Dark fantasy stage adaptation of Ray Bradbury's novel, featuring shadows, puppetry and live actors.
Different Stages brings Something Wicked This Way Comes to The Vortex starting November 13, running through December 5. It's a stage adaptation of Ray Bradbury's 1962 dark fantasy novel, adapted for the theater by Bradbury himself. The story follows two boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, who go up against a sinister, magical carnival led by the mysterious Mr. Dark. The carnival rolls into their Midwestern town of Green Town, Illinois, just before Halloween, and it preys on people's secret desires—offering wishes in exchange for their life force. From there, it's a story about good versus evil, the loss of innocence, and the fear of aging, all written in Bradbury's poetic, eerie prose.
On stage, the production uses shadows, puppetry, and live actors to bring that world to life. Melissa McKnight directs and also handles the puppet design. The cast includes Riemann Verdeflor, Christopher Saenz, Michael Costilla, Pablo Muñoz-Evers, Michael Harlan, Jim Bast, Michael Osborn, Katherine Schroeder, Stephanie Salama, Carley Robinson, and Bart Williamson. It's part of CTX Live Theatre's 2026-2027 season, and it's being staged by Different Stages, a company that started back in 1980 as Small Potatoes Theatrical Company.
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The run goes from Thursday through Sunday, November 13 to December 5. Performances are at 8 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 6 PM on Sundays. There's no show on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, but they've added a performance on Wednesday, December 2, at 8 PM. Tickets are $15 to $39, pick your price, and the show is at The Vortex, 2307 Manor Road, Austin, TX 78722.
