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Broadway Guides

Christmas Musicals

By Thea LaneOctober 14, 20263 min read

Table of Contents~3 min left

Short Answer

Several Christmas musicals have played Broadway, including White Christmas, Elf, A Christmas Story, and Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and most started as films. None is running on Broadway right now. In New York this season, the Christmas Spectacular returns to Radio City Music Hall on November 4, 2026.

Checked October 2026 against Wikipedia, rockettes.com, Broadway.com and nycballet.com.

Christmas Musicals on the New York Stage

Four of these played Broadway; A Christmas Carol played Madison Square Garden. Here they are in the order each first opened.

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A Christmas Carol, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and a book by Mike Ockrent and Lynn Ahrens, played annually at New York's Theater at Madison Square Garden from December 1, 1994 to December 27, 2003. It was never a Broadway production.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical is based on Dr. Seuss' book, with music by Mel Marvin and lyrics and book by Timothy Mason. It played Broadway's Hilton Theatre, now the Lyric Theatre, from November 8, 2006 to January 7, 2007, and returned at the St. James Theatre starting November 9, 2007.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas is based on the 1954 Paramount Pictures film of the same name, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a book by David Ives and Paul Blake. It played the Marquis Theatre twice: previews from November 14, 2008 through January 4, 2009 (53 performances and 12 previews), and again from November 13, 2009 through January 3, 2010.

Elf is based on the 2003 film, with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan. It opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on November 14, 2010, with a final performance on January 2, 2011, then returned there from November 9, 2012 through January 6, 2013. It returned again at the Marquis Theatre, officially opening November 17, 2024 and closing January 4, 2025.

A Christmas Story: The Musical is based on the 1983 film, itself drawn from Jean Shepherd's 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a book by Joseph Robinette. It opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 19, 2012 and closed December 30 of that year, earning three Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score, without winning any.

Seeing a Christmas Show in New York This Year

None of the shows above is currently playing on Broadway, and Broadway.com's December 2026 guide lists no Christmas-themed book musical. Here's what New York actually has this year, by type.

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Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes (revue) returns to Radio City Music Hall on November 4, 2026, with 230 performances. It runs 90 minutes with no intermission, according to rockettes.com, against the roughly two and a half hours most Broadway musicals run; see our guide to Broadway running times for specifics by show.

It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (play) opens at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 18, 2026 and closes January 3, 2027, staged as a 1940s-style live radio broadcast.

George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (ballet) runs at New York City Ballet's David H. Koch Theater from November 27, 2026 to January 3, 2027.

For It's a Wonderful Life or any other Broadway show, check our TKTS guide and our lottery guide before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Christmas Spectacular have an intermission?

No. Rockettes.com's FAQ states the show runs 90 minutes with no intermission.

Is a Christmas musical currently playing on Broadway?

No. As of Broadway.com's December 2026 guide, no Christmas-themed book musical is listed among the shows currently playing or announced for that month.

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