BROADWAY

BROADWAY
What's playing
"After the Fall" -- Peter Krause and Carla Gugino star in a revival of Arthur Miller's convoluted drama about a guilt-stricken lawyer and the women in his life. A Roundabout Theatre Company production. American Airlines. (212) 719-1300. Closes Sept. 12.
"Avenue Q" -- Love blossoms among the twentysomething set -- a group that includes puppets -- in this very funny, adult musical comedy that has transferred from off-Broadway. Winner of the 2004 Tony Award for best musical. Golden. Telecharge.
"Beauty and the Beast" -- For those who want a lavish, literal, live-action version of the delightful Disney animated feature, this is the ticket. Others may be content to rent the film. Lunt-Fontanne. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, (212) 307-4747.
"Bombay Dreams" -- A bland version of the lavish London success that celebrates India's Bollywood musicals. Broadway. Telecharge.
"The Boy From Oz" -- An appealing and hardworking Hugh Jackman stars as Australian entertainer Peter Allen in this pallid musical autobiography that uses Allen's original songs. Imperial. Telecharge. Closes Sept. 12. Difficult.
"Chicago" -- A potent revival of the 1975 Bob Fosse musical with a sassy Kander and Ebb score. Broadway's longest-running musical revival -- and deservedly so. Ambassador. Telecharge.
"Dracula, The Musical" -- The old neck-biter is back, this time with songs by Frank Wildhorn, composer of "Jekyll & amp; Hyde." Tom Hewitt plays Dracula. Belasco. Telecharge.
"Fiddler on the Roof" -- A lovely revival of the classic Bock-Harnick and Robbins musical, starring Alfred Molina as Tevye and Randy Graff as Golde. Minskoff. Ticketmaster.
"42nd Street" -- Those tapping feet are back. A loud, relentless revival of one of the biggest musical hits of the 1980s. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Ticketmaster. Closes Jan. 2.
"The Frogs" -- A very funny Nathan Lane stars in the Stephen Sondheim musical freely adapted from Aristophanes' comedy. Susan Stroman directs and choreographs. A Lincoln Center Theater production. Vivian Beaumont. Telecharge.
"Golda's Balcony" -- A forceful Tovah Feldshuh, who received a Tony nomination for best actress, is the legendary Israeli prime minister in a fascinating one-woman show written by William Gibson. Helen Hayes. Telecharge.
"Hairspray" -- The cult John Waters movie set in 1960s Baltimore has been turned into a hilarious, tuneful musical. Michael McKean has inherited the role of full-figured Edna Turnblad, played in the film by Divine and on Broadway by Harvey Fierstein. Neil Simon. Ticketmaster.
"I Am My Own Wife" -- The astonishing Jefferson Mays stars in Doug Wright's evocative play about a German transvestite who survived both the Nazi and communist regimes. Winner of the 2004 Tony Award for best play. Resumes performances Sept. 7. Lyceum. Telecharge.
"The Lion King" -- Director Julie Taymor is a modern-day Merlin, creating a stage version of the Disney animated hit that makes you truly believe in the magic of theater. New Amsterdam. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, (212) 307-4747. Difficult on weekends.
"Mamma Mia!" The London musical sensation featuring the pop songs of ABBA makes it to Broadway. Die-hard ABBA fans will like it best; others may be puzzled. A special "Mamma Mia!" Telecharge number (212) 563-5544.
"Marc Salem's Mind Games on Broadway" -- Marc Salem knows what you are thinking -- before you do. Resumes its once-a-week performance schedule Sept. 6. Lyceum. Telecharge
"Movin' Out" -- Songs by Billy Joel. Choreography by Twyla Tharp. A dance musical about good friends, taking them from the 1960s onward. The dancing is exuberant; the story less so. Richard Rodgers. Ticketmaster.
"The Phantom of the Opera" -- The one with the chandelier. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House is the prime, Grade A example of big Brit musical excess. But all the lavishness does have a purpose in Harold Prince's intelligent production. Majestic. Telecharge.
"The Producers" -- Brad Oscar and Hunter Foster star in this riotous stage version of the Mel Brooks movie. The musical is even better than the film, which is saying something. St. James. A special "Producers" Telecharge number (212) 239-5800.
"Rent" -- Jonathan Larson's touching and now nostalgic look at struggling artists in New York's East Village. Loosely based on Puccini's opera "La Boheme." Nederlander. Ticketmaster.
"Wicked" -- An ambitious if problematic new musical about the witches in "The Wizard of Oz." Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Gershwin. Ticketmaster. Difficult on weekends.
"Wonderful Town" -- The fabulous Donna Murphy stars in a buoyant revival of the Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green musical based on "My Sister Eileen." Brooke Shields replaces Murphy on Sept. 28. Al Hirschfeld. Telecharge.
X"Broadway/What's Playing" is published on the first Sunday of each month in The Vindicator. The Telecharge number is (800) 432-7250 unless otherwise indicated. Ticketmaster is (800) 755-4000. The League of American Theaters and Producers has a special telephone line called the Broadway Line for information on most Broadway shows and how to purchase tickets. Calls must be made on a touch-tone phone. The number is (888) BROADWAY.