CHICAGO — The total number of theater shows on offer in Chicago has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. But the lists of coming attractions still contain some appealing offerings of all stripes. Here’s a selection of 10 shows, all with Chicago origins and involving Chicago artists, that look to have particular promise this fall. Hope you’ll find one (or more) that tempts you to venture out of the house.
“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” Theo Ubique Theatre: The venerable Evanston musical company celebrates its 25th anniversary this fall and the celebration includes an intimate revival of the deliciously wacky 1978 Broadway musical comedy (book by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson with music and lyrics by Carol Hall). “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” is based on the notorious Chicken Ranch brothel and widely beloved for such campy signature numbers as “Hard Candy Christmas,” “The Bus to Amarillo” and, of course, “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place.” It’s aptly timed for the holidays. Dec. 2 to Jan. 29, 2023, at Theo Ubique Theatre, 721 Howard St., Evanston; tickets at 773-939-4101 and theo-u.com.
“Dreamgirls,” Paramount Theatre in Aurora: The historic Paramount Theatre in Aurora, which did spectacularly well in the recent Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, has a hard-worn reputation under veteran artistic director Jim Corti for Broadway-quality excellence in the Western suburbs. The marquee attraction on the banks of the Fox River this fall is “Dreamgirls,” the ever-popular story of Motown and The Supremes, albeit deftly fictionalized. For all the flaws in the piece, the song suite is fantastic and the book offers far more than the various authorized, and thus sanitized, histories of Motown and its artists that followed on Broadway. Through Oct 16 at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora; tickets start at $28 at 630-896-6666 and paramountaurora.com.
