Second Stage has revealed programming for its 2026-2027 season. “The Fantasticks,” which has the unique distinction of being the longest-running musical in history, and “Gloria,” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist, will have their Broadway premieres at the Hayes Theater.
“Second Stage Theater has always been the premiere home for contemporary works by both emerging writers and established masters, and this upcoming season is no exception,” said Second Stage artistic director Evan Cabnet in a statement. “It has been a tremendous honor to produce our current season, and I look forward to welcoming future audiences as we continue to explore and expand the contemporary canon of American plays and musicals.”
Second Stage will commence its 2026-2027 season with a staging of Obie Award-winning and Special Tony Award-honored romantic comedy musical “The Fantasticks,” set to open at the Hayes Theater on Nov. 16 after previews beginning on Oct. 22. Featuring music by Harvey Schmidt and a book and lyrics by Tom Jones, “The Fantasticks” played the now-defunct Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village from May 3, 1960, through January 13, 2002. The musical returned to the Off-Broadway stage at the Jerry Orbach Theater (named for the original “Fantasticks” star) for a run from 2006-2017. Jones has revised and modernized the book for Broadway, which is set to be directed by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli, recently nominated for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography for “Schmigadoon!” “The Fantasticks” is being produced in association with Broadway and Beyond Theatricals, Daryl Roth and True North Theatricals.
Later in the season, with previews set to begin at the Hayes on March 17 and an opening set for April 5, Second Stage will produce the Broadway premiere of “Gloria,” directed by Cabnet. Written by Jacobs-Jenkins, “Gloria” centers on a group of cutthroat, low-level employees at a prestigious New York magazine. The play was a Pulitzer finalist in 2016 following its debut Off-Broadway production at Vineyard Theatre, also directed by Cabnet. Jacobs-Jenkins would go on to win the Pulitzer in 2025 for his play “Purpose,” which also won the Tony for Best Play that year.
Off-Broadway, Second Stage will produce the world premiere of two new plays, and the New York premiere of another, at the Pershing Square Signature Center’s Irene Diamond Stage. Bryna Turner’s comedy drama “The Visitors” is set to open on Nov. 9, and will be directed by Jenna Worsham. Second Stage will also host the world premiere of Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Miranda Rose Hall’s “Work of Devotion,” opening on February 22. Finally, the New York premiere of Naomi Lorrain’s “How to Roll a Blunt” will be directed by Colette Robert, with an opening set for April 28.
