Most shows undergo at least one, if not more, tryouts, either out-of-town or Off-Broadway, before they make their bow on the Main Stem. However, check out these 16 shows that skipped that step to head straight to Broadway!
Brandon Victor Dixon and Audra McDonald in Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed
Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark Playbill - Opening Night
Patrick Page and Reeve Carney in Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark
Jacob Cohl
Flying Over Sunset Playbill - Opening Night
Tony Yazbeck, Harry Hadden-Paton, and Carmen Cusack in Flying Over Sunset
Joan Marcus
The Book of Mormon Playbill - Opening Night
Nikki M. James and Josh Gad
School of Rock
Alex Brightman and Sierra Boggess in School of Rock
Something Rotten!
Brian d'Arcy James and Christian Borle in Something Rotten!
Motown: The Musical Playbill - Opening Night
Marva Hicks, Brandon Victor Dixon, and cast in Motown: The Musical
Sweeney Todd Playbill - Feb 1979
Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou in Sweeney Todd
Martha Swope
Merlin
Chita Rivera and Doug Henning in Merlin
Nick & Nora Playbill - Opening Night, Dec 1991
Barry Bostwick and Joanna Gleason in Nick & Nora
Nathaniel Kramer
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Patti LuPone in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
City of Angels Playbill
James Naughton and Gregg Edelman in City of Angels
Martha Swope
Merrily We Roll Along Playbill - Oct 1981
Sally Klein, Jason Alexander, Lonny Price, Jim Walton and Ann Morrison in Merrily We Roll Along.
Martha Swope / The New York Public Library
Coco
Katharine Hepburn in Coco
Purlie Playbill - Aug 1970
Cast of Purlie
Lovemusik Playbill - Opening Night
Michael Cerveris and Donna Murphy in LoveMusik