Banna has it all... or at least that's what the other suburban moms think. Beneath the charcuterie boards, backyard soirees and pickleball, there's a funny feeling bubbling underneath this seemingly perfect facade. Is it the pressure to save her children from the beliefs of the school district? Or is it just that suspicious crow watching her every move? A piercing world premiere from a playful Chicago voice, Stephanie Alison Walker's Adirondack Chair Circle exposes the hilarious hypocrisy of the clubs we join and the company we keep. And has a damn good time doing it.

Always, Sometimes, Maybe follows Lou, a janitor who feels so lonely she makes friends out of trash. Lou unexpectedly finds herself with an audience. With nothing but her rubbish and a lot of imagination, she tries to find connection.

A dark absurdist comedy with a twist of vaudeville, Any Rebellion of Will finds a depressed, anguished Will being kicked out of his authoritative parents' home on his 25th birthday. Will returns home with an odd, mystical street performer, Giselle who ignites a rebellious passion in Will and a demented, destructive mania in his parents.

The project brings together plays that captured the lives, relationships, sexuality, fear, humor, friendship and resilience of gay men as AIDS transformed their communities, alongside work by artists whose lives and writing continue to carry the history of the epidemic into the present. It grew from a desire to revisit theatrical works that were once urgently connected to LGBTQ+ audiences but are now seldom produced.

It’s Jan’s retirement flight. Everyone knows, except for Greig, Jan’s best friend and coworker of many years. As Greig waxes nostalgic, Jan worries about life post-retirement. LeeAnne, a klutzy newbie flight attendant with a dark past, must avoid her ex on the plane while Captain, a waggish pilot with a weakness for Bloody Marys, is caught in a love triangle. Erik, the co-pilot with a heart of gold, can’t get a word in edgewise. Presiding over the flight is the OG of travel: Mark Twain.

THE BOOK OF MORMON is the Winner of 9 Tony Awards including Best Musical! From Trey Parker and Matt Stone, four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of "South Park," and Tony Award-winner Robert Lopez, co-creator of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Avenue Q, comes THE BOOK OF MORMON, a new Broadway musical that Jon Stewart of The Daily Show describes as, "a crowning achievement, so good it makes me angry" and by Entertainment Weekly as "the funniest musical of all time." Don't miss your chance to see what Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls "the best musical of this century." Don't miss THE BOOK OF MORMON Chicago.

Candlelight Concerts in Chicago are intimate live performances where the music and the candlelit atmosphere do equal work—creating a night out that’s elegant, relaxed, and genuinely different. Presented by Fever, the series features local musicians (often a string ensemble) performing programs that range from classical to pop and themed tributes. Browse this guide for candlelight concerts Chicago audiences can attend now and in the coming months.

When Carmela wakes up on her birthday, her wish has already come true-she's finally old enough to join her big brother as he does the family errands. Traveling through their neighborhood, Carmela finds a lone dandelion growing in the pavement. But before she can blow its white fluff away, her brother tells her she has to make a wish. If only she can think of just the right wish to make...

Come from Away is based on the true story of the time when the isolated community of Gander, Newfoundland, played host to the world. What started as an average day in a small town turned into an international sleepover, when 38 planes, carrying thousands of people from around the globe, were diverted to Gander's airstrip on September 11, 2001. Undaunted by culture clashes and language barriers, the people of Gander cheered the stranded travelers with music, an open bar and the recognition that we're all part of a global family.

'The Fix' was supposed to correct everything that had gone wrong with the country. Now, three members of a shattered family occupy different corners of a society in free-fall, even surviving in their own way. Which of them will make it to Paradise and what will it cost? Does such a place even exist?

FACT: Maria was last seen at her Quinceañera. FACT: The party ended early due to an unknown emergency. FACT: Maria has not responded to any messages in 19 hours. Now, her three best friends-armed with confidence, questionable clues and zero adult supervision-are on the case, racing against the clock to find out what happened. The pressures of Latine girlhood punctuate the joy ride through the power and pleasure of adolescent friendships in this comic thriller.

A sketch comedy show that has been running for over 15 years brings a drinking game to the audience. Every time someone on stage dies, the audience drinks! DeathToll is a staple in Chicago comedy and each year brings new Halloween themed sketches front and center. This year's sketches are full of Lady Gaga song parodies, creepy dolls, a teen camp in the woods, and much more Halloween fun. Corn Productions in BYOB, so grab your favorite beverage! The actors will tell you the rules throughout the show and take you on the journey of Halloween night at Cornservatory.

Detroit. Summer 1967. As one of the most pivotal uprisings in American history unfolds outside their door, siblings Chelle and Lank are trying to build a future from the basement of their West Side home. But when a mysterious woman unexpectedly enters their lives, buried secrets, shifting loyalties, and impossible choices begin to surface.Set against the backdrop of the 1967 Detroit uprising and underscored by the unforgettable sounds of Motown, Detroit '67 is a powerful story of family, love, resilience, and hope in a city-and a nation-on the brink of change.

Alfred Hitchcock’s adored, chilling thriller gets a modern twist that no one will see coming. A murderous misstep begins a high-stakes hunt for the real criminal as time is quickly running out. This captivating, heart-racing play leaves audiences on the edge of their seats while the mystery of the year unravels before their eyes. Will the clues unlock the right person, or will an innocent victim pay the price? The suspense is to die for.

The Lyric Opera of Chicago 2026/27 Season kicks off with a thrilling fable of deceit and retribution. Under the baton of Music Director Enrique Mazzola, sharp humor, high drama, and an exquisite score intertwine in the story of a charismatic seducer whose unrepentant lustfulness brings about a most spectacular demise. Singing with a voice that can "shake the heavens" (Opera Today), bass-baritone and Lyric veteran Christian Van Horn stars as one of opera's most infamous anti-heroes, crowning a stellar cast. Director Robert Falls's instant-classic take on this morality tale for the ages offers an expansive and hard-hitting Don Giovanni sure to satisfy anyone with a wicked taste for drama.

One actor takes five shots and attempts an epic retelling of Transylvania's thirstiest bachelor... DRACULA! Sink your teeth into the Halloween event of the season, presented by the illustrious Drunk Shakespeare Society (the drinkers behind the hit off-Broadway comedy, Drunk Shakespeare!) When history's most famous vampire (sorry, Edward Cullen) is loosed upon Manhattan, do you want to stop him? Or let him have his way with you?

Over the course of a single month, a grieving young man and his feisty 91-year-old grandmother by turns infuriate, bewilder and ultimately reach each other as they cohabitate in her West Village apartment.

In a 1930s Chicago press room, wise-cracking reporters are abuzz with the latest news: ace reporter Hildy Johnson is quitting her job and getting married. Editor Walter Burns has no intention of letting her go- out of the newsroom, or into the arms of another man. When a death row convict manages a daring escape, Walter wrangles Hildy into covering one last irresistible story, a tangle of rival reporters, crooked politicians, and a scoop too big to ignore!

In this Original TATL adaptation by Michael Dalberg (Cyrano, The Blood Countess, The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde) Jakob Grimm is transported through the Moon in search of his Brother Wilhelm after fighting the Wolf off of Granny and Little Red. He ends up in a cabaret bar hosted by the Wolf, Little Red and several survivors of their stories. Celebrate the spoopy season with our 6th rendition of Grimm featuring all new TATL takes on the creepy classics of the Bros. Grimm in a cabaret setting. Appropriate for ages Gremlins and up.

Hayward reimagines Hamlet and Electra through the eyes of Luna, who reveals to her family - on the day of their father's funeral - that his ghost has come to see her. Beneath the haunting, this is a love story: a daughter's love for her father, and the complicated, unresolved feelings he left behind. The story follows a family shaped by the trauma passed down by a father who served in the Navy during the Gulf War. Across grief, they reach for each other, trying, imperfectly, to come back together.

Welcome to House of the Exquisite Corpse: Blood & Puppets. Pulses quicken as guests gather in a make-shift foyer, with a bar selling beer, wine and a horrifying specialty cocktail. Then, small groups trickle into the House via timed entries. Once inside, pulses race as visitors brave a dark, murky expanse, stopping by six "rooms" of puppet theater horror, peering through keyholes, cracks, and hidden doors to witness the carnage, and sometimes, humor, happening inside.

Two lifelong friends sail into open water: one edging closer to the pull of oblivion, the other with a question neither can escape. Nobel laureate Jon Fosse's I Am the Wind is a poetic, aching meditation on companionship, loss, and the fragility of life. Staged with physical risk - actors suspended on narrow swinging planks with nothing to catch them - the delicate reality of the body hangs in the balance.

To cope with the absence of her father, neglect of her mother and ridicule by her classmates, eighth-grader and president of the Tobey Maguire Fan Club, Shelby Hinkley decides to risk it all for love, kidnap famous actor Tobey Maguire and marry him in her basement. Her fantasies of happily ever after start to crumble as she realizes Tobey may not be the charismatic, heartthrob actor she thinks she knows,while Tobey does everything he can to escape the clutches of his number one fan. A Y2K farce, I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire is a full-throttle explosion of our para-social relationships and the obsessions that detonate them.

Warning: Do not give this Mouse a cookie! Because if you do, you're in for milk, messes, and wildly entertaining mayhem! YPT kicks off its exciting 5th Anniversary Season with a fast-paced, cookie-fueled celebration of theatrical imagination and joyful bedlam. Bring the entire family for some mouse-sized mischief-and get ready to laugh your whiskers off!

The Second City’s Improv Supernova blasts open e.t.c.’s 50th Revue with the art form that started it all. No two performances are ever the same – every night is different, delightfully chaotic, and always funny. Improv this good turns an ordinary night into an unforgettable one. Don’t miss out.

Within a modern office building in a war-torn landscape, a lowly tech-worker is tasked with creating a new tome meant to bring the world together, causing a higher-up middle-manager to second guess her government's motives, ideals and ever-growing militaristic control. A bold combination of new writing from award-winning A Red Orchid Theatre ensemble member Brett Neveu combined with adapted public domain material from the past millennia, In the Watch-Fires is inspired by the heightened theatricality of Bertolt Brecht, the absurdity of Samuel Beckett, and the voices, strengths and legacy of Paul Sills' Chicago Story Theatre.

An evocative tale of two men – one, a doctor, passionate and romantic; the other, a terrifying madman – and two women – one, beautiful and trusting; the other, beautiful and trusting only herself – both women in love with the same man and both unaware of his dark secret. A devoted man of science, Dr. Henry Jekyll is driven to find a chemical breakthrough that can solve some of mankind's most challenging medical dilemmas. Rebuffed by the powers that be, he decides to make himself the subject of his own experimental treatments, accidentally unleashing his inner demons along with the man that the world would come to know as Mr. Hyde.

Music Theater Works presents the first professional production of Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville in Chicago since its pre-Broadway run. Set sail for a tropical getaway with this feel-good musical packed with island vibes and beloved Buffett classics. This lighthearted romantic comedy follows Tully, a laid-back island singer, and Rachel, a career-focused tourist, as their worlds collide at a beachfront resort. With a story about adventure, self-discovery and living life to the fullest, Escape to Margaritaville is the ultimate musical vacation for Parrot Heads and newcomers alike.

Revisiting characters established in August Wilson's SEVEN GUITARS, this play returns to Pittsburgh's Hill District in 1985. King Hedley, a man recently released from prison, attempts to rebuild his life by selling stolen refrigerators so he can buy a video store. Despite decades of generational trauma, can King break free from the crippling socio-economic struggles that have held him down? Amid the realities of rampant crime and drug use in the neighborhood community, he tries to carve out his own destiny.

King Lear, in order to "unburdened, crawl toward death," chooses to divide the ruling of the kingdom between his three daughters via a verbal joust of who loves him the most. When his youngest daughter Cordelia does not meet the standards he expected her, chaos, greed and betrayal creep in to take over the story. Parallel to Lear's suffering, his friend the Earl of Gloucester is manipulated by one son to turn on his other son.

Set over one pivotal evening in 1947 Provincetown, Kowalski imagines the electrifying first meeting between Tennessee Williams and a young Marlon Brando, just as Williams searches for the actor who would forever change the destiny of A Streetcar Named Desire. Blending fact, memory, and theatrical imagination, the play offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative forces behind one of the most influential works in American theater. Kowaslki explores the intersection of ambition, artistry, desire, and the creation of theatrical history.

Award-winning, third-generation magician Dennis Watkins delivers an evening of sophisticated tom-foolery in one of the Windy City's most unique entertainment experiences presented by The House Theatre of Chicago. The Magic Parlour is an elegant night out in the heart of downtown. This intimate magic show is replete with mind-blowing magic and mind reading in a small suite at the historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel.

When their screenplay for Good Will Hunting drops mysteriously from the heavens, the boys realize they're being tested by a Higher Power. Winner of the 2002 Best Overall Production at the New York International Fringe Festival, the hit play was hailed as "acidic, funny and affectionate!" by The New York Post. Heartfelt and hilarious, Matt & Ben dives deep into friendship, jealousy, ambition, and the beautiful mystery of creating together.

Medieval Times is an exciting, family-friendly dinner attraction inspired by an 11th century feast and tournament. Guests are served a four-course banquet and cheer for one of six knights as they compete in the joust and other tests of skill. Expect lots of jousting, swordsmanship, thrilling hand-to-hand combat, and displays of extraordinary horsemanship as part of an exciting story set in Medieval Spain.

Set in the underground clubs, radio stations, and recording studios of 1950s Memphis, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Memphis tells an inspiring story of music, passion, and breaking barriers. The musical follows Huey Calhoun, a young white radio DJ with a deep love for rhythm & blues, and Felicia Farrell, a talented Black singer he meets on Beale Street dreaming of her big break. As their careers rise during the birth of rock 'n' roll, the pair must navigate family pressures, personal ambition, and a divided world that challenges their relationship.

Sam Holloway doesn't want much. He only wanted a few days at the family lake house before Dimitri got married and walked away for good. He wanted answers about what really happened between them by the water last summer - a night Dimitri swears never occurred. But when the "Purple Pansy" moonshine starts flowing, the polished masks of high society begin to crack.

Four Legends. One Night. Music History Made. You may have loved Million Dollar Quartet in 2017 at Paramount Theatre - now imagine it set in Sun Studio itself. The new Stolp Island Theatre will be designed to immerse you in the experience so you can say "I was there!" On December 4, 1956, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins had a chance encounter at Sun Studio in Memphis. What transpired ?was one of the greatest impromptu jam sessions in music history.

Mud Life follows Roc and his cousin Tae, two aspiring hip-hop artists from Chicago's West Side, struggling to build a future while under the thumb of a manipulative strip-club owner named Littles. When a mysterious outsider offers Roc and Tae a rare opportunity to break free, loyalties fracture, ambitions collide, and they are forced to make choices that will alter the course of their lives forever.

Set in the historically Black neighborhood of Mud Row in West Chester, Pennsylvania, two generations of sisters protect and defy the legacy of their foremothers in this surprisingly funny, thrilling and ultimately hopeful play from Tony Nominee and MacArthur “Genius” Grant Recipient Dominique Morisseau. Mud Row deftly shifts between past and present exploring themes of identity, belonging and the complexities of heritage through the lives of several Black women and men, each with their own struggles and aspirations.

Inspired by the memoir of 19th-century Islamic scholar Omar ibn Said, this breathtaking work spins a musical narrative of Omar's capture in West Africa, journey across the Atlantic Ocean, and enslavement in South Carolina, where he confronts his circumstances and challenges his faith through a series of indelible writings.

The Second City's 114th Mainstage Revue delivers a high-energy night of sketch and improv, led by a fearless ensemble who bring outrageous characters, show-stopping musical numbers, and audience-driven moments to life - making every performance feel alive and ever-changing. Smart, sharp, and ridiculously funny, the show transforms the chaos of everyday life into something shared, cathartic, and unapologetically hilarious.

As the world hurtles ever faster in the wrong direction, Addy discovers she may have the power to make it better. Joining with the members of a small town prayer circle, four people try to convince their pastor to pray with them... to bring about some killer results. Erik Gernand, Redtwist's resident playwright, invites audiences to a darkly comedic debate - how far would you go to save your country?

Reality Detox: The Improv Experience is a high-energy night of improvisation from The Second City, with a few sketch surprises mixed in along the way. Built fresh each night and shaped by the people in the room, every performance is different from the last. Funny, fast, and wildly unpredictable, it’s a chance to escape reality and enjoy a night of laughter. Come be part of the comedy magic.

In RIDE THE CYCLONE, six teenagers hurtled to their death on the roller coaster, The Cyclone. Those teens are back from the afterlife, with all of their unlived dreams, potential, hopes, and fears in tow. As instructed by a fortune-telling machine named The Amazing Karnak, the teens need to decide who amongst them will receive the gift of life. As they fight to be the one to return, they realize that life’s ups and downs, tragedies and victories, love and loss are all just part of the ride.

Jay is a really good boxer, so good they call him “The Sport.” He’s won his last seventy-six fights and has his sights set on being crowned the next heavyweight champion. But it’s 1905, and in the Jim Crow era, a Black man doesn’t get to fight a reigning white champion. When a surprising chance at the title appears, Jay gears up for the fight of his life—where the stakes are staggeringly high inside the ring and out. Inspired by real-world boxer Jack Johnson, this adrenaline rush of a play by Marco Ramirez (Orange is the New Black, Buena Vista Social Club) is a kinetic and poetic portrayal of what it takes and what it costs to make history.

Matilda and Greta have always been there for one another, through joy and grief and homework and boyfriends. They’re as close as sisters can be—even if Greta is artificial intelligence. As Matilda ages and Greta longs for independence, their relationship begins to be tested like never before. Told over the course of 90 years, Sisters is a riveting and thought-provoking new play about the future of family.

Usher is a Black, queer playwright who spends his days working as an usher on Broadway. He spends his nights struggling to write an original musical about a Black, queer playwright who spends his days working as an usher on Broadway. Lines blur, thoughts intrude, and soon he finds himself wrestling to break free from a very strange creative loop.

Inspired by the painting, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat, Sunday in the Park with George merges past and present into beautiful, poignant truths about life, love and the creation of art. One of the most acclaimed musicals of our time, this moving study of the enigmatic painter, Georges Seurat, won a Pulitzer Prize and was nominated for an astounding ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Brothers Lincoln and Booth, named in jest, are two Black men living in America just trying to get by. Lincoln dresses like his namesake, reenacting his assassination for money and laughs. Booth stays stuck in their apartment, working tirelessly on his three-card hustle. Sibling rivalry and a lifetime of resentment come to a head in this fast-paced and ferocious thrill ride from Suzan-Lori Parks. The deck is stacked with a Tony Award-winning director, a Pulitzer Prize-winning script and a tour-de-force showdown for ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood. "Take thuh cards and show me whatcha got!"

Vape! The Grease Parody is a hilariously unhinged spoof of the iconic and timeless musical film Grease. The show pokes loving fun at all of the wonderful moments, sexual innuendos, outrageous characters, rivalries and secret romances from the original. The hair products may have changed, but the drama, the rivalries, and the thirst for hallway clout remain timeless. It's the musical you know and love... but dragged through a cloud of strawberry-scented vapor and a TikTok filter.. It's the show that you want (...Ooh! Ooh! Ooh, honey!)

In a world where facts are manipulated and fear is currency, the truth becomes dangerous. As a new authoritarian government tightens its grip on Russia, Erika Sheffer's Vladimir follows an independent journalist who uncovers a story that could expose the truth behind a nation in transition. But when every headline comes with consequences and every source becomes a target, she must decide how much she's willing to sacrifice for the story. Vladimir is a gripping political thriller about what happens when silence becomes complicity.

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is National Public Radio's Peabody Award-winning comedy news quiz show. Host Peter Sagal leads a rotating panel of comedians, writers, listener contestants, and celebrity guests through a rollicking review of the week's news. Contestants vie for the most coveted prize in all of public radio: a custom-recorded greeting by any of our cast members for their voicemail. Every week, Wait, Wait.... Don't Tell Me! records in front of a live audience, then carefully edits out all the raunchy, inappropriate, shocking, and hilarious stuff so we can broadcast something that doesn't get NPR in trouble... well, more trouble. The

Playwright Heidi Schreck's boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old?Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.

Once upon a time in a land called Sicilia, King Leontes is infected by an uncontrollable jealousy over his pregnant wife, Hermione. Shakespeare's timeless romance takes us on a fairy tale adventure from the darkness of Sicilia to the color and music of Bohemia. Shipwrecks, bears, and magic oracles dance across the stage in this story of betrayal and forgiveness, reunion and reconciliation. Hope and forgiveness sit at the heart of Shakespeare's most magical of fairy stories with an unforgettable ending driven by the power of redemption.

Hop aboard the Mothership and take a groovy ride back to the era when Afros were high, bell-bottoms were tight, and the music was truly out of sight! You Can't Fake the Funk: A Journey Through Funk Music is a high-energy, feel-good celebration of the sound that defined a generation.