This September’s regional theater productions navigate everything from parasocial obsession to artistic angst to censored queer theater—backed by musical scores ranging from big-band swing to sentimental klezmer to modern-day pop. Stage adaptations of iconic movies, a glimpse inside the brain of an iconic composer (played by one of prestige TV’s best actors), and a jazzy Shakespeare reimagining are all on tap. Hop on your preferred mode of transportation and prepare to be changed for good.
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‘Begin Again’ at The Old Globe, San Diego
“Are we all lost stars/trying to light up the dark?” In this world premiere musical adaptation of the 2014 Academy Award-nominated film by John Carney (Once), burned-out record producer Dan and heartbroken songwriter Gretta team up and journey through New York City to answer this question and find the music and lyrics that will, finally, save them.
Presented by San Diego’s The Old Globe, Begin Again features a new score by Pat Monahan and Train, the Grammy Award-winning band behind such hits as “Meet Virginia,” “Drops of Jupiter,” and “Hey Soul Sister.” Lorin Latarro (Waitress, Chess) directs.
Performances September 6 – October 11, 2026
‘The Score’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.
From Broadway to prestige TV to lowbrow comedy, Emmy Award-winner Brian Cox can do it all. He takes on a new, iconic role: 18th-century composer Johann Sebastian Bach in The Score at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Directed by Trevor Nunn (Les Miserables, Cats) and featuring Cox’s real-life spouse Nicole Ansari-Cox, the only American engagement of Oliver Cotton’s play explores the intersection of art and politics through the lens of Bach’s meeting with Frederick II, the most dangerous leader in Europe. Will Bach’s creativity–and morality–prevail?
Performances September 11 through October 18, 2026
‘Play On!’ at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago
Travel back in time to 1930s Harlem by way of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, in its newest production of the Tony-nominated Play On!, directed by the show’s original creator Sheldon Epps. Inspired by (and named for) Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the jazz musical follows Vy, an aspiring musician who goes undercover for access to bandleader The Duke, only to catch the eye (and heart) of star diva Lady Liv. With a score by Duke Ellington, Play On! features big band hits like “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing.”
Performances September 11 through October 18, 2026
‘Indecent’ at Theater Latté Da, Minneapolis
At what point does “morality” become a front for censorship? Indecent, Paula Vogel’s award-winning play-within-a-play, is based on Sholem Asch’s Yiddish work God of Vengeance, whose premiere led to its infamous 1923 obscenity trial, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Subtitled “The True Story of a Little Jewish Play”, Theatre Latté Da’s production navigates nationalism, queer love, and a theater troupe’s devotion to making art that tells the truth.
Performances September 16 through October 18, 2026
‘Misery’ at Arvada Center, Denver
After Misery—both Stephen King’s 1987 novel and its Academy Award-winning film adaptation—the phrase “I’m your number-one fan” struck terror in the hearts of anyone with even a marginal public presence. Arvada Center’s production of William Goldman’s stage adaptation of Misery is 100 minutes of intermission-free intensity, as loner nurse Annie Wilkes takes in her favorite author Paul Sheldon after the latter is involved in a car accident. The catch? Paul can’t leave until he’s written a new book under Annie’s direction. And if he tries to escape, there’s always her trusty sledgehammer.
Performances September 4 through October 11, 2026
Have another minute? Discover more theater
Chicago – Kokandy makes its point with an intimate ‘Sunday in the Park with George’
Broadway – The scariest thing in ‘Paranormal Activity’ isn’t the ghost
Cambridge – John Turturro and Paul Giamatti go head-to-horn in A.R.T.’s ‘Rhinoceros’
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