Theater events: Chicago Children's Theatre remounts 'Selfish Giant'

• Chicago Children's Theatre remounts its 2008 production of “The Selfish Giant” by Blair Thomas & Company. This retelling of the Oscar Wilde story about a grumpy giant who forbids the children in his neighborhood from playing in his garden features music by Michael Smith. Performances begin Friday, Jan. 23, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Also, CCT collaborates with Writers Theatre to present “The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights” from Saturday, Jan. 24, through Feb. 6. Written by Yolanda Androzzo and starring Caren Blackmore, the one-woman show follows a student's personal transformation resulting from her research of the Civil Rights Movement. (872) 222-9555 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• Best of times: Marriott Theatre kicks off its 40th anniversary season with “La Cage aux Folles,” by composer/lyricist Jerry Herman and book writer Harvey Fierstein. Inspired by French writer/actor Jean Poiret's play, the musical centers on the gay couple Georges and Albin, who attempt to play it straight when Georges' son Jean-Michel introduces them to his fiance, who happens to be the daughter of a conservative politician who doesn't approve of same-sex couples. Joe Leonardo directs Gene Weygandt (“Wicked”) and David Hess (“Shenandoah”) who star as Albion and Georges. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens Feb. 4. $50-$55. (847) 634-1000 or marriotttheatre.com.

• Neil Simon laffer: Neil Simon's experiences as a young writer — alongside Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner — for Sid Caesar's seminal “Your Show of Shows” inspired the comedy “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.” First Folio Theatre's Alison C. Vesely directs the company's revival featuring ensemble members Rene Ruelas as Max, the Sid Caesar-inspired character, and Andrew Behling as Simon's alter-ego, Lucas. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. The show opens Jan. 31. $22-$39. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

• An American original: Clockwise Theatre pays tribute to one of Waukegan's favorite sons — comedian and radio/TV star Jack Benny — in Mark Humphrey's “Mr. Benny.” Tim Newell, a New York actor who made his Chicago debut in 2012, stars as Benny in this one-man show chronicling the entertainer's career from vaudeville to television. Bob Sanders directs. Opens at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, at 221 N. Genesee St., Waukegan. $25. (847) 775-1500 or clockwisetheatre.org.

• Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, revives Samuel Beckett's “Waiting for Godot,” about a pair of vagabonds waiting on a lonely road for a man neither have ever met. Resident artist Ron OJ Parson directs Alfred H. Wilson and Allen Gilmore, who star as Estragon and Vladimir. Jeff Award winner A.C. Smith plays the sadistic Pozzo and Anthony Lee Irons plays the hapless Lucky. The last preview is Friday, Jan. 23. The show opens Saturday, Jan. 24. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.

• College friends Catherine, an academic, and Gwen, a wife and mother, reunite after 20 years to mull over the choices they made and experience how green the grass on the other side is in Gina Gionfriddo's “Rapture, Blister, Burn.” Goodman Theatre's Chicago premiere is in previews at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show, directed by Kimberly Senior, opens Monday, Jan. 26. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Performances begin Friday, Jan. 23, for The Brown Paper Box Company's “Spike Heels,” a contemporary comedy of manners by Theresa Rebeck. An updated take on “Pygmalion,” the play involves sexual harassment and a possible four-sided love triangle. Performances run through Feb. 8 at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. See brownpaperbox.org.

• The Other Theatre Company makes its Chicago debut with “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992,” Anna Deavere Smith's examination of the 1992 riots that erupted in California after the white police officers charged with beating Rodney King were acquitted. Previews begin on Friday, Jan. 23, at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. The show opens Jan. 27. See theothertheatrecompany.com.

• Oracle Productions begins its fifth year of free, public access theater with the world premiere of “Circle-Machine.” An adaptation of Charles Mee's “Full Circle,” the play centers on an American woman who is “mistakenly left holding the newborn child of the First Secretary of the Communist Party when the Berlin Wall falls” in 1989. Performances begin Saturday, Jan. 24, at 3809 N. Broadway, Chicago. Admission is free, but donations are accepted and reservations are recommended. See publicaccesstheatre.org.

• Roger Guenveur Smith wrote and plays the titular “Rodney King” in the one-man show in which King recalls the L.A. Riots of 1992. Smith performs at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at the DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events presents the performance as part of its On Edge experimental series. See cityofchicago.org/dcase.

• Salsation Theatre Company presents SalsaSketch, in which performers write, rehearse and perform sketch comedy shows in one day, at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com or salsation.org.

• Previews begin Tuesday, Jan. 27, for Raven Theatre's revival of Horton Foote's dramedy “Dividing the Estate,” about the feuding members of a once-wealthy Texas family who reunite to figure out what to do about falling real estate values, an unexpected tax bill and the family's dwindling fortunes. Associate artistic director Cody Estle directs the production, which opens Feb. 2 at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company has extended its world premiere of the Broadway-bound “Airline Highway,” Lisa D'Amour's examination of the ersatz family of fringe dwellers who come together to celebrate the life of the failing Miss Ruby, a former strip club owner who has been their de facto mother. Performances run through Feb. 14 at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.