13 must-see concerts, plays and performances in Chicago 2026
“Hamilton” is not the only big show coming to Chicago this spring. The most Tony Award-nominated play ever, “Stereophonic,” will be at the CIBC Theatre, Academy Award- winner Tarell Alvin McCraney will premiere his new play, “Windfall,” at Steppenwolf and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has a new immersive theatrical experience in partnership with the Goodman.
Plus, Bill Murray returns to the stage as the third member of an acclaimed blues duo, superstar international conductor Klaus Mäkelä returns to Chicago and composer Brandi Berry Benson will debut new work that pays tribute to members of the Chickasaw tribe. And, dance-world darling Tiler Peck will bring her love letter to the artform to Chicago.
As spring culture season kicks into gear, here is our list of 13 standout performances happening on stages across the city in the coming months, so you can get your tickets now. If we missed a show you are looking forward to, let us know at arts@wbez.org.
Bill Murray & his Blood Brothers
Where: Thalia Hall
When: Jan. 9-10
Local funnyman Bill Murray will return to Chicago’s Thalia Hall with award-winning blues duo Blood Brothers. Murray began performing with Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia in 2024 and brought a pair of sold-out shows to Chicago early last year. Now, the “Caddyshack” star brings the band back to town for two more performances. Castiglia told the Chicago Sun-Times there has been big demand for the concerts featuring Murray, adding that “when he’s on stage, he doesn’t leave.”
If you go: 1807 S. Allport St., tickets from $79.50
Salome
Where: Lyric Opera House
When: Jan. 25-Feb. 14
For the first time in two decades, Richard Strauss’ “Salome” returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago. Based on Oscar Wilde’s controversial play, the show is considered “one of the most daring and provocative works in the opera repertoire,” according to Lyric. This production by Scottish director Sir David McVicar is set in pre-war fascist Italy. Dubbed a “gory thrill ride,” the show follows a woman consumed by obsession. Soprano Jennifer Holloway will star as the titular femme fatale in her Lyric debut (singer Elena Stikhina was originally slated to play the part, but withdrew from the role due to her pregnancy, Lyric announced in December).
If you go: 20 N. Wacker Drive, tickets from $47
Stereophonic
Where: CIBC Theatre, presented by Broadway in Chicago
When: Jan. 27-Feb. 8
This show broke records on Broadway. It was the most Tony Award-winning show of 2024 and is the most Tony-nominated play of all time. The production features original songs by Academy Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Will Butler, former member of indie rock band Arcade Fire. The show transports audiences back to 1976, in a music studio where an up-and-coming rock band finds itself on the brink of breaking into superstardom. The show is a pressure cooker: Will they break up or will they break through?
If you go: 18 W. Monroe St., tickets from $65.60
Hamnet
Where: Chicago Shakespeare Theater
When: Feb. 10-March 8
“Hamnet” has been in the headlines for the film of the same name. The play, like the movie, is based on an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell's bestselling 2020 novel (also named “Hamnet”). The story presents a fictionalized account of William Shakespeare falling in love with Agnes Hathaway in 1582, with the pair losing their son, Hamnet, to the plague. This show is the U.S. premiere of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation, written by Lolita Chakrabarti (“Life of Pi”). The show gives audiences a glimpse into the life of the bard. Other characters include Shakespeare’s sister, parents, wife and three kids. The production also tells the tale of why Shakespeare went to London, how he discovered theater, how his family fared in his absence and how the loss of a child led to some of the best writing in human history.
If you go: 800 E. Grand Ave., tickets from $58
Songs of the Chickasaws
Where: The Checkout
When: Feb. 28-March 1
In “Songs of the Chickasaws: Epic Tales Told Through Music,” Chicago composer Brandi Berry Benson, a member of the Chickasaw nation, honors five influential members of the tribe. The world-premiere work, presented by Chicago’s Bach + Beethoven Experience, will be performed by an almost all-Native ensemble and will feature both Western and indigenous instruments. In this work, Benson pays tribute to Chickasaw Chief Tishu Miko; Lushanya, considered the first Native opera star; “Sadie” Humes, who helped author the first Chickasaw dictionary; and others. The performance will take place at the CheckOut, the Lake View music venue housed in a former 7-Eleven.
If you go: 4116 N. Clark St., tickets from $25
Hamilton
Where: CIBC Theatre, presented by Broadway in Chicago
When: March 4-April 26
This may be the hardest ticket to get in 2026. The original Broadway production garnered a record-breaking 16 Tony Awards nominations, but some could argue no one loves “Hamilton” like Chicagoans. In 2016, Chicago was one of the first stops of the show’s national tour, and the production stayed on stage at the CIBC Theatre for three years — the longest run outside New York. More than 2.6 million people saw the show in Chicago during its first run of 1,341 performances — a higher audience total than the original show’s run on Broadway. So with the show returning this spring, many predict “Hamilton” will be one of the hottest tickets in town. Early ticket sales became available in October, and producers plan to hold day-of raffles to ensure as many people as possible have a chance to see the show.
If you go: 18 W. Monroe St., tickets from $68
Mäkelä conducts The Rite of Spring
Where: Symphony Center
When: March 5-6
As he gets closer to officially becoming the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 11th music director, Klaus Mäkelä is making more visits to town. The superstar international conductor will be in Chicago for a series of concerts in late February and early March. On that trip, Mäkelä will conduct Igor Stravinsky’s famous “The Rite of Spring.” The concert will be rounded out by other 20th-century masterpieces: Darius Milhaud’s “Le Boeuf sur le Toit” and George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.” Mäkelä will officially begin in the CSO role in September 2027.
If you go: 220 S. Michigan Ave., tickets from $59
Tiler Peck and Friends
Where: The Auditorium
When: March 7-8
Tiler Peck, the New York City Ballet superstar principal dancer and Instagram’s “ballerina big sister,” visits Chicago for only one weekend. The performance, “Turn It Out with Tiler Peck and Friends,” is billed as Peck’s “love letter to dance” and will feature fellow stars such as Chun Wai Chan, Mira Nadon and Roman Mejia. The program first opened in New York in 2022 and has toured around the world since. It features choreography from Peck herself, along with William Forsythe, Alonzo King and Michelle Dorrance. Plus, the genre-defying evening spotlights music by the likes of James Blake and Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw.
If you go: 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, tickets from $40
Theater of the Mind
Where: Reid Murdoch Building, presented by Goodman Theatre
When: March 11-May 31
The Goodman partnered with former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne for this fresh and immersive theatrical experience. Creators flipped 15,000 square feet of space in the historic Reid Murdoch Building in Downtown Chicago into a neuroscientific journey that tantalizes all the senses. While the specifics remain a little murky, the details we do know are interesting. For example, 16 audience members at a time will embark in experiences led by a tour guide named David, who is dressed in a costume fashioned after Byrne’s wardrobe when he was 2 years old. Before the adventure, audience members receive a new identity as a fresh start before heading into what creators describe as a “dream world.”
If you go: 325 N. La Salle Drive, tickets from $66
Windfall
Where: Steppenwolf Theatre
When: April 9-May 31
Written by Academy Award-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney (“Moonlight”) and directed by Awoye Timpo (2024’s Jon Michael Hill led “Leroy and Lucy”), this new play stars three ensemble members (Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis and Jon Michael Hill) who recently had roles on Broadway in Steppenwolf’s Tony Award winning show “Purpose.” Rounding out the announced cast is fellow ensemble Namir Smallwood, currently on Broadway for Steppenwolf’s “Bug.” In “Windfall,” a father loses his son in a clash with police and must decide whether to accept a hefty cash settlement from the city.
If you go: 1650 N. Halsted St., tickets from $64.50
safronia
Where: Lyric Opera House
When: April 17-18
Chicago’s inaugural poet laureate, avery r. young, brings a new night of music to the Lyric Opera. With two performances only, safronia tells the triumphant and tragic story of the Great Migration, the period in the 20th century when an estimated 6 million Black Americans moved from the South to the North and Midwest, settling in places such as Chicago. Young’s Afro-surrealist story follows the Booker family as they return from the Northern U.S. to the South to bury their patriarch. The work combines poetry, folklore, history and music that draws inspiration from genres including gospel, blues, funk and soul. The performance is billed as a visually immersive, concert-style evening.
If you go: 20 N. Wacker Drive, tickets from $38
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s 30th anniversary
Where: The Auditorium
When: May 30
Chicago’s own Deeply Rooted Dance Theater marks its 30th anniversary. The contemporary dance company combines modern, classical, American and African American styles. The company celebrates its milestone with a season framed around the theme of “love, joy and resistance.” The season culminates in a final performance at The Auditorium featuring world premieres by artistic director Nicole Clarke-Springer and cofounder Kevin Iega Jeff. There will also be a company premiere by cofounder Gary Abbott and a reprisal of audience favorites from throughout the years.
If you go: 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, tickets from $40
Eugene Onegin
Where: Lyric Opera House
When: June 4-14
The Joffrey Ballet will close out its 70th anniversary season with the Chicago premiere of “Eugene Onegin.” The adaptation of Alexander Pushkin's 19th-century novel is a collaboration between choreographer Yuri Possokhov and composer Ilya Demutsky, who have also worked together on shows such as “Anna Karenina,” last performed by Joffrey in 2023. A cautionary tale, “Eugene Onegin” follows the leading aristocrat as he falls in love with Tatiana. The work is a co-production between Joffrey and San Francisco Ballet.
If you go: 20 N. Wacker Drive, tickets from $46
Mike Davis is WBEZ’s theater reporter. Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.