The New Year means new experiences, new things to try, and new Broadway shows! There are already so many shows currently on Broadway that I'm dying to see (Waitress, Kinky Boots, and Chicago, to name a few), and 2017 is sure to add more to my list. With the recent (and sad) closings of Fiddler on the Roof, The Color Purple, and Jersey Boys come more shows to look forward to! Here are the top 5 shows that are opening on Broadway this year that I'm looking forward to seeing and you should see too. May this year be a great year for the theatre!

1. The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie is a memory play written by Tennessee Williams set in St. Louis in the 1930s. It tells the story of a young man, Tom, his disabled sister, Laura, and his controlling mother, Amanda, who keeps trying to find a male suitor for her daughter. I read this play in high school and absolutely loved it! This play first premiered on Broadway in 1944 and made Williams a well-known playwright. The Glass Menagerie comes back to Broadway at the Belasco Theatre on March 9, 2017. Sally Field will star as Amanda and director Joe Mantello (An Act of God, The Humans) will star as Tom.

2. Miss Saigon

Miss Saigon is a musical based off of Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly. It follows Kim, a Vietnamese woman who marries an American soldier, Chris, who leaves for the United States and finds another woman there. He then returns to Vietnam and finds that Kim and their son are still alive. But the Viet Cong are quickly reaching the city and tensions are rising with Chris' love life. The original Broadway cast starred Lea Salonga, one of my favorite actresses, as Kim. In fact, Kim's song "I'd Give My Life For You" made my list of most underrated and emotional songs from musicals. Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil wrote the music for this show, as well as the music for Les Misérables, one of my favorite musicals of all time. I definitely want to get my hands on tickets for this show! It opens March 23, 2017, at the Broadway Theatre.

3. Sunset Boulevard

This musical is based on the 1950 Billy Wilder film of the same name and tells the tale of Norma Desmond, an ex-movie star who is caught up in her past and still believes she is still the famous Hollywood star that she was. When screenwriter Joe's car breaks down in her driveway, things start to change for both of them. Sunset Boulevard opened on Broadway in 1994 with Glenn Close starring as Norma, in which she won a Tony for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Glenn Close is back in this revival and I'm looking forward to seeing it for the first time! In addition, the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also did music for Phantom of the Opera, Cats, School of Rock, Jesus Christ Superstar, and more, wrote the music for this show as well.This production opens February 9, 2017 at the Palace Theatre and is scheduled to run for 16 weeks only.

4. Anastasia

This new musical is based on the 1997 film of the same name, a tale of the Russian princess who escaped the execution of her family. I've never seen the film but I've heard the songs "Journey from the Past" and "Once Upon a December," which will be in the musical, along with new songs! Also, this musical will star Ramin Karimloo, an amazing actor who has played many roles in Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables. Anastasia opens at the Broadhurst Theatre on March 23, 2017.

5. Hello, Dolly!

Hello, Dolly! is a revival of the 1964 musical about a matchmaker, Dolly, who goes to New York to try to find a match for herself. It is also a film that came out in 1969, directed by Gene Kelly and starring Barbara Streisand. I've never seen the movie or listened to the soundtrack, but this revival has Bette Midler in it (who is best known for her role as Winifred from Hocus Pocus) so what could be bette-r than that? (Pun intended). This musical has won three Tonys, so I'm sure it'll be good. Hello, Dolly! returns to the Great White Way at the Shubert Theatre on April 20, 2017.