Here's what's new on Broadway this fall — and shows coming back again

"It's so nice to have you back where you belong."

That chorus from "Hello, Dolly!" — not being revived in New York this fall — might well be Broadway's motto for the coming season. We like to see old friends. If not the shows we already know, like "Spamalot" and "Merrily We Roll Along," then the actors we know — Danny DeVito in "I Need That," Sarah Paulson in "Appropriate," Leslie Odom Jr. in "Purlie Victorious." Shows, on or off Broadway, are expensive to mount, expensive to see ($122.55 for Broadway, $75+ for off-Broadway is the average). At those prices, who wouldn't chose the devil they know?

And after all, why not catch up with our old chums? As in a high school reunion, it's always instructive. Some grow heavier and more graceless. Others seem younger than ever. And some reinvent themselves so thoroughly you'd hardly know them.

Coming to visit in the fall and spring (no dates or venues announced) are such warhorses as "Pal Joey," "The Wiz," "Doubt," and Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People." Oh, and speaking of old friends did we mention "The Mousetrap," a show that has been running continuously in London (barring a break for COVID) since before Queen Elizabeth II's coronation? Believe it or not, it will just now be making its Broadway debut (date to be announced).

What's new?

For those who seek the shock of the new, the new season still harbors a few jolts.

"Prayer for the French Republic," (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, previews Dec. 19, opening Jan. 9) is new to Broadway, anyway — and new in terms of its relevance. How timely is Joshua Harmon's drama about a self-satisfied Jewish American college student, whose visit to modern day France, beset by rising antisemitism, stirs up memories of the Holocaust? So timely a guard had to be posted at the Manhattan Theater Club when it played off-Broadway last year.

More fun, if not less fraught, is "Jaja's African Hair Braiding" (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, previews Sept. 12 and opening Oct. 3) Ghanaian-American playwright Jocelyn Bioh's celebration of style and resilience, set in a West African hair salon in Harlem. Likewise "Poor Yella Rednecks" (New York City Center, previews Oct. 10, opens Nov. 1) Qui Nguyen's fish-out-of-water drama about a Vietnamese family setting down roots in Arkansas. And on a more tuneful note: "How to Dance in Ohio" (Belasco Theatre, previewing Nov. 15, opening Dec. 10), a new musical based on the HBO documentary about autistic teens prepping for the spring dance.

Broadway musicals coming this fall

Speaking of musicals, Broadway has found some odd things to sing and dance about this fall.

"Gutenberg! The Musical!" (James Earl Jones Theatre, previews Sept. 15 opening Oct 12) could not be — seriously — about the 15th century German inventor of the printing press? Could it?

Yes, and no.

Yes, it's about Gutenberg. And no, it's not serious. The musical by Scott Brown and Anthony King, which has been popping up in London and lower Manhattan since 2005, is a musical about bad musicals. For its malice aforethought, it being rewarded with its first Broadway run, with "Book of Mormon's" Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells in the leads.

Then there's "Harmony" (Ethel Barrymore Theatre, previews Oct. 18, opening Nov. 13), Barry Manilow's musical tribute to The Comedian Harmonists, a German musical sextet who were apparently funnier than they sound. They were the toast of between-the-wars Europe until they ran afoul of Der Fuhrer, but they have more lately been rediscovered: first in a 1997 German documentary and then in this 25-year-old musical, which is just now reaching Broadway.

And the revivals? Who could resist "Spamalot" (St. James Theatre, previews Oct. 31, opens Nov. 16) the Monty Python perennial with its knights of Camelot who eat ham and jam and Spamalot.

And who wouldn't want to see "Hamilton's" Leslie Odom Jr. in "Purlie Victorious" (Music Box Theatre, previews Sept. 7, opening Sept. 27), or in anything else? This revival of Ossie Davis' groundbreaking 1961 comedy stars Odom as a preacher who outwits a Jim Crow plantation owner.

'Merrily We Roll Along' is back again, but that's not all

One of most anticipated revivals is "Merrily We Roll Along," (Hudson Theatre, previews Sept 19, opening Oct. 10) the little Stephen Sondheim show that could.

It got terrible reviews when it opened in 1981, and closed after just 16 performances — but the legendary cast album and catchy songs made it a cause célèbre among Sondheim fans, and through 40 years of revivals and re-jiggerings, directors have tried to make it work. This time, Jonathan Groff is the successful composer whose life story spools backward in time, from middle-aged sellout to idealistic high school graduate, and Daniel Radcliffe is his best friend.

And while we're revisiting legendary shows, why not legendary stars? Neptune's Danny DeVito plays a hoarder in "I Need That" (American Airlines Theatre, previews Oct. 13, opens Nov. 2). Emmy winner Sarah Paulson ("American Horror Story") is the eldest daughter of an Arkansas family whose trip home takes a weird turn in "Appropriate," (Hayes Theater, previews Nov. 28, open Dec. 18), a new play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

And if Bruce Springsteen can have a solo show, playing his songs and telling his anecdotes, why not Melissa Etheridge?

This season or any season, her "Melissa Etheridge: My Window" (Circle in the Square, previews Sept. 14, opens Sept. 28) is what Broadway likes best. One Singular Sensation.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New on Broadway for Fall 2023: Here's our preview