By Lauren Emily Whalen
The temperature’s going down (finally!), and all around the country, curtains are going up. Here are our top five picks for regional theater openings in September. Check out everything from new takes on beloved classics to a searing solo show that’s safe for the kiddos—and one that asks you “please don’t bring infants to this production.”
‘Rome Sweet Rome’ at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
After smash hits like 2013’s Othello: The Remix, which I still think about weekly, the internationally-acclaimed (and the Windy City’s own) Q Brothers Collective return to Chicago Shakespeare Theater with Rome Sweet Rome, a ’90s-infused take on Julius Caesar. When the titular tyrant issues an executive order banning <gasp!> carbohydrates, all hell breaks loose with Brutus and his senatorial crew, to the tunes of old-school hip-hop and New Jack Swing. Misguided justice never sounded so good.
Performances September 23 through October 19. Chicago, IL
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‘Am I Roxie?’ at Geffen Playhouse
Playwright and actor Roxana Ortega (The Groundlings, Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes) premieres her “fierce and funny” solo show, Am I Roxie?, inspired by her own life, directed by Bernardo Cubría. Ortega explores the mental decline of her mother through various real-life characters, including a mermaid-obsessed aunt, taking the audience everywhere from inside an opera house, up a mountain, and perhaps the scariest place of all: one’s own mind. Two performances will be captioned in Spanish.
Performances September 3 through October 5, Los Angeles, CA
‘Damn Yankees’ at Arena Stage, Washington, DC
“Who’s got the pain when they do the mambo?” This fall, it’s Arena Stage, whose rendition of Damn Yankees, the beloved love letter to baseball (and temptation), is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo (Real Women Have Curves, On Your Feet!). Pulitzer and Tony Award winner Doug Wright and Lortel Award winner Will Power are the minds behind this “bold new adaptation” that’s been “dusted off and spit-shined” for its first major 21st-century revival.
Performances September 9 through November 9. Washington, DC
‘Fancy Dancer’ at Seattle Rep
In Fancy Dancer, protagonist Lara, half-Lakota and half-white, longs to follow in the pointe-steps of Osage prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, but her dream is challenged by a body that doesn’t exactly conform to the dance world. Can she survive, and thrive, in the cutthroat world of dance? Written and performed (on alternate nights with Burgandi Trejo Phoenix) by The Thanksgiving Play and Peter Pan’s Larissa FastHorse, this family-friendly autobiographical play is a collaboration between Seattle Rep and Seattle Children’s Theatre.
Performances September 18 through November 2, 2025. Seattle, WA
‘Lesbo Solo: My Gay History Play’ at The Marsh Berkeley
Penned and performed by “slightly world-renowned playwright” Terry Baum, this solo show was Best of Fringe at the 2024 San Francisco Fringe Fest and wowed audiences at 2025 World Pride in DC. Lesbo Solo: My Gay History Play spans five decades of Baum’s journey from closeted teenager to activist, beginning with the moment that her favorite high school teacher faces termination over rumors of homosexuality and culminates in the same teacher’s redemption 50 years later—with a host of discoveries, missteps, and unconventional Pride Parade displays in between.
Performances September 7 through October 12, 2025. Berkeley, CA
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