From SIX to Amadeus, listed below are the ten productions value getting into this season.
Chicago’s winter theatre season delivers a mixture of powerhouse musicals, vacation favorites, daring stage drama and family-friendly productions. Broadway In Chicago anchors the lineup with nationally touring spectacles, whereas Steppenwolf, Goodman, Joffrey, and Chicago’s unbiased phases spherical out a various cultural calendar. Whether or not you lean towards big-stage music or intimate character work, these ten productions outline the season.
1. SIX — CIBC Theatre (Broadway in Chicago)
December 2 – 14, 2026SIX opens the listing with a vibrant, pop-concert-style retelling of the wives of Henry VIII. The musical’s humor, energy vocals and quick pacing make it one of the crucial energetic winter titles out there. Every queen instructions the stage with charisma and rhythm, inviting the viewers into a contemporary reinterpretation of historical past. It is a prime choose for winter theatre-goers searching for electrical energy over custom.
2. A Magical Cirque Christmas — CIBC Theatre (Broadway in Chicago)
November 25–30, 2025A vacation spectacular mixing acrobatics, music and theatrical play. Designed for households and audiences who get pleasure from visible leisure, this present delivers festive power with circus-style motion and vibrant seasonal ambiance. It’s short-run programming with sturdy attraction — a dependable go-to for a holiday-week outing.
3. The Phantom of the Opera — Cadillac Palace Theatre (Broadway in Chicago)
December 11, 2025 – February 1, 2026The Phantom returns as a winter mainstage occasion constructed on sweeping rating, romance and gothic grandeur. The manufacturing stays one in every of theatre’s most recognizable works and a definitive cold-season ticket for Chicago audiences. Delivered with full orchestration and dramatic scale, it stands as a marquee Broadway In Chicago expertise.
4. Amadeus — Steppenwolf Theatre Firm
November 6, 2025 – January 4, 2026Steppenwolf enters the winter slate with a character-driven drama constructed on ego, genius and legacy. Amadeus examines jealousy and brilliance via tense dialogue and ensemble efficiency. Audiences wanting one thing highly effective, reflective and grounded in performing craft will discover it right here. A standout non-musical providing with emotional gravity.
5. The Nutcracker — Joffrey Ballet at Lyric Opera Home
December 5 – 28, 2025A Chicago winter custom that includes lush ballet, Tchaikovsky’s rating and visible storytelling. Households, younger viewers and longtime patrons return yearly to immerse themselves within the manufacturing’s magic. The Nutcracker stays a seasonal anchor rooted in magnificence, motion and orchestral depth.
6. A Christmas Carol — Goodman Theatre
November–December 2025Goodman Theatre’s annual manufacturing continues to outline Chicago’s vacation theatre id. Heat, emotional and rooted in story fairly than spectacle, this staging delivers coronary heart and generational familiarity. It is likely one of the most reliable and tradition-rich winter tickets within the metropolis.
7. Mrs. Claus! A Vacation Musical — Beverly Arts Heart
December 3 – 23, 2025Colorful, musical and written for younger audiences, this manufacturing brings Mrs. Claus and the elves into the highlight. The present is upbeat, cheerful and superb for households, faculty teams and early-theatre introductions. A lightweight and accessible seasonal choice.
8. Rudolph Runs Wild — The Second Metropolis
November 28 – December 31, 2025A comedic vacation present constructed on improv, music and viewers interplay. Designed for laughter and looseness fairly than structured story, it supplies a vacation expertise with out sentiment or custom on the middle. Excellent for adults and households wanting a less-formal night.
9. It’s a Fantastic Life: Stay in Chicago! — American Blues Theater
November 21 –December 28, 2025A radio-theatre reinterpretation of the basic story, full with Foley sound, dwell supply and a nostalgic set. It affords heat, humanity and acquainted storytelling with out extra. One of the heartfelt winter experiences out there.
10. Who’s Vacation! — Theater Wit
November 28 – December 28, 2025A sharp, comedic, adult-leaning vacation play following an older Cindy Lou Who navigating life after Whoville. Irreverent, daring and humorous, this manufacturing provides edge and humor to the winter lineup for audiences who need one thing fashionable and surprising.
