On stage: Porchlight revives 'Sondheim on Sondheim'

Examining Sondheim

The multi-Jeff Award-winning team of director Nick Bowling and music director Austin Cook helms Porchlight Music Theatre's revival of "Sondheim on Sondheim," a portrait of the composer in his own words. Rebecca Finnegan and James Earl Jones II are among the cast members.

Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 13. $35-$45. (773) 777-9884 or porchlightmusictheatre.org.

Artists Lounge open

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre debuts its Artists Lounge Live, which introduces Broadway in Chicago stars to Arlington Heights audiences. Inaugurating the series is Broadway veteran and onetime "Jersey Boy" Eric Gutman. Subtitled "From Broadway to Obscurity," Gutman's bio-revue chronicles his experiences in the off-Broadway and national tours of "Forbidden Broadway" and "Forbidden Hollywood."

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $40, $45. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

World premiere

Victory Gardens Theater presents the world premiere of "Samsara," a comedy by Lauren Yee developed during VGT's 2012 Ignition Festival of New Plays. Seth Bockley directs Yee's examination of 21st-century parenthood, in which the imaginations of an American Katie and her Indian surrogate Suraiya run away with them during Suraiya's pregnancy.

Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 13. $15-$60. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

Other theater events

• The Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, secured the rights to the regional premiere of "The Addams Family," by composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa and book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Inspired by Charles Addams' macabre cartoons as well as the TV series and films, the musical centers on the comic mayhem that ensues when daughter Wednesday Addams brings her boyfriend and his parents to meet her quirky family. L. Walter Stearns directs the show, which features music direction from Eugene Dizon and choreography from Lincolnshire native Brenda Didier. It opens Friday, Feb. 6. (773) 325-1700 or mercurytheaterchicago.com.

• Previews continue through Feb. 13 for Steppenwolf Theatre's Chicago premiere of "Marie Antoinette," David Adjmi's modern-day take on the doomed queen. Ensemble member Alana Arenas stars as the titular monarch in Robert O'Hara's production, which opens Feb. 14 at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Four-year-old Jake's intelligence makes him a candidate for a prestigious kindergarten program, but his passion for playing dress-up and for Cinderella may prevent him from enrolling in the school in Daniel Pearle's examination of gender, class and nonconforming behavior in "A Kid Like Jake." About Face Theatre's Chicago premiere is directed by Keira Fromm and features Drury Lane and Marriott Theatre veterans Katherine Keberlein and Michael Aaron Lindner. Previews begin Friday, Feb. 6, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 12. (773) 404-7336 or aboutfacetheatre.org.

• Performances begin Friday, Feb. 6, for eta Creative Arts Foundation's production of "Liberty City," April Yvette Thompson and Jessica Blank's drama about a father trying to pass on his African beliefs to his family whose community is devastated by racism. Performances run through March 29 at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.

• The Chicago Slam Works House Ensemble premieres "Redlined," a poetry-centered, interdisciplinary show about gentrification and economic disparity, written by ensemble members. Performances continue Fridays through March 13 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. See chicagoslamworks.com.

• The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, hosts "Mommy," a sketch comedy show featuring Michael Aviles and Greg Yates. The duo performs Fridays, beginning Feb. 6. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• "The Trial of Moses Fleetwood Walker" is a drama with music by Ervin Gardner that tells the story of the man who was reportedly the first African-American to play major league baseball in 1884. He was later charged with killing a white man. Previews begin Saturday, Feb. 7, at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. BET's non-singing production is directed by founder and artistic director Jackie Taylor. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• (re) discover theatre remounts its 2014 production of "Fifty Shades of Shakespeare," beginning Saturday, Feb. 7, at The Pony, 1638 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Ann Kreitman directs the production consisting of 11 of Shakespeare's sexiest, bawdiest scenes performed by four actors whom audience members select to play specific roles. See rediscovertheatre.com/tickets.

• Filament Theatre opens its 2015 season with David Wood's all-ages adaptation of Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach," about an orphaned boy who finds himself inside the pit of a giant peach where he and his insect friends experience a great adventure. Kathryn Walsh directs the production, which incorporates puppetry, original music and circus arts. Previews begin Saturday, Feb. 7, at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 11. (773) 270-1660 or filamenttheatre.org.

• The sketch comedy ensemble HIJINKS celebrates its new io Chicago home with a 12-hour comedy marathon reprising each show they did in 2014. It begins at noon Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. (312) 929-2401.

• Option Up!, the musical theater and cabaret talk show hosted by composer/arranger Aaron Benham and director/choreographer Christopher Pazdernik, celebrates its anniversary at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• trip. presents the Midwest premiere of "finding grafenberg," an adults-only production written and directed by Graham Brown that examines sex and power in the workplace and was inspired by Dr. Ernest Grafenberg, who referenced various female erogenous zones in a 1950 sexology journal article. Previews begin Tuesday, Feb. 10, at The Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 12. See tripnyc.org for information.

• Pivot Arts monthly Pop Up! Performance Series continues at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Francesca's, 1039 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, with the second annual "Sadness Show." An alternative to Valentine's Day offerings, the show is hosted by Pamela Chermansky ("Burning Bluebeard") and features music performances and a sad story contest whose contestants include playwrights Brett Neveu, Calamity West and Tanya Palmer among others. See pivotarts.org.

• Akvavit Theatre presents the U.S. premiere of "Blue Planet," a family-friendly show by Icelandic writer Andri Snaer Magnason. It's about best friends Hulda and Brimir, who live on a planet inhabited only by children. Then they encounter for the first time an adult who promises them an even better life. The show opens Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 595-4849 or tix.com.

• The New Colony's Side Stage series of free play readings continues at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, with "KIN FOLK" by William Glick. Evan Linder directs the show about a girl who comes out of the closet to reveal that she is really a dragon named Kreeka, then is forced to decide between her surrogate family and her community known as Otherkin. See thenewcolony.org.

• BoHo Theatre begins its 11th season with the musical "Ordinary Days," composer/lyricist Adam Gwon's musical about uncovering the extraordinary in the everyday in which a graduate student searching for her lost thesis notes leads four average New Yorkers to realize they are anything but ordinary. Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 14. (866) 811-4111 or bohotheatre.com.

• Gender, identity, love and marriage play out in "A Nice Indian Boy," Madhuri Shekar's comedy about a South Asian-American family's struggle with gay culture. Rasaka Theatre Company presents the show's Midwest premiere, which begins Thursday, Feb. 12, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.com or rasakatheatre.com.

• Collaboraction remounts "Forgotten Future: The Education Project," a 2014 show examining Chicago's problem-plagued education system and focusing on three students coping with economic inequities, standardized testing, overworked teachers and cultural barriers. Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 18. (312) 226-9633 or collaboraction.org.

• Writer Declan Murphy's own experiences inspired "Fur Elites," an absurdist musical about a young man working at a fur salon in the fashion district. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 12, at The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Lifeline Theatre has extended its world premiere production of "Lions of Illyria," ensemble member Robert Kauzlaric's adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," in which young lioness Violet attempts to locate her brother after being separated from him during a storm at sea. Performances continue through March 1 at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. In other Lifeline news, the company recently named Lavina Jadhwani, an artistic associate at Silk Road Rising, as casting director. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

• Trap Door Theatre has extended "Cookie Play," Ken Prestininzi's satire about an ordinary family running afoul of the Department of Homeland Security. Performances continue through Feb. 21 at 1655 W. Cortland St., Chicago. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

• Chicago Dramatists last week announced a historic change in leadership as founding artistic director Russ Tutterow, known as a champion of new works, will step down after 30 years, ending one of the longest leadership tenures in Chicago-area theater. Tutterow will become artistic director emeritus and serve as a company consultant. He will also direct and work with the theater's 36 resident playwrights. Former associate artistic director Meghan Beals, who served as literary manager and dramaturge for Northlight Theatre, takes over as interim artistic director. "As I pass the torch to Meghan, I'm excited about the direction our organization is taking in blending the traditions that made us successful with a pioneer approach that will take our work into the future," Tutterow said in a prepared statement.

• Red Theater Chicago recently announced that local playwright Erin Austin won the company's third annual playwriting competition for the drama "Insert Heart Here" about a plastic surgery clinic that is actually a front for an illegal organ transplant operation. Red Theater presents a staged reading of the play at 1 p.m. March 8 at The Den Theater, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.