Summer on Broadway is a paradox: the city is packed, but the closing notices come fast. Limited runs hit their end dates, beloved long-runners finally call it, and shows you swore you’d “get to eventually” quietly post a final performance. Eventually is now. Here’s everything closing on Broadway this summer, in the order the curtains fall — with the cheapest way into each one before it’s gone.
Why summer is closing season
It’s not your imagination — the closings really do cluster now. Limited engagements get booked for spring-into-summer runs and hit their pre-set end dates. Tony season just wrapped, so shows that didn’t get the awards bump make their exit while the ones that did ride the wave into fall. And the brutal summer math is real: tourist traffic is high but a lot of New Yorkers leave town, so a show on the bubble often picks the warm months to take its final bow. Translation: a bunch of strong productions are all posting closing notices at once, and several are genuinely worth rearranging a week for.
Closing this week (June 21)
If either of these is on your list, this is your weekend. No “next month,” no rain check.
- Chess the Musical — final performance June 21 at the Imperial. The Cold-War-and-heartbreak score is the reason people keep reviving this one. Last call.
- The Balusters — closing June 21 at the Samuel J. Friedman, with a $49 TodayTix digital rush running right up to the end. A cheap seat at a closing show is the best deal in town this week.
Gone by the end of June
- Giant — June 28 at the Music Box. A sweeping limited engagement; once it’s done, it’s done.
- Death Becomes Her — June 28 at the Lunt-Fontanne. The campy, gorgeous stage version of the cult film is heading out after 20 months and a North American tour announcement. Catch the original Broadway cast while you still can.
- The Fear of 13 — June 28 at the James Earl Jones, moved up from July. A tense true-crime two-hander with Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson; easy to miss and worth not missing.
July goodbyes
- Dog Day Afternoon — July 12 at the August Wilson. The Pacino bank-heist classic on stage, with a $45 TodayTix rush that’s going to get competitive in the final two weeks.
- Proof — July 19 at the Booth. The Pulitzer-winning drama gets a starry revival with a clock on it.
- Joe Turner’s Come and Gone — July 26 at the Ethel Barrymore. August Wilson done right; a limited run, so the end date is the end date.
August curtains
- Death of a Salesman — August 9 at the Winter Garden. Miller’s masterwork in a revival you’ll be glad you saw.
- Every Brilliant Thing — August 9 at the Hudson. A small, generous, unforgettable show with a $45 TodayTix rush. The intimate house makes a cheap seat feel like a gift.
- Ragtime — August 16 at the Vivian Beaumont. The Lincoln Center revival won big at the Tonys and extended twice; this is the final extension. When a Tony winner sets a hard closing date, the back half of the run sells out.
- Titanique — August 30 at the St. James. Céline Dion narrates the Titanic and somehow it’s one of the funniest tickets in town. A $49 TodayTix rush keeps it cheap until the iceberg.
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical — August 30 at the Al Hirschfeld. The big one. It was first slated to close July 26, then took a five-week extension, so after seven years and more than 2,200 performances the Tony-winning spectacle now takes its final bow August 30. If you have been putting it off, this is last call.
How to see a closing show without overpaying
Closing shows do something cruel to prices: as the final date nears, demand spikes and resale sites feast. Don’t feed them. Two honest paths in:
- Rush the ones that offer it. The Balusters, Dog Day Afternoon, Every Brilliant Thing, and Titanique all run a day-of TodayTix rush. In a show’s last two weeks, treat rush like a sport — be in the app the moment seats drop. Full roster in this summer’s rush guide.
- Play the lottery on the rest. For closings without a rush, the digital lottery is your shot at a front-row price. Start at the lottery hub and read how to win every Broadway lottery first.
One last thing: dates move. Hit shows extend, soft sellers close early, and a “final performance” can shift a week in either direction. Always confirm on the show’s own page before you build a night around it. Then go — and maybe grab dinner first with our guide to eating cheap before a show.
