Broadway bound: new in NY

It’s an interesting year on Broadway, where …

• “August: Osage County” (which we could have seen last summer at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre) is winning over critics and drawing comparison to Eugene O’Neil’s work.

• Revivals of “South Pacific” and “Gypsy” are turning into the town’s hottest ticket.

• ”Young Frankenstein” and “The Little Mermaid” are fighting for the respect earned by predecessors “The Producers” and “The Lion King,” respectively.

• Stars are out in force, including Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand in “The Country Girl,” Laurence Fishburne in “Thurgood,” Patrick Stewart in “Macbeth,” James Earl Jones in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Laura Linnea in “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” and Nathan Lane in “November.”

• And new or about-to-open musicals including “In the Heights,” “A Catered Affair,” “Glory Days,” “Passing Strange” and “Cry-Baby” are keeping things new and interesting.

I bring this up because I’m plotting a New York trip for later in the month. I will, of course, be reporting back to you in IBJ’s pages on what I find.

While I work on my schedule, I’ll ask you: What current Broadway shows have you already seen? What shows would you hope to find on my to-see list? And do you have any early predictions for this year’s Tony Awards?

Your thoughts?