Theater events: 'Mamma Mia!' opens Paramount's season

My my, 'Mamma Mia!'

Paramount Theatre opens its season with artistic director Jim Corti's regional premiere of "Mamma Mia!," the jukebox musical set to the music of ABBA. Libertyville native Kiersten Frumkin stars as bride-to-be Sophie, who, convinced one of her mother's former lovers is her father, is determined to uncover his identity. Amy Montgomery stars as mom Donna. Tom Vendafreddo serves as music director and William Carlos Angulo choreographs. Previews begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. The show opens Sept. 10. $44-$59. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

Hail Caesar

A streamlined adaptation of "Julius Caesar," William Shakespeare's tragedy about power, politics and betrayal, marks the opening of Writers Theatre's 25th anniversary season. Artistic director Michael Halberstam and Writers veteran Scott Parkinson adapted the play, which tells the tale of the conquering emperor whose fellow senators fear he intends to abandon the republic, crown himself king and turn Rome into a monarchy. Kareem Bandealy plays the noble Brutus, Parkinson is the lean, hungry Cassius, Thomas Vincent Kelly is the impulsive Mark Antony, and Madrid St. Angelo is Caesar. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The show opens Sept. 14. $35-$80. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

BTE returns

After a nearly three-year hiatus, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble returns with Marc Camoletti's farce "Don't Dress for Dinner." Ensemble member Kurt Naebig directs the comedic take on infidelity and duplicity about a husband who intends to take advantage of his wife's absence to enjoy a weekend tryst with his mistress. Little does he know, his wife has scheduled an extramarital dalliance of her own. Brad Walker and artistic director Connie Canady Howard star. The preview is 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8. The show opens Sept. 9 at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. $35. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org or btechicago.com.

Other theater events

• Previews begin Friday, Sept. 2, for Black Button Eyes Productions' Chicago premiere of "Amour," a musical by Michel Legrand. Adapted from the short story "Le Passe-Muraille" by French author Marcel Aymé, the musical tells the story of Dusoleil, a timid office clerk in post World War II Paris who one day discovers he has the ability to walk through walls. The show, directed by Ed Rutherford, opens Saturday, Sept. 3, at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6875 or amourchicago.com.

• The House Theatre of Chicago opens its 15th season with the world premiere of "A Comedical Tragedy for Mister Punch" by Kara Davidson and directed by Shade Murray. Inspired by the Punch and Judy puppets, the show centers on a young, orphaned girl named Charlotte who lives in London and survives by stealing until she becomes an assistant to the Italian puppeteer Pietro, a master of violent Punch and Judy-style puppetry. As their partnership continues, Charlotte conjures her own version of the tales. Jesse Mooney-Bullock designed the puppets for the show, which is recommended for audiences 12 and older. Previews begin Friday, Sept. 2, at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. It opens Sept. 11. (773) 769-3832 or thehousetheatre.com.

• Speaking of The House Theatre, ensemble member and magician Dennis Watkins returns to the Palmer House, 17 E. Monroe St., Chicago, with his show "The Magic Parlour." Performances of the cabaret-style, close-up magic show begin Friday, Sept. 2. (773) 769-3832 or the magicparlourchicagso.com or thehousetheatre.com.

• "#DateMe: An OK Cupid Experiment" returns to UP Comedy Club on Friday, Sept. 2. The comedy revue inspired by modern romance runs through Nov. 6 at Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. (312) 662-4562 or secondcity.com.

• The combination concert and comedy show "Friday Night Fudge" begins performances at its new home, iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago, at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2. The 8:30 p.m. show will feature iO house teams in rotation. Also at iO Chicago, Liz Anderson's "One-Woman No-Show" a weekly cold reading of a different play, runs at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• Theatre-Hikes revival of "Driving Miss Daisy," Alfred Uhry's drama about the unlikely friendship that develops between an elderly Southern woman and her African-American chauffeur, begins Saturday, Sept. 3, at the North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago. See theatre-hikes.org.

• Performances begin Saturday, Sept. 3, for (re)discover theatre's latest immersive production, "Farewell My Friend: The Tragic Romance of Star-Crossed Lovers," which combines the tragedies of "Romeo & Juliet" and "Tristan & Isolde." Created by the ensemble, the show is directed by Janet Howe and Matt Wills. Performances run through Sept. 24 at Epworth Church, 5253 N. Kenmore St., Chicago. See rediscovertheatre.com.

• After their owner dies, three house pets have a gut-wrenching decision to make: to starve or eat their beloved owner in "Pet Food," Transcendent Ensemble Theatre Company's entry into the Chicago Fringe Festival. The group performs at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, 10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5, and 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See transcendentensemble.com.

• Comedian Azhar Usman performs "Ultra American: A Patriot Act," his one-man show examining the challenges American Muslims face. "What choice does an artist have other than to toss a pebble into the ocean, hoping and praying that perhaps it can cause a ripple that will reach the other side of the world?" said Usman in a prepared statement. Performances run Tuesday, Sept. 6, through Sept. 25 at Silk Road Rising, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. (312) 857-1234 or silkroadrising.org.

• The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre Artists Lounge Live Series continues on Thursday, Sept. 8, with "Lovesick Blues: Remembering Hank Williams." The show pays tribute to the American singer/songwriter responsible for such tunes as "Hey Good Lookin'" and "Your Cheating Heart" among others. The Metropolis is at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Kevin Viol stars as mild-mannered screenwriter Austin and Joseph Wiens stars as his estranged brother, volatile drifter Lee, in Shattered Globe Theatre's revival of Sam Shepard's "True West." James Yost directs the production, which begins previews Thursday, Sept. 8, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 11. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org or shatteredglobe.org.

• Rivendell Theatre Ensemble concludes its season with the Midwest premiere of "Grizzly Mama," George Brant's Alaska-set dark comedy about a divorced, suburban mom who tries to reinvent herself as a liberal avenger in the tradition of her recently deceased activist mother. Rivendell artistic director Tara Mallen plays the titular character in the production, which begins previews Thursday, Sept. 8, at 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. The production, directed by ensemble member Megan Carney, opens Sept. 12. (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.org.

• Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 8, for 16th Street Theater's world premiere of "Carroll Gardens." A. Zell Williams' comedy is about two men - best friends as children - whose reunion 20 years later is underscored by racial, cultural and class conflicts. Artistic director Ann Filmer directs the production, which opens Sept. 15 at 6420 16th St., Berwyn. (708) 795-6704 or 16thstreettheater.org.

• A new pop-rock musical, "Helldrivers of Daytona" has it world premiere at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. A sendup of Elvis Presley style rock 'n' roll movies, "Helldrivers of Daytona" unfolds in 1965 and centers on the efforts of the favorite driver Lucky Stubbs to win his dream girl Pepper Johnson while besting rival driver Count Porcini Portobello. Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 8. The adults-only show opens Sept. 12. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.

• Jeremy Owens hosts "You're Being Ridiculous," the show he created in which real people tell stories about their lives. The next installment, part of Steppenwolf Theatre's LookOut series, takes place Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 8-10, at the 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org/lookout.

• Performances continue for EDGE Theatre's revival of "1776," Sherman Edwards' historical musical about the founding of the nation. Performances continue through Sept. 17 at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. See edgeoforion.com.

• "Great Night With Danny Catlow," The Annoyance Theatre's adults-only version of a late-night talk show, continues at 8:30 p.m. Fridays through Sept. 30. The Annoyance is at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• The deadline for area high schools to participate in Broadway in Chicago's annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards celebrating excellence in high school theater is Sept. 21. BIC will accept 100 applications only on a first-come, first-served basis. See broadwayinchicago.com.

• Sideshow Theatre Company announced the playwrights for "The Freshness Initiative," the company's new play development program. Participating playwrights for the 2016-2017 season include J. Nicole Brooks, Selina Fillinger and Isaac Gomez. Readings of their plays will take place next year at the Victory Gardens Theater. Additionally, Sideshow welcomed new associates: set designers William Boles and Noël Huntzinger, playwrights Philip Dawkins and Calamity West, director Elly Green and actor David Lawrence Hamilton. Sideshow also named Ann James as an ensemble member.

• Windy City Playhouse's third season begins January 25 with the Chicago premiere of Robert O'Hare's semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age story "Bootycandy," about a young man discovering what it means to be gay and African-American. That's followed by the Chicago premiere of Fernanda Coppel's "King Liz" (beginning May 24, 2017) set in the world of sports agents. The season concludes with Gina Gionfriddo's dark comedy "Becky Shaw" (beginning Sept. 20, 2017) about a woman who sets up her best friend with her husband's co-worker with explosive results. "In this third season, we'll be taking some risks artistically - pushing the boundaries, embracing edginess and exploring new definitions of entertainment," said artistic director Amy Rubenstein in a prepared statement. Performances take place at 3014 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago. Season subscriptions range from $60 to $135, with a special rate for patrons younger than 30. (773) 891-8985 or windycityplayhouse.com.

• Theater Wit opens its 2016-2017 season with Mike Daisey's timely dissection of the Republican presidential nominee in "The Trump Card" (Oct. 5-Nov. 8), which is currently on tour. That's followed by "This Way Outta Santaland" (Nov. 23-Dec. 23), Mitchell Fain's autobiographical account of the eight years he starred as Crumpet the Elf in the company's long-running "The Santaland Diaries." The season concludes with "10 Out of 12" (March 3-April 3, 2017), Anne Washburn's re-creation of a theater production's technical rehearsal tailored to the Chicago storefront theater scene. Performances take place at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. A flex pass for 10 admissions is available for $225. Also, patrons can purchase a Theater Wit membership, which allows them to see as many performances per month as they like for $36. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org.