Chicago Cabaret Week 2025 brings 95+ performers to 17 stages across the city

Launched in 2022 after a COVID-related delay, Chicago Cabaret Week has quickly grown into a marquee cultural event, co-produced by Chicago Cabaret Professionals, Working in Concert, Acts Of Kindness Cabaret, and The Cabaret Project. With support from Choose Chicago, the Illinois Arts Council, and WDCB 90.9 FM, this celebration of storytelling through song, comedy, and performance art pays homage to a tradition over a century old.

“Cabaret Week is all about giving fans and new audiences a lineup of stellar cabaret shows in fantastic venues,” said Anne Burnell, jazz performer and one of the event’s organizers in a statement. With tickets capped at $30 or less, affordability is central to the festival’s mission to expand cabaret’s reach.

The lineup is as eclectic as the city itself from May 9-18. Opening night kicks off with Robin Watson’s “An Edible Array of Music” at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, serving up funky interpretations of classics from Ellington to Stevie Wonder. That same evening, MUSE: Unveiled at the Newport Theater will blend drag, burlesque, clowning, and live music for a provocative, genre-defying performance.

The weekend brings a range of experiences from “Encore: The Art of Aging Well,” a humorous and heartfelt nod to growing older, to Ben Jones’ “Temptation”, showcasing a staggering vocal range across timeless jazz and Broadway tunes. On Mother’s Day, the real-life mother-daughter duo Nancy Hays and Mary Heffernan pay tribute to Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli in a touching recreation of their 1964 London Palladium concert.

As the week unfolds, cabaret aficionados can travel the globe with “Cities of the World” on Monday at the Rhapsody Theater, or drift along the Seine during “From Chicago to Paris with Love”, performed by Claudia Hummel & Friends at Rockwell on the River.

Thursday brings a dive into nostalgia with “Swell Soirée: The Fabulous Fifties” and a powerhouse performance from Lynne Jordan and The Shivers in “Naughty Divas” at The Cliff Dwellers, mixing blues, disco, and diva attitude.

The celebration closes with two emotional farewells. First, the final bow of Acts Of Kindness Cabaret, which has raised over half a million dollars for nonprofits. And finally, Sam Fazio’s “The Classics” brings a polished, jazz-infused finale at Vincent Restaurant.

“Chicago’s cabaret scene is one of the most vibrant in the world,” said Claudia Hummel, Executive Director of Working in Concert, in a statement. “This week is about celebrating that history—and the artists making it come alive today.”

For full listings and tickets, visit chicagocabaretweek.org.