Metropolis announces 2025-26 main stage lineup

A revival of “Grease,” the Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey musical that debuted at Chicago’s Kingston Mines in 1971, inaugurates the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s 25th anniversary main stage season, which the Arlington Heights theater announced Monday.

Previews begin Sept. 17 for the tuner that includes songs from the 1978 film.

That’s followed by Metropolis’ annual play-with-music production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” (Nov. 25-Dec. 24). Next up is a staged concert version of Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” (Jan. 21-Feb. 8, 2026), adapted from Dickens’ “Oliver Twist.” Produced in collaboration with Metropolis’ School of the Performing Arts, the production features a 15-piece orchestra.

“The Play That Goes Wrong,” the 2012 farce by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields about the mayhem that ensues during an amateur theater company’s production of a fictional British whodunit runs Feb. 25 through March 22, 2026.

A revival of “The Wedding Singer,” the musical adapted from the 1998 film starring Adam Sandler, runs April 29 through May 24, 2026. The season concludes with a revival of “The Wizard of Oz” (July 8-Aug. 9, 2026).

Performances take place at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Early-bird season subscriptions are $171 (including a $6 processing fee) through May 31. Beginning June 1, season subscriptions are $205 including a $6 processing fee. Single tickets range from $20 to $49. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

In other Metropolis news, associate artistic director Tiffany Gates, Metropolis’ longtime education director, will serve as interim executive director following the departure of David Victor, who concludes his tenure this month.