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Houston's 13 best theater productions for October include spooky tales

Houston theaters get us in the mood for a month of scary fun as they give us monster plants, pirates, vampires, criminal masterminds, one nun directed class on ghosts, and a drunk Dracula. But for those not celebrating this most spooky time of the year, there’s still glorious opera, moving and provocative drama, plus a world premiere play from the Alley.

Peter Pan presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (October 1-6)
The Broadway season opens with the first of several revivals. While the high-flying, pirate-fighting Peter Pan may refuse to grow up, this new adaption makes some changes to Neverland. With a new book from acclaimed playwright Larissa FastHorse, new direction from Emmy Award winner Lonny Price, and fresh choreography from Lorin Latarro, the story brings Peter Pan into the 21st century. Don’t worry, the show still features the classic songs from the original musical, including "I’m Flying,” “I Gotta Crow,” “I Won’t Grow Up,” and “Neverland.”

Drunk Dracula presented by the Drunk Shakespeare Society (October 2-November 3)
It wouldn’t be Halloween without both horror and a good party, so the inebriated actors and creators who brought a drunk Shakespearean Scottish king (a.k.a MacBeth) to Houston now open a coffin full of a sloshed vampires for the season. Each performance follows the same premise as Drunk Shakespeare, as one of the actors in the ensemble consumes five shots of whiskey to start the show, and then leads the rest of the cast on a boozy, pop culture-infused retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. While the sober cast attempts to remain on script, the show varies based on the actor’s level of intoxication.

Rachmaninoff and the Tsar presented by Stages (October 10-20)
Stages gets into the presenting business by hosting the Houston stop on the world premiere tour of this new musical about classical composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s meeting with Russia last tsar, Nicholas II, and the tsar’s daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia. The show’s creator, award winning playwright, actor, and pianist, Hershey Felder, plays Rachmaninoff with British-Italian artist Jonathan Silvestri in the role of Tsar Nicholas II. Billed as an exploration of Rachmaninoff’s life that illuminates how his sense of home and family influenced his art, the show weaves history and music together.

Dracula from Classical Theatre (October 10-26)
For the 100th anniversary of the first authorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, Classical will go back to basics with an entirely sober version of Dracula based on a new, original script from long-time company collaborator Chris Iannacone. In a statement about this adaptation, Iannacone says he wanted to “peel” away the century of modern interpretations and film imagery layered onto the story to get back to the characters and narrative of Stoker’s original novel. “Our goal is to approach this story without the baggage of those interpretations, as if it was a newly-discovered text, and in doing so, bring a freshness and vibrancy to this classic tale of horror,” Iannocone said.

Assassins from Garden Theatre (October 11-27)
Stephen Sondheim fans should head to the MATCH this month, because this multiple Tony winning and still-controversial musical is rarely produced in Houston. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, the show chronicles the lives and motives of nine people who assassinated or attempted to assassinate a President of the United States. Set in a kind of netherworld carnival, a group of assassins and would-be assassins gather from different historical periods to interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.

The Janeiad at Alley Theatre (October 11-November 3)
While this is a world premiere new play by acclaimed playwright Anna Ziegler, Houston theater lovers who attended the free Alley All New festival saw a workshop production last year. The work has already won the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and been chosen as a Fall Must-See pick by the New York Times, so our anticipation is high.

In The Odyssey, Penelope’s long wait is eventually rewarded when Odysseus returns to Ithaca 20 years after leaving to fight the Trojan War. Will the same be true for Jane in Brooklyn, 20 years after her husband left for work one fateful September morning? The play depicts human longing, hope, and the myths we tell ourselves in order to get through the day.

Race from Dirt Dogs Theatre (October 18-November 2)
In this play, the always provocative David Mamet examines the legal system with a focus on race, gender, power, and privilege in the courtroom. When a wealthy white businessman is accused of the sexual assault of a black woman with whom he has had prior relations, he employs a multicultural law firm to defend him. As the legal team examines the case, the evidence raises questions about race in America. Dirt Dog artistic director Malinda L. Beckham helms this drama with a stellar local cast.

Il Trovatore from Houston Grand Opera (October 18-November 3)
The eyes of the opera world once again turn to Houston as HGO debuts a brand new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s tragic masterpiece. This new production from leading director Stephen Wadsworth sets the story in modern Spain, where old and new worlds coexist. The opera centers around the character of Azucena, whose mother was accused of witchcraft and burnt at the stake. Now Azucena is out for vengeance while her son, the revolutionary troubadour Manrico, is locked in a political and romantic rivalry with the royalist Count di Luna over the beautiful Leonora.

This HGO production brings the tragedy into a contemporary landscape where ancient cathedrals rise above freshly painted street art, offering a stunning new vision of one of Verdi’s most popular operas. Be on the lookout for a mural by a local Houston graffiti artist that will be integrated into the set.

The Year of Magical Thinking at Main Street Theater (October 19-November 17)
Pioneering journalist and essayist Joan Didion adapted this play from her National Book Award winning memoir which chronicled the sudden death of her husband and her daughter’s mysterious illness in the same time period. The one woman show filled with the full spectrum of human emotions — including love, loss, grief, and hope — has become a favorite for audiences and a coveted role for powerhouse actresses including film stars like Vanessa Redgrave. Houston fave Pamela Vogel takes on the role as Joan Didion.

Little Shop of Horrors from Theatre Under the Stars (October 22-November 2)
After giving us the magnificently macabre Sweeney Todd last October, TUTS keeps the horrific (in a good way) spirit for spooky season 2024 with this musical romance about a boy, a girl, and a giant human-eating plant. Complicating this simple love story are a sadistic dentist, a difficult flower shop boss and a narrating 60s-style girl group with definite opinions on the proceedings. Filled with songs you want to bop to like “Suddenly, Seymour,” “Dentist” and the title “Little Shop of Horrors,” the plant apocalypse puts fun in bloom.

Cinderella from Houston Grand Opera (October 25-November 9)
For its second production of the month, HGO brings back a fairytale favorite, director's Joan Font family-friendly production of the beloved Gioachino Rossini comedy. In this version of the tale, Angelina (Cinderella) must serve her wicked stepfather, Don Magnifico. In place of a magical fairy godmother, a philosopher, who serves as a tutor to the prince, steps in to guide Angelina. And, the lost slipper becomes two matching bracelets. With lots of mistaken identify and the perfect happy ending, the opera should delight audiences of all ages. World-famous mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard takes the role of Angelina and baritone Alessandro Corbelli, a revered Rossini specialist, plays Don Magnifico.

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson-Apt. 2B at Stages (October 25-November 17)
Kate Hamill’s theatrical reimagining of classic books like Austen’s Sense and Sensibility have become favorites of Houston audiences these last few years. Now Stages gets in on the Hamill fun with this contemporary take on the world’s most famous detective. With Hamill hijinks along the way, Sherlock Holmes becomes steampunk hipster Shirley Holmes and Dr. John Watson becomes burned-out doctor Jane Watson, Shirley’s new roommate. Don’t worry there’s still lots of crimes to solve in their post-Covid-era London with 21st century versions of Mrs. Hudson, Irene Adler, Inspector Lestrade, and a mysterious super criminal making mischief for them all.

Sister’s Back to School Catechism: The Holy Ghost and Other Terrifying Tales at Stages (October 29-November 8)
Stages continues its 24-25 season of Sister visits as Denise Fennell-Pasqualone once again gets us into the habit of learning our catechism. Amid all the laughs, these always interactive shows teach some real Catholic history, and for spooky season Sister will give believers and nonbelievers alike the church’s take on all the familiar Halloween tales of ghosts and goblins. Full of Sister’s signature class participation, theater-goers will get hands-on experience in how to build a Catholic-appropriate Halloween costume. Spoiler alert: there’s still no gum allowed when class is in session.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Peter Pan

Best May Art

MFAH's blockbuster modern art exhibit and 7 more openings in Houston this month

as Pablo Picasso, Woman in a Multicolored Hat, part of the MFAH's upcoming Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen exhibit, opening May 20

Image courtesy MFAH

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen (Pablo Picasso, Woman in a Multicolored Hat, 1939, oil on canvas, Museum Berggruen, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin. © 2026 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)

May brings some of the biggest art shows and museum exhibitions of the year to town. Some fly in with patriotic fanfare, while others give us a rare opportunity to gaze at European masterworks. Whether someone is looking for irreverent performance art at the CAMH, wants to get in touch with whimsical spirits at Moody Art Center, buy art for a good cause at Silver Street, or get ready for the World Cup at Sawyer Yards, Houston artists, galleries, and museums have a show for all tastes.

“Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation” at Houston Museum of Natural Science (now through May 25)
We’ll call this one the art of democracy. This exhibition 250 years in the making might not fit the usual definition of "art," but this touring presentation of Founding-era documents at HMNS has to make this month's must-see list. The National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with the National Archives Foundation, set aloft this flying tour of some of the nation’s most historical documents, complete with their own plane. Houston is one of only eight U.S. cities where the Freedom Plane will land. The original National Archives records featured in the exhibition are traveling together for the first time. Just some of the historic documents included in the exhibition are an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence; George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr’s Oaths of Allegiance, 1778; and the Secret Printing of the Constitution in Draft Form, 1787.

“As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, there is no more fitting tribute than bringing these original documents, leaving the National Archives together for the very first time, directly to the American people,” says Joel Bartsch, president and CEO of HMNS. “From George Washington’s oath as a Continental Army officer to the Treaty of Paris that secured our independence, these are not replicas or reproductions. They are the genuine records, and Houston will have the rare privilege of experiencing them in person this May.”

“20th Annual Empty Bowls” at Silver Street Studios (May 15 and 16)
For two decades this beloved grassroots fundraising event has given art lovers the chance to pick up one of a kind, handcrafted ceramic bowl-shaped artworks for just $25 dollars each and helped to serve up millions of meals to the hungry. Over the years, Empty Bowls Houston has raised over $1.2 million for the Houston Food Bank. The lunch fundraiser is a collaboration between Houston-area ceramists, woodturners, and artists working in all media and Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. A special ticketed preview party on May 15 will feature light bites, beer and wine, live music, a pottery throw down event with local potters, and a chance to purchase a bowl early before the main event on May 16. Archway Gallery will also host its own annual Empty Bowls exhibition throughout May.

“No Longer, Not Yet” at Art League (May 15-July 19)
This exhibition of mixed media and fiber sculptures from Houston-based artist Marisol Valencia is the culmination of Valencia volunteering at a Houston-area shelter serving migrant women and children. To create the works in the show, Valencia uses material imbued with meaning, including fibers sourced from rural Mexican communities where migration often shapes daily life; bedsheets and pillows gathered from the shelter; and porcelain pieces inscribed with collected definitions of “home.” At the center of the exhibition will be a large cascading crochet sculpture made in collaboration with women and volunteers at the shelter.

“Picasso–Klee–Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen” at Museum of Fine Arts (May 20-September 13)
Houston claims another first as the MFAH hosts the U.S. debut of this monumental touring exhibition of masterworks by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, and other major artists of postwar Europe. The exhibition will also tell the story of influential gallerist Heinz Berggruen and his relationship with the artists and collecting world. From the 1940s into the 1990s, Heinz Berggruen assembled a singular collection of hundreds of modern masterworks, many directly from the artists, and then in 2000, Berggruen placed the collection with the German state. The collection is now housed in the Museum Berggruen in Berlin-Charlottenburg as part of the Berlin State Museums/Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage.

“It is especially rewarding to introduce our audiences to the life and legacy of Heinz Berggruen — a pioneering art dealer, publisher, and collector whom I was privileged to know and work with for more than two decades,” remarks MFAH director Gary Tinterow on bringing the exhibition to Houston.

“Ballet of the Masses” at Sawyer Yards (May 21-July 25)
As Houston gets ready for the World Cup, local artists score their own kind of goals with this exhibition of artful soccer balls. Over 40 Houston artists have put a unique spin on a regulation sized fútbol — turning them into sculptural pieces. Organizers will suspend the works from the ceiling of Sabine Street Studios' North Gallery to create a kind of celestial soccer constellation. Together, these works will celebrate the dynamism and joy within sports and art.

“Never Forgotten” at Sabine Street Studios (May 21-July 25)
This powerful exhibition comes from a unique collaboration between Texas Center for the Missing, Houston Police Department Forensic Artists, and Sabine Street Studios, all dedicated to bringing the missing home. Three local forensic artists: Thurston Johnson, Bryan Bradley, and Kristen Aloysius have created age-progression portraits of missing persons in the hopes of reuniting families. Beyond showcasing real art, “Never Forgotten” was organized to shine a light on each individual case and continue raising awareness of the missing in our community. Sabine Street Studios will also host special programming in conjunction with the show, including a workshop on forensic drawing and drawing portraits based on memories.

“Mary Ellen Carroll: How To Talk Dirty and Influence People” at Contemporary Arts Museum (May 22-November 1)
Acclaimed New York-based conceptual artist Mary Ellen Carroll has spent over four decades crossing disciplines of performance art, photography, architecture, writing, video making, and public art to explore issues of environmentalism, architectural and technological infrastructure, immigration, urban legislation, and identity, as well as tackling fundamental questions of the nature of art. And some of this exploration has taken place in Houston with Carroll’s continual transformation and documentation of a post-war home in the city’s Sharpstown neighborhood.

This first major museum survey of Carroll’s work takes inspiration from legendary comic Lenny Bruce’s 1965 autobiography of the same name, and emphasizes the irreverent and honest nature of Carroll’s work. The exhibition will bring renewed focus onto some of Carroll’s larger series, for example, “prototype 180,” the Sharpstown project, and “My Death Is Pending… Because,” consisting of separate pieces like video documentation of the artist driving and destroying a 1985 Buick in a demolition derby in 2017 and video of Carroll in a polar bear suit climbing a defunct smokestack in Memphis.

“Carroll is that unique kind of artist who continually reminds you of the power of art and artists to inspire radical change, in ourselves and the world,” notes senior curator Rebecca Matalon.

"Shapeshifters, Sprites, and Spirits” at Rice Moody Center for the Arts (May 29 - August 15)
Delve into a world of whimsical wonder in this new exhibition and the first Texas solo show of acclaimed Japanese artist Masako Miki’s sculptural work and installations. Influenced by diverse artistic movements from European Surrealism to Japanese manga, Miki creates sculptures from felt layered over wood armatures. Once completed, they resemble animated and large scale forms of everyday objects infused with personality and character.

Miki’s work is also inspired by folkloric traditions, especially Shinto animism and its belief that all beings and things contain a spirit. For the site specific Moody exhibition, Miki has also created works with a focus on yōkai, supernatural entities taking the form of beings, objects, and apparitions, and particularly those that appear in the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Hyakki Yagyō), a legend dating to medieval Japan.

“My characters are ordinary but have extraordinary powers,” describes Miki of her sculptures. “They are secular but are attuned to sacred traditions. As a collective, they advocate for both individual and collective agency, and the importance of stories as unifying systems in today’s complex world.”

$as Pablo Picasso, Woman in a Multicolored Hat, part of the MFAH's upcoming Picasso\u2013Klee\u2013Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen exhibit, opening May 20$

Image courtesy MFAH

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