Top Rated Plays In Chicago - Theatre In Chicago

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.

Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago Culture Authority- Highly Recommended
Broadway World- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended

Pandemonium, Please Hold

Second City

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.

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Third Coast Review- Highly Recommended
Curtain Call Chicago- Highly Recommended
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended
Allie and the After Party- Highly Recommended

You Can't Fake The Funk (A Journey Through Funk Music)

Black Ensemble Theater

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.

Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended

Jekyll & Hyde

Kokandy Productions at Broadway Playhouse

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.

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Buzz Center Stage- Highly Recommended
The Fourth Walsh- Highly Recommended
Chicagoland Musical Theatre- Recommended
Third Coast Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Highly Recommended
PicksInSix- Highly Recommended
Curtain Call Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Culture Authority- Highly Recommended
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended
Allie and the After Party- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended

Come From Away

Marriott Theatre

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.

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Buzz Center Stage- Highly Recommended
Entertaining Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater and Arts- Highly Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Highly Recommended
PicksInSix- Highly Recommended
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended

Topdog/Underdog

Steppenwolf Theatre

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!"

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Recommended
Chicago Stage and Screen- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Third Coast Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Highly Recommended
PicksInSix- Highly Recommended
Curtain Call Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Culture Authority- Highly Recommended
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended
Allie and the After Party- Recommended
Werner's Theatre Reviews- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended

Play On!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Aspiring songwriter Vy takes the A-Train to Harlem in the swingin' 1930s with big dreams of a career in showbiz, only to find that it's a man's world. She disguises herself to reach the inner circle of renowned band leader, The Duke-but plans backfire when she catches the eye of Lady Liv, the star singer of the Cotton Club, and mistaken identities make way for romance. Music is indeed the food of love with big band pizzazz and Ellington's hit songs "It Don't Mean a Thing," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "I'm Beginning to the See the Light," and much more. A stellar cast of 15 create musical fireworks under the direction of the show's original creator Sheldon Epps, who returns to stage the three-time Tony-nominated musical for a new generation.

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage and Screen- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
The Fourth Walsh- Highly Recommended
Third Coast Review- Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Highly Recommended
PicksInSix- Recommended
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended

The Front Page

Northlight Theatre

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!

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Third Coast Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Highly Recommended
PicksInSix- Highly Recommended
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Young People's Theatre of Chicago at The Greenhouse Theater Center

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!

Chicago Reader- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Third Coast Review- Highly Recommended

Sunday in the Park with George

Kokandy Productions at Chopin Theatre

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.

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage and Screen- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Buzz Center Stage- Highly Recommended
Third Coast Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater and Arts- Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Somewhat Recommended
PicksInSix- Recommended
Curtain Call Chicago- Highly Recommended
Splash Magazine- Highly Recommended
Allie and the After Party- Highly Recommended

Dial M For Murder

Oil Lamp Theater

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.

Daily Herald- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Buzz Center Stage- Highly Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Highly Recommended
Allie and the After Party- Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended

Kowalski

Lookingglass Theatre

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.

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Somewhat Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage and Screen- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
Buzz Center Stage- Highly Recommended
The Fourth Walsh- Highly Recommended
Third Coast Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Recommended
PicksInSix- Highly Recommended
Curtain Call Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Culture Authority- Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Somewhat Recommended

Jimmy Buffet's Escape to Margaritaville

Music Theater Works at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts

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.

Chicago Stage and Screen- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Review- Highly Recommended
The Fourth Walsh- Recommended
Allie and the After Party- Recommended

I Am the Wind

Theatre Y

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.

Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage and Screen- Highly Recommended
Third Coast Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Recommended
Werner's Theatre Reviews- Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Recommended

Ride The Cyclone

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre

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.

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended
Buzz Center Stage- Highly Recommended
Chicago On Stage- Highly Recommended
Allie and the After Party- Highly Recommended

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