CHICAGO — The total number of theater shows on offer in Chicago has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. But the lists of coming attractions still contain some appealing offerings of all stripes. Here’s a selection of 10 shows, all with Chicago origins and involving Chicago artists, that look to have particular promise this fall. Hope you’ll find one (or more) that tempts you to venture out of the house.
“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” Theo Ubique Theatre: The venerable Evanston musical company celebrates its 25th anniversary this fall and the celebration includes an intimate revival of the deliciously wacky 1978 Broadway musical comedy (book by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson with music and lyrics by Carol Hall). “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” is based on the notorious Chicken Ranch brothel and widely beloved for such campy signature numbers as “Hard Candy Christmas,” “The Bus to Amarillo” and, of course, “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place.” It’s aptly timed for the holidays. Dec. 2 to Jan. 29, 2023, at Theo Ubique Theatre, 721 Howard St., Evanston; tickets at 773-939-4101 and theo-u.com.
“Dreamgirls,” Paramount Theatre in Aurora: The historic Paramount Theatre in Aurora, which did spectacularly well in the recent Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, has a hard-worn reputation under veteran artistic director Jim Corti for Broadway-quality excellence in the Western suburbs. The marquee attraction on the banks of the Fox River this fall is “Dreamgirls,” the ever-popular story of Motown and The Supremes, albeit deftly fictionalized. For all the flaws in the piece, the song suite is fantastic and the book offers far more than the various authorized, and thus sanitized, histories of Motown and its artists that followed on Broadway. Through Oct 16 at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora; tickets start at $28 at 630-896-6666 and paramountaurora.com.
“Fiddler on the Roof,” Lyric Opera of Chicago: After a spring with no musical, Lyric Opera returns to the populist Broadway canon this fall with a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. But Barrie Kosky’s staging, which originated at the Komische Oper Berlin in 2017 with original choreography by Otto Pichler, is no traditional Topol-style tour. Planned as as tribute to this opera director’s own Jewish heritage, Kosky’s widely acclaimed, and oft-revived, “Fiddler” is famously minimalist, legitimately operatic and reportedly filled with intense tableaux. For the Lyric stand, the company will be led by the reliable Steven Skybell as Tevye, reprising a role he played in the 2019 off-Broadway Yiddish production; Tony winner Debbie Gravitte as Golde; David Benoit as Lazar Wolf; Lauren Marcus as Tzeitel; and Joy Hermalyn as Yente, a role she understudied in the 2004 Broadway revival. Sept. 17 to Oct. 7 at Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; tickets start at $40 at 312-827-5600 and lyricopera.org.
“Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster,” Chicago Children’s Theatre: The remarkable Chicago multimedia performance collective known as Manual Cinema has already performed this show for all ages to acclaim in both New York and Edinburgh. Based on the books by Mo Willems, it’s the story of a monster who fails at the one thing most expected of monsters, which is to be scary. It’s the highest profile production at Chicago Children’s since before the pandemic and features hundreds of different puppets as well as live actors. (Thereafter, Manual Cinema heads up to Glencoe to produce the company’s “Christmas Carol LIVE!” at Writers Theatre). Through Oct. 16 at Chicago Children’s Theatre, 100 S. Racine Ave.; tickets are $31.50-$36.25 at 312-374-8835 and chicagochildrenstheatre.org.
“The Locusts,” Gift Theatre: Although they’ve left their longtime home in Jefferson Park, Chicago’s Gift Theatre is finally back in action after a long pandemic pause. Newly resident this fall at Theatre Wit in Lakeview, Gift is producing the much-delayed world premiere of a thriller by emerging Chicago-based playwright Jennifer Rumberger. Directed by John Gawlik, “The Locusts” explores what happens when a serial killer goes on a bloody rampage in Vero Beach, Florida; events in the new work focus on a Miami police officer who returns home to try and arrest the culprit. Oct. 20 to Nov. 19 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.; tickets are $25-$45 at 773-975-8150 and theaterwit.org.
“Luminaire,” Cabaret ZaZou: The Belgian Spiegeltent venue on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel in Chicago’s Loop has gone through a rebranding and is a Teatro ZinZanni franchise no longer. Instead, the Chicago producers of the visitor-friendly dinner-circus enterprise are fashioning their own boutique house brand (Cabaret ZaZou) for a fall reopening, emphasizing (they say), the sultry, the savory and the sexy. Nonetheless, one of ZinZanni’s most bankable stars, Frank Ferrante, is at the helm of the fresh production, dubbed “Luminaire,” albeit in a different guise from his popular emcee turn as Caesar. Expect an all-new, Euro-style show, filled with circus artists, cabaret singers like Liv Warfield, live musicians, an optional four-course meal, Ferrante’s warm-centered comedy and one of the more glamorous nights out to be purloined in Chicago’s Loop. Open run at Cambria Hotel, 32 W. Randolph St.; tickets from $75 at 312-488-0900 and cabaretzazou.com.
“The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington,” Steppenwolf Theatre: James Ijames, who teaches at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and whose career has taken off in the pandemic era, is the recipient of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in drama for “Fat Ham,” a contemporary adaption of “Hamlet” set at a family barbecue in the American South. Steppenwolf Theatre is producing a different Ijames play from 2021, wherein the numerous slaves held by George and Martha Washington appear to the latter in all manner of guises as she lays on her deathbed and suffers a series of especially biting hallucinations. Ijames is a free-wheeling writer and you can expect the play to have the air of an eclectic, post-modern cultural mash-up of searing political purpose. Whitney White directs a cast that includes Celeste M. Cooper, Sydney Charles and Cindy Gold. Through Oct. 9 at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 N. Halsted St.; tickets at 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.
“The Notebook” Chicago Shakespeare Theater: This high-profile, much-anticipated world premiere of a new musical adaptation of the romantic 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks, and the 2004 movie directed by Nick Cassavetes, is, in essence, a pre-Broadway tryout. Staged in collaboration with the busy Broadway producer Kevin McCollum, the Chicago Shakespeare production features a cast from both New York and Chicago. The score is by Ingrid Michaelson, a Swedish American singer-songwriter, and the book is by the playwright and TV writer Bekah Brunstetter (“This Is Us”). Thanks in part to much-loved movie performances by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, this steamy story of a long-lived romance between two teens from different social classes in 1940s North Carolina has legions of fans. The highly experienced Michael Greif, the original director of “Rent,” is at the helm and ticket sales likely will be brisk. Sept. 22 to Nov. 8 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier; tickets at 312-595-5600 and chicagoshakes.com.
“Swing State,” Goodman Theatre: Robert Falls has formally exited as the artistic director of the Goodman Theatre after a singular run, but he is directing two shows as his swan-song in the 2022-23 season. The first reflects his years-long collaboration with the playwright Rebecca Gilman, who came to prominence during Falls’ tenure at the Goodman. Gilman, who spent years in Chicago, now lives in rural Wisconsin and her sixth collaboration with Falls offers a portrait of the political divisions that rack the so-called American heartland. The cast includes Gilman muse Mary Beth Fisher as well as Kirsten Fitzgerald, Bubba Weiler and Anne E. Thompson. Oct. 7 to Nov. 13 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.; tickets from $15 at 312-443-3800 and goodmantheatre.org.
“Trouble in Mind,” TimeLine Theatre: Ron OJ Parson had a phenomenal 2022-23 season at both TimeLine and Court Theatre. Anticipation runs high, then, for Parson’s take on Alice Childress’ “Trouble in Mind,” a backstage Broadway drama about racism in New York theater that was first seen Off-Broadway in 1955 but only finally made it to Broadway last season in an overly mannered production from Roundabout Theatre. Parson, known for his fast pacing and unstinting commitment to truthful and intense acting, thus has an opportunity here with a long overlooked script that appears to be a perfect match for Chicago actors. Childress’ play is a remarkable work; produced prior to the New York debut of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and inarguably as challenging. Nov. 10 to Dec. 18 at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave.; 773-281-8463 and timelinetheatre.com.
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