From 'Rocky Horror Show' to 'Hadestown,' these are the shows to see in OKC this fall

Brandy McDonnell, Oklahoman
·9 min read

Although the weather and the leaves haven't quite caught up yet, the calendar officially says it’s fall. 

And if you look at the jam-packed central Oklahoma events calendar, there's little doubt that autumn has arrived, bringing in new seasons for many professional, university and community performing arts organizations.

From the hell-raising Tony winner "Hadestown" to the seasonal cult classic "The Rocky Horror Show" - and even a puppet show for grown-ups - here are some of the highlights on the fall performing arts slate:

Brightmusic's 'Music of Dreams and Angels'

  • When and where: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27, First Baptist Church of OKC.

  • Tickets: https://www.brightmusic.org.

  • What: Brightmusic Chamber Society launches its 20th anniversary season with two guest performers: trombonist David Jackson and mezzo-soprano Catherine McDaniel.

Oklahoma Community Orchestra

Longtime University of Oklahoma trombone professor Irvin Wagner conducts the OU Trombone Choir during rehearsals inside OU's Catlett Music Center in Norman Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Wagner also conducts the Oklahoma Community Orchestra.
Longtime University of Oklahoma trombone professor Irvin Wagner conducts the OU Trombone Choir during rehearsals inside OU's Catlett Music Center in Norman Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Wagner also conducts the Oklahoma Community Orchestra.

UCO's 'The Wedding Singer'

  • When and where: Through Oct. 2, Mitchell Hall Theatre in Edmond.

  • Tickets: www.uco.edu/cfad/mitchell-hall/tickets.

  • What: The University of Central Oklahoma Musical Theatre division is performing the Tony-nominated show based on the 1998 movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

Contemporary Dance Oklahoma

  • When and where: Through Oct. 2, Reynolds Performing Arts Center in Norman.

  • Tickets: theatre.ou.edu.

  • What: This energetic exploration of modern dance features guest choreography by Thang Dao and Kate Weare, with additional choreography by University of Oklahoma School of Dance faculty Austin Hartel, Leslie Kraus and Roxanne Lyst.

'Bill's 44th'

  • When and where: Sept. 29-Oct. 1, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center's Te Ata Theater.

  • Tickets: https://www.okcrep.org.

  • What: Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre opens its 2022-2023 season — the first full season under new Artistic Director Kelly Kerwin — with the regional premiere of a grown-up puppet show. An original comic show penned and puppeteered by Dorothy James and Andy Manjuck, "Bill's 44th" centers on a guy worriedly waiting for guests to arrive for his birthday party.

OCU's 'Bright Star'

  • When and where: Sept. 30-Oct. 2, OCU's Kirkpatrick Auditorium.

  • Tickets: okcu.edu/tickets.

  • What: Oklahoma City University’s Opera and Music Theater Company opens its 71st season with the Tony-nominated Americana bluegrass musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.

Lyric Theatre's 'Rocky Horror Show'

  • When and where: Oct. 5-30, Lyric at the Plaza.

  • Tickets: https://lyrictheatreokc.com.

  • What: Every three years, Lyric Theatre does "The Time Warp" again by producing a new version of Richard O'Brien's cult-classic stage experience. This year, expect a Texas twist with a "Rocky Horror" set in Denton, but know that the show will still include all the familiar songs, callbacks and adult situations. Lyric will sell prop bags before each performance.

The Boom's 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'

  • When: Through Oct. 31, The Boom.

  • Tickets: https://www.theboomokc.com.

  • What: The OKC live entertainment venue's annual interactive movie experience pays homage to the 1975 film, and tickets include a meatloaf dinner.

Canterbury Voices' 'Elijah'

Kyiv City Ballet

  • When and where: Oct. 9, OCCC's Visual and Performing Arts Center.

  • Tickets: https://www.occc.edu/pas.

  • What: Oklahoma City Community College is hosting the Ukranian dance company's only Sooner State stop on its inaugural U.S. tour.

The Sooner Theatre's 'Little Shop of Horrors'

  • When and where: Oct. 14-23, The Sooner Theatre in Norman.

  • Tickets: https://www.soonertheatre.org.

  • Fun fact: The same team that wrote the songs for the Disney animated movies "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" wrote the music for this horror-comedy rock musical. With music by Alan Menken and lyrics and a book by the late Howard Ashman, "Little Shop of Horrors" is the tangled tale of a forlorn florist shopkeeper who raises a carnivorous plant that feeds on human flesh and blood.

OU's 'Natasha, Pierra & The Great Comet of 1812'

  • When and where: Oct. 14-23, Elsie C. Brackett Theatre in Norman.

  • Tickets: theatre.ou.edu.

  • What: OU School of Musical Theatre's stages the Tony-nominated show inspired by a piece of Leo Tolstoy’s massive masterpiece "War and Peace."

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic performs in concert at the Civic Center Music Hall.
The Oklahoma City Philharmonic performs in concert at the Civic Center Music Hall.

OKC Philharmonic's 'Mahler's Vienna'

  • When and where: Oct. 15, Civic Center. 

  • Tickets: www.okcphil.org. 

  • What: Along with Gustav Mahler's "Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp Minor," the program will include Franz von Suppé's "Overture to Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna" and Johann Strauss' "On the Beautiful Blue Danube." 

Ambassadors Concert Choir's 'Motown Revue'

  • When and where: Oct. 16, The Auditorium at The Douglass.

  • Tickets: https://ambassadorschoir.com.

  • What: The 80-voice choir will relive the music of the Motor City with numbers made famous by musicians like Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and more.

'Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra'

  • When and where: Oct. 16, Civic Center.

  • Tickets: www.okcphil.org. 

  • What: The OKC Philharmonic launches its Discovery Family Series showing a short film exploring the orchestra while performing the soundtrack live.

OKC Ballet's 'Lady of the Camellias'

  • When and where: Oct. 21-23, Civic Center.

  • Tickets: https://www.okcballet.org.

  • What: This sexy ballet with mature themes is adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ 1848 French novel "La Dame aux Camélias." The book inspired Giuseppe Verdi's iconic opera "La traviata," several films titled "Camille," including George Cukor Oscar-nominated 1936 version starring Greta Garbo, and Baz Luhrmann's hit 2001 movie "Moulin Rouge!," featuring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Choreographed by Val Caniparoli, "Lady of the Camellias" is set to music by renowned composer Frederic Chopin. OKC Ballet's production will feature live music performed by Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices.

Oklahoma Shakespeare's 'Blithe Spirit'

  • When: Oct. 21-Nov. 5, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Paseo Arts District.

  • Tickets: https://www.okshakes.org/indoor-black-box.

  • What: Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park continues its 38th season by moving back into its newly renovated indoor black box theater to stage Noel Coward's farce. The spirited comedic classic centers on a novelist who invites an oddball medium to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to use the experience to inform his new book. Instead, the writer is haunted by the spirit of his deceased yet still temperamental first wife, who is displeased with his decision to remarry.

3rd Act Theatre Company's 'Eat, Slay, Leave'

  • When and where: Oct. 21-Nov. 6, Shoppes at Northpark.

  • Tickets: https://www.3rdacttheatreco.com.

  • What: The community theater continues its fourth season, which boasts the theme "Regenerate," with Heather Meyer's horror-comedy. A satirical take on self-care culture, "Eat, Slay, Leave" follows three busy 30-something women who retreat to a remote cabin but accidentally conjure up frightening supernatural forces with their misguided relaxation and rejuvenation techniques.

The cast of the North American tour of the musical "Hadestown" performs.
The cast of the North American tour of the musical "Hadestown" performs.

'Hadestown'

  • When and where: Oct. 25-30, Civic Center.

  • Tickets: https://www.okcciviccenter.com.

  • What: The winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, along with the 2020 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, this hot new musical takes audiences on a hell-raising journey as it relates the mythological stories of lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, along with Hades, king of the Underworld, and his wife, Persephone. The show's national tour is making its Oklahoma City debut as part of OKC Broadway's 2022-2023 season.

UCO's 'Rooster'

  • When and where: Oct. 27-30, Mitchell Hall Theatre in Edmond.

  • Tickets: www.uco.edu/cfad/mitchell-hall/tickets.

  • What: UCO will stage the world premiere of this suspenseful new play, set in 1947. The story follows Vernon Beaumont, a Black private detective who travels from Philadelphia to Aiken, South Carolina, to investigate a routine infidelity case. When he arrives, he finds his mark, a prominent northern businessman, has been murdered.

OKC Philharmonic's John Williams 90th birthday tribute

  • When and where: 8 p.m. Nov. 4-5, Civic Center.

  • Tickets: www.okcphil.org.

  • What: The philharmonic will launch its Pops series with a special tribute to the legendary film composer, who became a nonagenarian Feb. 8. The winner of five Oscars and 25 Grammys, Williams has written some of the most beloved movies scores in cinema history, from "Indiana Jones" and "Jurassic Park" to "Stars Wars" and "Schindler’s List." 

McKnight Center's Chamber Music Festival

  • When and where: Nov. 4 and 6, McKnight Center in Stillwater.

  • Tickets: https://mcknightcenter.org.

  • What: Oklahoma State University's performing arts center is hosting its popular festival for its fifth season.

Maxwell Quartet

  • When and where: Nov. 10, Armstrong Auditorium in Edmond.

  • Tickets: https://www.armstrongauditorium.org.

  • What: One of Britain’s finest young string quartets will perform works by Haydn and Dvorak along with their own compositions based on Scottish traditional folk music.

'Legally Blonde - The Musical'

  • When and where: Nov. 10-11, McKnight Center in Stillwater.

  • Tickets: https://mcknightcenter.org.

  • What: The stage adaptation of the hit 2001 Reese Witherspoon film has its day in court at the OSU performing arts center.

'The Great Leap'

  • When: Nov. 10-20, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center's Te Ata Theater.

  • Tickets: https://www.okcrep.org.

  • What: OKC Rep's innovative season continues with the Oklahoma premiere of Lauren Yee's tale of cultures clashing over sports and politics. Directed by Jessica Holt, the show follows an American basketball team to Beijing for a "friendship" game during the post-Cultural Revolution 1980s.

OKC Philharmonic's 'Bolero!'

'Tootsie'

  • When: Nov. 15-20, Civic Center.

  • Tickets: https://www.okcciviccenter.com.

  • What: OKC Broadway, the local presenter of nationally touring Broadway shows, is bringing the nationl tour of the new musical to Oklahoma City for the first time. Based on the 1982 movie starring Dustin Hoffman, the show follows a talented but temperamental actor whose difficult reputation makes it hard for him to get gigs, prompting him to adopt a new identity as a woman. The musical's book won a 2019 Tony for writer Robert Horn, and the show features a score by David Yazbek, who earned a 2018 Tony for "The Band's Visit."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'Rocky Horror Show' among Oklahoma City shows, events to see this fall