Theater events: Chicago Shakespeare premieres two-part 'Tug of War' epic

Steel Beam premiere

The Scanlon family's annual Independence Day celebration on Cape Cod goes awry in "When Not That Good Will Do," a new dysfunctional family comedy by Emmy Award-winning writer Richard Culliton. Bernie Weiler directs Steel Beam's world premiere. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, May 13, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $23-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

CST's 'Tug of War'

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's "Tug of War," an epic, two-part celebration of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth begins with "Foreign Fire." Adapted by artistic director Barbara Gaines from "Edward III," "Henry V" and "Henry VI, Part 1," "Foreign Fire" traces the origins of the 100 Years War and the War of the Roses. It's followed later this year by "Civil Strife," comprised of "Henry VI, Parts 2 and 3" and "Richard III." CST's productions mark the first time these particular history plays have been seen in this context. Previews continue at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. The show opens May 21. Tickets start at $85 when "Foreign Fire" and "Civil Strife" are booked together. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

'No Day But Today'

The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre continues its 15th anniversary season with a revival of "Rent," Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera about a group of young New York City bohemians struggling personally and professionally during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Lauran Rawitz, of Buffalo, directs. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 19, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens Friday, May 20. $30, $38. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com/

Other theater events

• Previews begin Friday, May 13, for "Old Hobbits Die Hard," New Millennium Theatre Company's send up of "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. After the one ring is destroyed, director Peter Jackson travels to Middle-Earth to get the right from the hobbits by force if necessary unless Bilbo Baggins can stop him. The show opens Wednesday, May 18, at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 988-9000 or nmtchicago.org.

• Stage Left Theatre presents the Midwest premiere of Dan O'Brien's docudrama "The Body of an American" beginning previews Saturday, May 14, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The play was inspired by Canadian photojournalist Paul Watson's 1993 photograph of a dead American soldier being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. O'Brien's chance encounter with Watson in 2007 led to him writing the two-hander, which opens Wednesday, May 18, under associate artistic director Jason A. Fleece. (773) 975-8150 or stagelefttheatre.com or theaterwit.org.

• The May 1886 labor demonstration at Chicago's Haymarket Square that turned into a deadly riot inspired Underscore Theatre Company's world premiere folk musical "Haymarket: The Anarchist's Songbook," with book and lyrics by Alex Higgin-Houser and music by David Kornfeld. Elizabeth Margolius directs the production, which begins previews Saturday, May 14, at the Edge Theatre, 5451 N. Broadway St., Chicago. The show opens Tuesday, May 17. (312) 646-0975 or underscoretheatre.org.

• Quest Theatre Ensemble and The International Chamber Artists present "The People's Passion Play," a pageant that chronicles the last days of Jesus Christ, performed with large-scale puppets in combination with classical music that includes Antonin Dvorak's "Serenade for Winds." Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14, and 4 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at St. Gregory the Great Church, 5535 N. Paulina St., Chicago. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. (312) 458-0895 or questensemble.org or icamusic.org.

• The Beat Lounge at Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago, remounts "Clued-In: An Improvised Murder Mystery," which played there in February. Six improvisers create a crime story based on audience suggestions. The adults-only performances begin Saturday, May 14. See secondcity.com.

• "My Solo Show of All Duets" returns to the Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, for a three week-run beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 14. Rebecca Sohn stars as Shirley Lame (pronounced la-may) who performers great Broadway duets as solos. Annoyance's solo sketch comedy show "Boofgall," written and performed by Amy Thompson and Ryan Archibald, opens at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 17. Previews continue Thursday, May 19, for "Very Much Forever," a new sketch show examining everything from pop culture to romance to politics. It opens at 8 p.m. March 26. Also at the theater, "Blue Island Compatriot," a live radio show done in the style of the "Prairie Home Companion," runs at 8 p.m. Sundays through June 19. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Steppenwolf Theatre hosts its 40th anniversary gala beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the theater at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The event includes cocktails, dinner, a silent auction and a performance by co-founder Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band. Single tickets start at $1,000. (312) 654-5632 or speecialevents@steppenwolf.org. Also, Steppenwolf announced the addition of new ensemble members Sandra Marquez and Caroline Neff. A longtime member of Teatro Vista, Marquez received a Joseph Jefferson Award for Teatro Vista's "A View From the Bridge." An ensemble member at Steep Theatre, Neff has performed six shows with Steppenwolf, including the Broadway production of "Airline Highway." She received a non-equity Jeff Award in 2011 for Steep's "A Brief History of Helen of Troy."

• Pride Films and Plays honors 2016's non-equity Jeff Award nominees at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, at Sidetrack Video Bar, 3349 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Entertainment begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20, $30 for VIP seating. Proceeds from the event benefit PFP's new musical initiative and its free workshop of Adam Mathias and Jonathan Monro's play "A History of Summer" June 28 and 29. See pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Previews begin Wednesday, May 18, for The Artistic Home's production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull." Cody Estle directs the play about aspiring writer Konstantin in love with young Nina who has fallen for the older, successful writer Trigorin who is the lover of Konstantin's actress mother Arkadina. The production opens May 22 at 1376 W. Grand Ave., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or theartistichome.org.

• Goodman Theatre announced its new Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement will open Wednesday, May 18, at Goodman's home at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The new facility opens in conjunction with Goodman's celebration of Chicago native playwright Lorraine Hansberry, whose "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window" is currently running at the theater. See goodmantheatre.org for a list of opening-week festivities.

• Three gay men ponder the sexual preference of their new neighbor in Jason Mitchell's comedy "The Boys Upstairs" in its Chicago-area premiere at Pride Films and Plays. Previews begin Thursday, May 19, at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show, directed by executive director David Zak, opens May 21. (800) 737-0984 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Artemisia, a Chicago Theatre, stages the world premiere of Ed Proudfoot's "Chewing on Beckett," directed by Steve Scott, Goodman Theatre associate producer. Inspired by prohibitions by the Beckett estate against women performing in "Waiting for Godot," the play is about a female Beckett scholar and her former student as they struggle to survive in a dystopian wasteland. The production opens Thursday, May 19, at the Frontier Theatre, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave., Chicago. See artemisiatheatre.org.

• Collaboraction offers a 40 percent discount for families on tickets to its new production "Connected," the story of humankind told by the planets. The discount is good on Sundays through May 29. Use the code word "family" when ordering tickets online at collaboraction.org, at (312) 226-9633 or in person any Sunday at the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago.