Theater

Spotlight: Marriott revives ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ Metropolis’ concert version of ‘Oliver!’

Posted January 12, 2026 10:41 am

Barbara Vitello

Jackson Evans plays Seymour in Marriott Theatre's revival of the sci-fi musical comedy “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Maya Rowe plays Seymour's beloved Audrey in Marriott Theatre's revival of the sci-fi musical comedy “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Horror-comedy tuner

Marriott Theatre begins 2026 with a revival of the classic, pop-rock tuner “Little Shop of Horrors” by composer Alan Menken and writer/lyricist Howard Ashman, based on Roger Corman's 1960 cult film. Jackson Evans stars as a meek plant store employee who nurtures an exotic seedling that turns out to be a carnivorous space plant. Maya Rowe plays his beloved Audrey and Andrew Mueller plays her sadistic dentist boyfriend in director/choreographer Tommy Rapley's production.

Previews at 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22; 8 p.m. Jan. 23; 4 and 8 p.m. Jan. 24; 1 and 5 p.m. Jan. 25, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens Jan. 28. $42.60-$106.52. (847) 634-0200 or MarriottTheatre.com.

'Oliver!' in concert

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre welcomes professional actors, students and 26 members of the JAM Orchestra, an alternative pops orchestra founded in 2018, for a concert version of Lionel Bart's musical “Oliver!” Adapted from Charles Dickens' novel, the musical tells the tale of the orphaned Oliver, who endures an abusive workhouse and an undertaker's apprenticeship before he’s taken in by the thief Fagin and his gang of child pickpockets. Carmelo Kelly and Mae O’Connell alternate playing Oliver. Tommy Thurston plays Fagin in director Patrick Tierney and music director Aaron Kaplan's production.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 21 and 22, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens Jan. 23. $25-$49. (847) 577-2121 or MetropolisArts.com.

Goodman showcases new works

Goodman Theatre rings in 2026 with its annual New Stages Festival, showcasing in-progress works by Christina Anderson, Ike Holter, Hansol Jung and Calamity West. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has showcased more than 125 plays, a number of which Goodman subsequently staged as part of its season, including Marco Antonio Rodriguez's “The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao” opening next month. Featured works include Anderson's “This Part of His Life Blooms”; Holter's “The Audience Unseen”; Jung's “Pennies”; and West's “FEAST!”

Readings take place through Sunday, Jan. 18, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. (312) 443-3800 or GoodmanTheatre.org/NewStagesFestival.

Alva Puppet Theatre from New York City performs “The Harlem Doll Palace,” about public school art teacher Lenon Holder Hoyt, who created a doll museum in her Harlem home, during Chicago’s 8th International Puppet Theater Festival. Courtesy of Richard Termine

“Rhynoceron,” a play about the arrival of a one-horned rhinoceros to Renaissance Europe designed and directed by KT Shivak, has its Chicago premiere this month during the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Courtesy of Richard Termine

Chicago celebrates puppet theater

Theater lovers will enjoy 12 days of amazing puppetry during the eighth Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, which showcases puppet artists from England, France, Norway, Denmark, India, Scotland, South Korea, Spain and the United States. Among them are noted Chicago puppet designers Blair Thomas and KT Shivak, along with the acclaimed Manual Cinema.

Wednesday, Jan. 21, through Feb. 1 at Chicago venues including: The Studebaker Theater, Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave.; the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts, East Theater, University of Chicago, 915 E. 60th St.; the Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive; Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St.; Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave.; the The Biograph’s Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.; Steppenwolf Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted St.; and others. $15-$125. See chicagopuppetfest.org for the performance schedule.

Emmy Award-winner Suzy Eddie Izzard returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater for benefit performances of her show “Suzy Eddie Izzard Talks Shakespeare N’Stuff [Forsooth].” Courtesy of Amanda Searle

Izzard unscripted

Emmy Award-winning actor/comedian Suzy Eddie Izzard returns to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater for the first time since her tour-de-force turn in her 2024 solo production of “Hamlet.” Izzard discusses William Shakespeare, acting, activism and other topics during her show “Suzy Eddie Izzard Talks Shakespeare N’Stuff [Forsooth],” moderated by CST artistic director Edward Hall.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16 and 17, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. $80-$140. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

Collaboraction Theatre presents a free, staged reading of Willie Round's new play “Lawndale King,” about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on Monday, Jan. 19.

Staged reading of MLK play

Collaboraction Theatre presents a staged reading of “Lawndale King,” Willie Round’s new play about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s experiences living in Chicago’s North Lawndale community. Chicago director and filmmaker Pemon Rami directs the reading and joins the playwright for a post-show discussion.

1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago. Free. Collaboraction.org.

Chicago area premiere

Northlight Theatre presents the Chicago area premiere of “Mary Jane,” Amy Herzog's semi-autobiographical, Obie Award-winning play about parenting and caretaking. The action centers around the titular single mother struggling to care for her chronically ill son, who finds support from a diverse group of women. Lucy Carapetyan stars in director Georgette Verdin's production.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 22 and 23; 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 and 27; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The show opens Jan. 29. $46.05-$94.45. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.