10 Stage Shows We’re Excited For This Fall

Destiny of Desire

One stormy night in Mexico, a power-hungry beauty queen swaps a poor baby and a rich baby. Naturally, chaos ensues. Playwright Karen Zacarias has a knack for high-stakes passion, so her telenovela set to music should bring plenty of camp and sizzle. (Opens September 11 at Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.)

Feathers and Teeth

The premiere of playwright Charise Castro Smith's horror-comedy is about a girl whose father's new fiancee is wickedly evil. (Opens September 19 at Goodman Theatre, Chicago)

Hir

Taylor Mac's assault on gender politics is like a neon-pink hand grenade: cheerful and silly until it blows everything apart. A satire of "dysfunctional white people" plays, Hir features a liberated ex-housewife, her transgender child Max, and her son Isaac, on leave from the Marines and wishing a man would take over the family. (Opens October 16 at Playwrights Horizons, New York)

The Humans

Stephen Karam's latest play (his previous two, Sons of the Prophet, Speech & Debate, were big hits Off-Broadway) is about a family haunted over Thanksgiving weekend and features Cassie Beck, Reed Birney, Jayne Houdyshell, Greg Keller, Sarah Steele, and Joyce Van Patten. (Opens October 25 at Laura Pels Theatre, New York)

The Thrush and the Woodpecker

About a supernatural woman who inflicts terrible revenge on her former neighbor, this new play by Steve Yockey is sure to get people talking. (Opens October 31 at Actor's Express, Atlanta)

On Your Feet!

Gloria Estefan's life has been epic, from her lifelong love affair with her husband, Emilio, to her triumphant recovery from a bus crash (not to mention that mirrored jacket in the "Conga" video). Now her story's a Broadway musical, featuring all those Miami Sound Machine hits. (Opens November 5 at the Marquis Theatre, New York)

Allegiance

Many know George Takei as the former Star Trek star and gay activist; few know his backstory. This new musical, which recounts his time spent with his family in an American internment camp during World War II, should be a dramatic, devastating highlight of the season. (Opens November 8 at the Longacre Theatre, New York)

Dada Woof Papa Hot

What if you became a gay spouse and a gay parent...and it wasn't so great? That's the uncomfortable question posed in Peter Parnell's play about a man who may not be suited to the domestic life he fought so hard for. (Opens November 9 at Lincoln Center Theater, New York)

Misery

Laurie Metcalf and Bruce Willis star in a stage version of the Stephen King's tale of a deranged fan who imprisons her favorite novelist. It may be so scary good that you might forget the movie version. (Opens November 15 at the Broadhurst Theatre, New York)

The Color Purple

The revival of the musical, based on the 1982 modern classic novel by Alice Walker, stars Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo, who was the breakout star of John Doyle's critically acclaimed London production. Read our profile of Jennifer Hudson here. (Opens in previews November 10 at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York)