Chicago theaters continue to adapt to a post-pandemic reality, from reduced schedules to increased collaboration, but there are still plenty of new productions coming out in September and October.
There are also many theater festivals, the largest of which is Destinos: The 7th Annual Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, which begins September 30th and will feature 22 works by artists and companies from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and the United States in spaces large and small around the city. There are four world premieres, three North American premieres, three U.S. premieres, and five Midwest premieres.
Here’s a look at what’s happening at some of our favorite theaters over the next few months, and be sure to call ahead for showtimes, tickets, and more.
“East Texas Hot Links” at the Cort Theatre
Sept. 6-29, courttteatheatre.org
The Court Theatre will open its first season since Charles Newell retired as artistic director with Eugene Lee’s “East Texas Hot Links” on September 6. Resident artist Ron O.J. Parson will direct the 90-minute denunciation of racism, set in a rural Texas cafe in the summer of 1955 at the beginning of the civil rights movement. It was Parson’s first project in Chicago when he and actor Alfred H. Wilson founded the short-lived Onyx Theatre Ensemble 30 years ago. He has had a stellar career since then, including directing a disastrous 1992 version of the same play at Writers Theatre in 2016. Several actors from that production will reprise their roles at the Court, including Wilson, Kelvin Roston Jr. and A.C. Smith.
“Gone with the Wind” at the Goodman Theatre
Sept. 14-Oct. 13, goodmantheatre.org
On September 14, science and religion face off at the larger Goodman Albert Theatre in “Gone with the Wind,” Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s explosive 1955 adaptation of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” trial. Directed by Henry Godinez, the show stars Harry Lennix as Henry Drummond, lawyer for Bertram Cates (Christopher Lewin Ramirez), a teacher who tried to teach evolution. Alexander Gemignani takes on the role of smug prosecutor Matthew Harrison Brady. Not surprisingly, the film’s blatant denial of McCarthyism still resonates today.
Goodman’s “Primary Trust”
October 5th to November 3rd
The smaller Owen Theatre will present Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Primary Trust, directed by Goodman Bold artistic producer Malkia Stampley, opening October 5th. Nahmir Smallwood (whose many credits include a stunning performance in Writers Films’ East Texas Hot Links) plays Kenneth, an emotionally fragile 38-year-old bookstore clerk facing a turning point in his life when his boss of 20 years closes the store. Spending his time sipping Mai Tais at a tiki bar, Kenneth tells most of his story in person.
Goodman and magician Dennis Watkins will also appear in Chicago Latino Theatre Alliance’s (CLATA) “Destinos” and “Magic Parlour Presents Siegfried Thieber, Featuring Luis Carreon and Mago Gosner” from Oct. 9 to Oct. 20. Los Angeles-based magician Thieber will perform in English and Spanish and take over the Watkins stage for two weeks. On Oct. 9 and 16, he will be joined by locals Carreon and Gosner for a round robin of close-up magic.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opens on Broadway in Chicago
Sept. 10-Feb. 1, broadwayinchicago.com
Chicago’s Broadway has a variety of shows playing in downtown theaters, but the biggest attraction is “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” which is making its first North American tour at the James M. Nederlander Theatre. The Tony Award-winning play, which opens on September 10, begins with Harry’s second son Albus (Emmett Smith) becoming close with Scorpius Malfoy (Aidan Close), the son of his former nemesis Draco Malfoy. This relationship upsets both fathers. There’s a lot of magic and stage magic, but if you’re not a fan of the characters and events of the Potter series, prepare to be confused. There are also some Chicago actors in the cast, including Matt Mueller as Ron Weasley and Larry Yand as Severus Snape.
“Some Like It Hot” opens on Broadway in Chicago
October 22nd to November 3rd
The stage version of “Some Like It Hot,” opening Oct. 22 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, is a song-and-dance spectacle set in Prohibition-era Chicago in which two musicians are forced to flee the city in disguise after witnessing a gang attack.
“Henry V” at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
Sept. 6-Oct. 6, chicagoshakes.com
Edward Hall, coming off a successful “Richard III” in his first season as Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (CST), will tackle “Henry V” at the Courtyard Theatre starting September 6. Elijah Jones, playing the ambitious young king, is making his CST debut, and it will be interesting to see Hall’s concept, which deals with the realities and consequences of nationalism and war, feature in this large ensemble that is a mix of CST regulars and newcomers.
“Pericles” at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
October 20th to December 8th
The Courtyard Theatre’s next production will be the Royal Shakespeare Company’s return for the first time in 30 years on October 20th as part of a new partnership with CST, with new co-artistic director Tamara Harvey directing a major new production of “Pericles,” direct from the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Chicago Shakespeare’s “Ajilai” and “La Memoria de los Cesiles”
October 24th – 27th and October 31st – November 3rd
“Destinos” kicks off at Upstairs Studio from October 24 with “Azira’i,” a biographical play about the relationship between Zahi Tentehaar, the first female shaman of the Cana Brava Reserve, and her mother. It will be followed on October 31 by “La Memoria de los Sésiles,” set in a not-too-distant future where all the trees have been cut down due to sprawling real estate development. In an attempt to revive the forest, an old hermit and a rebellious young environmentalist embark on an underground journey to find the last living roots.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s “Noises Off”
September 12-October 27, steppenwolf.org
Steppenwolf Theatre Company will open its 49th season at Downstairs Theatre on September 12 with a revival of Michael Frayn’s 1982 comedy classic “Noises Off,” depicting the behind-the-scenes mayhem as the company attempts to mount a play called “Nothing On.” Ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro is directing the production in collaboration with Geffen Playhouse, and the cast includes ensemble members Audrey Francis, Francis Guinan, Orla Jones and James Vincent Meredith.
“Leroy and Lucy” by Steppenwolf
October 24th to December 15th
The Oval Ensemble Theatre will host the world premiere of Ngoze Anyanwu’s “Leroy and Lucy” on October 24. Directed by Awoye Timpo, the bluesy play tells the story of “two lost souls who meet at a crossroads deep in the Mississippi River in the middle of the night. Over the playing of longing guitars, they share secrets and recall sounds they once forgot,” according to a press release. The lost souls are Jon Michael Hill (wonderful in “Purpose”) and Brittany Bradford (known for TV roles such as “Julia”).
Shattered Globe Theatre’s “Salem’s Becky Nurse” at Theatre Wit
October 4 to November 16, SGTheatre.org
On October 4, Shattered Globe Theatre will present the Midwest premiere of local playwright Sarah Ruhl’s 2019 production “Becky Nurse of Salem.” Directed by Polly Noonan, the show stars Linda Reiter as a descendant of the real-life Rebecca Nurse, who was executed as a witch in 1692. As an outspoken tour guide at the fictional Salem Witch Museum, Becky wonders if things have changed for women in modern America and seeks help from real witches to grapple with her family’s past and various challenges. In this dark comedy, one spell leads to another, and then chaos.
“Dear Elizabeth” by the Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at Theatre Wit
October 17th to November 17th, RemyBumppo.org
Another Sarah Ruhl play opens the season at the Remy Bumppo Theatre Company on October 17. “Dear Elizabeth,” which premiered in 2012, is a chronicle of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell’s 30-year relationship, told through letters and poems, beginning in 1947 and ending with Lowell’s sudden death in a New York taxi in 1977. Christina Cassano, the theater’s creative producer, will direct Leah Karpel as Bishop and Christopher Sheard as Lowell, both of whom had turbulent lives. (I’m especially excited because I took a class in college on Elizabeth Hardwick, who was married to Lowell from 1949 to 1972.)
“Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago” at the Chopin Theatre
Sept. 5-29, chopintheatre.com
The world premiere of “Royko: Chicago’s Toughest Guy” will take place on September 5th at the Chopin Theatre Main Stage. Mitchell Bishop, a veteran of Second City and other sketch comedy strongholds, wrote and performs this multimedia solo show about iconic Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko. Royko penned nearly 8,000 columns over his 34-year career and was known for taking on “The Daily Machine” and other controversial topics. Steve Scott will direct.
Chopin’s “Into the Woods”
October 10th to December 22nd
Downstairs in the Chopin Studio (not wheelchair accessible), resident company Kokandi Productions will close its season, beginning Oct. 10, with what it calls an “immersive” adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods.” Producing artistic director Derek Van Barham will direct, with Nick Sula serving as musical director.
Raven Theatre Company’s “Ironbound”
September 26th to October 27th, raventheatre.com
The Raven Theatre kicks off its 42nd season with Martina Mayoc’s Ironbound, directed by Georgette Verdin, which premieres in Chicago on September 26. Lucie Karapetian plays Darja, a Polish immigrant cleaning woman struggling to make a decent living, raise her son, and find a man who can give her both love and security. The story jumps back and forth in time over the course of two decades, but the entire play takes place in a deserted bus depot in New Jersey.
“Top Dog/Under Dog” by Gift Theatre at Filament Theatre
September 12-October 20, TheGiftTheatre.org
Suzan-Lori Parks’ dark comedy “Topdog/Underdog” opens at The Gift Theatre on September 12. Shaneshia Davis directs Martell Manning as Lincoln and Gregory Fenner as Booth, brothers named by their father as a joke who are conflicted by their family history and their obsession with three-card monte.
There are a few in the suburbs too.
The Audience at Drury Lane
Through October 20th, drurylanetheatre.com
If you missed Janet Ulrich Brooks as Queen Elizabeth in the Timeline Theatre premiere of Peter Morgan’s The Audience in Chicago in 2017, when the Queen was still alive, you can catch it again at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace through October 20th. This time, a different actor (rather than two men and one woman) will play each of the prime ministers who meet with Her Majesty every Tuesday over the course of 60 years, including Matt DeCaro as Winston Churchill, Raymond Fox as Gordon Brown, Alex Goodrich as Tony Blair/David Cameron and John Judd as John Major.
The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk at Northlight Theatre
Sept. 5-Oct. 6, northlight.org
Northlight in Skokie’s season opener, “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk,” an enchanting memoir with music by Daniel Jamieson and Ian Ross, opens Sept. 5. It charts the joyous romance and marriage of painter Marc Chagall (Jack Cahill Lemme) and his poet wife Bella (Emma Rosenthal) from their meeting in the title village through the Russian Revolution, pogroms and two world wars. Elizabeth Margolius is in charge of set and movement direction, and musical director Michael Mahler oversees the klezmer-inspired music and plaintive songs.
“Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812” at Writers Theatre
Sept. 5-Oct. 27, writerstheatre.org
Director/choreographer Katie Spellman and musical director Matt Ditchman, who directed Writers Theatre’s hit Glencoe production “Once,” will flex their talents in “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812,” sung by Dave Malloy, at the Nichols Theatre on September 5. Based in part on Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” the musical features a large ensemble and focuses on the romance between Natasha and Anatole and Pierre’s search for the meaning of life.