See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, September 16 to Sunday, September 22, 2024.
Looking for ways to keep the theater calendar straight? We have you covered with this weekly roundup series tracking openings at theaters and performing arts institutions across the city of Houston.
The big news this week is a world premiere by the Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir, which presents The Son of Man by Patrick Hawes. Buzz is the composition could become a worldwide favorite.
Two regional premieres also highlight our weekly openings—one from 4th Wall Theatre Co. and the other from the Ensemble Theatre. They both are launching their 2024-2025 seasons this week. Catastrophic Theatre opens its season this week as well, with a play by a popular playwright, and Performing Arts Houston brings two concerts featuring voices from the Middle East and West Africa.
Top Performing Arts Openings This Week: September 16 to 22, 2024
- Moores School of Music: Celebrating a Century – Rhapsody in Blue at Hobby Center | Tuesday – Mark the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s legendary work “Rhapsody in Blue” at a concert of the composer’s works featuring Israeli-American piano soloist Dr. Tali Morgulis, along with Moores School of Music faculty, alumni and students. $35; $20 for students. 7pm.
- Chamber Music Houston: The Dover Quartet at Rice University’s Stude Concert Hall | Tuesday – The organization opens its 65th season with a concert by the fan favorite quartet, featuring three members who are alumni of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. The program includes Mendelssohn’ “String Quartet In E Minor”, “Op.44/2” and Jerod Tate’s “New Work For String Quartet (co-commissioned by Chamber Music Houston), and Dvořák’s “American” string quartet. $15 and up. 7:30pm.
- Houston Ballet: Velocity at the Wortham Theater Center | Opens Thursday, September 19 – This mixed-rep program features Stanton Welch’s Velocity, created for The Australian Ballet in 2003, is a study in speed and characterized by rapid precision. It also showcases Aszure Barton’s powerful Come In, crafted for her friend and mentor Mikhail Baryshnikov in 2006; and the world premiere of Silas Farley’s Four Loves, created for the Houston Ballet and with a commissioned score by Kyle Werner. $25 and up. Times vary.
- 4th Wall Theatre Co: Swing State at Spring Street Studios | Opens Friday, September 20 – Making its regional premiere, Rebecca Gilman’s play explores the life of widow Peg, who lives a quiet life on the prairie. When she calls the authorities after items belonging to her late husband turn up missing, it ignites a chain of events that shatter the idea of trust. $15 and up. Times vary.
- México en el Corazón at Discovery Green | Friday, September 20 | FREE Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of Mexico with this group of mariachis and ballet folklorico dancers. More than 50 performers create a magical night with gorgeous costumes, music and culture. The cast is made up of the Guadalajara Folkloric Ballet, the Mariachi Juvenil Colotlán, Pepe and its Pepillos, and the charro flourish champion, Jesús Ortiz. 7pm to 10pm.
- Performing Arts Houston: Aba Diop Trio at the Wortham Center | Friday, September 20 – Get ready for an evening of exploring the new genre of West African sabar fusion music. The group’s unique collaboration interweaves the griot storytelling traditions from thousands of years with Sufi mysticism and rock and jazz influences. $29 and up. 7:30pm.
- Ars Lyrica: In Praise of Virtue at the Hobby Center | Friday, September 20 – The company opens its 21st season with a concert featuring soprano Hannah DePriest and countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen performing two rarely heard solo cantatas—J.S. Bach’s beautifully reflective Ich bin vergnügt (BWV 84) and G. F. Handel’s glittering Splenda l’alba in oriente. %15 and up. 7:30pm.
- Uptown Dance Company: Take-Off at MATCH | Friday, September 20 & Saturday, September 21 – Celebrating the 25th anniversary season, the company offers three new premieres, Shimmer, C’est La Vie and My Teenage Crush – 1999. This is a chance to see new works showcasing Houston dance talent. $35. 7:30pm.
- Catastrophic Theatre: Spirits to Enforce at the MATCH | Opens Friday, September 20 – The company opens its 2024-2025 season with this play by Mickle Mahr. It’s about a group of tele-fundraisers attempting to raise money for an upcoming production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, to be performed by local superhero team “The Fathom Town Enforcers.” Yeah, and it only gets funnier and stranger from there. Pay-What-You-Can. Times vary.
- Stew at The Ensemble Theatre | Opens Friday, September 20 – Making its regional premiere, this play finds three generations of Turner women under one roof, preparing for a meal. With tensions already high, things get complicated when the violence that is around the periphery of their lives begins to intrude on Mama’s kitchen. $25 and up. Times vary.
- Opera in the Heights: Lucia di Lammermoor at Lambert Hall | Opens Friday, September 20 – Donizetti’s tragedy is the story of Lucia, forced into a marriage with disastrous consequences. With some of the bel canto repertoire’s most searing music, this is one of opera’s most breathtaking stories. $35 and up. Times vary.
- Stages: The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote at the Gordy | Opens Friday, September 20 – This new comedy by Houston playwright Bernardo Cubría finds a university professor accepting a gig from a political party to help it understand the Hispanic / Latino / Latina / Latinx / Latine vote. Hilarity and frustration ensue. $25 and up. Times vary.
- Stageworks: Nunsense | Opens Friday, September 20 – The hilarious musical comedy finds the Little Sisters of Hoboken staging a fundraiser to cover the funeral costs of 52 of their fellow sisters, dead following a cooking disaster. Its catchy, playful numbers helped it to become the second-longest-running Off-Broadway show in history, running for more than 3,600 performances. $26 and up. Times vary.
- Malavika Sarukkai presents Anubandh – Connectedness: A Choreography in Five Parts at Asia Society Texas | Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22 – This new solo dance creation by eminent artist Malavika Sarukkai is a pathbreaking work in the language of the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam. It reworks tradition, explores the essential relationship between nature and life, and recognizes and reclaims primordial relationships with the sun, moon, as well as the five great elements as they are honored in India: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. $30. Times vary.
- Performing Arts Houston: Diana Haddad & Ali Saber at the Wortham Theater Center | Sunday, September 21 – Lebanese actress, singer, and television personality Diana Haddad and Iraqi musician Ali Saber perform live. Hadid is among the Arab world’s most successful singers, with a string of accolades across her 25-year career. Saber is known for songs like “Daiman,” “Yeraqbni” and “Dawaat Ommi,” among others. Those needing translation services are asked to call (346) 561-4649. $55 and up. 9:30pm.
- Houston Chamber Choir: The Son of Man at South Main Baptist Church | Sunday, September 21 – This world premiere by English composer Patrick Hawes is based on iconic texts from the Old and New Testaments. It’s a sweeping, powerful work for choir, soloists and orchestra very much of our time, yet reminiscent of Handel’s Messiah. $45. 7:30pm.
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