Displaying items by tag: OCTET

Chicago continues to produce some of the most exciting work in the country this Summer, offering a wide variety of plays and musicals, as well as comedy, dance, music, and more. To highlight these productions, The League of Chicago Theatres is publishing its Summer Theatre Guide, which showcases more than 100 productions; not just in Chicago's iconic theatre districts, but also across vibrant suburban communities. From Oak Park to Naperville, Glenview to Des Plaines, theatres across the region offer top-tier performances that make it easier than ever to experience the magic of live theatre close to home.

For additional details about this summer's performances and the Summer Theatre Guide visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Many summer shows will also be available at HotTix.org, Chicago's local, discounted ticketing service.

The following is a selection of notable work playing in Chicago this Summer, organized by location.

A selection of productions playing in theatres located Downtown are:

Brokeback Mountain

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

May 28 – June 28, 2026

When Ennis and Jack take jobs on the isolated Brokeback Mountain, all their certainties of life change forever as they flounder in unexpected emotional waters. This intense tale of a hidden love spans 20 years and is interwoven with soulful, original Country Western songs, performed live onstage.

Eugene Onegin

The Joffrey Ballet at Lyric Opera House

June 4 – 14, 2026

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century Russian society, this cautionary tale follows the enigmatic and aloof aristocrat after his fateful encounter with the earnest Tatiana. Richly layered and deeply human, Eugene Onegin explores the fragility of the human heart and how unspoken words can shape destinies.

Untitled Vampire Play

Lookingglass Theatre Company

June 4-July 12, 2026

This romantic-comedy-meets-horror-story world premiere by Kevin Douglas explores love, commitment, codependency...and, of course, vampires.

Champions of Magic

Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building

June 6 – July 5, 2026

The production that critics have described as 'the most spectacular show,' 'two hours of mind-twisting, logic-defying entertainment' and 'the summer blockbuster of magic shows.'

SUFFS

Broadway In Chicago at CIBC Theatre

June 7– 19, 2026

Direct from Broadway comes the acclaimed Tony Award®-winning musical Suffs about the brilliant, passionate, and funny American women who fought tirelessly for the right to vote.

Kinky Boots

Broadway In Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre

June 9 - 21, 2026

Kinky Boots follows the journey of two people with nothing in common—or so they think. As Charlie and Lola work together to turn a shoe factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they realized.

Iceboy!

Goodman Theatre

June 20 – July 26, 2026

Broadway's brightest star of 1938, Vera Vimm, is at the top of her game. But when she adopts a 40,000-year-old Neanderthal discovered frozen in the Arctic, the spotlight begins to shift. As Iceboy thaws, he unexpectedly becomes a theatrical sensation, inspiring Eugene O'Neill and challenging his legendary mother for center stage.

A Musical Tribute to John Williams & Steven Spielberg

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

June 23, 2026

Celebrate the legendary collaboration between composer John Williams and filmmaker Steven Spielberg. From Jurassic Park and Jaws to Indiana Jones and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the scores born of this 50-year creative partnership have captured imaginations around the world.

Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

June 25 – 27, 2026

Embark on an epic adventure to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: A New Hope! Experience the iconic film like never before as CSO performs John Williams' legendary Oscar-winning score live.

& Juliet

Broadway in Chicago at Auditorium Theatre

July 22 - August 2, 2026

Break free of the balcony scene and get into this romantic comedy that proves there's life after Romeo. The only thing tragic would be missing it.

Theatres are located in almost every neighborhood in Chicago.  A selection of productions playing throughout Chicago are:

Always...Patsy Cline

American Blues Theater

Playing through June 13, 2026

This musical play, complete with down home country humor and big-heart ed emotion, includes hits "Crazy," "I Fall to Pieces," "Sweet Dreams," "Walkin' After Midnight" and more!

LOKI-The End of the World Tour

Lifeline Theatre

Playing through June 13, 2026

In this World Premiere musical, Loki arrives at Asgard, bringing chaos, comedy, and three monstrous (maybe) children. In an us vs. them world, can we envision a new mythology?

The Targeted

A Red Orchid Theatre at Chopin Theatre

Playing through June 14, 2026

Welcome to the Solidarity and Truth Summit. A gathering of the most persecuted, tortured, and misunderstood people in the entire world. They call themselves Targeted Individuals, and they are victims of a vast and covert program of systematic torture, surveillance, and harassment by global intergovernmental powers.

OCTET

Raven Theatre Company

Playing through June 14, 2026

Hailed by the New York Times as "the most original and topical musical of the year" for its 2019 Off Broadway premiere, this inventive and acutely relevant piece reflects the perils of the digital age.

Antigone

Promethean Theatre Ensemble at The Den Theatre

May 31 - June 27, 2026

A timely production of the classic WW2 era adaptation made all the more relevant by recent local and national events.

Catch As Catch Can

Steppenwolf Theatre Company

June 4 - July 12, 2026

When a prodigal son returns to blue collar New England, his homecoming sets off a spiraling crisis for two families, threatening not only their relationships but their very identities. Spanning hilarity, stunning virtuosity and outright horror, this ferocious Chicago premiere—featuring an all-ensemble cast—must be witnessed to be believed.

As You Like It

Midsommer Flight

June 26 – August 2, 2026

Free outdoor performances of Shakespeare's As You Like It will be presented outdoors in six Chicago Parks District parks – Chicago Women's Park and Gardens, Gross Park, Nichols Park, Kelvyn Park, Winnemac Park, and Touhy Park. Banished from court by her uncle, Rosalind escapes to the Forest of Arden, where she disguises herself as man in order to win over her lover by trying to convince him he should forget her. Audiences are encouraged to come early and bring a picnic to enjoy this free programming.

Hair

Kokandy Productions at Chopin Theatre

July 2 - September 13, 2026

Exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility and peace, Hair remains relevant as ever as it examines what it means to be a young person in a changing world.

Marble
Gift Theatre at Copernicus Center

August 2 – August 30, 2026

Marble follows two married couples, Ben and Catherine, and their friends Art and Anne, whose comfortable lives begin to splinter after a shared dream triggers suspicion and desire.

A surreal and haunting exploration of two couples whose lives collide through shared dreams, this production anchors the company's homecoming to the neighborhood where it was founded.

Productions playing in the suburbs of Chicago include:

Nunsense
Drury Lane Theatre

June 10 – August 2, 2026

Get ready to laugh the summer away with nuns from the Little Sisters of Hoboken. This beloved revue, directed by E. Faye Butler, will have you in stitches as the five sisters stage a variety show fundraiser filled with outrageous musical numbers and zany comedy. 

A Little Night Music

Marriott Theatre

Playing June 17 – August 9, 2026

Set in 1900 Sweden, A Little Night Music explores the tangled web of affairs centered around actress Desirée Armfeldt, and the men who love her. Amid a flurry of jealousy and suspicion, infinite possibilities of new romances and second chances bring endless surprises. Stephen Sondheim's witty, brilliant masterpiece.

Leopoldstadt

Writers Theatre

June 4 - July 19, 2026

At the dawn of the 20th century, Vienna is the heart of European culture. While an extended family gathers in the elegant Merz home for the holidays, two brothers-in-law passionately debate their conflicting visions for the future of their family and the Jewish people–a tension that will echo through the generations that follow.

The Producers

BrightSide Theatre at Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall

June 12 – 28, 2026

Mel Brooks' outrageous musical comedy about two schemers trying to stage the biggest Broadway flop of all time—only to accidentally create a smash hit!

The Last Five Years

Oil Lamp Theater

June 6 - July 5, 2026

This widely beloved show takes audiences on the romantic rollercoaster of Jamie and Cathy as they fall in...and out of love over the last five years.

BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical

Highland Park Players at McGrath Family Performing Arts

July 17 – 26, 2026

Before she was hit-maker Carole King—she was Carole Klein, a spunky, young songwriter from Brooklyn with a unique voice. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical takes you back to where it all began and takes you on the ride of a lifetime. 

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Available discounted tickets will be listed at HotTix.org.

About Chicago theatre 

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 6 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago's theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com.

The League of Chicago Theatres' Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago's theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.

There’s a rare kind of theatrical experience that transcends personal taste. Even if a genre is not typically your first choice, the sheer level of artistry on display is impossible to deny. That is exactly what director Keira Fromm’s production of Octet accomplishes: a vocally astonishing, emotionally resonant, and meticulously staged production that leaves you in complete awe of the performers.

Centered around a support group for people struggling with various forms of internet and technology addiction, Dave Malloy’s 2019 chamber choir musical somehow feels even more relevant now. Octet explores the strange, funny, isolating, and deeply human ways people use the internet to cope, connect, and self-destruct. Each member of the eight-person ensemble embodies a different facet of online dependency, from social media obsession to gaming to pornography to niche internet rabbit holes.

While the characters are intentionally heightened at times, what makes the show so effective – and a little scary – is how recognizable they still feel. The humor comes easily, but it is the moments of uncomfortable self-recognition you experience with each and every character that linger long after the show ends.

The production is, above all else, a staggering vocal achievement – made even more impressive by this marking Raven Theatre’s first musical production. Performed almost entirely through a cappella and chamber-style music, Octet demands an unbelievable level of precision, memorization, and endurance from its cast. The eight performers remain onstage for the full show, seamlessly moving between emotionally vulnerable monologues, intricate harmonies, comedic ensemble numbers, and soaring solo ballads without ever losing momentum. The result is one of the most impressive live vocal performances I have seen in quite some time.

What makes the cast especially remarkable is not just the technical perfection of the singing – though there genuinely was not a single noticeable missed cue, stumble, or musical lapse throughout the performance – but the way every performer remains completely locked into their character while executing extraordinarily difficult material. The ensemble operates like a perfectly synchronized machine, yet never sacrifices emotional authenticity for precision.

Two particular standouts were Teressa LaGamba (Paula), whose warmth and compassion radiated through every interaction and whose vocals carried extraordinary emotional clarity, and Sam Shankman (Henry), whose flamboyant humor and painfully relatable awkwardness made him both hilarious and unexpectedly touching. Shankman’s chemistry with the rest of the ensemble elevated nearly every scene he was part of, reinforcing the deeply interconnected energy that makes the show work so well.

Technically, Octet is relatively minimalist, but Raven Theatre’s production proves how impactful thoughtful simplicity can be. Utilizing the backstage area of the company’s black box theatre to create the atmosphere of a sparse church basement, scenic designers Milo Bue and Wynn Lee embrace an intentionally unpolished environment that perfectly suits the material. Every design choice feels purposeful.

The true technical standout, however, is Maximo Grano De Oro’s lighting design (with Ruby Lowe and Emmitt Socey as Master Electricians). Great lighting often goes unnoticed because of how seamlessly it integrates into a production, but the work here is impossible not to appreciate once you begin paying attention. Countless meticulously timed lighting cues transform otherwise ordinary fluorescent fixtures into an incredibly dynamic storytelling device, adding depth, tension, warmth, and unease in ways that subtly shape every moment of the show. The precision of the programming and cue choreography demonstrates an extraordinary level of care and intentionality, elevating the entire production without ever distracting from it.

With a newly announced film adaptation directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and featuring an all-star cast already generating major excitement, Raven Theatre could not have picked a better time to stage Octet. Their production captures everything that makes the musical so singular: its humor, its humanity, its discomfort, and its breathtaking musicality. It is a deeply modern show presented with extraordinary care, and it sets an incredibly high bar for any future stagings.

Octet is running at Raven Theatre through June 7th. Tickets are available at https://www.raventheatre.com/stage/octet/.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

Chicago's Raven Theatre Company today announced the cast and production team for Dave Malloy's OCTET, directed by Keira Fromm and running April 30 - June 7, 2026 (previews April 30 - May 3). Tickets ($30 - $45) on sale at www.raventheatre.com. 

In an anonymous meeting room, a group of people —always eight—gather to sing. Best known for the Broadway hit NATASHA, PIERRE, & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, Dave Malloy's  OCTET uses chamber-inspired a cappella music to explore the total impact of life online. Hailed by the New York Times as "the most original and topical musical of the year" for its 2019 Off-Broadway premiere, this inventive and acutely relevant piece reflects the perils of the digital age.

"OCTET is the perfect first musical for Raven," says Executive Artistic Director Sarah Slight. "It tackles the urgent topic of technology addiction in a way that feels right at home on our stage. With an entirely a capella score, OCTET offers something our audience has never experienced here before. It is an extraordinary show to bring to Chicago."

The cast features Joryhebel Ginorio (Velma), Neala Barron (Jessica), Grace Steckler (Karly), Teressa LaGamba (Paula), Elliot Esquivel (Toby), Jordan Golding (Marvin), Sam Shankman (Henry), and Jonah D. Winston (Ed). Understudies are Dani Pike (u/s Jessica), Collin Quinn Rice (u/s Henry), Diana Marilyn Alvarez (u/s Paula), Caitlyn Cerza (u/s Karly), Danny Bennett (u/s Ed), Jonah Cochin (u/s Toby), Joe Giovannetti (u/s Marvin), and Mizha Lee Overn (u/s Velma).

The production team, led by director Keira Fromm, includes JC Widman (Stage Manager),  Nick Sula (Music Director), Laura Savage (Choreographer), Milo Bue (Scenic Designer), Paloma Locsin (Props Coordinator), Maegan Pate (Costume Designer), Maximo Grano de Oro (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Ruby Lowe (Master Electrician), Lucy Whipp (Production Manager), Mads Wren (Assistant Director), Faith Locke (Assistant Stage Manager), Hannah Kwak (Assistant Sound Designer), Emmitt Socey (Assistant Master Electrician), Wynn Lee (Associate Scenic Designer), and Catherine Miller (Dramaturg, Casting Director).

Raven Theatre's OCTET runs April 30 - June 7, 2026, with previews April 30 - May 3. Performances are held Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. on the Johnson Stage at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Tickets are $45, with discounts available for students, military, and industry ($30 previews); to purchase tickets and for more information about Raven Theatre's 43rd season, visit www.raventheatre.com. 

OCTET

Written By: Dave Malloy

Directed By: Keira Fromm

Cast: Joryhebel Ginorio (Velma), Neala Barron (Jessica), Grace Steckler (Karly), Teressa LaGamba (Paula), Elliot Esquivel (Toby), Jordan Golding (Marvin), Sam Shankman (Henry), and Jonah D. Winston (Ed). Understudies are Dani Pike (u/s Jessica), Collin Quinn Rice (u/s Henry), Diana Marilyn Alvarez (u/s Paula), Caitlyn Cerza (u/s Karly), Danny Bennett (u/s Ed), Jonah Cochin (u/s Toby), Joe Giovannetti (u/s Marvin), and Mizha Lee Overn (u/s Velma).

Production Team: JC Widman (Stage Manager),  Nick Sula (Music Director), Laura Savage (Choreographer), Milo Bue (Scenic Designer), Paloma Locsin (Props Coordinator), Maegan Pate (Costume Designer), Maximo Grano de Oro (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Ruby Lowe (Master Electrician), Lucy Whipp (Production Manager), Mads Wren (Assistant Director), Faith Locke (Assistant Stage Manager), Hannah Kwak (Assistant Sound Designer), Emmitt Socey (Assistant Master Electrician), Wynn Lee (Associate Scenic Designer), and Catherine Miller (Dramaturg, Casting Director).

Dates: April 30 - June 7, 2026 (Previews TBD)

Schedule: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.

Location: Raven Theatre (6157 N. Clark St.)

Tickets: General Admission: $45; Student, Military, and Industry tickets $20. Previews $30.

Box Office: www.raventheatre.com