The Rundown | Oct. 4, 2025- Now Playing!
- John Sloan III
- Oct 4
- 12 min read
Welcome to THE RUNDOWN, a quick hit highlight of the shows now playing on stage in Michigan. It's a Saturday Afternoon Rundown as a new slate of shows open this weekend. From concerts to plays, streaming and musicals, there's something for everyone! So, come on.
Get On Up and Go See A Show!
Every Man Has His Own Special Dream
And Your Dreams' Just About to Come True.
Life's Not as Bad as It May Seem,
If You Open Your Eyes to What's in Front of You.
PLACES PLEASE, THIS IS YOUR PLACES CALL!
Here's THE RUNDOWN for Saturday, October 4, 2025.
CLOSING THIS WEEKEND
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE | Flint Repertory Theatre | Runs Sept 19 - October 5
The season begins in September with Flint Rep’s twist on the American classic by Tennessee Williams:
A Streetcar Named Desire.
Flint Rep’s production will immerse
audiences in the world of New Orleans and capture the cultural soundscape of its setting. Through the addition of original and arranged music by sound designer Katie Hopgood, much of the score will be performed by actor musicians. The production also promises a unique interpretation of the play’s familiar ending.
Directed by: Joshua Morgan
DOUBT | Buckham Alley Theatre | Runs Oct 3-4
Buckham Alley Theatre is proud to bring a brilliant and powerful drama about a Bronx school principal who suspects a young Father of improper relations with one of the male students. Tension builds as she seeks help to provide substance to her suspicions while he defends himself. The final confrontation will have you on the edge of your seat. In the end, will you be left in Doubt?
October 3rd & 4th at 7:00pm and October 5th at 2:00pm St. Paul' Episcopal Church, 711 S. Saginaw St., Flint, MI 48502 Tickets: $10.00 online or at the door buckhamtheatre.org
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OPENING THIS WEEKEND
THE WOMAN IN BLACK | The Penny Seats Theatre Company | Runs Oct. 3 - 18
The Penny Seats Theatre Company is proud to announce the opening of THE WOMAN IN BLACK, the haunting, edge-of-your-seat adaptation of Susan Hill's novel by Stephen Mallatratt, as the next installment in its annual Penny Dreadful series this season. Opening on Friday, October 3, at Cahoots Event Center in downtown Ann Arbor, this immersive show follows the recreation of mysterious events, as a lawyer tries to reckon with the tragedy percolating a small town. This eerie show brings theatre magic to your autumn season, blurring the line between what happened in the past, what is happening now, and who could be in the room with us.
Directed by Acorn Arts and Entertainment's Josie Eli Herman, the show stars regional favorites Jeffrey Miller, Michael Alan Herman, and Princess Beyoncé Jones. Shows are October 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, and 18 at 8:00 pm, October 5 at 2:00 pm., and October 12 at 7:00 pm. For tickets: pennyseats.org or (734) 926-5346.
HERE THERE AE BLUEBERRIES | Detroit Public Theatre | Runs Oct 1 - Nov 2
Detroit Public Theatre (DPT) is thrilled to announce the cast for HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES, conceived by Moisés Kaufman and written by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich. Directed by Amy Marie Seidel, this production marks the first licensed production in the United States even as the celebrated Tectonic Theater Project continues its acclaimed national tour.
In 2007, a mysterious album of never-before-seen World War II-era photographs arrives at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. As curators unravel the truth behind the images, the album makes headlines around the world. Based on real events, HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES examines what the photographs reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust—and, ultimately, our own humanity.
Written by: Moises Kaufman and Amanda Gronich
Directed by: Amy Marie Seidel
THE MUSIC OF HER LIFE | Lulu Fall & The Carr Center | Oct 2, Nov 6, Dec 17
Lulu Fall’s 3-Concert Series kicks off with Broadway Night with Lulu Fall.
The Carr Center presents a 3-concert series, featuring singer, award-winning songwriter and Broadway actor Lulu Fall. Each concert represents Lulu’s poignant life pillars, marked by major chapters and life changes, all from the lens of a first-generation African-American girl.
Lulu has graced Broadway productions such as the iconic HAIR and the groundbreaking Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.
In Detroit theatre, she was featured in the world premiere musical, Hastings Street, and earned a Wilde Award for Best Supporting Actress in Detroit Public Theatre’s production of Passing Strange.
All concerts begin at 7:30pm, and will last 60-70 minutes. The Carr Center is located at 15 East Kirby, inside the Park Shelton.
SILVER FOXES | The Ringwald | Runs October 3-27
The Ringwald Theatre is thrilled to present Silver Foxes, a sharp, heartwarming comedy by James Berg & Stan Zimmerman in its Michigan premiere. Performances run October 3–27, 2025, with evening shows on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 7:00 pm, and matinees on Sundays at 3:00 pm.
Set in an iconic mid-century Palm Springs house, Silver Foxes follows three older queer men as they band together to rescue their friend from a homophobic assisted living facility. Packed with razor-sharp humor, outrageous antics, and a tender core, Silver Foxes is a love letter to queer resilience across generations. It’s The Golden Girls meets Grace & Frankie—but unapologetically gay, gloriously camp, and full of heart.
Written by: James Berg & Stan Zimmerman
Directed by: Matthew Rindfleisch & Gretchen Schock
2025 NEW WORKS SHOWCASE | The Detroit Playwrights' Lab | Oct 4-5
The Detroit Repertory Theatre (13103 Woodrow Wilson St.)
The Detroit Playwrights’ Lab (“The Lab”), a popular development group for those aspiring to write production-worthy narratives for the theater, will showcase original works written by its members on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at the Detroit Repertory Theatre (“The Rep”).
The showcase begins at 5 p.m. featuring six 10-minute plays selected by some of Metro Detroit’s most note-worthy rising stage directors to helm with the help of some of this area’s most promising actors.
Admittance to the showcase is free. As is the enclosed parking adjacent to The Rep. Doors open at 4 p.m. Refreshments will be available on sale. Due to limited space and mature themes, only adults 18 and over will be admitted.
STREAMING
TI'MON | The Obsidian Theatre Festival
The Obsidian Theatre Festival, the flagship program of the GhostLight Arts Initiative (GLAI), is proud to announce the streaming release of Season 4 Feature content. Having gained national recognition as a platform for emerging Black voices, OTF continues to break new ground through the streaming of original plays, musicals, music, and conversation.
This year's streaming schedule kicked off with the debut of TI’MON, a bold new musical by Ashlee and Ziyan, centered on the immigrant experience, family, and imagination. What makes this piece truly unique is the accompanying behind-the-scenes documentary following the development process with dramaturg Kanoa Sims. TI’MON premiered on Tuesday, July 22nd on the GhostLight YouTube channel . The full feature piece is now available to stream on obsidianfest.org.
THE GOLDEN LOC | The Obsidian Theatre Festival | Premiering August 19
Prentiss Matthew III's award-winning play for young audiences, The Golden Loc, is set to premiere on August 19th. The piece, which was presented as part of The Obsidian Theatre Festival's 4th Season, was directed by Asia Mark and starred local actors Khalia Damali, Jarquita Evans, DeNitria Gibson, Tayler Jones, Princess Beyonce Jones, Chelsea King, and QueenMakeeda Taylor as "Zia".
The show received the "Best Play" award in 2024 from BroadwayWorld Michigan and recently became available for production through Plays For New Audiences.
Written by: Prentiss Matthews III
Directed by: Asia Mark
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NOW PLAYING
COME FROM AWAY | Farmer's Alley Theatre | Runs Sept 25 - Oct 12
Season 18 at Farmers Alley Theatre takes flight with the inspirational musical Come
From Away.
On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all. What started as an average day in a small town turned into an international sleepover: Following the September 11 attacks, after the U.S. shut down its airspace, 38 planes carried thousands of people from across the globe to the small town of Gander, Newfoundland. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted performance on Saturday October 4 at 2pm. ASL
performances generously sponsored by Barbara A. Rider and Fred W. Sammons.
Directed by: Kathy Mulay
Music Direction by: Brendan Vincent
THE SHARK IS BROKEN | Tipping Point Theatre | Runs Sept 17 - Oct 12
Tipping Point Theatre (TPT) announces its season opener, launching on September 17, 2025, the Michigan premiere production of Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon’s
The Shark is Broken, a dramatically funny “peek” onto the set of the 1970’s summer blockbuster Jaws.
It’s 1974 and filming is delayed on the set of Jaws. Days turn into weeks and the three starring actors are cooped up on the Orca, while the fourth character, “Bruce,” the mechanical shark, is broken. Amidst foul weather and sometimes fouler tempers, the actors pass the time drinking, gambling and sharing stories as fragile egos come charging, then devoured and spit out creating a dynamic, comic chaos.
Written by: Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon
Directed by: Bill Simmons
THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL | www.stratfordfestival.ca
DANGEROUS LIAISONS | The Stratford Festival | Runs August 22 - October 25
Seduction, power and betrayal take center stage this season as the Stratford Festival presents a provocative new production of Dangerous Liaisons, Christopher Hampton’s masterful stage adaptation of the classic novel. Under the direction of Esther Jun, this opulent tale of aristocratic excess unfolds on the eve of the French Revolution, as two cunning lovers engage in a ruthless game of desire and deceit.
Bold, elegant and biting, Dangerous Liaisons is a richly layered period drama that lays bare the intoxicating allure and ultimate cost of power without conscience. Don’t miss this thrilling new production of a timeless theatrical masterpiece.
Written by: Christopher Hampton
Directed by: Esther Jun
MACBETH | Runs through Nov 22
Robert Lepage returns to the Stratford Festival with a bold new production of Macbeth, Shakespeare’s compelling tale of unchecked ambition. Created in collaboration with Lepage’s company Ex Machina, the show features Tom McCamus in the title role and Lucy Peacock as Lady Macbeth.
Six years in the making, this fast-paced production will grab you with its startling opening scene and keep you in its grip through the thrilling final moments. It sees the clan loyalties and blood feuds of medieval Scotland come to vivid life in a biker gang war setting. In this story of a ruthless warrior empowered by prophecy, Shakespeare dramatizes the consequences of psychopathic ambition with a stark clarity that continues to shock audiences centuries later.
“Macbeth is always timely,” says Lepage, “because whatever the political system or the moment in history, there is always a Macbeth somewhere – an ambitious person who transforms a society into a dictatorship.”
Directed by: Robert Lepage
ANNIE | Runs May 27 - Dec. 14
The sun will come out tomorrow when the Stratford Festival begins its 2025 season with the fabulous musical Annie.
Ever-optimistic Annie makes it her job to improve the lives of everyone around her – except maybe Miss Hannigan, who has made life a misery for all the little girls in her care at the New York Municipal Orphanage.
Annieofficially opens on May 27 and runs until November 2 at the Festival Theatre.
“Where we came from and where we want to go define who and what we aspire to be – our vision shapes us,” says director Donna Feore.
“Annie... embodies the best of every human reaction to adversity and she speaks to us in a language so simple and clear that it’s hard to deny her power.”
Directed & Choreographed by: Donna Feore
Musical Direction by: Laura Burton
DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS | Runs May 29 - Nov 23
Prepare for the Avon Theatre to be transformed into the glamorous French Riviera as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels hits the stage tomorrow, offering huge laughs and high energy. It showcases exhilarating performances by Shakura Dickson as Christine Colgate, Jonathan Goad as Lawrence Jameson, Liam Tobin as Freddy Benson, Sara-Jeanne Hosie as Muriel Eubanks, Derek Kwan as Andre Thibault, and Michele Shuster as Jolene Oakes.
Shakura Dickson ("Christine") sat down recently for an interview with Encore's John Sloan III. Stay tuned for the piece dropping soon!
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES | Runs through Nov 16
Grab a glass of raspberry cordial and join us for a story of love, family and friendship as Kat Sandler’s adaptation of Anne of Green Gables makes its world première at the Stratford Festival. Directed by Sandler and led by Caroline Toal, Tim Campbell and Sarah Dodd, the east-coast charmer plays at the Avon Theatre.
Generations of readers have fallen in love with Lucy Maud Montgomery’s timeless tale about the red-headed orphan longing for a forever home.
Written & Directed by: Kat Sandler
SENSE & SENSIBILITY | June 19 - Oct 20
Mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen with a trip to the Stratford Festival for a beautiful and captivating production of Sense and Sensibility. Filled with simmering gossip, swooning assemblies and fierce wit, Kate Hamill’s stage adaptation of the classic novel hits the stage today. Directed by Daryl Cloran and led by Jessica B. Hill and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane, this tale of sisters bound by love is a pure Regency Period delight.
“This is a story about love in its many forms. Romantic love. Love between sisters. Love between a mother and her daughters,” says Cloran
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COMING SOON
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF | Nicely Theatre Group | Runs Oct 17 - 26
Nicely Theatre Group's production of Fiddler on the Roof will debut on October 17 at The Berman Center for Performing Arts for six performances over two consecutive weekends.
Fiddler on the Roof tells the story of Tevye, the endearing milkman who clings to his Jewish traditions during pre-Revolutionary Russia.
The Nicely cast includes Patrick Lane as Tevye, Alexa Carollo as Golde, Sara Grice as Tzeitel, Sarah Noble as Hodel, and numerous additional local actors filling out the cast and ensemble.
Directed by: Mitch Masters
FOR COLORED GIRLS... | The Choclate Box Theater | Oct. 16
The Chocolate Box Theater presents Ntozake Shange’s groundbreaking choreopoem For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf, directed by CJ Williams —an unflinching celebration of Black womanhood, resilience, and survival that continues to shake the stage and the soul.
On Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 8:00 PM, audiences will gather at Planet Ant Theater (2320 Caniff).
Directed by: CJ Williams
IMPROVISED COPS | Planet Ant Theatre | Runs Oct 10-25
Improvised Cops: This Time it's Scripted is a new comedy debuting at Planet Ant Theatre. Created by the 2025 Colony Fest winning improv troupe Improvised Cops, this one-act play features six characters competing to be the "World's Greatest Cop."
Led by seasoned veteran local actor & director Dave Davies, Improvised Cops: This Time it's Scripted is a hysterical character study featuring classic, down-on-their-luck cops and detectives striving for betterment, united by the one character that brings them all together.
Directed by: Dave Davies
NO BANDWITH: ONE MAN, ONE NIGHT, THREE DECADES OF HITS | Detroit Opera | October 11 | www.detroitopera.org
Following a smash sold-out run this summer, Grammy-award-winning legend Raphael Saadiq is thrilled to announce the expansion of his highly-acclaimed one-man show No Bandwidth: One Man, One Night, Three Decades of Hits with twenty-two new Fall tour dates. The tour comes to the Detroit Opera House on October 11. Fresh off back-to-back sold-out nights at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City, Los Angeles’ historic United Theater on Broadway, and two homecoming nights at Oakland’s Fox Theater, Raphael Saadiq’s No Bandwidth Tour will see him extending his run after garnering widespread acclaim.
Praised by NPR’s KQED as “a masterclass in intimacy, vulnerability, and musical excellence,” the one-man-show offers a powerful blend of storytelling and emotionally evocative experience, with Saadiq guiding audiences through his celebrated 30+ year career. Attendees experience a rare glimpse into the life of the multi-talented artist, producer, instrumentalist, composer, and song writer with never-before-told stories and performances celebrating his catalog from the early 90s to today - including Tony! Toni! Toné!, Saadiq’s solo albums, and selections from his ground-breaking production work.
DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL | The Wharton Center | Sat., Nov 1
The New York Times Critics’ Pick Dog Man: The Musical, based on the best-selling book series by Dav Pilkey, returns to Wharton Center on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
Dog Man: The Musical is a hilarious and heartwarming production following the chronicles of Dog Man. With the head of a dog and the body of a policeman, Dog Man loves to fight crime and chew on the furniture. But while trying his best to be a good boy, can he save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish and his army of Beasty Buildings?
"AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER" IN CONCERT |
Wharton Center | October 7| www.whartoncenter.com
Nickelodeon, GEA Live, and Senbla today announced Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert – The 20th Anniversary Tour (www.avatarinconcert.com) will land in East Lansing at Wharton Center for Performing Arts on Tuesday, October 7, at 7:30PM. Audiences will be immersed in a two-hour performance with a live orchestra that brings the show’s iconic musical score to life in perfect harmony, paired with visual highlights and favorite moments from all three seasons of the series.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST | The Wharton Center | Runs Oct 14-19
Tickets for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the first North American production of the musical presented by Disney in over 25 years, are now on sale to the public. Based on the 1991 Academy Award-winning animated feature film, Beauty and the Beast premiered on Broadway in 1994 and still ranks as the 10th longest-running show in the industry’s history. Nominated for nine Tony Awards®, winning for Best Costume Design, Beauty remains one of the highest-grossing Broadway shows of all time. Beauty and the Beast, directed & choreographed by Matt West, features Alan Menken’s Academy Award-winning score, songs by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman (including the Academy Award-winning title song and the show-stopping “Be Our Guest”), plus songs written especially for the stage by Alan Menken and Tim Rice (including “If I Can’t Love Her” and “A Change In Me”).
AND THAT'S THE RUNDOWN! There is so much going on across the state, and WE KNOW this isn't a comprehensive list. So, if you think there's something we missed, please reach out.
Until Next Time. Break Legs!
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