It was only a matter of time.

In the increasingly intermingled world of geek culture, it was inevitable that The Great White Way – Broadway – would eventually find a home at one of the biggest events on the geek calendar.

I mean, it IS just a few blocks from a majority of the Broadway theaters. So it kind of makes sense.

And let’s be clear: it’s happened before. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark made an appearance at the show about a decade ago. And it’s not exactly like geek-adjacent shows are a new concept.

I just think the Venn diagram between comic-con nerds and fans of musical theater has a very slim overlap. Unfortunately.

Also, there haven’t been a ton of shows that felt… appropriate to invade the Javits Center and the pop culture frenzy that takes place during NYCC.

However, this year, THREE shows are on the schedule.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Well, of course. It’s not a musical, but the Broadway run of both parts of this epic play began last spring (2018), and it’s still nearly impossible to get tickets that won’t require you to forfeit your mortgage for the month.

On Thursday, October 3, at 1 pm, members of the cast and creative team will take the stage at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The panel will be moderated by James Snyder, who currently plays Harry on Broadway, and will feature never-before-seen photos, videos, and live performances.

In addition, the show will have a booth (#1736) on the show floor, featuring Tony Award winner Christine Jones’s set model for the Broadway production and exclusive content featured in the forthcoming book Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Journey (which will be released by Scholastic on November 5).

There will also be a photo booth where fans can pose with Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin banners. Tickets to the Broadway production will be available for purchase on-site, as well as merchandise from the show, including the Cursed Child replica of Harry Potter’s wand and custom house t-shirts.

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical

We’re huge fans of this show. Check out our review from before it hit Broadway. It’s hands down the best adaptation of Rick Riordan’s story out there right now. And it’s just so much freakin’ fun.

(Listen to our conversation with Rick Riordan here.)

This show is landing at NYCC with a panel called “The World of Percy Jackson: From Page to Stage,” which will take place on Thursday, October 3, at 2:45 pm in room 1A06.

Panelists include Joe Tracz (book), Rob Rokicki (music and lyrics), Stephen Brackett (direction), and cast members Chris McCarrell (Percy Jackson), Jorrel Javier, Ryan Knowles, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, James Hayden Rodriguez, Jalynn Steele, and Kristin Stokes.

Dear Evan Hansen

This is the surprising one. Don’t get me wrong, Dear Evan Hansen is a phenomenal show that won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score. But it premiered on Broadway in 2016, none of the original cast is still in the show, and it’s not particularly… geeky.

But if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Dear Evan Hansen is about social anxiety, mental health, social media, and the experiences of high schoolers today. The crowd at NYCC is just about the perfect audience to hear the show’s message.

The panel will be on Friday, October 4, at 12:30 pm in Room 1A10. Join current Broadway cast members (including Andrew Barth Feldman, who plays Evan Hansen) and creative team members as they discuss responsibly bringing the mental health conversation to Broadway, being one of the first musicals to authentically tackle the complicated world of social media, and balancing the show’s challenging themes with its humor.