This winter, new plays for every theatergoer

From big-budget Broadway musicals to small experimental productions, there is a nearly endless amount of theater going on in New York at any given time. Though it can be hard to tell what's going to be good, here's a sampling of promising shows, opening soon.

A Behanding in Spokane

"A Behanding in Spokane" is the new play from acclaimed Irish dramatist Martin McDonagh, famous for such dark work as the Olivier Award-winning "The Pillowman" and the film "In Bruges." This is his first play set in America, with a stellar cast including Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan. Walken's character, Carmichael, is on a long quest to find his missing left hand, and encounters a quarrelsome couple of con artists with a hand to sell. If you like black comedy or enjoyed the underrated "In Bruges," you'll probably like this one.

"A Behanding in Spokane" begins previews on Feb. 15 at the Schoenfeld Theatre (236 W. 45th St.). Tickets ($61.50-116.50) are available at telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.

Time Stands Still

"Time Stands Still" is the new play from Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies. With the impeccable ensemble cast of Laura Linney, Eric Bogosian ("Talk Radio"), Brian d'Arcy James ("The Lieutenant of Inishmore" and "Shrek the Musical") and Alicia Silverstone, it tells the story of a thrill-seeking journalist-photographer couple who have been documenting war. Injuries force them to return home to New York and confront a more mundane existence. Directed by Tony Award-winner Daniel Sullivan ("Proof"), this looks like a production with plenty of realism.

"Time Stands Still" is currently in previews at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 W. 47th St.). Tickets ($54-111) are available at telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.

A View from the Bridge

Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge" is back in a big way with Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson. Schreiber stars as a married Italian-American longshoreman in 1950s Brooklyn who develops romantic feelings for his teenage niece, played by the talented Johansson. Schreiber's Eddie becomes consumed with jealousy and rage when his niece falls for one of his wife's cousins, who came from Italy illegally to live with them. His anger threatens to tear apart the entire family, producing a passionate melodrama.

"A View from the Bridge" is in previews at Cort Theatre (138 W. 48th St.). Tickets ($42.50-126.50) are available at telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.

The Pride

Britain's changing attitudes toward homosexuality are examined in "The Pride," an outwardly thought-provoking new play with a smartly stylized structure. The play concerns an illicit gay love affair in 1958 between Oliver and Philip, the latter of whom is married to Sylvia. That repressed world is juxtaposed with the liberated-but-casual recent present (2008), in which the two men are free to love each other, though their relationship is endangered by Oliver's sex addiction and a twisted love triangle. Alexi Kaye Campbell wrote this Olivier Award-winning play across the pond, but award-winning director Joe Mantello takes the reins in New York.

"The Pride" starts Jan. 27 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.). Tickets, ($15-79) are available at mcctheater.org/tickets.html or by calling 212-279-4200.