Theater events: Family-friendly 'Snow White' comes to the Metropolis

Snow White on stage

The Chicago Kids Company brings its production of the well-loved fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. Recommended for ages 12 and younger, the production is the latest in Metropolis' Stories in Action! series. Opens at 9:45 a.m. Monday, April 11, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $14, $12. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

Tragedy revisited

First Folio Theatre artistic associate Lydia Berger Gray performs "The Amish Project," a one-woman show inspired by the shootings at West Nickel Mines School, an Amish school in Pennsylvania where an armed intruder killed five young girls in October 2006. Gray plays seven characters, including a victim and the killer's wife, in Jessica Dickey's fictionalized account of the tragedy. 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, April 11-12, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. $25. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

'Evita' revival

Marriott Theatre revives Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita," the musical chronicling the transformation of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, a poor girl from a rural Argentine town into that country's glamorous, beloved and controversial first lady. Alex Sanchez ("On The Town") directs and choreographs the production, which stars Hannah Corneau as Eva Peron and Broadway veteran Austin Lesch as Che, the narrator. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens April 20. $50-$55. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

Other theater events

• The Artists Lounge Live Series continues at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, with cabaret artist Colleen McHugh. McHugh performs her show "Colleen McHugh Sings Streisand" - inspired by Streisand's early career spent performing in New York City nightclubs - at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 8. Organized by former "Jersey Boy" Michael Ingersoll, the Artists Lounge series showcases theater artists in a cabaret setting. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Lincolnshire native Brenda Didier directs and choreographs Porchlight Music Theatre's revival of "Dreamgirls," the musical by writer/lyricist Tom Eyen and composer Henry Krieger inspired by the rise of The Supremes. Marriott and Drury Lane veteran Donica Lynn makes her Porchlight debut as Effie, the member the group leaves behind on its way to super stardom. Previews begin Friday, April 8, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Tuesday, April 12. (773) 327-5252 or porchlightmusictheatre.org.

• Goodman Theatre, in conjunction with its production of "Carlyle," Thomas Bradshaw's political comedy about an African-American Republican, hosts "Cocktails With 'Carlyle'" following the 8 p.m. Friday, April 8, performance at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Tickets for the performance and the after-party are $25 with the promotional code "cocktails." (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• American Theater Company hosts its gala "A Million Lights are Dancing," inspired by its upcoming revival of the musical "Xanadu," from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 8, at JW Marriott Chicago, 151 W. Adams St., Chicago. Tickets are $250 per person and include cocktails, dinner, dancing, and live and silent auctions. (773) 409-4125 or atcweb.org.

• Single parents Sherry and Buddy regale audiences with stories about their experiences in "The Mom and Dad Show," part of the comedy series at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Show time is 7 p.m. Saturday, April 9. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Previews begin Saturday, April 9, for New American Folk Theatre's Midwest premiere of "Trash." Johnny Drago's dark comedy centers on Jinx Malibu (played in drag by co-artistic director Anthony Whitaker), a faded B-movie star hiding out in a garbage-strewn trailer with her two children, who's offered a chance at a comeback by a Hollywood operative. The production, directed by Derek Van Barham, opens Monday, April 11, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See newamericanfolktheatre.org.

• The International Voices Project presents readings from works by international playwrights beginning Saturday, April 9, at the Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Readings take place at 3 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday through April 25. Readings, presented in collaboration with each country's consulate, are free but reservations are required. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, April 9: "Multitudes" by Britain's John Hollingworth in association with Vitalist Theatre; Sunday, April 10: "Dust" by Italy's Saverio La Ruina translated by Thomas Simpson; Monday, April 11: "Trash Story," by Magda Fertacz, of Poland, in collaboration with Trap Door Theatre; Tuesday, April 12: "the unmarried woman" by Ewald Palmetshofer, of Austria, in collaboration with TUTA Theatre; April 17: a play from Canada; April 18: "The Returning" by Norway's Fredrik Brattberg in collaboration with Akvavit Theatre; April 19: "Woman in Berlin," a German play adapted by Eva Barr in collaboration with Lookingglass Theatre; April 24: "Voiceless Melodies," by Pakistan playwright Iftikar Hassan in collaboration with Rasaka Theatre; and April 25: "The Dictator" by Lebanon's Issam Mahfouz. (773) 250-7055 or ivpchicago.org.

• "Two Dead Women," inspired by the murders committed by one of the nation's first known serial killers H.H. Holmes during Chicago's World's Fair, returns Sunday, April 10, to The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• In the not-too-distant future a pair of teenagers try to survive a regime that controls natural resources and steals words from its citizens in "The Realm" by Sarah Myers. The Other Theatre Company's production begins performances Thursday, April 14, at The Side Project, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago. See theothertheatrecompany.com.

• Piven Theatre brings to the stage "Dead Man Walking," Tim Robbins stage adaptation of Sister Helen Prejean's 1993 autobiographical novel examining capital punishment, justice and mercy. The novel also inspired the 1995 film of the same name about a nun who serves as spiritual counselor to a death row inmate. Patricia Lavery stars as Sister Helen opposite Jay Reed as Matthew Poncelet. Performances begin Thursday, April 14, at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. In tandem with the production, Piven Theatre will host The Quality of Mercy Project consisting of panel discussions, a film screening, a reading and a book signing with Sister Helen Prejean from 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 16 at Bookends and Beginnings, 1712 Sherman Ave., Evanston. (847) 866-8049 or piventheatre.org.

• Previews begin Thursday, April 14, for A Red Orchid Theatre's world premiere of Ike Holter's "Sender." Directed by ensemble member Shade Murray, the play centers on a young man who - one year after his presumed death - returns to his former apartment alive and well and determined to "fix what went wrong." The show opens April 18 at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• A floundering Broadway producer and his meek accountant come up with a scheme to make a fortune by producing a flop musical. But their plans go awry when the show proves to be a hit in "The Producers," Mel Brooks' hit musical adaptation of his 1967 film. Mercury Theater Chicago's revival begins previews Thursday, April 14, at 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The show opens April 21. L. Walter Stearns directs Bill Larkin (Max Bialystock), Matt Crowle (Leo Bloom) and Allison Sill as their comely assistant Ulla. (773) 325-1700 or mercurytheaterchicago.com.

• Broadway in Chicago this week announced the lineup for its annual free summer concert in Millennium Park on Aug. 15. Canadian R&B star Deborah Cox, who plays the Whitney Houston role in "The Bodyguard," is among the artists scheduled to perform during the concert, which will feature cast members from "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical," "Disney's Aladdin," "Finding Neverland," "Fun Home" and "Phantom of the Opera." "For many, it's the favorite concert of the year bringing together thousands of our dedicated theatergoers and introducing them to some of the greatest musicals of the decade," Eileen LaCario, Broadway in Chicago vice-president, said in a prepared statement. The concert takes place at 6:15 p.m. Aug. 15 in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago. See broadwayinchicago.com.

• The licensing agency that denied Theo Ubique's request to extend its revival of Jonathan Larson's "Rent" because of a pending national tour has reversed its decision, according to artistic director Fred Anzevino. Hours after the news was made public, Broadway producer Kevin McCollum intervened and offered to grant Theo Ubique an exception to the restrictions. Performances of the show, directed by Scott Weinstein, run through May 15 at No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. See theo-u.com.

• The House Theatre of Chicago has extended its run of "The Last Defender," an interactive, live-action game/theater performance set during the Cold War. The show resumes April 24 and runs through June 12 at the Chopin Theater, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. (773) 769-3832 or thehousetheatre.com.

• Steppenwolf Theatre recently announced a new programming initiative titled LookOut showcasing various artists. Performances will take place in the 1700 Theatre, the company's new black-box space at 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. April 22 at the box office at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, online at steppenwolf.org or at (312) 335-1650. The schedule for May is as follows: singer/songwriter Charlie Strater and Friends on May 19; rock band Curio & Mikey Classic on May 20; an autobiographical solo show by Pakistani actress Fawzia Mirza titled "Me, My Mom and Sharmila" on May 23; and a brief run of Justin Tanner's play "Voice Lessons" about the romance that develops between a community theater actress (ensemble member Laurie Metcalf) and the vocal coach she hires played by French Stewart of "Third Rock From the Sun."

• Devon de Mayo and Cody Estle are among the directors who will helm Raven Theatre Company productions during its 2016-2017 season, which begins Sept. 21 with British playwright Lolita Chakrabarti's 2012 play "Red Velvet." The play tells the story of African-American actor Ira Aldridge, who in 1833 became the first black actor to perform on a London stage. That's followed by a revival of "Betrayal" (Oct. 26-Dec. 1), Harold Pinter's tale of an affair between a London writer and the wife of his best friend told backward from the end of the romance to the moment when it began. Estle helms Raven's production of Richard Greenberg's "The Assembled Parties" (Jan. 25-March 25, 2017). The play opens in 1980 as sisters-in-law collaborate on a family holiday dinner that is upended by a houseguest who interferes in an ongoing family drama. The story picks up 20 years later as the perfect life of one of the women begins to implode. De Mayo directs the world premiere of Sarah Sander's Midwest family drama "Sycamore" (March 8-April 29, 2017). The season concludes with artistic director Michael Menendian directing a revival of Tennessee Williams' "Not About Nightingales" (April 19-June 17, 2017). A 1938 drama about prison inmates staging a hunger strike to protest conditions, the play was lost until the late 1990s. Four-show preview subscriptions start are $72, with "anytime" performances available for $112. Five-show preview subscriptions are $85, with "anytime" subscriptions available for $125. Current subscribers receive a 10 percent discount if they renew before May 31. Not included in the subscription is the remount of Raven's hit show "Direct From Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow)," which begins performances July 21. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• The Hypocrites 20th anniversary season includes a world premiere musical adaptation and a pair of Chicago-area premieres. It begins Sept. 9 at The Den Theatre, 1329 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, with Jaclyn Backhaus' "You on the Moors Now." The play re-imagines protagonists from "Little Women," "Jane Eyre," "Wuthering Heights" and "Pride and Prejudice" rejecting their suitors' marriage proposals and escaping to the Moors. A world premiere adaptation of Pauline Viardot-Garcia's early 20th-century opera "Cendrillon" by Andra Velis Simon titled "Cinderella at the Theater of Potatoes" follows on Nov. 12 at The Den Theatre. Artistic director Sean Graney directs. Marti Lyons directs a Hypocrites' revival of "Wit," Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about a literature professor confronting her fatal illness. It runs Jan. 20-March 12, 2017, at The Den Theatre. Next up is the musical "The House of Martin Guerre" about a man unhappy with married life who leaves to travel the world and returns transformed, leading some to suspect he is an impostor. It runs Feb. 18 to April 2, 2017, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The season concludes with Lynn Nottage's "Las Meninas" (March 24-May 21, 2017, at The Den Theatre). It examines the affair between Queen Marie-Therese, wife of Louis XIV, and Nabo, an African little person who was given to her as a gift. Season subscriptions are on sale at the-hypocrites.com. Anyone purchasing a subscription before May 1 who uses the code "subscribe20" receives 5 percent off the subscription rate.

• Dead Writers Theatre Collective's 2016 season will begin July 1 with Oscar Wilde's comedy of manners "The Importance of Being Earnest," about two friends who pretend to be someone else to further their own romantic ambitions. That's followed by "Oh, Coward!" (Aug. 26-Sept. 18), a musical revue incorporating songs and scenes from Noel Coward plays. The season concludes with Ruth and Augustus Goetz's adaptation of Henry James 19th-century novel "The Heiress" (Aug. 29-Oct. 23), about a handsome fortune hunter who romances a plain but wealthy young woman with a distant, domineering father. Performances take place at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6875. Season subscriptions are available for $90. The $240 Directors Club subscriptions include subscriber benefits along with beverage vouchers and invitations to private home salons, special events and receptions. (773) 305-8221 or deadwriters.net.