10 Broadway Babes to Fall In Love With This Season

It's a pretty revolutionary time for Broadway. Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's new hip-hop exploration of Alexander Hamilton's life, has quickly become the hottest ticket in town. Teen angst-to-the-max musical Spring Awakening has returned to Broadway after just a few short years with Deaf West's acclaimed production, performed in sign language. Oprah's bringing The Color Purple back to Broadway with a cast that's going to blow your mind. Truly, there's so much to be excited about, and nearly nothing more than the fact that so many of these shows feature strong female leads and heavily female ensembles. That's right, Broadway is living a most girl-power life right now, and we're ready for every moment of it. Here are some of the leading ladies you absolutely must be aware of this season, whether you're actually buying tickets or just planning soundtracks you'll be jamming out to 24/7. These are some performance you do not want to miss!

1. Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, and Danielle Brooks in The Color Purple 

Orange is the New Black's Danielle Brooks, superstar Jennifer Hudson, and London stage star Cynthia Erivo are all making their Broadway debuts in the Oprah Winfrey-produced revival of The Color Purple. This production, based on Alice Walker's novel, has already seen acclaim at London's Menier Chocolate Factory, so expect to be blown away by these three ladies in this powerful piece. 

2. The Schuyler Sisters (Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, and Jasmine Cephas Jones) in Hamilton 

Government in the late 1700s was pretty much a man's game, but the new, original hip-hop musical Hamilton finds exceptionally exciting ways to take the women in Hamilton's life and make them front and center. This gorgeous, game-changing production already has all the hype in the world, and these three ladies - as well as the badass women in ensemble - are worth every moment of it. Getting a ticket might be a challenge, but the soundtrack comes out on September 25th, so that can tide you over until you make it into the theater!

3. Sandra Mae Frank and Katie Boeck in Spring Awakening

In the Deaf West production of Spring Awakening that opened on Broadway last month, several of the characters are played by deaf actors who are voiced by singers/musicians that accompany them. Sandra Mae Frank and her 'voice' Katie Boeck, who play the show's lead Wendla, have been playing some live performances lately to promote the show, and they already have our hearts and all of our excitement about catch this fierce and one-of-a-kind production. Just try to watch this performance without falling in love.

4. Annaleigh Ashford in Sylvia

Get ready for Sylvia, everyone. In this A.R. Gurney play, Annaleigh Ashford will literally be playing a dog named Sylvia whose adoption makes a complicated couple's life even more difficult. It's definitely a comedy, and we feel it's in the best hands (or paws, rather) with Tony-winning comic extraordinaire Annaleigh, (and Shewired fave, who we once interviewed) who can always be depended on to fulfill our live performance hopes and dreams. 

5. Keira Knightley in Thérèse Raquin

Get ready, cause Keira Knightley's making her Broadway debut. This is a big deal. She's already taken the stage in the West End (there's very little we wouldn't do to go back in time and catch her in The Children's Hour), and now New York is lucky enough to experience her presence in this play by French playwright Émile Zola's novel. Keira Knightley. Broadway debut. 'Nuff said.

6. Lea Salonga in Allegiance 

Stage superstar and literal Disney princess Lea Salonga is returning to Broadway in Allegiance, a musical described by Playbill.com as "a history-inspired story which charts the lives of some of the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were placed into U.S. concentration camps during World War II." Lea stars alongside George Takei and Telly Leung in what is sure to be a unique and powerful piece. Lea is certainly no stranger to Broadway, and we are no stranger to loving her and her work. 

7. Tevya's Daughters (Alexandra Silber, Melanie Moore, Samantha Massell, and Jenny Rose Baker) in Fiddler on the Roof

There's a lot of sister solidarity going on on Broadway this season, and we're here to support all of it. You're probably already familiar with Fiddler on the Roof (this is its 6th production since 1964, after all) so now it's time to get to know the newest additions to Anatevka. Even after all these revivials, we still get nervous when Lazer Wolf seems to be Tzeitel's husband frontrunner, and who doesn't love "Far From the Home I Love?" It's simply tradition to adore these ladies. Tradition!

8. Nina Arianda in Fool for Love

If you haven't fallen for Nina Arianda yet, you are moments away. She already won a Tony award for Venus in Fur, and now she's quite possibly gunning for another in Sam Shephard's Fool for Love, alongside Sam Rockwell. We expect, as usual with Shephard's work, this will be quite a wild ride and we can't wait to experience every moment.

9. The Dames at Sea (Eloise Kropp, Lesli Margherita, and Mara Davi) in Dames At Sea

After an Off-Broadway run in the '60s that helped launch Bernadette Peters' career, Dames at Sea - a musical about actresses in a Broadway show who must find a new venue after their theater is demolished - is making its way to Broadway. On the Town's Eloise Kropp will be taking on the Bernadette role, Ruby, with the dependably fantastic Lesli Margherita and Mara Davi starring as Eloise's fellow co-stars turned shipmates. We love us a charming, parodical comedy as much as we love this cast, so Dames at Sea is definitely a glorious addition to this season. 

10. Gloria Estefan (and Ana Villafañe) in On Your Feet!

With Mamma Mia! having just closed after 14 years, we are clearly in desperate need of a jukebox musical with an exclamation point in the title, and Gloria Estefan is here for us. On Your Feet! tells the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan as they rose to international fame, and Ana Villafañe will be making her Broadway debut playing Gloria herself. We've already got the highlight video playing on loop. Now time to get tickets!

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