Audra McDonald Returns to Broadway, Shakespeare in the Park & More May Picks

While Broadway fans can check out a fabulous array of Tony-nominated productions this time of year, there is more theater to be seen in the month of May. The first Broadway show of the 2019-2020 season, a gravity-defying replacement in Wicked, Shakespeare in the Park—we're so ready for these new theatrical offerings! Check out the list of what the Broadway.com staff is looking forward to this May!

May 8 - High Button Shoes Begins at Encores!
Directed by John Rando, choreographed by Sarah O'Gleby and music-directed by Rob Berman, the upcoming Encores! staging of the 1947 musical High Button Shoes includes some stage faves: Michael Urie will play con man Harrison Floy while Betsy Wolfe will offer her golden pipes to leading lady Sara Longstreet. The production will run from May 8-12 at New York City Center, closing out the 2019 Encores! season.

News Editor Andy Lefkowitz
"I've nerded out over the High Button Shoes original cast album for years. The chance to see this chestnut performed by a crackerjack company of performers, including Michael Urie and Betsy Wolfe, is a dream come true."

May 13 - Curse of the Starving Class Opens Off-Broadway
Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class follows the Tate family, who are living a stagnant, unhappy existence in rural California and are desperate for change. The cast of the already-extended production features Maggie Siff as Ella, Lizzy DeClement as Emma, Flora Diaz as Sergeant Malcolm, Gilles Geary as Wesley, Esau Pritchett as Ellis, Andy Rothenberg as Taylor and David Warshofsky as Weston.

Managing Editor Beth Stevens
"I'm excited for Sam Shepard's caustic and sadly still relevant 1978 play Curse of the Starving Class. If you’ve ever thought of the American economy as an effed-up fairy tale, you’ll relate to this story of a struggling family.”

May 14 - Hannah Corneau Soars into Wicked
Ozians will be sad to see Broadway fave Jessica Vosk leave the Gershwin this month, but they will rejoicify when newcomer Hannah Corneau takes the stage. This will mark the new Elphaba's Broadway debut. She earned acclaim for her turn as Yitzhak in the national touring production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and appeared off-Broadway in Daddy Long Legs, Renascence and Ethel Sings—The Unsung Song of Ethel Rosenberg.

Content Producer Lindsey Sullivan
"Elphaba is one of the most interesting and vocally demanding roles in musical theater, so it is impressive that Hannah Corneau is making her debut as the green girl. A badass lady playing a badass lady—I'm so on board."

May 21 - Much Ado About Nothing Begins
Shakespeare in the Park is back in session! Danielle Brooks will play Beatrice in Tony winner Kenny Leon's new staging of Much Ado About Nothing. In the play, which will run from May 21 through June 23, not all is peaceful as old rivals engage in a battle of wits, unexpected foes plot revenge and young lovers are caught in a tumultuous courtship—until love proves the ultimate trickster and undoes them all.

Social Media Manager Caitlyn Gallip
"Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite Shakespeare comedy. Having seen the most recent production at the Delacorte, I can't wait to see Danielle Brooks take on the role of Beatrice, and Kenny Leon's take on this much-loved classic."

May 30 - Frankie and Johnny Opens on Broadway
Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon star in the Broadway revival of Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. The 1987 love story centers on two unlikely lovers whose one-night stand opens up a dialogue about life’s disappointments and delights. As the evening unfolds, they begin to slowly build a connection. Arin Arbus directs the two-hander.

Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek
"Lonely lovers Frankie, a waitress, and Johnny, a short-order cook, are two of my favorite stage New Yorkers, both in this early Terrence McNally play and the under-appreciated film adaptation. Can't wait to see this intriguing pairing of two of our finest actors!"

Other events to mark on your calendar this month:

May 9 - BLKS opens off-Broadway
May 14 - Proof of Love opens off-Broadway
May 21 - Continuity opens off-Broadway