![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/top-live-theater-performing-arts-in-houston-this-week-october-26-november-1-2026-696x407.jpeg\" "\\"top-live-theater-performing-arts-in-houston-this-week-october-26-november-1-2026\\"\/")
Houston Symphony performs Dolly Parton\u2019s “Threads: My Songs in Symphony” live at Jones Hall on Friday and Sunday this weekend. | Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony<\/p>\n Houston Symphony performs Dolly Parton\u2019s “Threads: My Songs in Symphony” live at Jones Hall on Friday and Sunday this weekend. | Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony<\/p>\n
See the latest performing arts productions and theater happenings opening across Houston from Monday, October 25 to Sunday, November 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You can follow in my footsteps because there\u2019s a reading of his latest play<\/a> this week at MATCH.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> in a benefit concert in Pasadena this week.<\/p>\n I will admit I am not overly familiar with the works of Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k. But I have loved Alicia Gianni\u2019s voice since I first heard her two decades ago in HGO\u2019s Hansel and Gretel, and I love the versatility and dynamic playing of Apollo Chamber Players. That\u2019s two great reasons to hear their concert celebrating Czech Heritage Month<\/a>. As if you needed more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mildred\u2019s Umbrella has a comedy horror story<\/a> this week. You can take a journey through the music of India<\/a> at The Hobby Center. The Houston Symphony offers a concert of works by one of the most beloved stars of all time<\/a>. Ars Lyrica has a Halloween concert<\/a>. And there\u2019s a lot more besides.<\/p>\n Go see performing arts, Houston!<\/p>\n Top Live Theater & Performing Arts in Houston This Week: October 26 to November 1, 2026<\/p>\n Showtime! New Openings & This Week Only Shows<\/p>\n DaCamera: Alexi Kenney & Janice Carissa in Concert at The Menil Collection<\/a> | Monday \u2013\u00a0The violinist and pianist perform a concert of works by Britten, Sibelius and more. $63.50. 7:30pm. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n 10th Annual Czech Heritage Month Concert at Czech Center Museum Houston<\/a> | Wednesday \u2013 Celebrate the beauty and traditions of Czech heritage with a program of works by Dvo\u0159\u00e1k and featuring soloist Alicia Gianni with the Apollo Chamber Players. Pay-What-You-Can: $25 suggested. 7pm. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mildred\u2019s Umbrella: Slasher at Spring Street Studios<\/a> | Wednesday & Thursday \u2013 Catch a staged reading of the comedy-horror play about an actress cast as the \u201clast girl\u201d in a horror flick who thinks it could be her big break. Expect treats. $15. 7:30pm. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Houston Musical Theater Company: Iconic Broadway at MATCH<\/a> | Thursday \u2013 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Live at the Founders Club: Surrender: The Timeless Experience of the Music of India at The Hobby Center<\/a> | Thursday & Friday \u2013 Grammy-winner Falu and her band take audiences on a musical journey through the dynamic sounds of Indian music. $35+. 7:30pm. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dancin\u2019 the Street\u2026 Thriller on the Hill at Miller Outdoor Theatre<\/a> | Friday | FREE \u2013 Enjoy an evening of live performances and DJ sets in a special R&B fall edition of Miller\u2019s high-energy celebration of the great Motown classics and legends. 7:30pm. Learn more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mis-cast Cabaret Halloween Show Tune Spook-Tacular at Pasadena Little Theatre<\/a> | Friday & Saturday \u2013 Settle in for an evening of Broadway songs at this musical fundraiser featuring Houston performer Christina Wells. $25+. 8pm. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Houston Symphony: Dolly Parton: Threads: My Songs in Symphony at Jones Hall<\/a> | Friday & Sunday \u2013 Experience the late, great country icon\u2019s music performed by the full symphony orchestra, featuring selections like \u201cJolene,\u201d \u201cCoat of Many Colors\u201d and \u201cI Will Always Love You.\u201d\u00a0 The show was planned before Parton\u2019s passing in August. $41+. Times vary. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shepherd School Opera: Strauss\u2019s Ariadne auf Naxos at Brockman Hall for Opera<\/a> | Friday & Sunday \u2013 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n UH Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts: Rumors at Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre<\/a>\u00a0 | Opens Friday | Ongoing \u2013 Students in UH\u2019s theater program perform the classic Neil Simon farce. $20. Times vary. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ars Lyrica: Haunted Spirits at The Hobby Center<\/a> | Saturday \u2013 Celebrate Halloween with an evening of mad operatic scenes and eerie instrumental music from the acclaimed early music ensemble. $15+. 5pm. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Houston Symphony: Tim Burton\u2019s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert at Jones Hall<\/a> | Saturday \u2013 Take a visit to Halloween Town as you watch Disney\u2019s beloved 1993 stop-motion animated flick and listen to the orchestra play Danny Elfman\u2019s score live. $41+. 7:30pm. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shabach Enterprises: Book Ban at Stonewall Jackson High School at MATCH<\/a> | Sunday \u2013 Catch a reading of Thomas Meloncon\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Wiz at Smart Financial Centre<\/a> | Sunday \u2013 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve Got Legs: Ongoing Shows<\/p>\n Uhuru at Alley Theatre<\/a> | Tuesday to Sunday | Closes Sunday, November 8 \u2013 In the sharp satire, a Tanzanian-American tourist, two missionaries and their guide make their way toward the \u201cRoof of Africa\u201d 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Drunk Dracula at The Emerald Theatre<\/a> | Tuesday to Sunday | Closes Sunday, November 8 \u2013 The ongoing drunk take on classic tale\u2014where 1 out of 5 actors downs 5 shots of whiskey before taking on the lead role\u2014shifts its focus to the famous vampire tale for the spooky season. $53+. Times vary. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stages: The Roommate at The Gordy<\/a> | Wednesday to Friday | Closes Sunday, November 15 \u2013 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Classical Theatre Company: Arms & the Man at The DeLuxe Theater<\/a> | Thursday to Sunday | Closes Saturday, November 7 \u2013 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dirt Dogs Theatre: Dinner with Friends at MATCH<\/a> | Thursday to Sunday | Closes Saturday, November 7 \u2013 Donald Margulies\u2019 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\u2014and themselves. $35. Times vary. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Houston Grand Opera: Susannah at Wortham Center<\/a> | Saturday | Closes Sunday, November 8 \u2013 The new staging of Carlisle Floyd\u2019s American masterpiece follows Susannah, a young woman whose life is shattered after she\u2019s seen bathing in a creek by church elders, leading to cruel gossip, judgment, and finally, her harrowing assault. Floyd\u2019s genre-blending score incorporates revival hymns and Appalachian folksong. International sensation. $25+. Times vary. Get tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Curtain Call! Closing This Week<\/p>\n On Saturday, Richard O\u2019Brien\u2019s The Rocky Horror Show<\/a> does the Time Warp one last Time at The Art Factory and Greater Tuna<\/a> <\/a>packs up and heads out of town at Island Etc in Galveston.<\/p>\n And on Sunday, the timer stops on Gente de Teatro\u2019s Spanish language El Test (The Test)<\/a> at MATCH.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t Miss Out on Tomorrow\u2019s Fun!<\/p>\n Subscribe<\/a> to our free Weekend Guide newsletter <\/a>and receive a round-up of great things to do every weekend in Houston, hitting your inbox on Thursday. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/The-Wiz-Smart-Financial-Centre-Sugar-Land-2026-1024x599.jpeg\")
<\/a>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 <\/p>\n