Theater events: Walk along with 'April' at arboretum

Classic romance

An orphaned young woman becomes governess at a remote estate owned by the handsome, mysterious Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Bronte's gothic romance “Jane Eyre.” Lifeline Theatre opens its 32nd season with Christina Calvit's adaptation, directed by artistic director Dorothy Milne. Anu Bhatt plays Jane and John Henry Roberts plays Edward Rochester.

Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 14. $40, $30. (847) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

Walk in the woods

Theatre-Hikes returns to the Morton Arboretum for their production of “Enchanted April.” Four women, dissatisfied with their lives, rent a remote Italian villa for a month. They and their relationships are transformed and a sisterhood develops. Performances involve walking in a wooded area.

Performances begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at 4100 Route 53, Lisle. Nonmembers: $10 child, $20 adult; members: $5 child, $10 adult. (630) 725-2066 or theatre-hikes.org.

Feline fantasy

Paramount Theatre opens its first equity Jeff Award eligible season with “Cats,” the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical inspired by T.S. Eliot's “Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.” Shawn Stengel does double duty as director and music director. Harrison McEldowney choreographs the revival, which features Lauren Villegas as Grizabella The Glamour Cat and Rhett Guter as Munkustrap.

Previews begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. The show opens Sept. 13. $41-$54. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

What's new

• ph Productions begins fall with the next installment of its “Assemblers” series satirizing superheroes. “Assemblers 3: Countdown to Assemblers 4!” opens Friday, Sept. 5, at 1515 W. Berwyn Ave., Chicago. Also at the theater is “Don't Pass Go!” an improv musical inspired by the game Monopoly. See whatisph.com.

• The Neo Futurists partner with Salonathon to present the adults-only “Infiltration,” a weekly showcase for Chicago's underground artists. It continues Friday, Sept. 5, with “Lady/Watch,” featuring performances by Tien Tran and Kieran Kredell that — like ladies watches — are “small, slick and rhythmic.” The series continues Sept. 12 with a performance by actor/musician David Haines. Performances take place at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. (773) 275-5255 or neofuturists.org.

• Annoyance Theater remounts its flagship show “Splatter Theater” spoofing slasher films beginning 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Also at The Annoyance, “Mantas!” a new character-driven solo show by Mantas Dumcius at 8 p.m. Fridays, and the audience interactive, standup comedy and improv show “The Dunce Upstairs” running at 10 p.m. Thursdays. (773) 697-9663 or theannoyance.com.

• Speaking of comedy shows, The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, inaugurates a monthly series of comedy inspired by Rob and Laura Petrie's parties on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and hosted by comedians Cody Melcher and Alexandra Tsarpalas and titled “Shindig!” The series begins at 8 p.m. Sunday Sept. 7. (773) 398-7028 or thedentheatre.com.

• A couple who routinely ran against each other in municipal elections, and lost to each other every time, inspired “I Approve This Message,” a political comedy opening Sunday, Sept. 7, at The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Greg Ott wrote and directed the show. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• “That's Weird, Grandma: Back to School Edition” opens Monday, Sept 8, at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. The long-running review consists of stories written by Chicago Public School students and adapted for the stage and performed by member of Barrel of Monkeys. (312) 409-1954 or barrelofmonkeys.org.

• Larry Yando stars in the titular role in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's season-opening production of “King Lear.” Director Barbara Gaines uses the music of Frank Sinatra as a backdrop to this tale of a monarch suffering from dementia whose family must confront the patriarch's decline. The production marks the 37th appearance of CST veteran Kevin Gudahl, starring as the Earl of Kent. The cast also includes Nehassaiu deGannes as Cordelia, Bianca LaVerne Jones as Goneril and Jessiee Datino as Regan. Previews begin Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 17. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• New sketch ensemble Chalkboard Anxiety presents its premiere show “While Youth Chase,” an examination of the gap between youth and adulthood. The ensemble performs Tuesdays, beginning Sept. 9, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

• Whatever happens ... happens. That's the theme of the first Elgin Fringe Festival, running Thursday, Sept. 11, through Sept. 14, in downtown Elgin. Performances and exhibitions take place at the following venues: Blue Box Cafe, 176 E. Chicago St.; Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St.; Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago St.; Imago Studios, 216 Prairie St.; Martini Room, 161 E. Chicago St.; Next Door Theater upstairs at Side Street Studio Arts, 15½ Ziegler Court and Villa Verone, 13 Douglas Ave. Admission requires a $3 EFF button available at Side Street Studio Arts, 15 Ziegler Court, Elgin. Tickets range from $5 to $10. All ticket proceeds go to the artists. See schedule at elginringefestival.com.

• Court Theatre and American Blues Theater collaborate on the world premier of Nambi E. Kelley's adaptation of “Native Son,” adapted from Richard Wright's novel. Jerod Haynes stars as Bigger Thomas, a young African American man living on Chicago's South Side during the 1930s. He takes a job with a wealthy white family, than makes a terrible mistake that changes his life. Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 11, at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 20. Seret Scott directs. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.

• Hell in a Handbag Productions remounts “The Birds,” its parody of the Alfred Hitchcock film examining how the filming affected star Tippi Hedren. Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 11, at The Coach House at Berger Park, 6205 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago. The show opens Sept. 14. (800) 838-3006 or handbagproductions.org.

• Oracle Film, a branch of the Oracle Productions theater company, announces Aperture Series Take 5 showcasing “Graffito” by local filmmaker David A. Holcombe Thursday, Sept. 11, through Sept. 14, at 3809 N. Broadway St., Chicago. For mature audiences, the film tells the story of a graffiti artist struggling to express himself. See publicaccesstheatre.org.

• Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana, presents the Chicago area premiere of the musical “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” Adapted from the 1988 film by Pedro Almodóvar, the musical by David Yazbek and Jeffrey Lane chronicles the lives and loves of several women over a 48-hour period. Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 11. The show opens Sept. 14. (219) 836-3255 or (800) 511-1552 or theatreatthecenter.com.

• A Red Orchid Theatre's Incubator series presents “A Night Out,” Harold Pinter's 1960 teleplay about a man who attends a work party against the wishes of his mother. Performances continue at 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday through Sept. 22, at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• Performances continue for American Demigods' season-opening production of “The Last Cadillac,” Reginald Edmund's drama about a young man who breaks into an auto shop and winds up working off the crime for owner Big Daddy, whose friends happen to be ancient African deities in exile. Performances run through Sept. 21 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. See americandemigods.com.

• Rising from the ashes is the theme of redtwist theatre's 2014-2015 season, which begins Sept. 20 with the world premiere of Cathy Earnest's “Another Bone.” Set five years after the events of September 11, 2001, the play centers on a woman who lost her husband in the tragedy. Out of nowhere, she begins receiving bones via FedEx from New York City authorities. That's followed by the Chicago premiere of “I and You” (Nov. 26-Dec. 28), Lauren Gunderson's play about two polar opposite classmates who find a connection over Walt Whitman. Goodman Theatre's Steve Scott directs “Red” (Feb. 4-Mar. 8, 2015), John Logan's Tony Award-winning drama about expressionist painter Mark Rothko at work on the biggest commission in the history of modern art. Ensemble member Jan Ellen Graves directs Arthur Miller's “The American Clock” (April. 18-May 17, 2015), which examines the impact of the Great Depression on everyday people. Redtwist will announce its fifth production at a later date. Performances are at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago. For information on subscriptions and single tickets, call (773) 728-7529 or see redtwist.org.

• The arrival of new artistic director Derek Van Barham accompanies the opening of Ruckus Theater's sixth season which begins Feb. 15, 2015, with Matt Lyle's “Barbecue Apocalypse” about a couple preparing for a barbecue they hope will impress their friends. That's followed by Dan Caffrey's “Matawan” (summer 2015, venue to be determined), which is set during the summer of 1916 as war looms in Europe and shark attacks and polio outbreaks plague the U.S. See ruckustheater.org for ticket information.

• Steep Theatre Company's 14th season will consist of four premieres, beginning Oct. 2 with the Midwest premiere of Hamish Linklater's “The Vandal” about a pair of lost souls who find solace one winter night at a New York bus stop. The company begins 2015 with the Midwest premiere of Ross Dungan's “The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle” (Jan. 22-Feb. 28, 2015), about a bad Sunday in the life of a man who died two days earlier. Marius Mayenburg's “Martyr,” about a woman who becomes alarmed when her son begins expressing fundamentalist Christian beliefs, runs April 16-May 23, 2015. The season concludes with the U.S. premiere of “Brilliant Adventures” (July 9-Aug. 15, 2015), Alistair McDowall's drama about a man who has invented a device that could change the world. Performances take place at 1115 W. Berwyn Ave., Chicago. Season subscriptions are $80 and are available by phone (866) 811-4111 or online at steeptheatre.com.

• Seanachai Theatre Company inaugurates its 20th season with a name change from the original, which means storyteller in Gaelic. The re-christened Irish Theatre of Chicago opens its season Nov. 26 with a revival of Conor McPherson's ghost story “Shining City,” about an ex-priest turned therapist who's trying to help a man who insists he sees the ghost of his recently deceased wife. Jeff Christian directs ensemble members Brad Armacost, Coburn Goss, Shane Kenyon and Carolyn Kruse. The company follows that with the world premiere of founding ensemble member Karen Tarjan's play “The White Road” (April 30-June 15, 2015), which chronicles Ernest Shackleton's attempt to cross Antarctica via the South Pole in a ship, The Endurance. Performances take place at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Season subscriptions are available by phone (773) 878-3727 or online at seanachai.org. Single tickets go on sale Sept. 15.

• Porchlight Music Theatre welcomes its first executive director, Jennie Lukow. A founding member of the company's board of directors, she has served as president for the last six years. “A successful Chicago entrepreneur in her own right, the opportunity to have this particular person with her passion for music theater ... makes her the perfect candidate to serve as our company's first executive director,” said artistic director Michael Weber in a prepared statement.

• Pride Films and Plays announced the finalists for Women's Words, a week devoted to lesbian films, plays and screenplays. The weeklong event, scheduled for Sept. 15 to 21, includes a staged reading of Patricia Kane's “Pulp” on Sept. 19. It also features staged readings on Sept. 20 and 21 of: “Kalie Dances” by Pat Montley about a church organist found murdered; “The Girl Who Would be King” by Jan O'Connor about a girl raised as a boy in order to be crowned king; “Creative Nonfiction,” a dramedy by Laura Jones about a woman who reunites with her ex-wife, and “Jack and the Box Store,” about a woman who lures a big corporation to town in the hope it will take over her small hardware store. For more information see pridefilmsandplays.com.