5 Must-See Theater Shows To Check Out In November

CHICAGO — The following five productions showcase the wide range of Chicago theater options, with something for all tastes, whether that’s a classic revival or a brand-new show, a musical or a straight play. Is there something else you’ll be checking out this month, or would you like to let us know about future shows? Get in contact at arts@blockclubchi.org.

‘Adirondack Chair Circle’

Steppenwolf Theatre, 1646 N. Halsted St., Lincoln Park

Through Dec. 13

Another world premiere at Steppenwolf, this satire might provide the perfect pressure-release valve after a heated election season. Written by Chicago-area playwright Stephanie Alison Walker, the blistering comedy tracks a group of four suburban moms who turn their attention from playing pickleball and drinking wine to enacting a book ban at their school library. If that sounds like too much of a hot topic for you, Walker’s imaginative work takes a few swerves. For starters, it’s narrated by a crow. The two-act play is staged in Steppenwolf’s in-the-round Ensemble Theater. Tickets and more information here.

‘Little Shop of Horrors’

Porchlight at Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park

Nov. 4-Dec. 13

There’s nothing not to love about this classic, packed with endlessly catchy tunes — “Skid Row” is begging for a singalong! — and plenty of dark humor. Adapted from a 1960 B-list horror movie about a carnivorous alien plant, the more famous musical version has delighted audiences since the early 1980s. That’s thanks mostly to the genius of Oscar-winning composing team Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, whose version also became a film in 1986, directed by the Muppets’ Frank Oz. Of course, there’s an extra thrill to the stage magic of seeing the plant, dubbed Audrey II, grow larger and more menacing, via four different puppets. This production marks Porchlight Music Theatre’s first show in its new home, the historic Biograph. Tickets and more information here. 

‘Mexodus’

Studebaker Theater (inside the Fine Arts Building), 410 S. Michigan Ave., South Loop

Nov. 7-21

Consider this a homecoming: Multi-talented Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, co-creators and performers of the two-person musical “Mexodus,” developed this show earlier this decade with Teatro Vista Productions. The premise: What if the Underground Railroad ran not north to Union states but south to Mexico? The format: This 90-minute musical mixes the musical genres of hip-hop, R&B, jazz and bolero. When the fully staged version debuted off-Broadway in 2024, it won a passel of awards. Now it arrives back in Chicago with Quijada (who grew up in the suburbs) and Robinson for a two-week run downtown. Tickets and more information here.

Bonus: Two days before the show opens, Quijada and Robinson will appear in person at the American Writers Museum in the Loop to discuss the show. Tickets are required to attend; the conversation will also be livestreamed. 

‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf’

ETA Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Grand Crossing

Nov. 8-29

This famously groundbreaking show is also famously hard to categorize. The brainchild of the late Ntozake Shange, the experimental work is sometimes called a “choreopoem.” It combines a series of poetic monologues with music and dance, performed by seven different women who share their dreams and their woes. An early iteration was performed in 1974 in Berkeley, but ETA Creative Arts bills its revival as a 50th anniversary production, honoring the show’s 1976 premiere on Broadway, where it ran for nearly two years. ETA first mounted the show this summer; because of excellent reviews and brisk ticket sales, it returns for 11 performances in November. Tickets and more information here. 

‘Home, I’m Darling’

TimeLine Theatre, 5035 N. Broadway, Uptown

Nov. 11-Dec. 13

Following up its hit historical drama “The Birth of the Pill,” TimeLine mixes up the season with the Chicago premiere of a sharp satire of 1950s suburban American life. Harkening back to a so-called “perfect past,” a homemaker wife greets her working husband’s return home every day with a martini. But the comedic “Home I’m Darling” is actually set in contemporary times: The couple in question choose to inhabit this midcentury throwback lifestyle, including the strict gender roles. That fantasy inspired scenic designer Courtney O’Neill, who researched vintage Barbie DreamHouses before designing a two-level set, complete with a handle atop the roof. Tickets and more information here.

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