival,” says Tom Harris, President of the Times Square Alliance. “We continue to see regularly over 400,000 people pass through Times Square each day, and our hope is that throughout the three-day festival we will see Broadway fans from near and far enjoying this free programming in the heart of Times Square.”

“We are so proud to support live theatre in NYC by once again partnering with Playbill, The Broadway League, and the Times Square Alliance to present the Curtain Up! Broadway Festival," states Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment Pat Swinney Kaufman. “This year our involvement will include a special presentation of the Broadway Block Party, which will provide festival goers multiple opportunities to dance and sing throughout the weekend in NYC's iconic center of cultural activity, Times Square."

“Thanks to The Film Fund’s Trustee, Bob Jaffe for joining with the recording industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund in supporting the musicians who make Curtain Up! and all Broadway musicals such a treasured New York experience,” says Dan Beck, the Trustee of the Music Performance Trust Fund.

Join the conversation about Curtain Up Broadway Festival by following @Playbill, @TimesSquareNYC, and @BroadwayLeague and using #CurtainUpBway.

For a full, detailed listing of events taking place all weekend, visit Playbill.com/CurtainUp.

Take a look at the 2022 Curtain Up Festival: