You wouldn't visit Paris without going to the Eiffel Tower. You wouldn't plan a trip to Orlando that didn't include Disney World. And you shouldn't visit New York City without seeing a performance at Lincoln Center (opera and ballet) or catching a Broadway show (musicals and plays).
Spring 2019 Season at New York City Ballet (April 23 - June 2) and Broadway are full of wonderful, can’t-miss options. You can look over the schedule below and buy your tickets right here on New York Online.
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet's home theatre was designed to look like a sparkling jewel box, and it is there you will find a treasury of some of the world's greatest dance works and dancers. NYCB's unique repertory is loaded with masterpieces by company founder George Balanchine as well as Jerome Robbins, the master of American dance. Knowledgeable critics often rank Picasso, Stravinsky and Balanchine as the greatest artists of the 20th Century–across all art forms. Don't miss the chance on your next visit to New York to see Balanchine's own company dance his works on a stage built big enough to accommodate his expansive choreography and his grand ambition–to create a truly great American ballet company.
New York City Ballet programs generally consist of 3-4 shorter works, many of them abstract, plotless ballets–pure dance in highly distilled form. If you prefer story ballets, there is nothing more delightful than "A Midsummer Night's Dream" – Balanchine's dance interpretation of Shakespeare's beloved comedy, to music by Mendelssohn.
All Balanchine – 05/24, 05/25 eve
Scotch Symphony (Mendelssohn)
Le Tombeau de Couperin (Ravel)
Sonatine (Ravel)
Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Stravinsky)
Balanchine Meets Peck – 05/14, 05/16, 05/18 eve
New Peck 1 (Stevens)
Symphony in Three Movements (Stravinsky/Balanchine)
The Times are Racing (Deacon/Peck)
Classic NYCB II – 05/17, 05/21, 05/22
Dances at a Gathering (Chopin/Robbins)
Stars and Stripes (Sousa, orch. by Kay/Balanchine)
Balanchine: Big & Bold – 05/15, 05/18 mat, 05/19, 05/23
Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (Brahms, orch. by Schoenberg)
Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 (Tschaikovsky/Balanchine)
Symphonic & Electronic – 05/25 mat, 05/26
Stars and Stripes (Sousa, orch. by Kay/Balanchine)
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (Rodgers, orch. by Kay/Balanchine)
Tarantella (Gottschalk, orch. by Kay/Balanchine)
The Times are Racing (Deacon/Peck)
A Midsummer Night`s Dream – 05/28/2019 to 06/02/2019
Check out the New York City Ballet performance calendar right here at New York Online.
New York City is home to some of the best arts programming in the world, and Lincoln Center is the bullseye at the center of the target. For the confirmed opera fanatic or balletomane, a trip to the Metropolitan Opera or New York City Ballet can be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But even if you have never attended an opera or a ballet performance in your life, why not start at the top? If you see a Verdi opera at the MET, or a Balanchine ballet danced by New York City Ballet (the company he founded), you know you have seen the very best. For the rest of your life, you’ll have the memory of having seen a world-class ballet or opera, and you’ll know what these art forms were meant to be.
Broadway shows
Opera and ballet not really your thing? Hey, we’re not here to judge, we’re only here to steer you in the right direction. Everyone enjoys a good Broadway show–it’s one of the things NYC is best known for–and the 2019 Broadway season has so many great options you’re sure to pick a winner!
See our 2019 season overview and you’ll be able to choose among Broadway classics, popular shows, new musicals, family-friendly productions, shows based on movies, revivals, the best of Off-Broadway, and Broadway plays. You can play it safe and go with a classic like Phantom of the Opera or Chicago, or you can be bold and choose one of the highly-anticipated new shows in the upcoming 2019 Broadway season, such as Be More Chill or Hadestown. See what's on Broadway during your visit and buy your tickets right here on New York Online.
Performances we recommend this spring
New shows and revivals: Kiss Me, Kate with Kelli O'Hara, Hadestown, Tootsie, Beetlejuice, Oklahoma!, Ain't Too Proud, Be More Chill, The Cher Show.
Plays: To Kill a Mockingbird, King Lear, Burn This.
Popular shows on Broadway: The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, The Book of Mormon, Come From Away, Pretty Woman The Musical, King Kong.
For theatre lovers, there is no better destination than New York. NYC is home to 41 Broadway theatres (over 500 seats) and 62 Off-Broadway theatres (100-499 seats), presenting the best in musicals and drama. There is something for every taste–everything from Broadway classics, new musicals, musicals based on movies, family-friendly shows, as well as classic and contemporary plays. Be sure to check out our rundown of the 2019 Broadway season and choose the show (or shows!) that’s right for you.