Local theater: 'Fantasticks' revival

‘Fantasticks' returns

Steel Beam Theatre revives “The Fantasticks,” a fairy tale love story shot through with a dose of harsh reality and accompanied by a jazzy score. An icon of off-Broadway theater, the show ran more than 40 years. Opens Friday, Sept. 9, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

Sept. 11 tribute

TimeLine Theatre presents a staged reading of Anne Nelson's “The Guys” about a New York City fire captain who seeks help from a writer to craft eulogies for his men killed in the attacks of Sept. 11. Francis Guinan and Ora Jones star in the free staged reading. 7 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Sept. 11-12, at the Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Donations are accepted and will go to Ignite the Spirit, an agency that assists first responders enduring hardship. See mercurytheaterchicago.com.

Free tix for soldiers

Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, provides a complimentary ticket to its 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, performance of “For The Boys” for current or retired military personnel upon presentation of their military identification. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

A look ahead

Join me at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at the Arlington Heights Senior Center, 1801 W. Central Road, for a free preview of the fall theater season, including tips on how to stretch your theater dollar. (847) 392-0100 or ahml.info.

What's new on stage

• Previews continue for TimeLine Theatre's Chicago area premiere of “The Pitman Painters,” Lee Blessing's comedy about a group of miners in northern England whose dabbling in an art appreciation class makes them the darlings of the art world. The show, directed by BJ Jones, artistic director of Skokie's Northlight Theatre, opens Saturday, Sept. 10, at 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. (773) 281-8463, ext. 6, or timelinetheatre.com.

• Previews begin Friday, Sept. 9, for Lifeline Theatre's world premiere adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' “The Count of Monte Cristo.” Christopher M. Walsh adapts the adventure tale about a wrongfully convicted man, imprisoned for 14 years, who escapes and returns to Parisian society under a new name and title. The show, directed by Paul S. Holmquist, opens Thursday, Sept. 22, at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

• Quest Theatre Ensemble opens its 10th season with the world premiere of “Enter Love,” opening on Friday, Sept. 9, at the Blue Theater, 1609 W. Gregory St., Chicago. Produced by Quest Theatre in conjunction with Red Boat Productions, “Enter Love” is relationship-centered musical set in an airport. Andrew Park directs the show which features musical direction by Lynn Lupold. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. See questensemble.org for more information.

• The Chicago Fringe Festival commemorates the 10th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11 with “9/11 Primer: The Epoch of the Peacemakers,” a celebration of artists as peacemakers. The performance takes place between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Meridian Stage, 1932 S. Halsted St., Chicago. The event is created and organized by The Human Thread, a Pilsen organization dedicated to promoting peace. See chicagofringe.org for more information.

• Red Star Studio Productions parodies the G.I. Joe cartoon franchise with “Yo Joe! — A Real American Hip-Hop Musical,” by composer/lyricist Jay Gish. The show opens Friday, Sept. 9, at Chemically Imbalanced Theater, 1422 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago. (800) 838-3006 or yojoemusical.com.

• Theatrebam Chicago recreates “Just A Bill,” “Conjunction Junction” and “Unpack Your Adjectives” as part of its show “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” inspired by the 1970s animated TV series that educated and entertained. The show opens Friday, Sept. 9, at Hamburger Mary's 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. See schoolhouserocklive.net for more information.

• Gorilla Tango Theatre's Geek Girl Burlesque presents a couple of parodies, including “Boobs of Khan: A Star Trek Burlesque” and “A Nude Hope: A Star Wars Burlesque.” “Khan” runs at 9:30 p.m. Fridays at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. “Nude Hope” runs at 9:30 p.m. Saturdays. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

• Eta Creative Arts Foundation salutes co-founder and former artistic director Abena Joan P. Brown at its Gala 2011 benefit from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Sept. 10, at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. The evening includes dinner, dancing and entertainment. Also at eta, the company opens its 41st season with a combination hip-hop/spoken word theatrical piece titled “Flow.” Written and performed by Will Power, the one-man show examines the daily struggles of members of the black community. Performances begin Thursday, Sept. 15, at the theater. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.

• The Sunday Soiree, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre's women's only fundraiser takes place from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Cotillion, 360 S. Creekside Drive, Palatine. The event includes dinner, shopping, a performance by the Laugh Out Loud comedy troupe and a raffle. Tickets are $55 per person. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando take a trip in the Annoyance Theatre comedy “Escape from Ground Zero,” which imagines what happens to the trio when the embark on a cross-country journey as a result of the grounding of U.S. flights following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2011. The show is at 8 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 11, at 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. (773) 561-4665 or annoyanceproductions.com.

• Four women on vacations from their everyday lives find themselves at the same island resort, sharing the same man in Aaron Holland's “Sideways Tales from Front Street Beach,” a comedy with music about a vacation gone awry. The play runs Monday, Sept. 12, through Thursday, Sept. 22, at Mary's Attic, above Hamburger Mary's at 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 784-6969 or hamburgermarys.com/chicago.

• A comedy writer embarks upon a career as a serious poet while also attempting to dominate the world, in “White Wine and Paper” a new comedy opening Monday, Sept. 12, at National Pastime Theater, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. (773) 327-7077.

• A brainy British playwright ponders the nature of love as his relationships unravel in Tom Stoppard's “The Real Thing,” the season opener at Writers' Theatre. Sean Fortunato and Natasha Lowe star in the revival directed by artistic director Michael Halberstam. Previews begin Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 325 Tudor Court, Glenview. The show opens Thursday, Sept. 22. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

• Broadway in Chicago brings the tour of “Love, Loss and What I Wore,” to the Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St. Chicago, for a brief run. Adapted from stories by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron it consists of life vignettes all summoned by the memories of clothing and accessories. Performances begin Tuesday, Sept. 13. The show opens Sept. 18. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Melissa Carlson stars as Katharine Hepburn in First Folio Theatre's production of “Tea at Five,” a one-woman show inspired by Hepburn's book, “Me: Stories of My Life.” Beginning in 1938, when Hepburn was branded “box office poison” it moves to 1983 with the actress at her Connecticut home recalling her extraordinary career. Alison C. Vesely directs Matthew Lombardo's play. Previews begin Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St. Oak Brook. The show opens Saturday, Sept. 17. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

• Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, begins its inaugural season on Wednesday, Sept. 14, with Lerner and Loewe's “My Fair Lady.” Jim Corti directs the production which opens Friday, Sept. 16. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

• In 1926, an oil magnate named Edgar Davis invested his fortune in a Broadway production called “The Ladder,” which ran two years despite earning some of the worst critical reviews ever. Inspired by that debacle, the Neo Futurists created “Chalk and Saltwater: The Ladder Project,” which draws upon historical biographies, memoirs and other documents. The ever-changing show opens Thursday, Sept. 15, at The Neo-Futurarium 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. (773) 275-5255 or neofuturists.org.

• The Building Stage opens its 2011-2012 season with an original adaptation of Herman Melville's “Moby Dick” about the sailor Ishmael who accompanies Captain Ahab on his obsessive, revenge-motivated quest to capture the great white whale. Conceived and directed by Blake Montgomery, the show features original music by Kevin O'Donnell. Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 15, at 412 N. Carpenter St., Chicago. The show opens Monday, Sept. 19. (312) 491-1369 or buildingstage.com.

• “Still in Play: A Performance of Getting Ready,” Curious Theatre Branch's behind-the-scenes look at the moments just before the curtain rises, marks the beginning of the Museum of Contemporary Art's 2011-2012 performance season. Performances run Thursday to Saturday, Sept. 15-17, at 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.

• William Pullinsi directs Theatre at the Center's revival of “Guys and Dolls,” the Damon Runyon inspired musical about the gamblers, dolls and other Broadway inhabitants. Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 15, at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Ind. The show opens Sept. 18. (219) 836-3255 or theatreatthecenter.com.

• Silk Road Theatre Project has re-christened itself Silk Road Rising. Artistic director Jamil Khoury says the change better reflects the company's mission to reflect Asian-American and Middle Eastern American stories and issues both onstage and online. The company hosts a staged reading of Kemba Saran's “A Dress of Steel Mesh” about a young woman who grows up surrounded by domestic violence. Readings will be held on Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and 2, at Pierce Hall, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. (312) 857-1234 or silkroadrising.org.

• The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation has awarded Theater Wit a $5,000 grant, the second such grant the Chicago theater has received. “Theater Wit continues to redefine the life, off-Loop theater experience — not only for our patrons, but for our resident and visiting companies as well,” said Mercedes Rohlfs, the company's development and communications director.