ALL-AMERICAN
LCT3 presents a new play by Julia Brownell, in which the daughter of a former N.F.L. star is pressured to become her high school’s quarterback. Rebecca Creskoff and C. J. Wilson star; Evan Cabnet directs. In previews. (The Duke on 42nd Street, 229 W. 42nd St. 646-223-3010.)
ASUNCION
Jesse Eisenberg wrote and stars in this comedy, about two liberal roommates who have a chance to prove that they are not racists when a Filipino woman moves in with them. Kip Fagan directs, for the Rattlestick. In previews. Opens Oct. 27. (Cherry Lane, 38 Commerce St. 212-352-3101.)
THE ATMOSPHERE OF MEMORY
Labyrinth Theatre Company presents this drama by David Bar Katz, about a playwright whose work explores the distinction between art and life. Ellen Burstyn, John Glover, and Max Casella star; Pam MacKinnon directs. In previews. Opens Oct. 30. (Bank Street Theatre, 155 Bank St. 212-513-1080.)
BLOOD AND GIFTS
Bartlett Sher directs a new play by J. T. Rogers, about a C.I.A. agent who fights against the Soviets in Afghanistan during the war in the eighties. Previews begin Oct. 27. (Mitzi E. Newhouse, 150 W. 65th St. 212-239-6200.)
THE BLUE FLOWER
Second Stage presents a new musical written by Ruth Bauer and Jim Bauer, about four friends—three artists and a scientist—who explore passion and art during the First and Second World Wars. Will Pomerantz directs. In previews. (305 W. 43rd St. 212-246-4422.)
BURNING
The New Group presents the première of a play by Thomas Bradshaw, which intersects two stories—one set in the present, about a black painter who hides his race from a gallery owner in Germany, and the other set in the eighties, about a homeless teen who is taken in by two gay men. Scott Elliott directs. In previews. (Acorn, 410 W. 42nd St. 212-239-6200.)
A CHARITY CASE
Wendy Beckett wrote and directs this play, which examines a seventeen-year-old girl’s relationship with her biological and adoptive mothers. The cast includes Alison Fraser and Alysia Reiner. Previews begin Oct. 28. (Clurman, 410 W. 42nd St. 212-239-6200.)
CHILDREN
Scott Alan Evans directs this play by A. R. Gurney, set in 1970, based on John Cheever’s short story “Goodbye, My Brother,” in which a family receives a visit from an estranged son. A TACT production. In previews. Opens Oct. 27. (Beckett, 410 W. 42nd St. 212-239-6200.)
CHINGLISH
David Henry Hwang’s new comedy is about an American trying to do business in a Chinese province. Gary Wilmes and Jennifer Lim star; Leigh Silverman directs. In previews. Opens Oct. 27. (Longacre, 220 W. 48th St. 212-239-6200.)
DANCING AT LUGHNASA
Irish Repertory Theatre presents this Tony Award-winning play from 1990, by Brian Friel, about a clash of customs and beliefs between five Irish sisters and their brother, a priest who has spent twenty-five years in Uganda. In previews. Opens Oct. 30. (132 W. 22nd St. 212-727-2737.)
GODSPELL
Daniel Goldstein directs the 1971 rock musical, conceived by John-Michael Tebelak, with music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Hunter Parrish stars. In previews. (Circle in the Square, 235 W. 50th St. 212-239-6200.)
HUGH JACKMAN, BACK ON BROADWAY
Jackman sings and dances his way through numbers that illustrate his life and career. Warren Carlyle directs and choreographs. In previews. (Broadhurst, 235 W. 44th St. 212-239-6200.)
KING LEAR
Sam Waterston plays the title role in the Shakespeare tragedy, directed by James Macdonald. Also starring Kelli O’Hara, Bill Irwin, Arian Moayed, Richard Topol, Michael McKean, and John Douglas Thompson. In previews. (Public, 425 Lafayette St. 212-967-7555.)
LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST
Karin Coonrod directs Shakespeare’s comedy, as part of Public Lab. In previews. Opens Oct. 31. (Public, 425 Lafayette St. 212-967-7555.)
MILK LIKE SUGAR
Playwrights Horizons, Women’s Project, and La Jolla Playhouse co-produced this play by Kirsten Greenidge, about an inner-city teen-age girl who has to decide whether to honor the pregnancy pact she made with her friends. Starring Tonya Pinkins, Angela Lewis, and Cherise Booth; Rebecca Taichman directs. In previews. Opens Nov. 1. (Playwrights Horizons, 416 W. 42nd St. 212-279-4200.)
ON THE LINE
Canal Park Playhouse presents a revival of Joe Roland’s 2006 play, in which three blue-collar friends take on their union. Michael Tisdale directs. Previews begin Oct. 27. Opens Nov. 1. (508 Canal St. 866-811-4111.)
OTHER DESERT CITIES
Jon Robin Baitz wrote this comedic drama, in which a woman visits her parents’ Palm Springs home, where she unveils her plans to publish a memoir about her family’s turbulent history. Stockard Channing, Rachel Griffiths, Stacy Keach, Judith Light, and Thomas Sadoski star; Joe Mantello directs the Lincoln Center Theatre production. In previews. (Booth, 222 W. 45th St. 212-239-6200.)
QUEEN OF THE MIST
Transport Group presents the première of a musical by Michael John LaChiusa, directed by Jack Cummings III, based on the true story of the daredevil Anna Edson Taylor (Mary Testa), who was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. In previews. (Gym at Judson, 243 Thompson St. 866-811-4111.)
SEMINAR
Sam Gold directs a new play by Theresa Rebeck, starring Alan Rickman, Lily Rabe, Jerry O’Connell, and Hamish Linklater, about a literary legend who holds a class for young writers. Previews begin Oct. 27. (Golden, 252 W. 45th St. 212-239-6200.)
SUICIDE, INCORPORATED
Jonathan Berry directs this Roundabout Underground production of a play by Andrew Hinderaker, which centers on a service that provides clients with suicide notes. In previews. (111 W. 46th St. 212-719-1300.)
VENUS IN FUR
Nina Arianda reprises her performance in this play written by David Ives, directed by Walter Bobbie. Hugh Dancy also stars in the Manhattan Theatre Club production. In previews. (Samuel J. Friedman, 261 W. 47th St. 212-239-6200.)