Nicole Kidmans iconic AMC ad details all of the reasons to love the moviesdazzling images, sound that you can feel, and that indescribable feeling when the lights begin to dim. All of those feelings can also be equated to the rush of watching a Broadway show. Its exhilarating to watch the athleticism these performers put into the same show eight times a week, delivering one of the most exciting entertainment opportunities available.Sign up for the Out Newsletter to keep up with what's new in LGBTQ+ culture and entertainment delivered three times a week straight (well) to your inbox!The 2024-2025 Broadway season is the highest-grossing season in recorded history, bringing over $1.89 billion and over 14.7 million attendees. Thats not hard to believe because the new shows that took over the iconic theaters in Midtown Manhattan were some of the most exhilarating pieces of art to hit the stages in a long time. Broadway audiences were treated to revivals of legendary shows, some show-stopping West End transfers, and stories created around existing intellectual properties, as well as wholly original stories.Many of the shows that took the stage in the theater district were not centered around queer characters, but there is so much for queer people to love. If there wasnt a diva belting their hearts out, there was family drama or maybe a queer actor playing a beloved straight icon. This past season, there was a lot to choose fromsome you might have missed now that theyve closed, but others are just getting started. Here are the best Broadway shows for LGBTQ+ audiences that queer people would love.I can't stop thinking about 'John Proctor is the Villain.'John Proctor is the Villain provides a solution to an issue that plagues Broadway. When it comes to talking about feminism, the material rarely rises above the notion of women can do anything a man can do with a hand on hip and a finger wag. Audiences eat it up every time, but all it ever gets is an eye roll and a big sigh out of me. The trite and stale sentiment feels stuck in the girlboss, SheEO days of pop culture that have been wrung dry. But this show perfectly places itself in 2018 after Trumps first election and the birth of the #MeToo movement and breathes new life into the stage conversation about feminism.The show takes place in a one-stoplight town in Georgia and follows a classroom of kids as they read Arthur Millers The Crucible under the tutelage of their teacher, Mr. Smith. Throughout the show, we learn more about each character and the ways their lives are intertwined. When a student named Shelby (played by Sadie Sink) returns from a prolonged absence, a shocking truth is revealed, and the kids are left to reflect on their internalized biases and confront the reality of the #MeToo era society has just entered. The show is a spine-tingling breath of fresh air that could not have come at a better time. If theres any show to see, its this one.For those who may not get the chance to grab some tickets, you can wait for the recently announced movie, which is set to be executive-produced by Sink with Tina Fey, Marc Platt, and the shows playwright Kimberly Belflower serving as producers.'Just in Time' made a splish-splash this seasonWhether you know Jonathan Groff from his role as Jesse St. James in Glee or you love Bobby Darin (I, a 27-year-old Latin gay man who didnt grow up listening to 50s crooners, didnt know him), its impossible not to fall in love with Just in TimeJust in Time. Groff shoots out electricity as he fully embodies the role of Darin (singer of Beyond the Sea and Mack the Knife) as he sings, dances, and runs all around the Circle in the Square Theater (which they jokingly and lovingly say is in the basement of Wicked). The show was packed to the brim with talent, featuring a supporting cast that included Gracie Lawrence as Connie Francis and Erika Henningsen as Sandra Dee.The show expertly avoids the pitfalls of being a tourist trap that is essentially a vehicle for an end-of-show sing-along. It strikes the perfect balance of being recognizable and entertaining for newcomers who didnt grow up with Darins music.Thank you, Audra McDonald, for giving us this revival of 'Gypsy.'The most affecting performances you see on Broadway arent just the loudest, the funniest, or the most dramatic its the tidal wave of emotions the audience feels from the very best performers. From the moment Audra McDonald makes her first appearance in the revival of Gypsy, its clear that shes coming in like an avalanche.McDonald, the most decorated Tony-winner of all time, leads the charge under George C. Wolfes directorial hand in the Stephen Sondheim classic about an overbearing stage mom trying to set her kids up for success with her partner, Herbie (Danny Burstein). All the while, her kids (Joy Woods as Louise and Jordan Tyson as June) grow to resent her, leaving Rose with almost nothing. Eight shows a week, McDonald hurls all of the anguish that Rose feels at the audience, and if you leave without being overwhelmed by those emotions, its hard to believe we saw the same show.You knew 'Oh, Mary!' was going to be on this list.Cole Escola has cut their teeth in the entertainment industry for years. From working with Amy Sedaris to being a featured actor in Difficult People and Search Party, it was about time that the world finally saw their talent and unshakable work ethic. Their star began to rise in 2024 when Oh, Mary! became the hottest off-Broadway ticket in New York City. With no historical research, Escola created an unforgettable character of Mary Todd Lincoln as a suffocated, alcoholic, striving cabaret star, an exaggerated version of their own life story.The irreverent comedy seeps into every nook and cranny of the dialogue, making for one of the most enjoyable comedic performances on Broadway. Escola originated the role off and on Broadway, ultimately leaving the show altogether after winning the Tony for Best Actor in a Play at this years Tonys. Now, Titus Burgess takes the character of Mary in a different, but still delightful direction, before RuPauls Drag Race alum Jinkx Monsoon dons the tight pin curls for eight weeks starting August 4 through September 27. After that, well see whos up for the challenge.There are some off-Broadway gems worth watching, like 'Heathers: The Musical.'Heathers: The Musical is a cult classic in the world of musical theater. It first premiered in a Los Angeles tryout in 2013 before getting an off-Broadway run in 2014 with Barrett Wilbert Weed and Ryan McCartan in the lead roles (and the voices featured on the original cast album recording). Over a decade later, the show is making its return to New York City with a second run at the New World Stages featuring performances from Broadway actors like Lorna Courtney (from &Juliet) as Veronica Sawyer and Casey Likes (from Back to the Future: The Musical) as Jason Dean in this musical about two outcasts trying just to survive high school.The beloved musical continues to draw rowdy crowds, with some of the theatergoers cosplaying as the three titular antagonists: The Heathers. The show has a few kinks to work out, but overall, it works well on an off-Broadway stage, and theres no shortage of explosive singing or tension between the storys two main protagonists. In the show, theres also a silly number about gay dads that will make any queer person burst out laughing.If youre a messy gossip and love drama, run to see 'Purpose.'Casual theater lovers will have noticed Kara Young, a formidable young actress, win her second Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play at this years Tony Awards for the second consecutive year. She nabbed the trophy for her work in the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning dramedy, Purpose. The show follows a young man named Nazareth (referred to as Nas throughout the show) as he navigates his family during a visit back home. If I give too much away, then it spoils the fun. But I can say that there is an interesting conversation about queerness and asexuality especially older generations coming to terms with queerness.Everyone has their secrets. And throughout the show, one by one, they are uncovered, and its not without drama. Each of the characters, whether they are aware of it or not, is figuring out their purpose, and this turns out to be an extremely messy process. Theres a reason this show won top honors for writing; its crafted with a laser-focused precision, and it turbocharges your brain to analyze and unpack every line of dialogue.'Operation Mincemeat' is a sleeper hit about unsung heroes.Those who watched this years Tony Awards saw Operation Mincemeat take home two prizes, one for Best New Musical, one for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Jak Malone). The successful West End transfer is a gender-bending, dizzyingly fast-paced show inspired by a real-life covert British operation to divert Nazi troops from invading Sicily. The plot may sound underwhelming, but the show is anything but.Five actors split the load of portraying over 80 characters, making small adjustments to their costumes and posture to embody a completely different character within seconds. Its a seamless comedic production that also pays homage to the military personnel who played a crucial role in this operation.'Death Becomes Her' serves all that gaze.Every gay mans wet dream? Two beautiful women singing some of the best original music on Broadway while wearing the most glorious gowns created by the Oscar- and Tony-winning costume designer, Paul Tazewell. Throw in the musical chops of two unserious, wickedly talented bombshells like Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard, along with one-third of Destinys Child, Michelle Williams, and add in this potion that makes you live for eternity, and youve got yourself the hit that is Death Becomes Her.If youve seen the movie, you know the plot: Two women obsessed with beauty take a potion that gives them youthful beauty and (for better or worse) eternal life. The show builds on the camp factor with over-the-top musical numbers, especially Hiltys high-octane For the Gaze. This showstopper is filled with rainbows, multiple costume changes into icons like Liza Minnelli and Judy Garlands Dorothy, hot (and skilled) background dancers, and nonstop choreography, with not a note missed by Hilty. The two divas battle it out and belt in each others faces in the song Hit Me, and Williams knocks her songs Siempre Viva and If You Want Perfection out of the park.RIP: You should've gone to see 'BOOP!'BOOP! closed earlier this month, but it deserves a mention. The show followed the iconic cartoon character Betty Boop, played perfectly by Jasmine Amy Rogers, as she discovered and ventured into the real world wanting to get away from the repetitive nature of black-and-white existence. She was given the chance to see the world in technicolor as she figured out who she is and helped the shows other characters reflect on their own lives as well.In BOOP!, Rogers melted into her role as the titular character. The line between her and Betty was blurred entirely, and the audience was better off for it. She was magnetic on stage. She showed the audience, eight shows a week, why she was nominated for a Tony with her show-stopping number, Something to Shout About, a heartbreaking ballad that, at its conclusion, lifted people out of their seats for a well-deserved standing ovation.BOOP! was a radiant, campy romp about a canonical caricature with stellar costumes and jokes that flew a mile a minute. The whole cast had their moment to shine, but Pudgy, her cartoon puppet dog, was the obvious star and should have gotten a Tony nomination.