Theater events: Clockwise honors Waukegan's favorite son in 'Mr. Benny'

Newell as Jack Benny

Tim Newell stars as comedian and radio/TV host Jack Benny in "Mr. Benny," a one-man tribute by Mark Humphrey to Waukegan's favorite son. Artistic director Bob Sanders helms Clockwise Theatre's production of the play, in which Benny reflects on his stardom and his public image as a skinflint, which the show claims was contrary to his true personality. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at 221 N. Genesee St., Waukegan. $25. (847) 775-1500 or clockwisetheatre.org.

Revue 'Love'

Steel Beam Theatre invites couples, singles and anyone who has "found love, lost love or sustained love" to the theater this weekend for the premiere of "Love." An original musical revue conceived and directed by Doug Orlyk, the show consists of musical theater and cabaret tunes addressing love in all its permutations. Admission includes a glass of champagne and chocolate. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $20. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

Comedy whodunit

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre's season continues with a revival of the farcical whodunit "The 39 Steps," adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. Ellen Cribbs, Joseph Daniels, Edward Fraim and Andrew J. Pond star in this comedy about a man who attempts to help a female spy and is drawn into a web of murder and intrigue. David Belew directs. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens Feb. 19. $30, $38. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

Other theater events

• Eager to improve her life, hairstylist Rita decides to go back to college and enlists a curmudgeonly, alcoholic professor as her tutor in Willy Russell's "Educating Rita." Mark Lococo directs Citadel Theatre's revival of the comedy, which opens Friday, Feb. 12, at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. (847) 735-8554 or citadeltheatre.org.

• Previews begin Friday, Feb. 12, for Victory Gardens Theater's world premiere of "Cocked," Sarah Gubbins' drama about a lesbian couple, Taylor and Izzie, who question their anti-gun stance after Taylor's troubled brother intrudes on their lives. The production, directed by Joanie Schultz, opens Feb. 19 at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• "All the World's a Stage," a Quest Theatre Ensemble original production, takes as its inspiration the life stories of the show's seven actors and adapts them to music by composer Scott Lamps and lyricist Andrew Park. According to the ensemble, "even if the details of our lives vary, we all share many of the same great moments." Previews begin Friday, Feb. 12, at The Blue Theatre, 1609 W. Gregory Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by Park, opens Saturday, Feb. 13. (312) 458-0895 or questensemble.org.

• Eta Creative Arts Foundation presents the world premiere of Obie Award-winner Nikkole Salter's "Lines in the Dust," an examination of the American education system in which a mother fights for her daughter's access to a high-performing school even to the point of committing fraud. Phyllis E. Griffin directs the play, which stars Quenna Lene Barrett, Elaine C. Bell and Benjamin Todd. Performances begin Friday, Feb. 12, at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.

• Previews begin Friday, Feb. 12, for The Annoyance Theatre's "The Condition," writer/director Joshua Fardon's one-act play in which a doctor conducting a memory study asks increasingly invasive questions of his female participant. The show opens Feb. 26 at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The theater hosts a Valentine's Day-inspired "Awkward Phase Live!" storytelling event at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15. "Living Together," in which performers recall their experiences sharing spaces with other people, is at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16. The adults-only "It's Really Very Gay, A Sketch Revue," begins previews Tuesday, Feb. 16. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Erasing the Distance, an organization that promotes understanding of mental health issues through performance, presents "Amygdala Rest." Named for the part of the brain that integrates behavior and emotion, the play examines the mental health repercussions of falling in and out of love. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12-13, at Doejo, 23 E. Illinois St., Chicago.

• David Catlin and Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi play circus performers who meet as students and sustain a lifelong friendship in the Actors Gymnasium show "Marnie & Phil: A Circus Love Letter." Chris Mathews wrote and directed the show, which opens Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. See actorsgymnasium.org.

• Genesis Theatrical Productions, in association with redtwist theatre, presents the Chicago-area premiere of "Muse of Fire," Jake Rosenberg's dramedy within a dramedy about Auschwitz concentration camp prisoners who cope with the horrors of their situation by performing a comedy about the Dreyfus Affair, which involved a French-Jewish soldier wrongly convicted of treason. Performances begin Saturday, Feb. 13, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. (800) 838-3006 or (773) 800-1703 or genesistheatricals.com.

• Previews begin Saturday, Feb. 13, for Black Ensemble Theater's revival of its original shows: "Doo Wop Shoo Bop," a salute to doo wop groups, and "Those Sensational Soulful '60s," a salute to the golden era of R&B. The shows run in repertory through March 20 at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago, as part of BET's 40th anniversary celebration. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• The Cupid Players present their Valentine's Day treat, "Cupid Has a Heart On ... in Bed!" a show that chronicles in song the ups and downs of relationships. Performances are at 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The late show is "a supremely adult-themed show," representatives say. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• The children's book favorite Skippyjon Jones inspired Emerald City Theatre's "Skippyjon Jones in the Cirque de Ole." Based on Judy Schachner's book, with music and lyrics by Dave Morgan and book by Ricky Hernandez, the family-friendly show chronicles what happens when a cat and his friends uncover a circus world. Performances begin Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. See emeraldcitytheatre.com.

• "Saturday Night Live" veteran and Chicago native Nora Dunn performs her semi-autobiographical, one-woman comedy, "Mythical Proportions," at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Theatre of Western Springs, 4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs. "Some of the things that happen in the show are tragic, but it's a comedy," said Dunn in a prepared statement. "The piece that I like best is the one about a woman who ends up killing two people because she'd never had any friends. And because she's such an anonymous person, she ends up waiting for the authorities and they never come. And she's disappointed." (708) 246-3380 or theatreofwesternsprings.com.

• Sideshow Theatre Company welcomes the Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers for their 24th match, a Valentine's Day event titled "My Bloody CLLAW-entine." Doors open at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, for the adults-only event at the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago. Music will be provided by the Beastie Boys tribute band She's Crafty. Proceeds from admission ($10 in advance, $15 at the door) benefit Sideshow and the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, a contemporary tap ensemble. See cclaw.org or sideshowtheatre.org.

• "That's Weird, Grandma: Winter Wonderland Matinees," Barrel of Monkeys' showcase of short sketches adapted from stories written by Chicago Public School students, returns Sunday, Feb. 14, at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. The family-friendly show runs through March 13. See barrelofmonkeys.org.

• First Floor Theater stages Ken Urban's "The Awake." A surreal examination of government control and the divide between dreams and reality, the play is about the connections between an Eastern European actress, an Arab-Canadian on the run and a mother and son adrift at sea. Performances begin Sunday, Feb. 14, at Collaboraction Theater in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. See firstfloortheater.com.

• The iO Theater, 1501 N. Kinsbury St., Chicago, premieres "Take It or Leave It," a new sketch comedy about the advice we receive growing up. It opens Sunday, Feb. 14. Also at iO Theater, "Omnibus," the monthly celebration of all things having to do with comics and comic books, returns Tuesday, Feb. 16. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• Devon de Mayo directs a free, public reading of "Sycamore," a teen-centered play by Sarah Sander (Shattered Globe's "Animals Out of Paper"), at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The story is about teenage siblings - 18-year-old cheerleader Celia and her 16-year-old mathlete brother Henry - who are both interested romantically in their new neighbor John. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• Chicago Children's Theatre presents a limited engagement of "Snow Angel," beginning Tuesday, Feb. 16, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Devised by Quest Theatre in Calgary, Canada, this show uses movement, music and masks to tell the story of a brother and sister who discover a magical, winter wonderland. (773) 227-0180, ext. 13, or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• Raven Theatre revives the little-known William Inge play "A Loss of Roses," under the direction of associate artistic director Cody Estle. Previews begin Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The play unfolds in a small Kansas town during the Depression. Abigail Boucher plays Helen, whose quiet life with her 21-year-old son Kenny (Sam Hubbard) is upended by the arrival of Helen's old friend Lila (Eliza Stoughton), an out-of-work actress. The show opens Feb. 22. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• Royal Shakespeare Company member Paterson Joseph stars as Charles Ignatius Sancho, an 18th-century composer and social satirist who was the first British-African to vote in Great Britain in 1774, in "Sancho: An Act of Remembrance." Joseph wrote the show, which he co-directed with Simon Godwin. It plays here as part of the Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration. Performances run Wednesday, Feb. 17, through Feb. 21 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Niles West High School in Skokie presents the regional premiere of the new play "Prospect High: Brooklyn," written by Daniel Robert Sullivan with New York City teenagers and developed in partnership with New York City's Roundabout Theatre Company. Niles West teacher/director Andy Sinclair helms the show, about four highly motivated students and their apathetic teacher. "When this text came into my hands last year, I was blown away by how current and fresh the dialogue felt," said Sinclair in a prepared statement. "It didn't feel forced or heavy handed. It sounded like my students." Performances run Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 18-20, at 5701 W. Oakton St., Skokie. (847) 626-2638.

• Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 18, for Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of "Othello," starring Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member James Vincent Meredith as the general undone by jealousy. The production, directed by Jonathan Munby, is a signature event of the Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration. It opens Feb. 25 at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• The British experimental theater ensemble Forced Entertainment introduces three works including the adult-themed "The Notebook," in which two unnamed Hungarian boys describe their lives during World War II. It runs Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 18-20, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Also running at the MCA on Feb. 20 is "Speak Bitterness," a performance that spans six hours. A group of penitents confess everything, including their funniest, most horrific behavior. Audience members may come and go as they like. Lastly, Forced Entertainment presents "(In) Complete Table Works: Table Top Shakespeare," Feb. 25-27, at the MCA. The show consists of condensed versions of Shakespeare plays performed on a table top using ordinary household products as the characters. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.

• 16th Street Theater has extended its world premiere of "Yasmina's Necklace" by Rohina Malik. Performances continue through March 5 at 6420 16th St., Berwyn, for this tale about a young man of Iraqi and Puerto Rican descent who turns his back on his heritage until he meets a young war refugee from his father's homeland. The theater hosts post-show discussions on Friday, Feb. 12, Feb. 18, 19, 25 and 26. Also, Gerald Hankerson, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, gives an 80-minute "Islam 101" talk at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, following the 5 p.m. show. (708) 795-6704 or 16thstreettheater.org.

• Route 66 Theatre Company's production of "No Wake," by William Donnelly, transfers to the VS. Theatre Company in Los Angeles on Feb. 25. Kimberly Senior directs the play about a divorced couple who reunite following an unexpected tragedy. Original cast members Raymond Fox, Stef Tovar and Tricia Small will transfer with the production. "I'm excited to work again with Route 66 and my close friend and artistic colleague Stef Tovar," said VS. artistic director Johnny Clark in prepared statement.

• Light Opera Works' 2016 season opens June 4 with the Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe musical "My Fair Lady" starring First Folio Theatre artistic associate and Remy Bumppo artistic director Nick Sandys as Henry Higgins. "Mame," the Jerry Herman, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee musical about an eccentric socialite transformed by the arrival of her young nephew, runs Aug. 20-28. "Let Me Entertain You: Jule Styne's Greatest Hits," a revue featuring songs from "Gypsy," "Funny Girl" and other Styne musicals, runs Oct. 7-16. The season concludes with Johann Strauss' sparkling opera "Die Fledermaus," running Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2017, about a would-be cheater husband who unwittingly woos his wife at a costume party. All productions take place at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., Evanston, except for "Jule Styne's Greatest Hits" which takes place at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston. Discount season subscriptions are available. (847) 920-5360 or lightoperaworks.com.