Theatre with a side of life
Goodman Theatre presents August Wilson’s MA RAINEY’s BLACK BOTTOM. Legendary blues singer, ‘Ma’ Rainey, is scheduled to record at a Chicago studio. She’s late. Her delayed arrival agitates the producers. Irvin placates an annoyed Sturdyvant while instructing the band in the song list. Although the band is ready to play, they insist Ma always decides the ...
Goodman Theatre presents THEATER OF THE MIND, the one-of-a-kind immersive experience created by Academy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning artist David Byrne. “You can change the story anytime!” Bryne, Talking Heads frontman, introduces Chicago to perspective. His new theatrical offering is a scientific experiment couched in a funhouse with therapy-like results. Confusing? Yes. Delightful? Uh-huh! Totally original? 100%. THEATER OF ...
Goodman Theatre presents HOLIDAY. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. They get engaged. Then, he finds out her deep, dark secret…. she is filthy rich. Julia is from the Manhattan upper class. Johnny arrives at the family’s Fifth Avenue mansion ready to assimilate. He must win over the relentless mogul father, the drunken drifter brother ...
The World Premiere of ASHLAND AVENUE. Pete has sold televisions for over forty years. He opened up a dozen stores across Chicago. His commercial catchphrase ‘crazzzzzy prices’ made him iconic - at least locally! Pete was a Chicago fixture in the community. Then, life changed. People shopped online. Retail stores ...
Goodman Theatre presents THE COLOR PURPLE The Musical. Celie endures assault from her father, torture from her husband and a forced separation from her sister and children. Her grasp on hope is slipping away. She is trapped in a prison of her own unworthiness. The strength of other women ignite her spirit to fight for love ...
Goodman Theatre presents BUST, An Afrocurrentist Play. What happens when a black person is pulled over by the police? A lot of times, they are harassed, beaten or shot. Playwright Zora Howard, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, explores a provocative alternative. In her unique tale, she imagines centuries of ancestral oppression and years of racism uncorking enough ...
Goodman Theatre presents BETRAYAL. Robert and Emma are married. Jerry and Judy are married. Robert and Jerry are best friends. Emma and Jerry are lovers. When juggling intimacy, where does the trust lie? Playwright Harold Pinter delves into the ties that bind and fray under the weight of humanity. Pinter deconstructs a seven year affair. He ...
Goodman Theatre presents INHERIT THE WIND. In 1925, a schoolteacher taught his students that humans evolved from apes. This notion contrasted with their parents’ and their town’s belief that God created the world in seven days. John T. Scopes’ lesson landed him on trial. In 1955, Playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee debuted their play ...
Goodman Theatre presents the World Premiere production of MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL The Musical. Before true crime podcasts and shocking documentaries, John Berendt published his 1994 blockbuster non-fiction book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” Berendt told the real life story of a murder in Savannah, Georgia. It was a ...
Goodman Theatre presents the World-Premiere production of HIGHWAY PATROL. IRL!? What IS happening ‘in real life’? Is this a staged thriller or a cautionary Ted Talk for celebs? HIGHWAY PATROL blurs ALL the lines between reality and fantasy. The story is the actual experience of Emmy Award-winning actor Dana Delany. In 2012, Delany befriended a terminally ill ...