Spooky season has arrived, and Chicago theaters are ready to welcome the scares this year. There are shows and experiences all over the city where you can enjoy Halloween the way you want, whether it's jump scares or big laughs, or classic or contemporary stories.
You want comedy? The long-running Beverly Community Theater presents a musical production of The Addams Family. Craving something a little more creepy? Stephen King's novel “Misery,” about an axe-wielding nurse girl with questionable intentions, is a play on the shiny new stage of American Blues Theater. Do you go for the classics? Naperville Playhouse presents Bram Stoker's Dracula. As a bonus, we found an interactive haunted house, an impromptu murder mystery, and a chilling shadow puppet themed around Frankenstein.
Here's our list of 10 shows you should watch in October. ideas? Suggestions? Tell us at arts@wbez.org
Misery runs at the American Blues Theater through October 26.
Courtesy of Michael Brosillo
Misery
Where: American Blues Theater
When: Until October 26
A secluded cabin in Colorado is the setting of this psychological thriller. The stage adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling novel stars award-winning American Blues Theater Company members Steve Key and Wanda Christine in the roles of the famous romance novelist and the superfan who kidnaps him.
IF YOU GO: 5627 N. Lincoln Ave., tickets start at $30
Becky is Salem's nurse
Where: Presented by Shattered Globe Theater at the Fate Theatre
When: From October 4 to November 15
Is it really Halloween without stories about the Salem witch trials? In this tale, a sharp-witted tour guide at the Salem Museum of Witchcraft named Becky Nurse – a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, who was executed for witchcraft – loses her job for criticizing The Crucible. The following story, penned by award-winning American playwright and Chicago-area resident Sarah Ruhl, is a spell-packed journey of family heritage and self-discovery.
IF YOU GO: 1229 W. Belmont Ave., tickets start at $15
The creepy puppet show House of the Exquisite Corpse IV: Superstition will be at the Steppenwolf Merle Reskin Garage Space October 10-12.
Courtesy of Yvette Marie Dostani
House of the Magnificent Corpse IV: Myth
Where: Presented by Rough House Theater in Steppenwolf Merle Reskin's garage space
When: from 10 to 12 October
This experience is a combination of a scary puppet show and a haunted house. Six teams of multi-disciplinary puppet artists have designed six different immersive works of puppet horror intended to delightfully shock audiences. The theme of each work revolves around a myth, and these artists are determined to frighten. Recommended age for entry is 14 and over.
If you go: 1624 N. Halsted St., tickets start at $21
Realized in: An invitation to die for
Where: Up Comedy Club in Second City
When: October 10, 17, 27, 31
Not everyone likes to be scared on Halloween. Sometimes, a good laugh can be better than a jump. In Second City, the scariest holiday deserves a comedic twist – an enhanced version of a murder mystery. In this immersive, unscripted experience, the audience searches for the killer in the room and is helped, in the best possible way, by a group of comedians searching for clues.
IF YOU GO: 230 W. North Ave., tickets start at $30
Golden Girls Meet the Scooby Gang: The Haunted Bush Mystery
Where: Presented by Hell in a Handbag Productions at the Chopin Theater
When: From October 10 to November 3
This world premiere play brings together two beloved groups of Hell in a Handbag parody characters in a terrifying Halloween farce – the knock-off versions of The Golden Girls and the Scooby Doo Mystery Team. The screenplay, written by founding artistic director and respected actor David Cerda, offers as many plot points as characters, which is a lot. But the laughs will be plenty, and the mystery will be solved in this production filled with favorite characters.
IF YOU GO: 1543 W. Division St., tickets start at $29
Bram Stoker's Dracula will be on stage at Miley Swallow Hall from October 18 to November 3.
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Where: Presented by Brightside Theater at Milly Swallow Hall Theatre
When: From October 18 to November 3
Passion meets horror in Bram Stoker's seductive tale of the famous vampire. This adaptation of the timeless novel will reintroduce audiences to familiar characters Count Dracula, Van Helsing and Renfield as necks are snapped and vampires are hunted in a production perfect for Halloween night.
If you go: 31 S. Ellsworth St, Naperville, IL., tickets start at $32
Frankenstein cinema guide
Where: Studebaker Theater
When: from 25 to 27 October
Manuel Cinema's film about Frankenstein toured the country. I saw it in Seattle, and if you're hoping to see the show here in Chicago, get tickets fast because they usually sell out. In this innovative take on the gothic classic, audiences will see the production unfold through shadow puppetry, live music, and creative cinematic techniques. This show is as adorable as it is scary – and trust me…it's very scary.
IF YOU GO: 410 S. Michigan Avenue in the Fine Arts Building, tickets start at $54.50
The cast of the Jeff Award-winning production of Sweeney Todd will perform at the Governors State University Center for the Performing Arts on October 19.
Sweeney Todd at the party
Where: Presented by Kokandy Productions at Governors State University Center for the Performing Arts
When: October 19
For one night only, the Devil Barber is back on Fleet Street. You can catch the cast of Kokandy's Jeff Award-winning production of Sweeney Todd, singing songs from the production with live music by the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. It's a great night for both classical music fans and musical theater fans who missed Chicago's award-winning run or simply long for a repeat.
If you go: 1 University Parkway, University Park, tickets start at $47.70
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Where: Presented on Broadway in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre
When: October 20
The magic of theater and film meet on this special night in Chicago. The original, unedited film will be screened (with Barry Bostwick, the original actor who played Brad Majors, on site for a meet-and-greet with VIPs) with live shadow cast by Rocky Horror galore – a cast of actors performing live-action performances while the film projects are behind them. There will be plenty of opportunities for audience participation. The show will be full of strong language and mature content, so ages 18 and up are recommended. If you go, confetti, glow sticks and party hats are encouraged as props.
IF YOU GO: 151 W. Randolph St. Tickets start at $53.50
Addams family
Where: Presented by the Beverly Theater Guild at the Baer Theater at Morgan Park Academy
When: from 25 to 27 October
One of Chicago's oldest local community theaters is presenting this musical comedy on Broadway. In the show, the lovable creepy Addams family finds itself embroiled in secrets and new love when Wednesday brings home a “normal” friend — gasp.
IF YOU GO: 2153 W. 111th St., tickets start at $27
Mike Davis is the play-by-play reporter for WBEZ.
