best october theater

13 best plays and performances showcase Houston's grand return to in-person shows

Houston theater lovers should prepare themselves for a veritable feast of live, in-person performances in October — as the majority of local companies return.

For those missing being in the room where all the drama, comedy and music happen, wait no more. We could spend every other night in the theater in October. From fairytale retellings to rocking musicals, thought-provoking comedies to timely drama, live theater is back in Houston.

Shows are listed by earliest closing date.

Rock of Ages from Theatre Under the Stars (now through October 17)
As airy as a head banger’s big hair, don’t expect overly intricate musical themes from this crowd-pleaser, but do expect a lot of fun.

Small-town girl and city boy, both living in a lonely world, meet in LA at a downtown rock club where everyone sings and dances to the best and worst of the ’80s. Come for the silly love story, stay for the outrageous costumes and wigs, sing along to all your favorite mashed up ’80s power ballads.

Hook’s Tale at Stages (now through October 17)
There might be two sides to every story, but for the Peter Pan mythos those sides have started to resemble an ouroboros, with so many retelling and re-imaginings. However, this new work from award winning playwright and screenwriter John Leonard Pielmeier might have them all beat.

For this first world premiere from a Stages season full of them, we get Neverland from the good Captain Hook’s point of view.

This soaring production brings both human complexity and fairytale magic to the characters we thought we knew. Learn the real story behind this much maligned seafaring man and the boy who never grew up. Watch out a certain misunderstood crocodile: While she may or may not be a man-eater, she certainly is a thief of scenes.

Nevermore: Tales of Edgar Allan Poe at Classical Theatre Company (now through October 17)
For their opening show, Classical embraces that October spirit and their lucky 13th season with a collection Poe’s works including “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “William Wilson,” and “The Raven.”

Adapted for the stage by Chris Iannacone and company artistic director, John Johnston, who also directs, this chilling evening from the master of psychological fear will be arranged like a concert set list until the horrors reach their nevermore crescendo.

Pipeline from Firecracker Productions (now through October 23)
After some intriguing streaming theatrical offerings last season, the innovative company returns to in-person theater with this acclaimed play by Dominique Morisseau, staged in a new-to-us venue, Houston Warehouse Studios.

Exploring current education issues with characters that always feel true and authentic, the play follows inner-city educator Nya as she chooses to send her son, Omari to a private school upstate.

Darwin in Malibu at Main Street Theater (now through October 24)
In this cerebral comedy, God, death, science, and California beach lifestyle get hashed out when the very dead Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, and Samuel Wilberforce somehow find themselves in a Malibu afterlife to continue their great debate on evolution and the Bible.

Along the way, they discover the joy of chilling on a beach deck, while partaking in some very good smoothie thanks to a mysterious young woman who refuses to take sides.

Sweat at Alley Theatre (now through October 24)
Houston’s oldest company begins its 75th anniversary season with the very timely Pulitzer Prize winning play by Lynn Nottage about the life of factory workers in early 2000s Reading Pennsylvania.

The production is built together from a unique collaboration with another Houston theatrical staple, Ensemble Theatre. Alley artistic director Rob Melrose helms the play with Ensemble’s artistic director Eileen J. Morris associate directing.

Look for some powerful and wrenching performances from a stellar cast mix of Alley company members and Ensemble favorites.

Dear Jack, Dear Louise at A.D. Players (now through October 31)
For what they’re calling the Season of Triumph, a lineup of shows focused on human triumph amid struggles, A.D. Players begin with a Ken Ludwig’s new work based on his parent’s love story during World War II.

Beginning as letters between U.S. Army Captain Jack Ludwig and actress and dancer Louise Rabiner, the relationship blossoms between the two while the war keeps them apart. Ken Ludwig’s presence suggests this story has a happy ending audiences might yearn for in our own isolating times.

A Doll’s House, Part 2 from 4th Wall Theatre (October 14-November 6)
In Lucas Hnath’s Tony-nominated sequel to the Ibsen masterpiece, A Doll’s House, Nora returns to her family after 15 years of change and evolution on her own. 4th Wall founders, the married creative team Kim Tobin-Lehl and Philip Lehl will play the estranged couple, Nora and Torvald Helmer.

72 Miles to Go at Alley Theatre (October 15-November 14)
While this new play from The Americans screenwriter Hilary Bettis had its off-Broadway world premiere recently, it was originally developed at the Alley as part of the Alley All New festival.

Now it returns for a full production that reopens the Neuhaus stage. The 72 miles of the title represents the distance between Tucson, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico and a recently deported mother and her American-born husband and children.

The play follows this one family as they grow and change together and apart.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Stages (October 15-November 14)
Get swept up in the most cutthroat completion of them all — the middle school spelling bee — in this Tony Award-winning musical comedy that allows for audience participation.

With judges as awkward as the students, we get to remember the joy and struggles of growing up. In this bee, everyone’s a favorite and an underdog. But do heed that greeting/warning from Stages: “Juice boxes and public humiliation: welcome back to the sixth grade.”

The Revolutionists from Dirt Dogs Theatre (October 22-November 6)
The company returns to the MATCH stage once more with this historical revisionary comedy from one of the most produced playwrights in the U.S., Lauren Gunderson.

In this funny, wild and female-centric take on the French Revolution, playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle exchange life and political philosophies, but the revolution eventually comes for everyone.

Carmen from Houston Grand Opera (October 22-November 7)
No less than one of the most popular operas in history will do for HGO’s powerful return home to live performances at the Wortham Center.

Mezzo-soprano and HGO Studio alumna Carolyn Sproule plays the beautiful bohemian Carmen, who beguiles the soldier Don José, sung by incredible tenor Richard Trey Smagur.

Though we know his jealousy will ultimately destroy them both, we can’t look away from one moment of Bizet’s masterpiece. Bass-baritone Christian Pursell in his HGO debut as the bullfighter Escamillo and Houston favorite and HGO Studio alumna soprano Heidi Stober as Micaela are ensnared by the passion of the two lead characters.

Into the Woods from Garden Theatre (October 23-31)
There’s a new theater kid on the block, Garden Theatre, hoping to make a fairytale debut with a unique vision of the Sondheim contemporary classic at MATCH.

Leaning into the storybook narrative, this production will set the musical in a library during children’s story time. The cast will then create the magical woods set using everyday items found in any library.

Are you ready to rock? Theatre Under the Stars strums out Rock of Ages.

Photo by Melissa Taylor

Are you ready to rock? Theatre Under the Stars strums out Rock of Ages.

theater openings opera

Best April Theater

The 9 best plays, musicals, and operas to see in Houston this month

Photo by Joan Marcus

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Houston theater companies seem to be feeling a bit nostalgic as they offer up some timeless and contemporary classics shows for audiences this month. Drama gets political, comedy gets historical, and an array of queens, knights, lunching ladies, and barbers sing. Celebrate the classics, and one world premiere, as theater blossoms across the city this month.

Brother Andrew at A.D. Players (now through April 26)
The family friendly and spiritual theater company's latest new work is this musical inspired by the New York Times Bestseller, God's Smuggler. The true story follows a young Dutch man who, after a dramatic conversion, takes on a new calling as Brother Andrew and risks his life to smuggle Bibles behind the iron curtain during the cold war. With music and lyrics by Christian rock star Neal Morse, Brother Andrew becomes an inspirational, thrilling musical, and Houston theater goers can be the first to see it.

Six presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (April 7-12)
Let’s sing out “Yas, Queens!” as six divas take the Hobby stage once more to have (and belt) it out over who had a worst marriage to the king of bad husbands, Henry VIII. With those marriage outcomes being: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived, they’ve got a lot to sing about. Coincidentally resembling some of the hottest pop stars of our age, the 16th century royals: Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anna, Katherine with aK, and the second Catherine with a C (Henry had a type for names), finally get to tell their own side of the story in this theatrical concert extravaganza. Six is one of those rare musicals that after many years is still going strong on Broadway, but you don’t have book a flight to seek an audiences with the queens, as Broadway at Hobby brings them back to Houston.

Company from Garden Theatre (April 10-19)
Garden continues to celebrate its fifth season by remounting some of its audience's favorite shows, and the final musical of the season is no exception. Stephen Sondheim’s exploration of New York marriages through the eyes of a single and singular man, Bobby, also gave us Sondheim fans some of our most adored songs, like “Ladies Who Lunch” and “Being Alive.” Through a series of dinner parties, first dates, and candid conversations, Bobby explores the highs, lows, and absurdities of modern relationships, gaining insight into marriage, commitment, and his own persistent bachelorhood. Garden Theatre’s founding artistic director Logan Vaden, plays Bobby, alongside a cast of Garden regulars.

The Designated Mourner from Catastrophic Theatre (April 10-25)
Because of scheduling and production issues, Catastrophic made some changes to its announced season and brought back this contemporary political classic by American playwright and actor Wallace Shawn. Unfolding in a series of monologues and short scenes, three characters, a husband, wife, and her father, talk us through a labyrinthine tale spanning the years before, during, and after a populist uprising in an unnamed country. Now teetering on the edge of authoritarianism, the government has targeted artists and intellectuals for imprisonment and execution. Catastrophic co-founder Jason Nodler, who will direct, says the power of Designated Mourner is that it pushes audiences to reflect on their own beliefs and ideals if confronted by such circumstances. Previous productions have left audiences thinking and questioning long after the final lines.

Spamalot presented by Theatre Under the Stars (April 15-26)
Clap your coconut shells together as the revival of the smash Broadway hit clops into Houston. As the original description so honestly stated, Spamalot is lovingly ripped from the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but fans know the musical definitely expands on the film.

Follow King Arthur and his nights of the Round Table on a set of meandering adventures through ancient England, a land full of flying cows, killer rabbits, French taunters, dancing girls, shrubbery, and watery lake tarts dispensing swords. While this revival garnered critical acclaim on Broadway for its new design and staging, the original book, lyrics, and music by Python member Eric Idle still remain, so expect to sing along with knightly songs like “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” and “Find Your Grail.”

Othello from Classical Theatre Company (April 16-May 2)
The Houston theater company that specializes in bringing new perspectives to theatrical masterpieces describes its 18th season as “sad plays for sad days.” In keeping with that theme, it brings the always complex and provocative Othello to the DeLuxe stage.

The play follows the heroic Moorish general in the Venetian army, Othello, whose life is destroyed by his insidious and conniving ensign, Iago. Calling Othello his favorite Shakespeare play, company founder John Johnston finds many parallels between the play and our current political landscape, especially Othello’s blight and Iago’s ability to manipulate others using fear and racism as a wedge.

Messiah from Houston Grand Opera (April 17-May 3)
As the music rises to the heavens, the Wortham stage will be filled with images reminiscent of fantastic dreams in this rare staging of Handel’s Messiah, arranged by Mozart, as a full operatic production. Though classical music lovers likely are more accustomed to hearing Handel’s Messiah as a holiday tradition in concert halls, Wilson’s acclaimed production becomes a surreal, transformative experience.

Performed by the HGO Orchestra and Chorus alongside soprano Ying Fang, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, tenor Benjamin Bliss, and bass-baritone Nicholas Newtona, as well as internationally celebrated dancer Alexis Fousekis, this Messiah production will be one audiences will not soon forget.

Fences at Alley Theatre (April 17-May 10)
It’s been some time since the Alley produced a work by August Wilson, one of the great American playwrights of the late 20th century, but this Pulitzer and Tony winner is certainly a momentous one to welcome Wilson’s work back to the Hubbard stage. Fences tells the story of a former baseball player, Troy Maxson, who struggles with the realities of life and the pursuit of happiness. The play explores themes of racial prejudice and unfulfilled dreams, while depicting the challenges of parenthood and the strength and bonds of family when they are tested.

The Barber of Seville from Houston Grand Opera (April 24-May 10)
One of the most beloved comic operas, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville gets a colorful and exhilarating new staging created and directed by Joan Font, founding director of the Barcelona-based company Comediants. The opera follows the story of the dashing Count Almaviva, who is captivated by the mysterious Rosina but thwarted in his pursuit by her pompous old guardian, Dr. Bartolo. In order to get close to the cloistered beauty, Almaviva enlists the help of the scheming barber Figaro and his clever tricks, leading to a series of elaborate disguises, intercepted letters, and outrageous mix-ups before true love triumphs at last.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Six.

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