Houston theaters get into the spirit of the season, spooky season that is. We’ve rounded up a must-see list of shows that go bump in the night, including mysteries, murders and melancholy, plus the comedy we find at world’s end.
But for those not in a macabre mood, October brings other shows for every taste from classic comic Chekhov to condensed Shakespeare to world premiere opera. Here are our must-see shows this month.
Heroes of the Fourth Turning at Rec Room (now through October 28)
This haunting play by Will Arbery begins the second half of Rec Room’s (stellar so far) 2023 season. A critical darling in New York a few years ago, Heroes wrestles with ideas of conservative politics, faith, empathy, and the ideals we wrestle with when becoming an adult.
On the edge of the wilderness, four friends gather for a wilderness reunion and to honor their mentor and the newly inaugurated president of a conservative Catholic university. It has been years since they last met and as the celebration runs deep into the night, their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos and a vicious fight to be understood.
Little Comedies at Alley Theatre (now through October 29)
How is a century-old work by one of the greatest playwrights a world premiere? When it’s newly translated and preformed together in a brand new, Alley Theatre way, of course.
The gang’s all here – the Alley resident actors gang, that is – for this world premiere adaption of Anton Chekhov’s one-act comedies performed as a set. The production includes Chekhov’s Swan Song, The Bear, The Proposal, The Wedding, and On The Harmfulness of Tobacco, all in one production and directed by the Tony-Award winning playwright and legendary director Richard Nelson.
Melancholy Play from Cone Man Running Productions (now through October 21)
Meet playwright Sarah Ruhl’s Tilly, a melancholy pixie dream girl whose sexy sorrow entices happy people to fall in love with her, experience gloomy times and perhaps lead them to led more contemplative lives.
But when Tilly finds happiness it upsets some delicate melancholy vs. depression balance in the world and people begin going nuts — figuratively and literally. Part psychiatric exploration, part modern fairytale, this is a madcap melancholy ride.
Switzerland at Stages (now through November 12),
This psychological thriller turns the real and Texas-born author of the Tom Ripley books, Patricia Highsmith, into a character in this twisty mystery.
Residing in isolation in the Swiss Alps, Highsmith’s tranquil existence is disrupted when a mysterious young emissary arrives at her doorstep. After years of ominous silence, this encounter may be just the inspiration the ailing novelist needs to craft a truly sinister tale.
The show will also stir emotions in Stages fans, as Switzerland will be the final production Kenn McLaughlin directs before is retirement at the end of the season as Stages’ Artistic Director. Fittingly, he’s tapped veteran Stages fav Sally Edmundson to play Highsmith.
John Waters: End of the World presented by Performing Arts Houston (October 13)
The cult director (Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, Hairspray) has been touring for years with one-man shows and it will probably take the world ending to stop him. This all-new, fast-moving, comic monologue about today’s despair and diseases, desires and desperation breaks through with an insane optimism that welcomes all audiences into a new dawn of depravity.
Sweeney Todd from Theatre Under the Stars (October 17-29)
TUTS has the recipe for a bloody good time this scary season with Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece. Funny one macabre moment, chilling and frightening the next, Sweeney earns that the demon barber title.
After a lifetime of injustice visited upon him, Sweeney paints the town red, taking his revenge on all of London. TUTS artistic director Dan Knechtges helms this mammoth production with a full orchestra and a cast nearing 40 actors. Knechtges promises thrills, spectacle and some immersive elements, along with a message in the madness that asks the audience to think about how Sweeney’s are made not born.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) from Garden Theatre (October 20-29)
A comic staple for Shakespeare lovers and haters over the years, Complete Works is kind of like experiencing the Bard in hyper-concentrate form, as three actors attempt to perform all 37 plays in 95 minutes.
The abridged part is the key, as Titus Andronicus becomes a cooking show, all the History plays are depicted as a football game and the comedies get rolled but into one big mistaken identity, rom-com romp. Garden will use a rotating cast for the performances, likely to prevent Hamlet exhaustion.
The Birds from Dirt Dogs Theatre (October 20-November 4)
Keep an eye out for those trees filled with grackles as you head over to the MATCH for this show, because they might just be keeping an eye on you.
Based on the Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 short story, which was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, this Conor McPherson adaptation will likely add a claustrophobic element to the already primed for horror story. Strangers Nat and Diane find themselves trying to survive together in an isolated cabin as a relentless and deadly slew of birds begins attacking humanity.
Soon after, the young and attractive Julia arrives looking for shelter, bringing with her suspicion and distrust. When the duo becomes a trio, paranoia takes hold revealing an inside threat that rivals that of the murderous birds on the outside.
Intelligence from Houston Grand Opera (October 20-November 3)
HGO once again makes international opera news commissioning this world premiere opera created by acclaimed composer Jake Heggie, librettist Gene Scheer, and director/choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, founder of the Urban Bush Women.
This extraordinary new work was inspired by the true story of Civil War spies, Elizabeth Van Lew — from a prominent Confederate family — and Mary Jane Bowser — born into slavery in the family’s household. Together they form a secret pro-Union spy ring. But while spying for the North, Mary Jane discovers critical intelligence for the North as well as secrets of her own identity.
The stellar cast includes mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Elizabeth, soprano Janai Brugger in her company debut as Mary Jane, along with Urban Bush Women dancers creating a kind of dance chorus.
Falstaff from Houston Grand Opera (October 27-November 10)
Shakespeare’s characters and language have made for some of the greatest operatic adaptations, with his ultimate comic anti-hero one of the greatest examples of the canon. Join the party, as Verdi’s final masterpiece recounts the misdeeds of drunken, absurdly vain, formerly thin knight Sir John Falstaff and his schemes to pay off his many debts.
The cast features four beloved company favorites: baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. as Falstaff, soprano Nicole Heaston as Alice, baritone Blake Denson as Ford, and soprano Andrea Carroll as Nannetta.
