Our guide to plays and musicals coming to New York stages — and a few last-chance picks of shows that are about to close. Our reviews of open shows are at nytimes.com/reviews/theater.
Previews and Openings
‘THE CHILDREN’ at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater (in previews; opens on Dec. 12). A nuclear apocalypse comes to New York in this three-character drama from Lucy Kirkwood. Deborah Findlay and Ron Cook star as former scientists turned survivalists, who receive a visit from Francesca Annis’s ex-colleague. James Macdonald directs this contained dystopia for Manhattan Theater Club.
212-239-6200; ManhattanTheatreClub.com
‘CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE MUSICAL’ at (Le) Poisson Rouge (in previews; opens on Dec. 11). The 1990s teen flick, which reset “Dangerous Liaisons” in an elite Manhattan prep school, has transformed its bittersweet symphony of lust and betrayal into a jukebox musical, created by Lindsey Rosin, Jordan Ross and Roger Kumble. The students Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil conspire to complicate the lives of their classmates.
cruelmusical.com
‘ELF: THE MUSICAL’ at the Theater at Madison Square Garden (performances start on Dec. 13). Theatergoers who have been naughty and nice can take a sleigh ride to this revival of this holiday musical, based on the Will Ferrell comedy about a foundling adopted by Santa. Here, George Wendt will play Santa. A Times critic described the original Broadway production as “tinseled in synthetic sentiment, performed with a cheer that borders on mania, and instantly forgettable.”
866-858-0008, theateratmsg.com
‘JACK AND THE BEANSTALK’ at Abrons Arts Center (in previews; opens on Dec. 10). A familiar fairy tale receives a playful rewrite when the husband-and-wife theatermakers Julie Atlas Muz and Mat Fraser fight giants in the sky and the censorious down below. Drawing on pantomime tradition, they have reformatted the story to feature a little more glitter and social justice.
212-352-3101, abronsartscenter.org
‘TWELFTH NIGHT, OR WHAT YOU WILL’ (in previews; opens on Dec. 14) at Classic Stage Company. Twins! Cross-dressing! Shipwreck! Pranks! Cakes! Ale! Can one stage hold it? Of course. Fiasco Theater comes to Classic Stage with its low-budget, high-innovation approach to Shakespeare’s comedy. Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld direct a cast including the Fiasco regulars Emily Young and Andy Grotelueschen.
212-352-3101, classicstage.org
Last Chance
‘TORCH SONG’ at Second Stage at the Tony Kiser Theater (closes on Dec. 9). A slimmed-down version of Harvey Fierstein’s career-making trilogy about a gay man’s search for love hangs up its drag heels. Ben Brantley wrote that Moisés Kaufman’s production, starring Michael Urie, “finds an irresistibly compelling gravity beneath the glibness.”
212-246-4422, 2st.com