Best Chicago Plays Running in 2025

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, written by Jack Thorne and directed by John Tiffany, begins its National tour in Chicago in September 2024. It’s time to believe in magic again. When Harry Potter’s head-strong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all—with the power to change the past and future forever. Prepare for a mind-blowing race through time, spectacular spells, and an epic battle, all brought to life with the most astonishing theatrical magic ever seen on stage.

Running September 10, 2024 – February 1, 2025 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre.

As Juicy grapples with his identity and his family at a backyard barbecue, his father’s ghost shows up asking for revenge—on Juicy’s uncle, who has married his widowed mom—bringing his quest for joy and liberation to a screeching halt. James Ijames has reinvented Shakespeare’s masterpiece, creating what the New York Times hails as “a hilarious yet profound tragedy, smothered in comedy,” where the only death is the patriarchy. Tyrone Phillips, Founding Artistic Director of Chicago’s famed Definition Theatre, directs.

Running January 11 - March 2, 2025 at Goodman's Owen Theatre.

The Heart Sellers, written by Lloyd Suh and directed by Helen Young, plays at the Northlight Theatre. It’s Thanksgiving 1973, and life in the USA is lonely for recent Asian immigrants Jane and Luna, with their workaholic husbands leaving them to fend for themselves. Over sips of wine and a questionable frozen turkey, they reminisce about home and dream of spreading their wings together in the land of opportunity: disco dancing, learning to drive, and even a visit to Disneyland. Inspired by the landmark “Hart-Celler Act” which opened a new path to citizenship for people around the world, this funny and moving play gives a big-hearted voice to the Asian immigrant experience.

Running January 23 – February 23, 2025 at the Northlight Theatre.

Drunk Shakespeare: "Drink sir, is a great provoker..." Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 3

The stage is set in a hidden venue. Five professional actors meet as members of The Drunk Shakespeare Society. One of them has 5 shots of whiskey and then attempts to perform a major role in a Shakespearean play. Hilarity and mayhem ensue while the four sober actors try and keep the script on track. Every show is different depending on who is drinking... and what they're drinking! Craft cocktails are available for purchase throughout the show.

The Infinite Wrench is a chance to see thirty original plays in just one hour, written and performed by the Neo-Futurist Ensemble. Each play offers something different, be it funny, profound, elegant, disgusting, topical, irreverent, terrifying, or a song; all are truthful and tackle the here-and-now, inspired by the lived experiences of the performers. With new plays every week, THE INFINITE WRENCH is The Neo-Futurists’ ongoing and ever-changing attempt to shift the conventions of live performance and speak to those unreached or unmoved by traditional theater.

Running every Friday and Saturday at 10:30pm and Sundays at 7pm.

The Second City is an improvisational theater In Chicago famous for how many actors and comedians got their start on its stages. Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Amy Poehler, Bill Murray, Aidy Bryant, Jordan Peele, Gilda Radner, and many, many more have all played at The Second City. There is comedy on every single night – check out the official website to see what’s playing today.

Fool For Love, written by Sam Shepard and directed by Jeremy Herrin, runs at Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre. In a sweltering motel room in the Mojave Desert, May and Eddie lick their wounds and get ready for another relentless round. This brawl is eternal and infernal. And the Old Man is always watching. Perhaps the sexiest, most haunting play of the 20th century, Fool for Love is a twisted and tequila-soaked love letter from Sam Shepard, one of the greatest American playwrights, indulging the need to get inside someone just to tear them apart. 

Running January 30 – March 16, 2025 at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a perfect introduction to Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy. Adapted and directed by Edward Hall, it captures the exhilaration, foolishness, and delight of young love, as the chaos of magic and enchantment turns the world upside down. In addition to the five-week run of school matinees, this 75-minute production will offer public performances on Saturdays.

Running February 8 – March 8, 2025 at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Courtyard Theatre.

A mansion. A murder. A mystery. Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.

Running February 18 - March 2, 2025 at the CIBC Theater.

Teatro La Plaza’s Hamlet, written and directed by Chela De Ferrari, comes from Peru and is a joyful celebration of self-expression. Blending Shakespeare’s text with personal anecdotes from their lives, a group of young performers with Down syndrome take the stage in a lively and profound theatrical experience. Presented in partnership with the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), CST welcomes Teatro La Plaza from Lima, Peru with its bold and energetic reimagining of Hamlet. Offering a provocative look at questions of inclusion and discrimination, the performers explore the central question “To be or not to be?” through their own experiences, and a mix of pop music, dance, and wry humor.

Running March 13 – March 23, 2025 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Upstairs Studio.

The Book of Grace, written by Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, runs at Steppenwolf’s Ensemble Theatre and features ensemble member Glenn Davis.  Grace looks for the good in everything: in her husband’s rules, in the border he patrols, in the return of his estranged son. But a want for goodness cannot unwind the past, as this taut family reunion explodes in all directions. The Chicago premiere of Suzan Lori-Parks’ The Book of Grace is an incendiary family portrait from the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Topdog/Underdog. Witness this startling reminder that the search for common ground can be bloody and brutal, leaving casualties on every side of the divide.

Running March 27 – May 18, 2025 at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Prayer for the French Republic, written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Jeremy Wechsler, plays at the Northlight Theatre. In 1944, a Jewish couple in Paris awaits news of their missing family. Seventy years later, their descendants face the same question: “Are we safe?” Spanning five generations, Prayer for the French Republic is a sweeping, darkly funny exploration of history, identity, and survival. Don’t miss the Chicago premiere of this powerful play, blending sharp humor and profound drama in a story as timely as it is timeless.

Running April 10 – May 11, 2025 at the Northlight Theatre.

Hymn, written by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Ron OJ Parson, is a deeply resonate tribute to male friendship. In the spring, Olivier Award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti returns to Chicago with Hymn. Originally set in London in its premiere at the Almeida Theatre, Chakrabarti will reframe the play for CST to be set in Chicago. This soul-affirming story charts the lives of two middle-aged Black men as they form a deep bond in an intimate exploration of the loyalties and betrayals of brothers, fathers, and sons. Chakrabarti’s Red Velvet enjoyed an acclaimed run at CST in 2017; other notable credits include Life of Pi, now on tour across North America, and Hamnet, a stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel that premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company last year.

Running April 29 – May 25, 2025.

Art, written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, and directed by Marti Lyons, examines the quirky dynamics of friendship and the enigmatic world of art through Yasmina Reza's sharp wit and clever dialogue. This hilarious and thought-provoking comedy navigates the fine line between laughter and introspection, exploring the true value of both art and friendship. 90 minutes with no intermission.

Running May 1 – June 1, 2025.

You Will Get Sick, written by Noah Diaz and directed by Audrey Francis, runs at Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater and features ensemble members Cliff Chamberlain, Amy Morton, and Namir Smallwood. A young man with a secret. An older woman who will listen. A predatory flock of birds. An upcoming audition for The Wizard of Oz. Welcome to You Will Get Sick, a wildly imaginative new play that traces the touching, hilarious, heartbreaking saga of one man’s illness and his unlikely caretaker’s pursuit of her dreams. Admired as “lively, surreal and surprising” by The New York Times, Noah Diaz’s Chicago debut is equal parts comedy, form-bending experiment and sober meditation on mortality. Renowned ensemble member Amy Morton (a Tony nominee for August: Osage County and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) returns to the Steppenwolf stage for the first time in over a decade, making this season finale a must-see experience!

Running June 5 – July 13, 2025 at Steppenwolf Theatre’s Downstairs Theater.