Just because pride weekend is past doesn’t mean the celebrations of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people on and off Broadway are over. Here are eight shows you can see right now:
“Fun Home”
Circle in the Square Theatre
2015’s Tony-winning Best Musical is also Broadway’s first to have a lesbian protagonist. The heartbreaking drama tells the biographical story of celebrated graphic artist Alison Bechdel as she discovers her sexual orientation while trying to understand how she relates to her father -- himself a closeted gay man who commits suicide four months after she comes out. From the Tony-winning team of director Sam Gold, composer Jeanine Tesori and book writer and lyricist Lisa Kron, “Fun Home” is an intimate and emotionally honest tale that will bring tears to your eyes. [Tickets: $75 - $150]
“Significant Other”
Laura Pels Theatre, through Aug. 16
“Spring Awakening” alum Gideon Glick stars as Jordan Berman, the young gay hero at the center of Joshua Harmon’s relatable comedy “Significant Other.” Jordan is desperate for a long-term relationship, but much to his chagrin, he seems to find himself pining after the unavailable while all his close single girlfriends are marrying off. As Jordan learns to deal with his issues of abandonment, he learns a lot about love. This poignant comedy is “a sweet and painfully honest coming-of-age story that’ll probably seem familiar to many 20-somethings, gay or straight.” [Tickets: $79]
“The Qualms”
Playwrights Horizons, through July 12
A newly married couple attend an alcohol-rich party for swingers in the suburbs, which leaves them questioning their ideas about sexual desire and its ties to romantic and emotional commitment in Bruce Norris’ new one-act drama. Taking a similar approach to the idea of free love as he did with race relations in his Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play “Clybourne Park,” Norris’ play is more talk than action, but still presents intense debates about bisexual relationships and isn't afraid to ask the tough questions about love and lust. [Tickets: $75 - $90]
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Belasco Theatre
John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s landmark rock musical is enjoying a hit run on Broadway, currently starring Darren Criss (“Glee”) and Rebecca Naomi Jones (“American Idiot”). The show, which follows “a transgender East German cold war bride who finds herself living in a Kansas trailer park fronting a band called The Angry inch and pining for her lost soul mate Tommy,” is a 95-minute stretch of ear-splitting rock and over-the-top entertainment. And if Criss doesn’t get you there, then maybe Taye Diggs will! The “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” star steps into Hedwig’s heels on July 22. [Tickets: $49 - $152]
“Shows for Days”
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, through Aug. 23
Tony winner Patti LuPone (“Gypsy”) and Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”) star in a new semi-autobiographical memory play from Douglas Carter Beane (“The Little Dog Laughed”). The comedy takes place in Pennsylvania in 1973, where a young gay teen (Urie, in narration) is introduced to theater through his local community troupe, lead by the vivacious Irene (LuPone). With laugh-out-loud performances, this heartwarming tale will remind you why you fell in love with the theater in the first place. [Tickets: $77 - $87]
“Gloria”
Vineyard Theatre, through July 18
Speaking of Michael Urie, his long-term boyfriend Ryan Spahn is currently making his off-Broadway debut in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ dark comedy “Gloria.” Spahn plays two characters in the show, one of them being Dean -- a gay editorial assistant working at a notorious Manhattan magazine. The play follows a group of ambitious editorial assistants at said magazine, and the shocking things they do to achieve their dreams. [Tickets: $79]
Broadway
“It Shoulda Been You”
Brooks Atkinson Theatre, through Aug 9
A modern spin on the traditional wedding comedy, “It Shoulda Been You” is the only musical on Broadway to feature a gay wedding, a lesbian wedding and a straight wedding. The action takes place at a fancy hotel, where two families gather for the interfaith union of their children. With dueling mothers (Tony winners Tyne Daly and Harriet Harris), an uninvited ex-boyfriend (Josh Grisetti) and a whole lot of secrets mixing up the action, the David Hyde Pierce-directed comedy will leave you laughing in the aisles. [Tickets: $59 - $132]
“Kinky Boots”
Al Hirschfeld Theatre
If there’s one message you’ll want to take away from the experience of the LGBT community, it’s that we all must have the courage to carve out our own identity. That’s the idea at the center of “Kinky Boots,” the 2013 Tony-winning Best Musical from rock icon Cyndi Lauper and four-time Tony-winning scribe Harvey Fierstein. Based on a true story of a British men’s footwear factory that starts producing footwear for drag queens, the show is a heart-warming tale of fathers and sons learning how to manage expectations, disappointment and self-acceptance. See it also for Billy Porter, whose Tony-winning turn as the fabulous drag performer named Lola is a performance not to be missed. [Tickets: $77 - $147]
