We are happy to report that most of Chicago’s theaters have reopened. These are some of the shows to enjoy this season. Chicago theatre is back!
PARADISE SQUARE AT JAMES M. NEDERLANDER THEATRE
NOVEMBER 2 – DECEMBER 5
The father of Chicago’s theater district, Garth Dabrinsky, is returning to the Windy City with this pre-Broadway musical. Paradise Square tells the story of Irish immigrants who fled the Famine and came to New York in the mid-1800s. Its primary dance hall setting finds itself situated in one of the United States’ most notorious slums, Five Points — a neighborhood where the Irish immigrants lived side by side with African Americans for 70+ years.
RENT 25TH ANNIVERSARY FAREWELL TOUR AT THE CIBC THEATRE
OCTOBER 5 – 10
2021 marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most iconic musicals ever. Rent follows the lives of a band of bohemians who are struggling to stay afloat in New York City during the HIV/AIDS crisis. The protagonists are filmmaker Mark (left by his girlfriend for another woman) and his HIV-positive roommate Roger who’s in a relationship with S&M dancer and heroin addict Mimi. The original Broadway production ran for 12 years and 5,123 performances!
VERDI’S MACBETH AT THE LYRIC OPERA
SEPTEMBER 17 – OCTOBER 9
The Lyric Opera is coming back with a bang! The season opener is Verdi’s interpretation of (his hero) Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This 3-hour opera is a stunning portrait of the most power-hungry couple we have ever seen come to life on a stage. Prepare yourself for grand-scale arias, hair-raising duets, and stupendous ensembles.
AMERICAN MARIACHI AT THE GOODMAN THEATRE
SEPTEMBER 18 – OCTOBER 24
‘American Mariachi’ is a show about Lucha, a woman who spends her days caring for her ailing mother and is looking to shake up her 1970’s life. It is a forgotten record that sparks her mother’s memory and inspires Lucha and her cousin to create an all-female mariachi band. ‘American Mariachi’ is a tribute to music and love!
BUG AT THE STEPPENWOLF THEATRE
NOVEMBER 11 – DECEMBER 12
The iconic Steppenwolf theatre is back with the revival of the cult classic that was shut down one week before closing last year. ‘Bug’ is a luridly funny tale of love, paranoia, and government conspiracy, set in a seedy Oklahoma motel room. A lonely waitress begins an unexpected love affair with a young drifter. And then they see the bugs…
