Houston Symphony performs Dolly Parton’s “Threads: My Songs in Symphony” live at Jones Hall on Friday and Sunday this weekend. | Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony
See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, October 25 to Sunday, November 1, 2026.
As I was putting this list together, I was struck by how many things in it made me think of firsts, specifically my first time encountering an artist or ensemble. The first play by Thomas Meloncon I saw was The Man Who Saved New Orleans, and I was struck by not only its family dynamics, but also the beautiful traditions of the Mardi Gras Indians. I knew then I would see anything he wrote.
You can follow in my footsteps because there’s a reading of his latest play this week at MATCH.
I first interviewed Christina Wells three years ago as she was stepping into a role with TUTS, and I was struck by her big heart and generosity of spirit. You can hear her and other talented folks in a benefit concert in Pasadena this week.
I will admit I am not overly familiar with the works of Antonín Dvořák. But I have loved Alicia Gianni’s voice since I first heard her two decades ago in HGO’s Hansel and Gretel, and I love the versatility and dynamic playing of Apollo Chamber Players. That’s two great reasons to hear their concert celebrating Czech Heritage Month. As if you needed more.
Mildred’s Umbrella has a comedy horror story this week. You can take a journey through the music of India at The Hobby Center. The Houston Symphony offers a concert of works by one of the most beloved stars of all time. Ars Lyrica has a Halloween concert. And there’s a lot more besides.
Go see performing arts, Houston!
Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: October 26 to November 1, 2026
Showtime! New Openings & This Week Only Shows
DaCamera: Alexi Kenney & Janice Carissa in Concert at The Menil Collection | Monday – The violinist and pianist perform a concert of works by Britten, Sibelius and more. $63.50. 7:30pm. Get tickets.
10th Annual Czech Heritage Month Concert at Czech Center Museum Houston | Wednesday – Celebrate the beauty and traditions of Czech heritage with a program of works by Dvořák and featuring soloist Alicia Gianni with the Apollo Chamber Players. Pay-What-You-Can: $25 suggested. 7pm. Get tickets.
Mildred’s Umbrella: Slasher at Spring Street Studios | Wednesday & Thursday – Catch a staged reading of the comedy-horror play about an actress cast as the “last girl” in a horror flick who thinks it could be her big break. Expect treats. $15. 7:30pm. Get tickets.
Houston Musical Theater Company: Iconic Broadway at MATCH | Thursday – Enjoy a concert of classics from favorite musicals like Guys and Dolls, Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, and more. $25. 7:30pm. Get tickets.
Live at the Founders Club: Surrender: The Timeless Experience of the Music of India at The Hobby Center | Thursday & Friday – Grammy-winner Falu and her band take audiences on a musical journey through the dynamic sounds of Indian music. $35+. 7:30pm. Get tickets.
Dancin’ the Street… Thriller on the Hill at Miller Outdoor Theatre | Friday | FREE – Enjoy an evening of live performances and DJ sets in a special R&B fall edition of Miller’s high-energy celebration of the great Motown classics and legends. 7:30pm. Learn more.
Mis-cast Cabaret Halloween Show Tune Spook-Tacular at Pasadena Little Theatre | Friday & Saturday – Settle in for an evening of Broadway songs at this musical fundraiser featuring Houston performer Christina Wells. $25+. 8pm. Get tickets.
Houston Symphony: Dolly Parton: Threads: My Songs in Symphony at Jones Hall | Friday & Sunday – Experience the late, great country icon’s music performed by the full symphony orchestra, featuring selections like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.” The show was planned before Parton’s passing in August. $41+. Times vary. Get tickets.
Shepherd School Opera: Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos at Brockman Hall for Opera | Friday & Sunday – The opera-within-an-opera follows what happens when a wealthy patron demands a composer deliver a tragic opera with slapstick comedy. $20+. Times vary. Get tickets.
UH Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts: Rumors at Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre | Opens Friday | Ongoing – Students in UH’s theater program perform the classic Neil Simon farce. $20. Times vary. Get tickets.
Ars Lyrica: Haunted Spirits at The Hobby Center | Saturday – Celebrate Halloween with an evening of mad operatic scenes and eerie instrumental music from the acclaimed early music ensemble. $15+. 5pm. Get tickets.
Houston Symphony: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert at Jones Hall | Saturday – Take a visit to Halloween Town as you watch Disney’s beloved 1993 stop-motion animated flick and listen to the orchestra play Danny Elfman’s score live. $41+. 7:30pm. Get tickets.
Shabach Enterprises: Book Ban at Stonewall Jackson High School at MATCH | Sunday – Catch a reading of Thomas Meloncon’s new play about a librarian in a Texas town who finds herself at the center of an escalating battle over censorship, identity, and what stories belong in the classroom. Pay-What-You-Can. 3pm. Get tickets.
The Wiz at Smart Financial Centre | Sunday – Ease on down the road in the beloved Broadway musical take on the Wizard of Oz with an all-Black cast. $62+. 6pm. Get tickets.
They’ve Got Legs: Ongoing Shows
Uhuru at Alley Theatre | Tuesday to Sunday | Closes Sunday, November 8 – In the sharp satire, a Tanzanian-American tourist, two missionaries and their guide make their way toward the “Roof of Africa” in an attempt to scale Mount Kilimanjaro. They must confront questions of access, identity, and who deserves a place on the mountain. $40+. Times vary. Get tickets.
Drunk Dracula at The Emerald Theatre | Tuesday to Sunday | Closes Sunday, November 8 – The ongoing drunk take on classic tale—where 1 out of 5 actors downs 5 shots of whiskey before taking on the lead role—shifts its focus to the famous vampire tale for the spooky season. $53+. Times vary. Get tickets.
Stages: The Roommate at The Gordy | Wednesday to Friday | Closes Sunday, November 15 – Recently divorced, middle-aged and quintessentially Midwestern Sharon reluctantly rents out a room to Robyn, a worldly, spiritually hip vegan from New York in the smart, funny and deliciously edgy story of hope that keeps the audience guessing. $44+. Times vary. Get tickets.
Classical Theatre Company: Arms & the Man at The DeLuxe Theater | Thursday to Sunday | Closes Saturday, November 7 – The theater company opens its season with the George Bernard Shaw farce that explores how society romanticizes war and what happens when minds start to change. $25+. Times vary. Get tickets.
Dirt Dogs Theatre: Dinner with Friends at MATCH | Thursday to Sunday | Closes Saturday, November 7 – Donald Margulies’ Pulitzer-winning play peels back the layers of modern marriage to reveal the fragile fault lines beneath, as a shocking divorce sends ripples through the lives of two couples who thought they knew one another—and themselves. $35. Times vary. Get tickets.
Houston Grand Opera: Susannah at Wortham Center | Saturday | Closes Sunday, November 8 – The new staging of Carlisle Floyd’s American masterpiece follows Susannah, a young woman whose life is shattered after she’s seen bathing in a creek by church elders, leading to cruel gossip, judgment, and finally, her harrowing assault. Floyd’s genre-blending score incorporates revival hymns and Appalachian folksong. International sensation. $25+. Times vary. Get tickets.
Curtain Call! Closing This Week
On Saturday, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show does the Time Warp one last Time at The Art Factory and Greater Tuna packs up and heads out of town at Island Etc in Galveston.
And on Sunday, the timer stops on Gente de Teatro’s Spanish language El Test (The Test) at MATCH.
Smart Financial Centre welcomes the nationally touring revival of The Wiz to Sugar Land to kick off November. | Photo courtesy of The Wiz National Tour
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