By Lauren Emily Whalen
This month, our five regional round-up picks center on family: biological and chosen, those we surround ourselves with voluntarily, those we try our best to avoid until it’s no longer possible, and the ones we love even when it hurts. In Chicago and Philadelphia, new works break ground, and in Dallas, Seattle, and Denver, a trifecta of acclaimed plays and musicals (including Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winners) receive intimate regional productions that prove the classics only get better and more poignant with time.
‘Modern Gentleman’ at About Face Theatre, Chicago
Dating is tough on a good day, but for Adam, it’s a whole new world. After his long-term partner suddenly ends their relationship, the 28-year-old trans man searches for romance for the first time since coming out. When a new girlfriend brings chaos and Adam’s ex returns, Adam must reckon with his own identity. Set in New York and Greenwich, Connecticut, Modern Gentleman is About Face Theatre’s world premiere romcom by Preston Max Allen that explores life, love, and what it means to be yourself.
Performances through April 18, 2026. Chicago, IL
‘Wilderness Generation’ at Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
The final entry in the citywide celebration of playwright James Ijames, Wilderness Generation is a world premiere at Philadelphia Theatre Company—already named a “Top Show to See This Spring” by the New York Times. In this family dramedy set over one weekend, four cousins gather at their grandmother’s home in the Tidewater South. Nostalgic laughter quickly descends into something deeper as hidden truths are revealed and family secrets exposed. Generational trauma and its effects are unpacked with plenty of humor and heart in Ijames’s new work that pays tribute to Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun.
Performances April 10 through May 3, 2026. Philadelphia, PA
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‘Appropriate’ at Seattle Rep, Seattle
Two years after its star-studded, acclaimed Broadway run that won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright (Purpose) Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate makes its Seattle premiere at Seattle Rep. The Lafayette family return to their late father’s plantation home to prep for its estate sale, but in the process uncover a terrible secret that changes everything they knew about him, and one another. As the family reckons with its past and future, the truth becomes clear: no one will get away clean.
Performances April 9 through May 10, 2026. Seattle, WA
‘Ragtime’ at Dallas Theater Center, Dallas
Ragtime is having a moment. The award-winning musical (book by Terrence McNally, music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens) just received a second extension on Broadway through August, and this spring it arrives at Dallas Theater Center. DTC’s production of the sweeping ensemble piece, set against a country on the verge of change at the turn of the 20th century, also pioneers a fresh approach to institutional partnership: the theater is collaborating with Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts and the newly launched Sexton Institute for Musical Theatre.
Performances through April 19, 2026. Dallas, TX
‘Next to Normal at DCPA Theatre Company, Denver
Diana has the perfect suburban home, marriage, and family—at least on the surface, though a devastating loss and the day-to-day battle of mental illness lurk just beneath. When inner battles burst through, and a carefully-constructed facade shatters, will Diana survive the fallout? Next to Normal broke ground with its unique take on grief, love, and mental health, featuring a pop-rock score, and won three Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical opens on April 3 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company.
Performances April 3 through May 3, 2026. Denver, CO
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