Broadway Clock Is Running: 'School Girls' Closes Nov. 15, More Follow

Jocelyn Bioh's 'School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play' closes November 15 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater, and six more Broadway productions have posted closing notices running through January 10. The list spans a Ghana-set boarding-school comedy, a Molière revival with a clown, and a British meet-cute musical — plus holiday holdovers with shelf lives measured in weeks.

Which shows close first?

'School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play,' a Critic's Pick, runs through Nov. 15 in a Manhattan Theater Club production directed by Whitney White. The play was the breakout hit for Bioh, who also wrote 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding,' and it examines racist beauty standards and self-loathing at an all-girls boarding school in 1980s Ghana. The cast includes Denée Benton, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Heather Alicia Simms and Patina Miller.

Next out is 'The Imaginary Invalid,' closing Nov. 22 at the Todd Haimes Theater. Bill Irwin brings his clowning chops to Molière's hypochondriac, a man determined to secure a doctor for a son-in-law. Brandon J. Dirden directs Irwin's adaptation for Roundabout Theater Company, with Brooks Ashmanskas, Dylan Baker, Rachel Bloom and Crystal A. Dickinson in the cast. It, too, carries a Critic's Pick.

'Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)' closes Nov. 29 at the Longacre Theater. The musical by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan transfers from the West End and follows Robin (Christiani Pitts), a native New Yorker, and Dougal (Sam Tutty), a Brit visiting the city for the first time for a wedding, as they slip into their own holiday rom-com. Tim Jackson directs; Soutra Gilmour supplies what the listing calls an ingenious set and costumes. Another Critic's Pick, for those keeping score.

What survives through the holidays?

Four titles have pushed their closings into January.

• '& Juliet' — through Jan. 3 at the Stephen Sondheim Theater. The frolicsome comedy imagines Juliet going on living sans Romeo, with an assist from Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, and a song list full of pop hits.
• 'Six' — through Jan. 3 at the Lena Horne Theater. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss's upbeat musical has Henry VIII's half-dozen wives recounting their marriages pop-concert style, divorces, beheadings and all. A Critic's Pick.
• 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' — through Jan. 3 at the Marquis Theater. The Olivier-winning prequel to the Netflix series is set in Hawkins, Ind., in 1959. It received a special Tony in 2025 for its illusions and technical effects and won three more Tonys for set, lighting and sound design. Stephen Daldry directs a script by Kate Trefry, from an original story by Trefry, Jack Thorne and the Duffer brothers. It transferred from London's West End, where it opened in 2023; recommended for ages 12 and older.
• 'A Few Good Men' — through Jan. 10 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Bradley Whitford and Tom Blyth star in the 1989 court-martial drama that launched Aaron Sorkin's career; Sorkin adapted it into the screenplay for Rob Reiner's 1992 movie. Michael Arden directs for Lincoln Center Theater.

What does the calendar mean for theatergoers?

Three of the seven productions close within two weeks, which makes mid-November the deadline for anyone wanting Bioh, Irwin or the cake-carrying strangers. January 3 is the single busiest closing date, claiming three shows at once — the classic post-holiday Broadway clear-out.

The pattern rewards procrastinators only briefly. 'A Few Good Men' buys the most time, running to Jan. 10 at Lincoln Center's Beaumont.