Top Theater & Performing Arts Events in Houston: October 2022

Catch virtual and live performances all month long with our roundup of theater and performing arts productions happening in October 2022.

This month, the 2022-23 seasons gets rolling for Houston Grand Opera, Performing Arts Houston, DaCamera and 4th Wall Theatre, while you still have a little remaining time to catch several exciting, acclaimed works by other Houston arts companies.

Check out more of our highlights for the city’s performing arts events this month:

Top 19 Performing Arts Events in Houston: October 2022

Closing This Month

• Lend Me A Soprano at Alley Theatre | Ongoing | Through Sunday, October 9 – In this world premiere by Ken Ludwig, the manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company is ready to welcome a preeminent soprano to town for a single show of Carmen. The soprano turns up late, her husband is jealous, and it falls to the manager’s assistant to figure out how the show can go on. Ludwig based the show on his own smash hit Lend Me A Tenor. $26 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Catastrophic Theatre presents Happy Days at MATCH | Ongoing | Through Saturday, October 15 – The Samuel Beckett tragicomedy explores the story of a woman buried, literally, to her waist in dirt. As the play progresses, she’s further consumed by the earth, but shoulders on, firm in her belief that each new day will be happy. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Showtimes vary.
• Love and Southern Discomfort at Ensemble Theatre | Ongoing | Through Sunday, October 16 – When a matriarch passes away, her heirs must deal with the crisis and family drama left behind. In a production that incorporates contemporary music, the show offers a story of passion, jealousy and love. $41 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Trouble in Mind at Main Street Theater | Ongoing | Through Sunday, October 16 – The Rice Village theater opens the 2022-23 season with this regional premiere, the story of a gifted Black actress on the cusp of having all she’s dreamed of—but what principles will she have to sacrifice to get it? $44 and up. Showtimes vary.
• A.D. Players presents Miss Maude at the George Theater | Ongoing | Through Sunday, October 23 – There’s big buzz around this pre-Broadway play based on the real-life friendship between a Life magazine photographer and a South Carolina midwife. $25 and up. Showtimes vary.

Opening This Month

• Broadway Across America presents Hadestown at Hobby Center | Tuesday, October 4 to Sunday, October 9 – It dazzled audiences on Broadway and ran home with eight Tony Awards. Now, the musical Variety called “spellbinding” hits the Houston stage, weaving together the Greek myths of the lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife Persephone. Get ready for a wild ride of passion, hope and the triumph of the human spirit. $50 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Stages presents Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson at the Gordy | Friday, October 7 to Sunday, November 13 – With a story that is at once perfectly Houston and absolutely universal, Plumshuga explores the life and legacy of Lauren Anderson, the first Black woman to be named a principal artist for a major American dance company. The world premiere blends spoken word, dance, music and theater for a look at Anderson’s life, and an exploration of what it means to follow your dreams. $30 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Mercury Chamber Orchestra presents Love’s Philosophy at Wortham Center | Saturday, October 8 | Virtual Option – This opening night concert pays tribute to that most profound emotion of all: love. In a program created by internationally acclaimed conductor and Houston native John Axelrod, this evocative performance features the music of Mahler, Leonard Bernstein, Haydn and more. $10 and up; $20 for a virtual ticket (available through Sunday, October 16). 7:30pm.

• 4th Wall Theatre Co. presents The Thin Place at Spring Street Studios | Thursday, October 13 to Saturday, November 5 – Linda can commune with the dead and she can make you hear them—if you believe. Opening 4th Wall’s 2022-23 season, this affecting play that explores the lines between life and death, and how they shape reality. $32 and up. Showtimes vary.
• DaCamera presents Gil Shaham in Concert at Wortham Center | Friday, October 14 – The globally acclaimed violinist makes his DaCamera debut in this gala opening night concert. See why the New York Times called Shaham “a player of deeply intense sincerity.” $42.50 and up. 7pm.
• Seascape at Alley Theatre | Friday, October 14 to Sunday, November 13 – Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize winner explores marriage and what it means to be human in this story of a couple who take a walk on the beach, only to meet another couple who rise from the ocean. $51 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Performing Arts Houston presents Mariachi Herencia de Mexico in Concert at Jones Hall | Sunday, October 16 – The Chicago-based, Latin Grammy-nominated group takes the stage, with a program that pays tribute to the golden age of Mexican music. Lupita Infante, granddaughter of Mexican music icon Pedro Infante, joins them on stage. $29 and up. 6:30pm.

• Houston Symphony presents Itzhak Perlman Plays Beethoven at Jones Hall | Thursday, October 20 to Sunday, October 23 | Virtual Option – The virtuoso violinist plays one of music’s masterpieces, Beethoven’s violin concerto. A true superstar, Perlman is likely best known for his playing on the Schindler’s List theme. But for more than 50 years, he’s brought exquisite technique and glorious interpretations to the classical canon. This concert should prove a must-see for fans and those curious about classical music. $29 and up. Showtimes vary; note there is no Friday concert.
• Dirt Dogs Theatre presents Coyote on a Fence at MATCH | Friday, October 21 to Saturday, November 5 – What is good? What is evil? And how do we show justice and mercy? This play by Bruce Graham explores all that and more in a searing story based on a Texas death row inmate. Unfolding in a prison, two inmates await their final fate and their stories challenge convictions and ask what it means to be human. $30 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Houston Grand Opera presents La Traviata at the Wortham Center | Friday, October 21 to Sunday, November 6 – One of the most stirring operas in the canon, this is the story of the courtesan Violetta who falls in love with the noble-born Alfredo. Jealousy, classism and tragedy unfold against Verdi’s incredible music. $25 and up. Showtimes vary.
• Dance of Asian America presents Asia to the World at Miller Outdoor Theatre | Saturday, October 22 | FREE | Virtual Option – This family-friendly showcase explores myriad styles of Asian dance, with exquisite costumes and mesmerizing music that weave together traditions from countries throughout the Asian continent. 7:30pm.
• TUTS presents The Secrets to My Success at Hobby Center | Tuesday, October 25 to Sunday, November 6 – Based on the popular Michael J. Fox movie of the same name, this brand-new, TUTS-driven musical is the story of what success looks like—and what you’ll go through to hold on to it. $40 and up. Times vary.
• Houston Grand Opera presents The Wreckers at Wortham Center | Friday, October 28 to Friday, November 11 – Continuing its commitment to presenting new works and giving favorites new looks, HGO offers the first-ever fully staged production of this 1906 opera by Dame Ethel Smyth. It’s the story of a coastal community where shipwrecks are common and pillaging a given. But what happens when someone begins warning the ships of what’s to come? $25 and up. Showtimes vary.
• ROCO presents A Musical Trick or Treat at the Heritage Society | Saturday, October 29 – This family-friendly evening begins with a welcome reception and then allows guests to tour the historic homes in Downtown’s Sam Houston Park where ROCO musicians will offer musical selections. Part–history tour, part–chamber concert, all fun. $45; $20 for ages 17 and under. 4:30pm.