Theater events: Steel Beam fetes Shakespeare in 90 minutes

Shakespeare abridged

Steel Beam Theatre marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death and the start of the company's 16th season with "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)." The raucous, 90-minute revue of the playwright's 37 plays incorporates improvisation and pop culture references. Jess Hicks directs. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $23-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

'Young Frankenstein'

The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre opens its season with "The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein" adapted from his hit 1974 film starring the late Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle. Robin M. Hughes directs the revival featuring Patrick Tierney as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, who is drawn into the family business of reanimating the dead after he inherits the family's ancestral Transylvania estate. T.C. Fair plays The Monster and Nathan Cooper plays Igor. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens Sept. 30. $30, $38. (847) 577-2121 or MetropolisArts.com.

You're invited

They're back. Tony and Tina, the Italian-American lovebirds of "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" have returned in a new production of the interactive, partly improvised dinner-theater event. Paul Stroili, a cast member of the original Chicago production, directs the show, which also incorporates live audience tweets and Instagram photos. The cast includes WGN radio personality Brian Noonan as banquet hall owner Vinnie Black. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at Resurrection Church, 3309 N. Seminary Ave., Chicago, followed by dinner at Vinnie Black's Coliseum, 1113 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 29. $75, $85. (312) 391-0404 or tonylovestina.com.

Other theater events

• "Mike Toomey's TV & Me," the comedian's look at how 1960s and 1970s TV shaped his life, returns to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Toomey performs the show, part of the Metropolis' comedy series, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16. (847) 577-2121 or MetropolisArts.com.

• Previews continue for Apollo Theater Chicago's production of "Thrones! The Musical Parody." The show inspired by the hit HBO fantasy drama "Game of Thrones" had a run earlier this summer in Chicago. It opens Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100 or ApolloChicago.com.

• Previews begin Friday, Sept. 16, for Victory Gardens Theater's Chicago-area premiere of "Hand to God," Robert Askins' comedy about a Texas teen involved in a Christian puppet ministry at his church, whose hand puppet takes on a life of its own. Alex Weisman stars in the production directed by Gary Griffin, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's associate artistic director. The show opens Sept. 23 at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• Adventure Stage Chicago presents another performance of "Reprise," a play with music commissioned by the National Theatre of Scotland as part of its Home Away: An International Festival of Participatory Arts, in which the theater partners with companies from around the world to create new works for the Glasgow festival. Created by ASC, the play centers on a man who returns to the Northwestern Settlement - which assists immigrants - and a violin lent to him 80 years earlier with the promise that he return it when he was finished. Performances take place Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16-17, at the Settlement's Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. (773) 342-4141 or adventurestage.org.

• Red Theater presents the Chicago-area premiere of Celine Song's "The Feast," which examines "just how far civilized people will go to fill their hunger." Performances begin Saturday, Sept. 17, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.

• Sideshow Theatre artistic associate and Joseph Jefferson Award-winning playwright Philip Dawkins stars in his company's world premiere of "The Happiest Place on Earth," beginning previews Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show, part of the Greenhouse's "Solo Celebration!" series, opens Thursday, Sept. 22. The semi-autobiographical show centers on four daughters and their mother who cope with the sudden death of the family's patriarch by taking a trip to Anaheim, California's magic kingdom. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• ShawChicago stages "Misalliance," George Bernard Shaw's comic examination of marriage and the role of women in which an unconventional young woman belonging to the nouveau riche is set to marry a bright but emotionally stunted aristocrat until an airplane crash introduces the couple to a dashing pilot and his passenger, a female daredevil. Performances begin Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. See shawchicago.org.

• Steppenwolf Theatre presents a staged reading in American Sign Language of Yasmina Reza's "Art" about three men whose friendship becomes strained after one of them purchases a piece of art that bewilders the other two. Performances take place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17-18, at the 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• From TV to stage, Broadway in Chicago presents "Cheers Live on Stage," which re-creates the most memorable moments from the long-running Emmy Award-winning TV sitcom about a professional baseball player turned bar owner and the various eccentrics who populate his saloon. Performances begin Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or BroadwayinChicago.com.

• TimeLine Theatre snagged the rights to the U.S. premiere of Kate Hennig's history inspired drama "The Last Wife," about Katherine Parr, the sixth and surviving wife of King Henry VIII. AnJi White stars as Katherine, a prototypical feminist and able leader who must bow to her brutal, demanding husband. Previews begin Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by associate artistic director Nick Bowling, opens Sept. 28. (773) 281-8463 or timelinetheatre.com.

• Goodman Theatre's 13th annual New Stages Festival commences Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. New works showcased over the three-week festival include: "Blue Skies Process," a comic look at civility and politics in the workplace by Abe Koogler; "Support Group for Men," Ellen Fairey's examination of gender in society; "The King of Hell's Paradise," Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's fact-based examination of China's for-profit blood banks; "Florissant and Canfield," a look at the realities of Ferguson, Missouri, by Kristiana Rae Colon; "Amy and the Orphans," Lindsay Ferrentino's story of estranged siblings; and "And Moira Spins," Kirsten Greenidge's tale of how long-simmering tensions upend a family vacation. "Each year the New Stages Festival offers us the opportunity to work with some of the most distinctive storytellers working in the theater today," said new play development director Tanya Palmer in a prepared statement. "I'm excited to share and celebrate this diverse, innovative lineup of new plays with Chicago audiences." Admission is free, but reservations are required. (312) 443-3800 or GoodmanTheatre.org/NewStagesFestival.

• iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago, presents "Sight Lines," a variety show featuring deaf and hearing talent at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20. Performers include Hush Improv, The Comedy Dance Collective and others. Part of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Neverbird Project, a Chicago-based deaf and hearing youth theater company. Also at iO Chicago, "Having It All: Stories and Improvisation About Being Female" returns at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• If you can't get enough of politics this election season, Genesis Theatrical Productions presents "The People's Choice," Philip Pinkus' satire on contemporary politics opening Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. See genesistheatricals.com.

• Artemisia Theatre, an ensemble specializing in female-centered works, hosts its annual fall festival Her Story is Our Story, running Sept. 22-24 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Edge Theatre, 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago. The company stages a new play each night of the festival. The plays include: "Image" by Jack Rushen; "Black Super Hero Magic Mama" by Inda Craig-Galván; "Sweet Texas Reckoning" by Traci Godfrey; "Mr. Pink" by Rick Kinnebrew; "The Last Will and Testament of Edna Flint" by Anne Walaszek; and "Circular" by Laura Shamas. Audience members who attend at least three readings will receive a voting ballot to determine which play the company will next premiere. Admission is free, but reservations and donations are encouraged. See artemisiatheatre.org for performance times.

• Just in time for the playoffs, Open Space Theater revives "Bleacher Bums," the affectionate sendup of die-hard Chicago Cubs' fans that premiered at the Organic Theater nearly 40 years ago. Performances of the show using the revised script from 1997 begin Thursday, Sept. 22, at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. See brownpapertickets.com.

• Members of the Annoyance Theater bring music and humor to the horror movie genre in the guise of "I Know What You Sang Last Summer," an improvised show based on a title suppled by the audience. The adults-only show runs Thursdays, through Oct. 27, at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Also at The Annoyance, is "Fortunate," about how fortune cookie messages drastically change the lives of Chinese restaurant patrons. The adults-only show runs at 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Oct. 26. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• American Blues Theater announced the addition of playwright Darren Canady to the ensemble as well as the addition of new artistic affiliates Chuck Smith, resident director at Goodman Theatre, director Nathan Singh and writer performer Rohina Malik, who's working on a new ABT commission about Muslim-Americans and whose play "Yasmina's Necklace" was recently nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award. "We're thrilled to announce our commitment to these exceptional artists," said producing artistic director Gwendolyn Whiteside in a prepared statement. "While working with each of them, we felt their artistry and collaborative spirit would greatly enhance our growing American Blues family."

• As part of its 37th season, City Lit Theater presents three world premieres and a revival of a 19th-century comedy. The season begins Sept. 23 with the world premiere of "Psmith, Journalist." Adapted from PG Wodehouse's 1915 novel by director Terry McCabe, it's about a Cambridge University dandy who takes over a small New York City newspaper and makes waves when he begins investigating slumlords and boxing promoters. That's followed on Jan. 6, 2017, by Paul Edwards' world premiere adaptation of Shirley Jackson's 1958 novel "The Sundial" about a man who dies after a mysterious fall. His wife believes he died at the hands of his mother, who stands to inherit his considerable estate. Next up is the world premiere of Douglas Post's "Forty-Two Stories" (April 14-May 28, 2017), a comedy about the people who populate a high-rise condo on Chicago's lakefront, among them a University of Chicago student who moonlights as a janitor, a stressed-out apartment manager and a mysterious thief who steals women's underwear. The season concludes with "London Assurance" (June 9-July 23, 2017), Dion Boucicault's comedy of manners about a young woman set to marry an elderly man for his money, but has second thoughts after she meets his son. Performances take place at the Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. Subscriptions are $68 for previews, $90 for regular performances. See citylit.org.

• The Factory Theater opens its second season at its Rogers Park home Oct. 21 with Corbette Pasko and Sara Sevigny's "Zombie Broads," about a women's book club whose members assemble everything they'll need for a zombie apocalypse. Next up is Stacie Barra's "Born Ready" (March 24-April 29, 2017) about an aging child actor turned variety show star who dreams of returning to films. The season concludes with Scott Oken's "Fight City" (July 21-Aug. 26, 2017) a dramedy set in the not-too-distant future when guns have been eliminated and women keep the peace, yet crime continues to rise, sparking the question: Are we doomed to an endless cycle of violence? Performances take place at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. A season subscription is $60 for all three shows. See thefactorytheater.com.

• Pride Films & Plays' 2016-2017 season - titled "Let in the Light" - begins with Nancy Nyman and Heather McNama's "Resolution" (Oct. 21-Nov. 20, 2017, at Rivendell Theatre, 5770 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago). The action unfolds on New Year's Eve 1892, when the discovery of society couple Jack and Hannah's long-held secret threatens their happy existence. Next up, Stephen Elliott and Alan Scott's jukebox musical "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (Jan. 12-Feb. 12, 2017, at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago) about three drag performers on a cross-country tour through the Australian outback. Performances of the world premiere of Gina Femia's "For the Love Of (or, the Roller Derby Play)" begin March 16, 2017, at the Pride Arts Center. The play centers on a roller derby star and her long-term girlfriend whose lives get upended when the skater joins the country's best team. The season concludes with the Chicago-area premiere of Douglas Carter Beane's Tony Award-winning "The Nance" (June 22-July 23, 2017, at Pride Arts Center). Set during the burlesque era, it's the backstage story of Chauncey Miles, who plays gay onstage in order to hide his homosexuality. Four-show subscriptions are $100. Preview subscriptions are $75. See pridefilmsandplays.com.