Top Performing Arts & Live Theater Shows in Houston This Month: April 2024

Catch some of the city’s most exciting upcoming performances, happening all month long, with our roundup of live theater and performing arts productions in April 2024.

Miller Outdoor gets its season rolling in earnest this April, while Broadway performances hit other stages in town.

Plus, catch a devastating play from Catastrophic, literature come to life, and a special run of Reefer Madness.

This month brings a huge slate of performing arts to stages across Houston. From classical music and regional play premieres to musicals and dance, there’s something for every taste and budget.

Top Performing Arts & Theater Shows in Houston: April 2024

Opening This Month

• Open Dance Project presents Alice at Miller Outdoor Theatre | Friday, April 5 | FREE – The dance company brings its unique stamp to the story of the little girl who falls down the rabbit hole and winds up in Wonderland, navigating a host of unusual events with a cast of unusual characters. The performance features aerial silks, acrobatics, and clever choreography that is sure to delight children and grown-ups alike. 8pm.
• Opera in the Heights presents La Bohéme at Lambert Hall | Friday, April 5 to Saturday, April 13 – Puccini’s enduring masterpiece about a group of friends and lovers in belle epoque Paris offers some of the genre’s most stirring melodies. A show for opera devotees and newbies alike, it’s the story of love lost and found, and dreams big and small. $29 and up. Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 2pm.
• Catastrophic Theatre presents Cleansed at MATCH | Friday, April 5 to Saturday, April 27 – Sarah Kane’s play is a fever-dream fable of unimaginable brutality and miraculous beauty. An exploration of the threat to the bodies and lives of those of us who look, live, or love beyond the confines of conservative ‘norms,’ it feels as contemporary now as it did when it was written 26 years ago. Pay-what-you-can. Showtimes vary.
• DaCamera presents Ensemble Modern: Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins at Hobby Center | Tuesday, April 9 – The German ensemble makes its first Texas appearance in a concert that showcases a new arrangement of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s popular musical theater work, The Seven Deadly Sins. Music from the theater worlds of Berlin and Vienna round out this remarkable program. $41 and up. 7:30pm.
• Classical Theatre Company presents The Taming of the Shrew at the DeLuxe Theater | Thursday, April 11 to Saturday, April 20 – Shakespeare’s comedy about Katherine, whose boldness and stubbornness have made her unmarriable, is set as a mid-century sitcom. Katherine is to be sold off by her father to the highest bidder, clearing the way for her younger, more pliable sister Bianca, to wed. The play examines the treatment of women then—and now. $30. Showtimes vary.

• Jane Eyre at Alley Theatre | Friday, April 12 to Sunday, May 5 – Elizabeth Williamson’s stage adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel follows Jane as she navigates the obstacles of coming of age in 19th-century England. As much a love story as a growing-up chronicle, it’s a Gothic classic filled with secrets and passion. $29 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Skylar Campbell Dance Collective presents Rebirth at MATCH | Sunday, April 14 – This electrifying showcase of ballet and live music explores themes of rejuvenation, awaking and personal growth. $45. 7pm.
• TUTS presents The Cher Show at Hobby Center | Tuesday, April 16 to Sunday, April 28 – Called “slyly fabulous” by the Hollywood Reporter, this show examines the life of the incomparable Cher, who’s dominated music, movies and more across her six-decade career. Bonus: every one of those iconic Bob Mackie outfits are recreated for the stage. $40 and up. Showtimes vary.
• A.D. Players presents Driving Miss Daisy at the George Theater | Wednesday, April 17 to Sunday, May 12 – The story of Daisy Werthan and her chauffeur, Hoke is an examination of our interconnectedness as people. Daisy is reluctant to have Hoke drive her car because he is Black. But over the course of their 25-year relationship, they discover pathways to respect. $35 and up. Showtimes vary.
• The Garden Theatre presents Reefer Madness at MATCH | Friday, April 19 to Saturday, April 27 – With lyrics by Kevin Murphy and music by Dan Studney, this musical is based on the 1936 exploitation film, originally titled Tell Your Children. It follows the exploits of a high school drama group telling the story of Jimmy, a fine and upstanding All-American boy whose life fell apart because of the evil reefer. Expect satire and hilarity. And yes, of course, there are performances on 4/20. $28. Showtimes vary.

• Houston Contemporary Dance Company presents Electrostatic Attraction at Hobby Center | Saturday, April 20 – The mixed repertory performance features favorites from the company’s last four seasons, including Intersections and Let My Hair Down, along with a world premiere and new work. $21.50 and up. 7:30pm.
• Houston Ballet Academy Spring Showcase at Wortham Center | Friday, April 26 & Saturday, April 27 – Dancers in the Ballet’s acclaimed Academy program perform works from the company’s repertoire, as well as pieces created especially for them. This is an opportunity to see tomorrow’s ballet stars today in a dynamic, mixed repertory program. $42 and up. Friday 7pm; Saturday 11am and 4pm.
• Houston Grand Opera presents The Sound of Music at Wortham Center | Friday, April 26 to Sunday, May 12 – Acclaimed soprano Isabel Leonard stars as Maria in this beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, making its debut on the HGO stage. Sent to be a governess to the seven children of the remote Captain von Trapp, Maria finds she must decide between the life she imagined for herself as a nun or follow her heart. Set against the last days before the German invasion of Austria, it features songs like “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and other familiar melodies. $25 and up. Showtimes vary.
• WindSync 15th Anniversary Concert at Rice University Shepherd School of Music | Sunday, April 28 – Reuniting for their first concert at Rice University since the graduation of the ensemble’s original student members, this special event highlights wind chamber music and brings WindSync alumni back to the sage. $15. 3pm.
• Broadway Across America presents The Girl from the North Country at Hobby Center | Tuesday, April 30 to Sunday, May 5 – In Duluth, Minnesota, in 1934, we meet a group of travelers whose lives intersect at a boarding house. Written and directed by acclaimed playwright Conor McPherson, the play reimagines 20 of Bob Dylan’s songs, including “Forever Young,” “Slow Train Coming” and “Like a Rolling Stone.” $35 and up. Showtimes vary.

Closing This Month

• Mighty Acorn Productions: The Outsider at MATCH | Through Friday, April 5 – In this hilarious, satirical send-up of American politics, a political unknown is thrust into the role of governor. What happens when his handlers start peddling his inexperience as exactly what the voting public wants? $35. Showtimes vary.
• Damn Yankees at Island Etc | Through Saturday, April 13 – Head to Galveston for this beloved musical about a frustrated baseball fan who makes a deal with the devil so his team will beat the New York Yankees. Featuring classic Broadway numbers like “Whatever Lola Wants” and “Ya Gotta Have Heart,” audiences will see why it’s been a theater staple for more than half a century. $35. Showtimes vary.
• The World is Not Silent at Alley Theatre | Through Sunday, April 14 – This world premiere is the story of a son and his father, trying to reconstruct their strained relationship following the father’s hearing loss. Exploring language and love, it looks at what connects and divides us. $42 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Beatbox: A Raperetta at Ensemble Theatre | Through Sunday, April 14 – This play, soaked in hip-hop culture, explores the lives of two stepbrothers as they navigate through loss, jealousy, friendship and dreams. It’s written and performed in rhythm and rhyme with beatboxing. $34 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Stagolee & the Funeral of a Dangerous Word at Main Street Theater | Through Sunday, April 21 – This world premiere by Houston playwright Thomas Meloncon is the story of a small-town Texas NAACP chapter planning a funeral for “the N-word.” Meanwhile, a bigoted white man and a Black man named Stagolee are about to embark on a court-ordered intervention facilitated by a Jewish psychologist. The show is an exploration of different points of view along the racial divide. $35 and up. Showtimes vary.

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