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On Broadway | March is a month of revivals, celebrity casts, and big-deal playwrights

"Plaza Suite," Neil Simon’s 1968 suite of three one-acts about love and marriage stars real-life marrieds Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will tackle their second onstage performance together in "Plaza Suite."
Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will tackle their second onstage performance together in "Plaza Suite."Read moreLittle Fang Photo

Toby Zinman rounds up news, notes, and deals for Philadelphians who like to keep up with the NYC scene.

March seems to be golden oldies month on Broadway, the hit parade of American drama. Revival after revival, by major playwright after major playwright, and celebrity cast after celebrity cast. Here’s what’s happening:

  1. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee’s 1962 fierce and funny and profound play has become the gold standard for onstage marital battles. Starring the prizewinning Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett as the latest Martha and George who will once again play their tragic game: “Truth and illusion. Who knows the difference, eh, toots?” (In previews, opening April 9 at the Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St.)

  2. Plaza Suite. Neil Simon’s 1968 suite of three one-acts about love and marriage stars real-life marrieds Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. All three comedies are set in New York City’s Plaza Hotel; the real Plaza can still be found at the corner of Central Park and Fifth Avenue. (Previews begin March 13 at the Hudson Theatre, 139 W. 44th St.)

  3. Caroline or Change. Tony Kushner (book and lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (music) wrote this remarkable show about change — social as well as pocket — about 1963 Louisiana. Premiering Off-Broadway in 2003, it arrives on Broadway via London; Sharon D. Clarke reprises her Olivier Award — winning performance as Caroline, an African American maid. (Roundabout Theatre production begins previews March 13 at Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St.)

  4. American Buffalo. David Mamet’s 1975 play launched his huge career. In a Chicago junk shop, Donny (Laurence Fishburne) tries to organize a dopey and doomed robbery with Bobby (Darren Criss) while Teach (Sam Rockwell) tries to muscle-in on the action. Greed and loyalty lock horns as the buffalo nickel stands for American business as crime. (Previews begin March 24 at the Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway & 50th St.)

  5. How I Learned to Drive. Paula Vogel’s 1997 memory play is about a girl and her uncle and their oddly tender and shockingly abusive relationship. Returning to New York with its original luminous cast reprising their roles: Mary-Louise Parker as Li’l Bit and David Morse as Uncle Peck. (Manhattan Theatre Club’s production begins previews on March 27 at the Theatre, 261 W. 47th St.)

  6. Mrs. Doubtfire. An adaptation as well as a revival, this new show moves the old beloved movie to the stage. A man loses custody of his children and transforms himself into their nanny, and in the process learns a lot about parenting and about himself. Rob McClure stars in the title role. (In previews, opening April 5 at the Sondheim Theatre, 124 W. 43rd St.)

  7. Diana. An actual new show, this one for fans of the Royals. A bio-musical about Diana, “The People’s Princess,” her life in an unhappy marriage, fatally at odds with the notorious British media, and her troubled role as a member of the royal family. (In previews, opening March 31 at the Longacre, 220 W. 48th St.)

City sights

Hudson Yards is a neighborhood on the far west side of midtown Manhattan (roughly between 30th and 43rd Streets and between 10th and 12th Avenues). It boasts one of the stranger buildings in a city not lacking in spectacular architecture.

Opening Wednesday is “The Edge,” on the 100th floor, supposedly the highest outdoor observation deck in the western hemisphere and the fifth-highest in the world. Walk out to the edge of the deck, and you’re 65 feet from the building, and 1,000 feet from the ground below, and — definitely not for the acrophobic — part of the floor of the deck is made of glass, to give you a glimpse of the city below. Adding to the buzz (not everyone likes this building, to put it mildly), is “The Vessel,” a 150-foot-tall honeycomb-like structure designed by architect Thomas Heatherwick. The steel-and-copper edifice is a series of 154 staircases totaling 2,500 steps with 80 viewing platforms for taking photos. “The Vessel” is considered public art and is free to visit, but timed tickets are required to cut down on crowds. www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com