In Alley Theatre’s 2026-27 season announced today, audiences will have a chance to see how cast infighting and a broken-down shark ultimately contributed to the success of the movie Jaws. Lovers of classics can look forward to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as well as a stripped-down version of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.
Comfort productions including A Christmas Carol, The Night Shift Before Christmas and Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile are scheduled. But in a bit of a surprise, this year’s Summer Chills offering goes modern with an adaptation of the best seller The Girl on the Train.
Both WOMB 2.0 and Marjorie Prime are science fiction offerings thattake looks into the future. The first is in a world where a rogue virus threatens every developing fetus and the second explores what happens when a widow employs AI to reach out to a facsimile of her late husband.
The season ends with Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf.
Alley Artistic Director Rob Melrose describes the season as “A little bit old something new. Some big highlights are the first Shakespeare in seven years. The last Shakespeare we did was before the pandemic. Another highlight is getting Edward Albee back on the Hubbard stage. “
Chekhov wrote The Cherry Orchard at the end of his life and to get it on stage, had to make a lot of compromises in the script such as putting Act IV in the same locale as Act I — something that doesn’t make a lot of sense, Melrose says.
“This version restores his original intent. I think we’ll all be seeing the play, even though it’s a classic for the first time.” Asked why the term “stripped down” is applied to this production, Melrose explained that director and translator Richard Nelson doesn’t like any artifice in theatrical productions. To avoid actors having to project their voices to reach the back seats, there will be several little microphones above the stage so the actors can speak at a normal volume.
As for WOMB 2.0 and Marjorie Prime, Melrose says “There’s a kind of science fiction that I love that isn’t about special effects. They’re almost like little chamber plays and they really delve deeply into the ideas of science fiction, the ideas of technology rather than super special effects.”
The three-person play WOMB 2.0 is about an underground clinic, Melrose says. Aboveground there is a virus that as Melrose puts it: “makes all pregnancies invalid. In order to have a valid pregnancy you have to pay a million dollars to have this totally sterile environment. It’s almost like a spa. The whole play takes place in one location; it’s the waiting room of this clinic. What makes it really engaging is there are so many plot twists and the people, you think they’re one person and as the play goes on you realize they’re someone completely different.
“Marjorie Prime is the other play like this. It’s another world. As the play starts it’s an older woman talking to a young man in his 20s. They’re talking about when they first met, when they first fell in love. It seems a little strange until you realize oh, he’s an AI. He’s an AI version of her husband when she met him. In the next scene the daughter and her husband they’re debating the ethics of this. It really looks into the ethics of all this rather than special effects,” Melrose says.
“The Girl on the Train is kind of a way of opening up our audience for Summer Chills. Summer Chills has been such a popular brand, but it’s mainly been Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. We dipped our toe into this world with Da Vinci Code.” While Da Vinci Code was part of the regular season and not a Summer Chill, it attracted a sizable audience.So Melrose decidedto go with a more modern mystery thriller as a summer offering, while still retaining an Agatha Christie in the season.
Uhuru is a world premiere about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Melrose says. “But it’s also about identity and what it means to be Tanzanian. There’s an American character whose mom is Tanzanian. Even though it’s kind of an adventure, it’s very, very funny.”
The winter holiday offerings – A Christmas Carol and The Night Shift Before Christmas – offer a lot of returning faces. For the tenth time David Rainey will once be Ebenezer Scrooge heading the cast of the Alley Resident Company actors. And Briana J. Resa resumes the role of Margot, the harried fast food worker who volunteers for Christmas Eve duty.
Melrose says he saw The Shark is Broken in New York City and just loved it. He was already a fan of the 1975 movie Jaws as well as the documentaries on the making of Jaws. The play goes into how plans for several scenes had to be scuttled because the mechanical shark, nicknamed “Bruse” kept breaking down.
“They had this mechanical shark that was always malfunctioning. The original plan was to have this mechanical shark in many, many more shots. But because it was so unreliable that’s why they decided to have the movie shot from the shark’s perspective and it wound up being really genius.
“But what it meant for the actors, they just spent days on the boat waiting for the shark to be fixed, waiting for the shark to be set up,” Melrose says. As has been reported many times, Robert Shaw, a trained theater actor, and the young Richard Dreyfus did not get along either as their characters or while waiting for the next scene to be filmed.
“This play was written by Ian Shaw whose dad was Robert Shaw, who played Captain Quint and Robert Shaw wrote a journal of what it was like to be shooting this movie and it’s very, very funny and it’s also all true,” Melrose says.
Alley Theatre’s Description of its 80th Season:
Summer Chills
The Girl on the Train
Based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins and Dream Works film
Adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel
Directed by Casey Stangl
July 24 – August 30, 2026, in the Hubbard Theatre
A Woman’s Memory, Her Greatest Betrayal
This modern psychological thriller, adapted from the best-selling novel and hit film, follows Rachel, a woman struggling with dependency. She must piece together her fragmented memories to find a girl who’s gone missing. As her night comes back to her, she considers: who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
Romeo and Juliet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Rob Melrose
September 25 – October 11, 2026, in the Hubbard Theatre
Timeless Love, Eternal Risk
Set in timeless Verona, two star-crossed souls defy the forces that seek to keep them apart. This production of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy shows how each generation reinvents what it means to love and risk everything for it. Discover why this tale continues to inspire artists, dreamers, and lovers.
Uhuru
by Gloria Majule
Directed by Shariffa Ali
World Premiere
Oct. 16 – Nov. 8, 2026, in the Neuhaus Theatre
Who Belongs on the Mountain?
An unlikely group takes on a “Tanzanian-only” ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro in this sharp satire. The dramedy follows a Tanzanian-American tourist, two missionaries, and their guide as they make their way toward the “Roof of Africa.” They must confront questions of access, identity, and who deserves a place on the mountain.
A Christmas Carol
From the novella by Charles Dickens
Adapted and originally directed by Rob Melrose
Remount directed by Amber D. Gray
Choreography by Christopher Windom
Nov. 15 – Dec. 27, 2026, in the Hubbard Theatre
Houston’s Holiday Tradition!
Rediscover the timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation as he encounters the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Be transported into Victorian England with dazzling costumes and stunning sets. Join us for a Dickensian celebration of love, redemption, and the true spirit of Christmas!
The Night Shift Before Christmas
By Isaac Gómez
Directed by KJ Sanchez
Alley Theatre Commission
December 4 – December 24, 2026, in the Neuhaus Theatre
Adult Holiday Comedy
The Christmas Eve overnight shift is Margot’s personal tradition — even if that means dealing with grumpy drive-thru customers. But when her dead best friend Jackie Marley drops by to warn her of impending late-night visits by spirits, Margot has no choice but to roll with the punches and confront the very Scrooge she’s become. Experience a Christmas Eve like no other in this brand-new holiday show filled with humor and heart.
WOMB 2.0
By Marisela Treviño Orta
Directed by Tatiana Pandiani
World Premiere
January 22 – February 7, 2027, in the Hubbard Theatre
Secure Clinic, Terrifying Gamble
In the not-so-distant future, an undetectable virus has turned childbirth into a terrifying gamble. Welcome to WMB, an ultra-secure, ultra-sterile, and ultra-exclusive birthing clinic. New recruit Claudia has one job: usher the world’s wealthiest expectant mothers into their nine-month sanctuary. Just make sure the wrong thing doesn’t get inside.
The Cherry Orchard
By Anton Chekhov
Translated by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky
Directed by Richard Nelson
February 12 – March 7, 2027, in the Hubbard Theatre
Chekhov’s Masterpiece Stripped Down
One of theatre’s most celebrated works is stripped down to its essentials. An aristocratic family and their servants grapple with the imminent loss of their beloved estate. Meanwhile, their country faces radical, irreversible change. Step into Chekhov’s world as never before.
The Shark is Broken
By Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon
Directed by Brandon Weinbrenner
March 5 – March 21, 2027, in the Hubbard Theatre
Iconic, Comedic, Chaotic
Dive behind the scenes of the high-stress production process of Jaws! Young Richard Dreyfuss, steady Roy Scheider, and seasoned Robert Shaw are feuding. The schedule is sinking, the booze is flowing, and yes, the shark is broken. Witness the hilarious clashes of big egos, the endless delays, and the juicy mishaps that forged a cinematic classic.
Agatha Christie’s
Death on the Nile
Adapted for the Stage by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Eleanor Holdridge
April 9 – April 25, 2027, in the Hubbard Theatre
Luxury Cruise, Deadly Secret, Poirot’s Puzzle
Step aboard for a lush and opulent journey up the Nile! A luxurious honeymoon cruise turns deadly when a murder occurs among wealthy passengers. Hercule Poirot must untangle a web of jealousy and suspicion to identify the killer aboard the ship. Prepare for a thrilling, witty, and dazzling whodunit where everyone has a secret.
Marjorie Prime
By Jordan Harrison
Directed by Amber D. Gray
May 7 – May 30, 2027, in the Neuhaus Theatre
A New Kind of Future
An aging woman reconnects with her past through artificial intelligence designed to look and speak like her late husband. This tender drama explores memory, family, reflection, and the stories we cling to. As technology advances, it asks: what does it mean to be remembered?
Edward Albee’s
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Directed by Rob Melrose
May 28 – June 13, 2027, in the Hubbard Theatre
Just Don’t Break the Rules
This vicious classic pulls you into one unforgettable late night when a couple turns mind games into spousal warfare. Nothing is off-limits. As cocktails flow, boundaries blur, secrets sting, and the truth hits hard. It’s all fun and games…until someone breaks the rules.
The Alley All New Festival will run October 23– 25, 2026 and can be added to your subscription package. Learn more about the Alley All New initiative at alleytheatre.org/allnew.