Theater events: Janus stages streamlined 'Hamlet'

Re-imagined 'Hamlet'

Janus Theatre Company concludes its 18th season with a streamlined, promenade-style production of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," about a devoted son determined to avenge his father's murder. Sean Hargadon adapted and directed the 90-minute production, which is part of the Elgin 400 Shakespeare Project. Opens at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. $18. See janusplays.com.

Comedy tonight

A slave named Pseudolus tries to secure his freedom by winning his master the affections of his beloved in the farcical musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," by Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Citadel Theatre's revival stars Tim Walsh as the wily slave. Robert D. Estrin directs. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, April 22, at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. $35, $37.50. (847) 735-8554 or citadeltheatre.org.

A timely tale

Provision Theater Company wraps up its 12th season with an examination of racial division. Mark St. Germain's "Best of Enemies" is the true story of the friendship that developed between African-American domestic worker turned civil rights activist Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis, the Ku Klux Klansman who renounced his racist views after meeting Atwater during the 1971 desegregation efforts of Durham, North Carolina, schools. Felicia Fields and ensemble member Rod Armentrout star. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, at 1001 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago. The show opens April 29. $30. (312) 455-0066 or provisiontheater.org.

Other theater events

• William Street Repertory's revival of "Death of a Salesman" opens Friday, April 22, at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Frank Gaughan stars as Willy Loman opposite Shannon Mayhall as his long suffering wife, Linda, in director Richard Kuranda's production. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org.

• A Bohemian teacher at a conservative Scottish girls' school enchants her students and alarms her peers in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," by Jay Presson Allen. Megan Wells stars as the titular character in MadKap Productions' revival helmed by Wayne Mell. Performances begin Friday, April 22, at Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.

• Strawdog Theatre Company concludes its 26-year tenure at 3829 N. Broadway St., Chicago, with a revival of the 1930 George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart comedy "Once in a Lifetime" about three performers who leave New York and vaudeville for new careers in California. Damon Kiely directs the revival. Previews begin Friday, April 22. The show opens May 2. Strawdog will move to the Factory Theatre, 1621 W. Howard St., Chicago, to begin its 2016-2017 season. (866) 811-4111 or strawdog.org.

• Rivendell Theatre Ensemble presents the Midwest premiere of Ruby Rae Spiegel's "Dry Land," about the unlikely friendship between two members of a high school's swim team. Previews begin Friday, April 22, at 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by ensemble member Hallie Gordon, opens April 27. (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.org.

• Honest Theatre and Fury Theatre collaborate on a revival of "Two Rooms," Lee Blessings' drama about a man held hostage by terrorists in Beirut and the wife who tries to secure his release. Performances begin Friday, April 22, at Chase Park Theatre, 4701 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. See honesttheatre.com.

• Vienna Juvenile Sketch Comedy debuts its latest adults-only revue "The Adventures of Reginald Sampson (and the Consequence of Bliss)" on Friday, April 22, at 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. The show centers on the beautiful stories we tell ourselves that blind us to the reality of real-life love. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• The remount of "The Power of Prom," a musical comedy that pays tribute to the 1980s, opens Friday, April 22, at The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Pride Films and Plays presents the five finalists in its Great Gay Play and Musical Contest in enhanced staged readings Friday through Sunday, April 22-24, at the Center on Halsted, 3540 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Finalists are "All American Boy" by Donald Gecewicz of Chicago; "Another Horatio Alger Story" by Jason Jacobs, directed by Metropolis Performing Arts veteran David Belew; "Spectacular Browne" by Brian Pracht; "TBD-To Be Determined" by Paul Elliott" and "A Woman Onstage" by writer/lyricist Stephan deGhelder and composer Brad Simmons. (800) 737-0984 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Red Theater Chicago ensemble member Gage Wallace and Kevin V. Smith star in "Taste," a provocative drama by Benjamin Brand inspired by the real-life story about two men who meet online and agree for one of them to kill, cook and eat the other. Red Theater Chicago, in association with Aperture Entertainment and redtwist theatre, present the Chicago premiere. Performances begin Saturday, April 23, at redtwist, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. (773) 733-0540 or redtheater.org.

• Chicago Children's Theatre announced that performances of its Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24, performances of Nambi E. Kelley's "Jabari Dreams of Freedom" will be accessible for children with disabilities. That includes a sensory-friendly performance for children on the autism spectrum; a touch tour for children who are blind or have low vision; and American Sign Language interpretation and open captioning, which displays all text and sounds heard during a production. The show runs through May 1 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (872) 222-9555 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• Piven Theatre continues its Quality of Mercy Project, which includes events held in conjunction with its production of "Dead Man Walking," adapted by actor/director Tim Robbins from the novel by Sister Helen Prejean. A panel discussion of the black male experience in Evanston takes place at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave., Evanston. A panel discussion about youth stereotyping and criminalization takes place at 6 p.m. Monday, April 25, at Curt's Cafe North, 2922 Central St., Evanston. A reading of a new play titled "#LoveStories," inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, takes place at 3 p.m. May 3 at the Evanston Public Library. piventheatre.org.

• Black Ensemble Theater holds its 11th annual Black Playwrights Festival from Sunday through Wednesday, April 24-27, at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. The festival, an outgrowth of the company's Black Playwright's Initiative, consists of three new full-length plays by Wendell Etherly, Ervin Gardner and Leonard Maceo Ferris, and three new 10-minute plays by Audery Naomi Smith, Jill Ross and Viola Irvin. They'll be presented in staged readings directed by BET associate director Daryl D. Brooks. BET will honor playwright, director and MPAACT artistic director Carla Stillwell and writer Reginald Edmund during the opening-night ceremonies on April 24. Tickets are $15, $40 for a festival pass. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• Theatre Y presents the world premiere of "3 Sisters," adapted from Anton Chekhov's drama by Earl H.E. Hill, Dan Christmann and Romanian director Andrej Visky. This version begins where Chekhov's ends, with the military brigade gone. Visky directs the production, which stars Melissa Lorraine, Katie Stimpson and Kevlyn Hayes. Previews begin Monday, April 25, at Humility Gallery, 564 W. 18th St., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, April 27. See theatre-y.com.

• Previews begin Thursday, April 28, for Chicago Dramatists' premiere of "American Beauty Shop," resident playwright Dana Lynn Formby's examination of the high price of poverty. Katherine Keberlein stars as Sue, a hairdresser struggling to build her business and pay for her daughter's college education. The show, directed by Megan Schuchman, opens May 7 at 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. (312) 633-0630 or chicagodramatists.org.
• Neo-Futurist ensemble member Jessica Anne debuts her new show - a hybrid work that combines nonfiction and theater inspired by life with her eccentric mother - titled "Mike Mother" beginning Thursday, April 28, at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. Previews begin Thursday, April 28, at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. The show opens May 2. (773) 275-5255 or neofuturists.org.

• The Second City announced Tuesday that "Saturday Night Live" alum Tim Meadows will host the NBC Universal Second City Break Out Comedy Festival taking place June 3 and 4 at UP Comedy Club, Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. Devoted to improving diversity, the mini-fest showcases up-and-comers in sketch, improv and stand-up comedy. See upcomedyclub.com.

• Profiles Theatre, 4139 N. Broadway St., Chicago, has extended its production of "Jerusalem," Jez Butterworth's dramedy set in rural England. Performances run through May 22. (773) 549-1815 or profilestheatre.org.

• Trap Door Theatre has extended its production of Matei Visniec's existential political drama "How to Explain the History of Communism to Mental Patients." Performances run through April 30 at 1655 N. Cortland St., Chicago. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

• TUTA Theatre Chicago extended its local premiere of Adam Rapp's "The Edge of Our Bodies," a coming-of-age story about an aspiring teenage writer in New York City. Performances continue through May 22 at 4670 N. Manor Ave., Chicago. There will be no performances April 21 through May 1. See tutato.com.

• Silk Road Rising has extended its world premiere of "Mosque Alert," Jamil Khoury's drama about the impact a mosque proposed for downtown Naperville has on three suburban families. Performances run through May 15 at the Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. (312) 857-1234, ext. 201, or mosquealert.org.

• Previews have not yet begun for Goodman Theatre's world premiere of "War Paint," a new musical inspired by the competition between cosmetic entrepreneurs Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. But the show has already been extended. Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole star in the musical by writer Doug Wright, composer Scott Frankel and lyricist Michael Korie. Performances run through Aug. 14 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-2800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• "The Book Club Play" has been extended. 16th Street Theater's Chicago-area premiere continues through May 28 at 6420 16th St., Berwyn. (708) 795-6704 or 16thstreettheater.org.

• Broadway in Chicago recently announced Sideshow Theatre Company as the recipient of the 2016 Emerging Theatre Award to be presented at the League of Chicago Theatres annual gala May 23. BIC and the League created the award in 2007 to encourage and promote up-and-coming theaters that demonstrate artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility. "We are so grateful," said Sideshow artistic director Jonathan L. Green in a prepared statement. "For nearly a decade, Sideshow has been dedicated to boldly deconstructing and reconstructing our shared stories ... we hope to serve as an inspiration for the next generation of Chicago theaters."

• Steppenwolf Theatre for Young Adults announced its 2016-2107 season will begin Oct. 5 with Caitlin Parrish's "The Burials," about a well-adjusted student whose life is upended when her brother goes on a high-school shooting rampage. That's followed by "Monster" (Feb. 15-March 9, 2017), adapted by Aaron Carter from Walter Dean Myer's young adult novel about a 16-year-old boy charged with murder. Performances take place at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater recently announced its 30th anniversary season lineup. In addition to previously announced productions, which comprise the yearlong Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration, CST opens its season with the second half of artistic director Barbara Gaines' two-part Tug of War epic. "Civil Strife" (Sept. 14-Oct. 9) picks up where this spring's "Foreign Fire" concludes. Comprised of "Henry VI, parts 2 and 3" and "Richard III," "Civil Strife" addresses a family's internal battle for power. That's followed by Mike Bartlett's "King Charles III" (Nov. 5-Jan. 15, 2017), a "future history play" that imagines what happens when Prince Charles ascends the throne after the current queen's death. The world premiere of Karen Hartman's "The Book of Joseph," based on the life of Joseph A. Hollander, a Polish Jew who escaped from Nazi Germany and struggled for years to save his family, begins previews Jan. 29, 2017. Former Stratford Festival artistic director Marti Maraden returns to direct "Love's Labor's Lost" (Feb. 7-March 26, 2017), about four nobleman whose vow to abstain from love and concentrate on their studies is tested by the arrival of a French princess and her entourage. Sean Graney directs the world premiere of "Gravedigger's Hamlet" (spring 2017). A play with music by Michael Mahler, Alan Schmuckler and Laura Schellhardt, it centers on five gravediggers as they joke about mortality and "examine love, obsession, betrayal and loss." Rachel Rockwell returns to direct the Chicago premiere of "Shakespeare in Love" (April 15-June 11, 2017), the stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning movie by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. Performances take place at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Season subscriptions are available. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.