Theater events: 'Princess and the Pea' opens at Marriott

• A commoner who catches the prince's eye must prove she is worthy of a royal husband in Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea." Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences opens its season with a musical adaptation of the tale starring Dara Cameron as the princess and Susan Moniz as the queen who puts her to the test. Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 26, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens March 7. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

• The tale of an average American family - "from first kiss to final goodbye" - unfolds over eight decades during countless dinners at an average Midwestern restaurant in "The Big Meal." Bernie Weiler, of Aurora, directs Steel Beam Theatre's production of Dan LeFranc's 2010 dramedy featuring eight actors playing multiple roles. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $23-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

• Writers Theatre's revival of "The Diary of Anne Frank" at the 60-seat Books on Vernon will give audiences a sense of the stifling tension endured by the Frank family and other residents of the secret annex during the more than two years they spent hiding from Nazis during World War II. Sophie Thatcher, 14, plays the titular role in director Kimberly Senior's production, which also features Sean Fortunato as Otto Frank. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe. The show opens March 4. $35-$70. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

• Vicki Quade ("Late Nite Catechism") introduces "Bible Bingo," a new Catholic-centered comedy, to Metropolis Performing Arts Centre audiences. Bible trivia, the Holy Family and modern sin are among the topics examined during this interactive (game) show. 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $28. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• American Blues Theater hosts "Pink Previews" Friday through Sunday, Feb. 20-22, for its Chicago premiere of "Yankee Tavern," a 9/11-inspired drama by Steven Dietz. Proceeds from preview ticket sales will benefit the Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research. Joanie Schultz directs the drama, which unfolds on Sept. 11, 2001, in a rundown New York City tavern as the first hijacked plane strikes the World Trade Center. Ensemble members Ian Paul Custer and Steve Key are joined by Richard Cotovsky and Darci Nalepa. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or americanbluestheater.com.

• In 1949 Hollywood, after a naive young actor named Patrick had an affair with his famous male co-star, he felt the full wrath of studio honchos. Forty years later, the actual consequences of the then-scandalous affair come to light in "The Glass Protege" by British playwright Dylan Costello. John Nasca directs the U.S. premiere from Giant Cherry Productions in association with Glitterati Productions. Previews begin Friday, Feb. 20, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 26. See theaterwit.org.

• The Hypocrites' Halena Kays directs "Endgame," Samuel Beckett's absurdist comedy about two men trapped in their unhappy home post-apocalypse. Previews begin Friday, Feb. 20, at the Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Ensemble members Kurt Ehrman and Donna Mcgough appear with Brian Shaw and Sean Sineski. The production opens Wednesday, Feb. 25. See the-hypocrites.com.

• An 11-year-old girl attending a summer camp to learn to develop a better, juicier tomato, battles homesickness and an evil scientist in "Tomato Queen," a new musical by writer/lyricist Christine Hodak and composer Scott Lamps. Quest Theatre Ensemble presents the world premiere, which begins previews Friday, Feb. 20, at The Blue Theatre, 1609 W. Gregory Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 28. (312) 458-0895 or questensemble.org.

• Steppenwolf Theatre's sixth annual Garage Rep - featuring three Chicago storefront theaters performing in repertory - begins Friday, Feb. 20, at the company's Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Single tickets are $20; a festival pass is $45. Performances continue through April 26. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Previews begin Friday, Feb. 20, at 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago, for American Theater Company's premiere of the revised version of "The Royale," by Marco Ramirez ("Orange is the New Black"). Ensemble member Jaime Castaneda directs the play about a 1905 prizefighter named Jay, who has everything it takes to be the next heavyweight champion, except that he's African-American. Jerod Haynes ("Native Son") stars. It opens Monday, Feb. 23. (773) 409-4125 or atcweb.org.

• The House Theatre of Chicago presents its three-part fantasy epic "Hammer Trinity" in its entirety (in repertory and in all-day performances on Saturday and Sunday) beginning Friday, Feb. 20, at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. House artistic director Nathan Allen directs the plays, which he co-wrote with Chris Mathews. The Hammer Trinity tells the story of young Casper Kent who recovers the Crown, defends it against pirates and other factions and ultimately relinquishes it for the greater good. In "Part One: The Iron Stag King," Casper, the son of a poor farmer, learns he is the rightful king and must obtain the magical Hammer that will unite all the kingdom's factions. In "Part Two: The Crownless King," new leader Casper tries to defend his kingdom against forces bent on destroying it. That includes a black dragon (voiced by Tracy Letts) who battles another storyteller in an attempt to impose his version of the story. The trinity concludes with "The Excelsior King," in which civil war threatens the kingdom in King Casper's absence. Sixteen actors portray 54 characters in the nine-hour production; marathon sessions include dinner breaks. The show opens March 7. (773) 769-3832 or thehousetheatre.com.

• Honest Theatre begins its second season with the Chicago premiere of "The Confessional," Jackson Akridge's thriller about an ordinary high school teacher who confesses to a grisly murder, even though police cannot prove he did anything at all. Performances begin Friday, Feb. 20, at Collaboraction, Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Admission is pay-what-you-can. See honesttheatre.com.

• "Olio!" - a combination scripted play and improv show hosted by Phil Meister - opens at 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at The Annoyance theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• The Orchard, a new company founded last year, will produce the world premiere of Ray Nelson's "Norma and the Maniac," in association with redtwist theatre as part of the company's guest company program. The play is about the relationships between a woman named Norma, who's depressed and burned out from caring for her terminally ill mother, and a death metal singer named The Maniac who plans to kill himself on stage. Performances begin Saturday, Feb. 21, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago. See theorchardtheatre.com.

• "Red Kite, Blue Sky," Chicago Children's Theatre's interactive performance for children with autism, runs at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago, from Saturday, Feb. 21, through March 4. The story centers on several birds who guide audience members through the changing seasons. (872) 222-9555 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago, presents a staged workshop production of Chicago Dramatists playwright Susan Lieberman's "Netta at Ninety," nurtured through Raven's [Working Title] new play development series. Performances of the play, about a niece who discovers some uncomfortable secrets about her 90-year-old Aunt Netta's past, run Monday through Wednesday, Feb. 23-25. Michael Ryczek, of Columbia College Chicago, directs. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• International Voices Project 2015, consisting of concert readings of eight international plays, continues at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, with "The Walruses," a Cuban play by Laura Liz Gil Echenique, about a couple's attempts to achieve intimacy, produced in association with Vitalist Theatre and Instituto Cervantes. It's followed at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, by Syrian writer Mohammad al-Attar's "A Chance Encounter" and "Withdrawal," which chronicle the ongoing crisis in Syria. The IVP's second week concludes Tuesday, Feb. 24, with "Nothing of Me," an examination of love and dead ends by Norwegian writer Arne Lygre. The showcase continues March 1. (773) 250-7055 or ivpchicago.org.

• The Performing Arts Incubator Program, a collaboration between Pivot Arts and the Loyola University Department of Fine and Performing Arts, hosts a free showing of works in progress at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, at Loyola's Mundelein Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, 1020 W. Sheridan Road, 4th floor, Chicago. Featured works include Isaac Gomez's play "The Women of Juarez;" Juan Villa's "Don Chipotle," from the terraNOVA Collective; Vanessa Valliere's "Nice Try," an interactive clown show utilizing puppetry and dance; and a piece from the theater collective known as the Laboratory for the Development of Substitute Materials titled "Structural Remains: A Memory Experiment" inspired by abandoned buildings. See pivotarts.org.

• The irreverent, Tony Award-winning, adults-only musical "The Book of Mormon" by Trey Parker, Matt Stone ("South Park") and Robert Lopez returns to Chicago for a limited run beginning Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Steppenwolf for Young Adults concludes its season with "This is Modern Art (Based on True Events)" by playwright and spoken word artist Idris Goodwin and "Louder Than a Bomb" founder Kevin Coral. Lisa Portes directs the play about three Chicago graffiti artists whose work sparks a debate about where art belongs. Performances begin Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Bailiwick Chicago holds its Chicago Casting Auction production of the musical "Wonderful Town," from Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 25-28, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Supporters bid on roles in the Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden-Adolph Green musical about two sisters from Ohio who come to New York City to make their fortunes. Varris Holmes directs. See bailiwickchicago.com.

• Naperville native Mat Smart ("Naperville") traveled to the bottom of the world to spend three months working at the McMurdo Station as part of the United States Antarctic Program in order to research his new play. The result is "The Royal Society of Antarctica," about a young woman born at the station who returns seeking answers about the mother she never knew. Previews for The Gift Theatre's world premiere begin Thursday, Feb. 26, at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by Fox Valley Repertory artistic director John Gawlik, opens March 5. (773) 283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org.

• Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 26, for the U.S. premiere of "Dunsinane," David Greig's sequel to William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" presented by the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of Chicago Shakespeare Theater's World's Stage Series. Roxana Silbert directs the production, which unfolds after Macbeth's death when an English commanding officer attempts to restore order to Scotland and in the process comes up against Macbeth's widow, Gruach. The show opens Feb. 28 at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Pride Films & Plays announced that its production of the new musical "The Book of Merman" will transfer to the Apollo Theater Studio, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, on Thursday, Feb. 26. A parody (of sorts) by Leo Schwartz, the musical centers on two Mormons who ring the doorbell of a woman named Ethel. (773) 935-6100 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Theatre at the Center opens its 25th season with a revival of Ernest Thompson's "On Golden Pond," about an elderly couple returning to their summer home for the 48th year where they negotiate the changes in their lives and their relationship with their adult daughter. Dennis Kelly and Ami Silvestre star as Norman and Ethel in the production, helmed by artistic director William Pullinsi. Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 26, at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana. The show opens March 1. (219) 836-3255 or theatreatthecenter.com.

• Red Tape Theatre announced a fundraising campaign for its production of Taylor Mac's "The Walk Across America for Mother Earth," which is part of Steppenwolf Theatre's sixth annual Garage Rep. In exchange for a $1 donation, the company will reduce the ticket price by one dollar. See redtapetheatre.org.

• The Harris Theater for Music and Dance recently announced a $5 million renovation project that will include the addition of two new elevators and an expanded Randolph Street lobby. Renovations will conclude in December 2015, according to a prepared news release.