06/11/2026
Kokandy's "Hair" among Top 10 for Chicago theater for summer 2026 - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune.
"After a customary late-May lull, Chicago’s theater gets back into action in June with several lively summer offerings, ranging from new musicals with star-encrusted casts to an in-the-round Sondheim to an experimental vampire show. Here’s our annual alphabetical list of 10 of the most promising warm-weather attractions to help you plan your theatergoing around those farmers’ markets and long evenings outdoors. Summer is no longer a down season in Chicago theater; you’ll often find within its boundaries some of the biggest shows of the year"
“Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”
Last year’s Kokandy Productions musical, “Jekyll and Hyde,” was such a blast that it is being restaged this fall as part of the subscription season at Broadway in Chicago. This year, the overachieving non-Equity company is staging the famed 1960s tribal rock musical — in my experience, much harder to pull off than many directors expect. “Hair” has many Chicago connections, having been produced by Michael Butler all those years ago, and there was also a 2014 staging by American Theater Company that used a restored and revised version, and that lives on in my mind. This summer, director Brennan Urbi is the one getting all groovy with a young cast of emerging talent. July 2 to Sept. 13 at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St.; kokandyproductions.org
