A marvelous opera, a month of musicals, and more

Of course, the biggest and most important “show” of any kind this November is the presidential election. But however you cast your vote, there will be no better way to escape from the political scene than to head to a wonderful opera or musical.

Happily, many such productions will be performed on Chicago-area stages in November. Here is a quick look at some of the notably diverse choices available-works that have either been created, or are being staged or performed by, Jewish artists:

First, an opera

Coming to the Lyric Opera of Chicago will be Mozart’s masterpiece, The Marriage of Figaro, running Nov. 9 – 30. It is directed by Barbara Gaines, who hardly needs an introduction in the Chicago theater world. Renowned as the city’s champion of Shakespeare, she founded the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 1986, and went on to establish its grand permanent home on Navy Pier, which opened in 1997.

Gaines, who stepped down from her position there in 2023–with 60 productions to her credit–was born into a Jewish family in the New York suburbs, and initially worked as an actress there and here. This marks the second time that she will stage Figaro at the Lyric-an opera with a glorious score that spins a story described as “a witty yet profane tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness.” The story focuses around two servants-Figaro and Susanna-who marry despite the efforts of their employer, Count Almaviva, who is obsessed with seducing Susanna.

For tickets, visit lyricopera.org or call 312 827-5600.

Musicals to warm you up this winter

Now, on to the world of musicals (and one play) that are all quite different, but involve a host of Jewish theater artists:

* The Secret Garden

The music for this show-which opened on Broadway in 1991-was composed by Lucy Simon, the older sister of Carly Simon, both daughters of their Jewish father, Richard L. Simon, a co-founder of Simon & Shuster, Inc. The show tells the story of Mary Lennix, an English girl born in India who becomes an orphan and, at the age of 10, is sent back to Yorkshire, England to live with her unpleasant uncle. What saves her is the great joy she finds in creating a wonderful garden.

The Secret Garden will run from Nov. 8 – Jan. 19 at Theo Ubique in Evanston. For tickets, visit theo-u.com or call 773-939-4101.

* Falsettos

This musical, which opened on Broadway in 1992, is set in New York in 1980, during the early days of the AIDS crisis. It spins the story of a man who leaves his wife for a male lover at the same time that plans must be made for the bar mitzvah of the former couple’s son. The musical is based on a book by James Lapine and William Finn, who was raised in a Jewish family.

Falsettos will run from Nov. 8 – Dec. 9 at Court Theatre (in collaboration with TimeLine Theater). For tickets, visit courttheatre.org or call 773-753-4472.

* An Act of G-d

This non-musical show (for mature audiences) is the work of David Javerbaum, the comedy writer and lyricist who grew up in a Jewish household in New Jersey, and went on to win 13 Emmy Awards, of which 11 are for The Daily Show with Jon Stewa rt. The play stars Alex Weisman–a self-proclaimed “very reformed Jewish actor”–who grew up in Florida, studied at Northwestern University, forged his career in a slew of plays in Chicago, and was part of the original Broadway cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2.

Now, back in Chicago, Weisman is playing the title character in An Act of G-d. The show addresses the misconception that mankind has amassed over eons in a comedy in which G-d dishes it all out, delivering “a Biblical rewrite for the ages with snarky commentary.”

An Act of G-d runs now through Nov. 10 at Paramount’s Copley Theatre in Aurora. For tickets, visit paramountaurora.com or call 630-896-6666.

* Little Shop of Horrors

The 1982 musical, which later became a movie, is the work of the renowned team of composer Alan Menken and the late lyricist Howard Ashman, both Jewish. It is set in Mushnick’s Flower Shop, where Seymour, the rather meek florist, must deal with a dangerous plant while also trying to suppress his attraction to his co-worker, the beautiful Audrey.

Little Shop of Horrors , a Music Theater Works production, runs now through Nov. 17 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. For tickets, visit musictheaterworks.com or call 847-673-6300.

* Disney’s The Little Mermaid is another musical by Menken and Ashman (along with Glenn Slate). Directed by Scott Weinstein, it tells the tale of Ariel, a young mermaid who defies her father “and makes a daring deal for the chance to create the world of her dreams on land.”

The Little Mermaid runs Nov. 6 – Jan. 12 at Drury Lane Theatre at Oakbrook Terrace. For tickets, visit drurylanetheatre.com or call 630-530-0111.

* I nto the Woods

This immensely popular musical–with a book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim–interweaves the tales of a childless baker and his wife in their pursuit of having a child, and other fairytale characters, each on a quest to fulfill a wish.

Into the Woods , a Kokandy Theatre production, runs now through Dec. 22 at The Chopin Studio Theatre in Chicago. For tickets, visit kokandy productions.com or call 773-278-1500.

Hedy Weiss, a longtime Chicago arts critic, was the Theater and Dance Critic for the  Chicago Sun-Times  from 1984 to 2018, and currently writes for  WTTW-TV’s website and contributes to the   Chicago Tonight   program.