Best September Theater

Tony winners and movie adaptations star in Houston's 12 best shows of September

September might just be the best and busiest month for theater and performing arts lovers in Houston. Local theater companies begin their 25-26 seasons and presenters bring in some of the biggest shows of the year.

Across the city, stages rock on with killer musicals, thrilling drama, and cutting comedy. We’ve got plays and musicals with some blockbuster cinematic history, shows with Tony Award-winning credentials, and dramas to inspire. And if that’s not enough, the Houston Ballet struts its stuff with the classics — classic rock that is.

American Psycho from Houston Broadway Theatre (September 2-September 14)
As one of Houston’s newest theater companies, HBT won attention for their anything but ordinary Next to Normal production last year. For their second show, they’re staging this killer musical based on the best-selling novel by Bret Easton Ellis and the now iconic 2000 film. The novel, film, and musical chronicle the fashion-perfect life of Patrick Bateman, a slick New York investment banker turned serial killer at night. Or is he?

This musical version of the twisty story first debuted in London in 2013 with music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Duncan Sheik and book by noted television and film writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The show made its move to Broadway a few years later. Now, the creative team are working with HBT and director Joe Calarco on a revised script and score for a new vision of the thriller musical.

The Last Yiddish Speaker from Mildred’s Umbrella (September 4-21)
Early this year, the partnership between Mildred’s, Houston’s original women-focused theater company, and the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC brought us one of our favorite productions of the winter, the poignant and surprising The Wanderers. This next offering seems to be a very timely dystopian play. A teen, Sarah, struggles to get through her high school senior year while dealing with the usual stresses like moving to a new town and making new friends. But not so usual is a dark version of America, where an insurrection was successful and everything has changed. When an ancient Yiddish-speaking woman is deposited on their doorstep, Sarah and her father must decide whether to help the woman hide or to save themselves.

Onegin from Houston Ballet (September 5-14)
Ballet gets theatrical with the return of legendary choreographer John Cranko’s Onegin. Based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel Eugene Onegin and set to a dramatic score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, this ballet weaves a tragic love story set in 19th-century Russia. The worldly aristocrat Onegin must face a life of regret when he rejects the love of the innocent, devoted Tatiana. Years later, he must face the consequences of his choices.

Dancing Lessons from Lionwoman Productions (September 10-21)
Lionwoman roared onto the Houston theater scene last year with some impressive theatrical and producing experience from the company’s founder, Michelle Britton. As a follow up, they're presenting Mark St. Germain’s comedy about a scientist in need of dance lessons to avoid social embarrassment and a professional dancer who turned to teaching after an injury ended her career. While she looks to the past and what might have been, her new pupil pursues dance with an almost scientific methodology. Together, they take steps towards an unlikely friendship. Britton will direct.

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch at Main Street Theater (September 13-October 12)
MST opens and celebrates their momentous 50th season with this satirical comedy. Ossie Davis’s Purlie Victorious debuted on Broadway in 1961. Davis starred as Purlie, a traveling preacher who returns to his small Georgia town hoping to save the community’s church and emancipate the cotton pickers who work on oppressive Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s plantation. The show was later turned into a Tony-nominated musical. After a somewhat fallow period, the original play caught Broadway acclaim from critics and audiences alike with a New York revival two years ago. MST gives Purlie its much deserved regional premiere with a stellar local cast.

Kimberly Akimbo presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (September 16-21)
The second of this month’s several shows about teens in extraordinary situations, Kimberly Akimbo also opens the big Broadway at the Hobby season. The show won many Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Musical. As the musical opens, Kimberly struggles with both ordinary high school drama, like fitting in at a new school, hanging out with outcast friends, and dodgy relatives. But Kimberly also has a rare genetic disorder that causes her to appear much older than she is. The bittersweet comedy follows Kimberly’s crazy life as she navigates her family dysfunction, unrequited love, clueless friends, and possible felony charges.

Rock, Roll & Tutus from Houston Ballet (September 18-28)
For their rocking second production of the month, Houston Ballet presents four contemporary dances, including recent creations and audience favorites. Premiering just last year, Houston's own choreographic sensation ISHIDA’s new work, what i was thinking while i was waltzing, offers a kinetic meditation on memory and human connections. The celebratory Illuminate, by Houston Ballet Soloist Jacquelyn Long, explores how inspiration leads to creation.

The company plays with fire for Christopher Bruce’s Rolling Stones inspired Rooster. With cool, strutting movements and some of the Stones’ best songs from the 60s, this one is a true crowd pleaser. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Houston Ballet mixed-rep production without at least one work from co-artistic director Stanton Welch. In Vi et animo, Latin for “with heart and soul,” Welch’s choreography will showcase Houston Ballet’s full ensemble in all their athletic power and elegance.

Endgame from Catastrophic Theatre (September 19-October 11)
Houston’s home for Absurdism and avant garde theater opens its fall season with this Samuel Beckett classic that defies easy description. Amid some dystopian landscape, a blind despot Hamm (who can’t stand up) lords over his weary attendant Clov (who can’t sit down). Each is dependent and endlessly complaining about the other. And let’s not forget Hamm’s parents who occasionally offer commentary and monologues while living (and perhaps dying) in separate trash cans. As one of the few Houston companies who regularly produce Beckett plays in all their dark comic glory, Endgame has become something of a favorite for the company, as they've brought it to stage in 1995 and 2012. Catastrophic co-artistic director, Jason Nodler once again directs a cast of company core artists, including Greg Dean, reprising his role as Hamm, Luis Galindo, Jeff Miller, and Julia Oppenheim.

Eureka Day at 4th Wall Theatre (September 19-October 11)
For its 15th season, 4th Wall offers their own production of this recent Tony winning Broadway hit that couldn’t be more timely. When a mumps outbreak hits a progressive private school in Berkeley, California, parents must navigate personal freedoms, public health, and the chaos of online discourse. As the school’s executive committee struggles to reach an agreement, they face a pressing question: How do you find consensus when no one agrees on the truth? 4th Wall’s artistic director Jennifer Dean directs a company that includes 4th Wall’s founders, Kim Tobin-Lehl and Philip Lehl.

Akeelah and the Bee at Ensemble Theatre (September 19-October 12)
Extraordinary kids and adolescents are definitely a theme this month, and another one takes the stage as Ensemble Theatre opens its momentous 49th season with this heart-warming drama. Based on the 2006 Keke Palmer film about a girl from South Central Los Angles, young Akeelah Anderson has a talent for words. Though she faces many personal and family challenges, the pressures of her tough neighborhood, and societal obstacles, she won’t let that stop her from succeeding in the national spelling bee. Ensemble artistic director, Eileen J. Morris, helms this inspirational production.

The Lehman Trilogy at Stages (September 19-October 12)
This Tony Award winner for best play depicts a truly American story of ambition, risk, capitalism, and family in all their complexities. The show chronicles Hayum Lehmann's arrival to United States from Bavaria in the mid-1800s. Changing his name to Henry Lehman, he begins a new life in America, setting up a small fabric shop in Montgomery, Alabama. As he reunites with his brothers, year-by-year the family builds a business to hand down to their descendants. Over generations that business will transform into one of the most powerful finance firms in the world — until the crash of 2008 brings it all tumbling down. Local actors Spencer Plachy, Orlando Arriaga, and Robby Matlock will tackle a combined 70 roles, spanning 160 years of history.

$\u200bBroadway at the Hobby Center presents Kimberly Akimbo$

Photo by Joan Marcus

Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Kimberly Akimbo

The Da Vinci Code at Alley Theatre (September 19-October 19)
The Alley unlocks this first of three shows in their 25-26 season that audiences might also know as blockbuster films. Best known as a mega-hit Tom Hanks film and a best-selling novel, Dan Brown’s story of symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu's race to solve a deadly puzzle will play out live on the Alley stage. Following the clues hidden in ancient symbols and imagery, Langdon and Neveu uncover secrets that lead them on a dangerous quest to solve a mystery of the ages.

Though this show was a hit in the UK, only a few theaters in the U.S. have produced it. The suspense might be a killer as Alley artistic director Rob Melrose directs the resident acting company along with some stellar Alley regulars. Look also for the design team to get as inventive as a certain Renaissance master, as they transport us across Europe for this globe-trotting mystery.

best December theater

The Nutcracker and holiday classics lead Houston's 10 best shows this month

Photo by Alana Campbell (2025). Courtesy of Houston Ballet

Houston Ballet presents The Nutcracker.

Whether you’re looking for something naughty or nice, Houston theater companies have a show in their bag of musical, dramatic, and comic goodies for you. December brings a diversity of shows for all ages, from an inebriated version of A Christmas Carol or an adult comedy about the highs and lows of holiday dating to dance and acrobatic spectaculars for the whole family. As 2025 draws to a close, every Houstonian deserves some theatrical treats.

The Nutcracker from Houston Ballet (now through December 28)
One of Houston’s most beloved traditions returns, as Houston Ballet invites us to a very magical night at the bustling Stahlbaum Christmas party. And one adventurous girl will receive a rather mysterious food preparation gift, in Houston Ballet co-artistic director Stanton Welch’s sugarplum dreamy Nutcracker Ballet.

Dancing to the beloved Tchaikovsky score, all our favorites – the Nutcracker Prince, Sugarplum Fairy, Rat King. and the international ambassadors – will take a turn at the magical winter court. In Welch’s imagining, Clara becomes the hero of this enchanting story where the all the animals dance as well as the weather, in the form of lovely snowflakes. With hundreds of characters, a 39-foot Christmas tree, a two-story Georgian mansion set, and 75 pounds of falling snow, this Houston-born production is renowned as one of the grandest versions of The Nutcracker ever staged.

Drunk Christmas Carol at Emerald Theatre (now through December 28)
From the inebriated crew that brought us Drunk Shakespeare, and just a month ago Drunk Dracula, comes this latest experiment in acting while sloshed. One thespian takes five shots of whiskey and attempts to take part in an epic retelling of one of the greatest holiday stories of all time. When one humbug-uttering, but still hot, silver fox is visited by three ghosts, will he change his ways, or get totally scrooged? The Drunk Shakespeare Society is decking the halls with a tipsy and twisted toast to the big Dickens himself, and the season of spirits (the alcoholic kind). Will the drunk actor be playing a ghost of Christmas, Tiny Tim, or even the grumpy Scrooge himself? We can’t predict, but we’re pretty sure it will be a night of caroling like we’ve never seen before.

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at Stages (now through December 28)
In this retelling of the classic Frank Capra film, as adapted by Joe Landry and based on the story 'The Greatest Gift' by Phillip Van Doren Sternad, some of our favorite Houston stage actors play 1940s radio actors attempting to broadcast a live radio performance of the It’s a Wonderful Life story. Six stage actors will play radio actors portraying dozens of Bedford Falls characters, while also creating live foley effects, from thunder and walking in snow to ice breaking, doorbells, and slamming doors, all layered with period-inspired design. Stages artistic director, Derek Charles Livingston, helms the staged and heartwarming radio chaos.

The Night Shift Before Christmas at Alley Theatre (now through December 28)
In this very contemporary Texas take on A Christmas Carol, we spend Christmas Eve with a lonely night owl taking a late night shift at a burger joint. The company gave the show a world premiere in 2022, but last year the script and name went through some changes from playwright Isaac Gómez to keep the laughs timely and story emotionally poignant.

In this very 21st century twist of a Carol, Scrooge becomes Margot. Flipping burgers and women-ing the drive-thru mic, Margot is about to find out the usual grumpy customers and an equally grumpy robotic Santa are the least of her worries. To bring a bit of Christmas spirit into her life, her dead friend Jackie Marley stops by with a gaggle of ghostly customers. Briana J. Resa, who originated the role of Margot with gusto, is back playing all the characters in this one-woman show.

Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance from Houston Ballet (December 5)
For 20 years, this annual one-night-only celebration always brings back some of the HB highlights from the last few season, while also offering a peek of what’s to come. The lineup of short works and excerpts from epic ballets also gives dance lovers a chance to relive the highlights, while the performances showcase the artistry and athleticism of HB’s stellar company. The Jubilee also gives audiences a chance to see the occasionally revival of rarely seen works pulled from the vault.

Some works to look forward to will be Vasily Vainonen’s rarely performed Flames of Paris and a premiere by emerging choreographers Ilya Kozadayev, who will be debuting his work Echoes. And to celebrate the work of former HB executive director James Nelson and his retirement, Stanton Welch has choreographed a special piece to “Dream A Little Dream.”

A Long Night from Cone Man Running Productions (December 5-20)
For those looking for some sugarplum-free thrills, here’s a world premiere psychological twisty tale, perfect for December’s long, dark nights. A Long Night is the story of a family harboring relationship-ending secrets and devastating truths they’ve hidden from one another. But when unexpected visitors arrive on Christmas Eve, the façade begins to crack, and what spills out is anything but festive. Cone Man says this brand new play by Matt Elliott and Debra Schultz explores themes of the terrifying cost of silence, the bleak consequences of greed, and the sometime dangers of trust.

White Christmas from Theatre Under the Stars (December 9-24)
TUTS always makes its holiday show one of the biggest, most joyous of the year, and this season is no different with this classic Irving Berlin musical. In this story, two tapping army buddies, Bob and Phil, turned song-and-dance sensations, team up with a pair of talented sisters to save a snowy Vermont inn. Inspired by the beloved 1954 film, this festive Broadway musical sparkles with romance, nostalgia, and show-stopping numbers like “Blue Skies,” “I Love a Piano,” and “White Christmas.” Along with a huge cast of local favorites actors and nationally-acclaimed performers, look also for a very talented teen ensemble made up of students from TUTS Humphreys School and The River. With a full orchestra and Broadway-worthy sets and costumes, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a bit of “snow” falls upon audiences with this family favorite.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas at Stages (December 12-28)
'Tis definitely the season for comic one-woman shows, as Stages rings in the holidays with the hilarious heartbreak of modern dating. After seeing her fiancé kiss another woman at the televised Thanksgiving Day Parade, Mary’s life falls apart. Over the next year, she stumbles back into the dating world, where “romance” ranges from weird and creepy to absurd and comical. It seems nothing can help Mary’s growing cynicism, until the charm and innocence of a five-year-old boy unexpectedly brings a new outlook on life and love. This charming one-woman play offers a comic and modern alternative to the old standards of the holiday season. Dynamic local actor Jaime Rezanour plays Mary, and staged in the very intimate Levit Stage, audiences will be up close for all the failures and wins of this show’s romance hijinks.

Who's Holiday! from Garden Theatre (December 18-21)
In honor of their fifth anniversary, Garden Theatre is bringing back some audience favorites, including this decidedly adult holiday show, an irreverent parody about the aftermath of the Dr. Seuss Grinch Who Stole Christmas classic. Cindy Lou Who, the adorable tike who saved Christmas from the Grinch in the original story, has reached adulthood, lives in a trailer on Mount Crumpit, and boy has she seen some Seussicial – let’s say – stuff in her time. Local fav Chaney Moore, who has appeared on many a Houston stage, plays the bawdy, outrageous Cindy Lou as she prepares to host a tell-all Christmas party. “She’s got a martini in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and she’s ready to finally tell you her side of the story,” says Garden Theatre AD, Logan Vaden.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze presented by Performing Arts Houston (December 23-24)
Take a break from the holiday pace with this show perfect for visiting family and friends of all ages. This whimsical family holiday spectacular wraps a Broadway-style production around an infusion of contemporary circus arts, including soaring aerial acts, tumblers, dancers, and clowns. With a child’s perspective, a fantastical cast of holiday storybook characters come to life on stage in a production that features an original musical score, twists on holiday classics sung live, new sets, scenery, and storylines.

$\u200bHouston Ballet presents The Nutcracker$

Photo by Alana Campbell (2025). Courtesy of Houston Ballet

Houston Ballet presents The Nutcracker.

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