Theater events: Shattered Globe opens 25th season with 'Marvin's Room'

Shattered Globe at 25

Shattered Globe Theatre opens its 25th season with a 25th anniversary production of Chicago playwright Scott McPherson's tragicomedy "Marvin's Room," about a woman caring for her elderly father and aunt, whose diagnosis of leukemia forces her to reach out to her estranged sister for help. Ensemble members Linda Reiter and Rebecca Jordan star as sisters Bessie and Lee and Tony Award-winner Deanna Dunagan plays their Aunt Ruth. Sandy Shinner, dramaturge for the play's 1990 world premiere at Goodman Theatre, directs. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. $20-$33. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org or shatteredglobe.org.

'Soldier's Heart'

Clockwise Theatre examines the psychological wounds of war in its production of "Soldier's Heart" by Tammy Ryan. The drama centers on the challenges faced by returning Iraq War veteran and divorced mother Sergeant Casey Johnson (Sarah Bright), who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Doug McDade, of Shattered Globe Theatre, directs the production, which coincides with a war photography exhibit at Waukegan's Urban Edge Gallery, 220 W. Clayton St., Waukegan. Titled "Those Who Serve," it's comprised of front-line military photographs by Ryan Spencer Reed. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at 221 N. Genesee St., Waukegan. $25. See clockwisetheatre.org.

TV comic showcase

The Comedy Shrine showcases stand-up comedian Nore Davis, who has appeared on Comedy Central and MTV, during its monthly "Comedians From TV" show. 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, and 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at 4034 Fox Valley Center Drive, Aurora. $20, plus a two-drink minimum. (630) 585-0300 or comedyshrine.com.

Other theater events

• Fraternal twins separated at birth, whose lives have turned out completely different from each other, unwittingly fall in love with the same woman in the musical "Blood Brothers," the Willy Russell musical that ran 24 years in London. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theater revives the show under artistic director Fred Anzevino. It begins previews Friday, Sept. 25, at No Exit Cafe, 6970 Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens Tuesday, Sept. 29. See theo-u.com.

• To find a way to lift the persistent fog from their Irish village, siblings Cara and Finn set out to sea where they wash ashore on "Fog Island." Filament Theatre presents Emily Dendinger's world premiere adaptation of Tomi Ungerer's children's book, with original music by Tom McNulty. Performances of the all-ages show begin Friday, Sept. 25, at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 270-1660 or filamenttheatre.org.

• Artemisia Theatre's Fall Festival featuring staged readings of female-driven plays continues Friday, Sept. 25, at The Frontier/Jackalope Theatre, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave., Chicago. The lineup includes "Maize," Judith Pratt's drama about a promising young scientist who turns into a recluse when her work with the maize plant is threatened. See artemisiatheatre.org.

• Performances begin Tuesday, Sept. 29, for the national tour of the 2014 Tony Award-winning musical "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder," starring Kevin Massey as Monty Navarro, a distant heir to a family fortune who schemes to move up in the line of succession. John Rapson co-stars as eight of the heirs. Broadway in Chicago's production runs through Oct. 11 at the Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• After a freak roller coaster accident claims the lives of six teenagers, a mechanical fortuneteller offers them a chance to compete for one of them to return to life in the musical "Ride the Cyclone" by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond. Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the U.S. premiere, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Rachel Rockwell directs and choreographs. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Pegasus Theatre launches its season with the world premiere of Nambi E. Kelley's "For Her as a Piano," about a young woman's attempts to uncover her family's history. Jaret Landon composed the music and Ilesa Duncan directs the show produced in association with Goodman Theatre and Chicago Dramatists. Previews begin Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. The show opens Oct. 4. (866) 811-4111 or pegasustheatrechicago.org.

• Chicago Children's Theatre opens its season with a double-bill from Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, Canada. It's made up of the bedtime favorites "Goodnight Moon" adapted from Margaret Wise Brown, and "The Runaway Bunny" by Clement Hurd. Performances begin Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The shows, appropriate for children ages 2 to 6, open Oct. 2. (872) 222-9555 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• American Theater Company salutes its late artistic director PJ Paparelli with a fundraiser on Wednesday Sept. 30, that includes a performance of Ayad Akhtar's "Disgraced" at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The Legacy Celebration begins with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 5:30 p.m. at the Per Se Cafe, of the Bryan Cave law firm at 161 N. Clark St., Chicago. That's followed by the 7:30 p.m. performance of "Disgraced," which premiered at American Theater Company in 2012. Tickets are $150 and are available at (773) 4019-4125, ext. 102, or atcweb.org.

• Short Story Theatre presents an evening of storytelling beginning at 7:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at Miramar Bistro, 301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood. Participating writers include Craig Sautter, Julie Isaacson, Elizabeth Brown and playwright Scott Woldman. (847) 433-1078 or shortstorytheatre.com.

• The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, presents the world premiere of "Good for Otto," by Tony Award-winning playwright David Rabe ("In the Boom Boom Room," "Hurly Burly"). Michael Patrick Thornton directs the dramedy about a psychologist working in rural Connecticut and the troubled souls who are his clients. Performances begin Thursday, Oct. 1. The show opens Oct. 9. (773) 283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org.

• A young Korean-American adoptee returns to the land of her birth to search for her biological parents in "Yellow Dress." Silk Road Rising presents Marissa Lichwick's play Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 1-4, at the Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. See silkroadrising.org.

• Theater Oobleck presents "Baudelaire in a Box, episode 8," the latest in its ongoing series adapting poems from the writer's "Fleurs du mal." Monica Boubou, Bobby Conn, Whitney Johnson and Azita Youssefi adapted and perform 13 Baudelaire poems Thursday, Oct. 1, 3 and 4, at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4545 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. See oldtownschool.org.

• "The Cricket," an improvised, adults-only sendup of storytelling showcases, continues at 8 p.m. Mondays through Oct. 19 at iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• Signal Ensemble Theatre announced it will close in February 2016, after 13 seasons. In a prepared statement, co-artistic directors Ronan Marra and Joseph Sterns wrote the decision came "after some hard looks at the logistics of our operations, the growth of individual careers and the changing state of our ensemble. It's important for us to maintain the commitment to the artistry and quality of production that marks our stage, and we feel it's best to end our run while we still feel we're capable of providing this to our audience ... Simply put, it's time to move on for us, and we're putting every bit of passion and craftsmanship into this, our last season." Signal's current production is Nicolas Billon's "Butcher," about the efforts of a lawyer, police officer and translator to uncover the mystery surrounding an old man left at the police station wearing a sign that reads: "arrest me." It runs through Oct. 24 at 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago. (773) 698-7389 or signalensemble.com. 
• Victory Gardens Theater launches the Directors Inclusion Initiative to develop emerging directors - specifically females, people of color, people with disabilities and transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals. The initiative will also promote diversity among the next generation of directors to encourage them to create works from "unique points of view." "We are thrilled to have five emerging Chicago directors with us this season. Not only will they observe and work with a professional director on a production at Victory Gardens, they will be a part of our artistic life throughout the season ... and will be given every opportunity to further nurture their artistic and career growth," said associate artistic producer Joanie Schultz in a prepared statement. Assistant directors participating this season are: Toma Tavares Langston ("Sucker Punch") of Enthusiasts Theatre Company; Lavina Jadhwani ("Never The Sinner"); Lexi Saunders ("Cocked"); Kevin Matthew Reyes ("Hillary & Clinton"); and Chika Ike ("The House That Will Not Stand").