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Theater events: Aurora's Paramount revives Sondheim's 'Sweeney Todd'

'Sweeney' returns

Paul-Jordan Jansen plays Sweeney, the former barber Benjamin Barker, who returns home after 15 years in prison vowing revenge on the corrupt judge who destroyed his family in Stephen Sondheim's masterwork, “Sweeney Todd.” Rising star Bria Sudia co-stars as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney's partner in crime, in Paramount Theatre's revival, directed by artistic director Jim Corti with music direction by Tom Vendafreddo. Previews begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. The show opens Feb. 11. $44-$59. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.org.

Satire at Citadel

Sibling rivalry turns to class warfare after blue-collar Devon visits her younger sister Simone, the personal assistant to a billionaire's wife, at the wealthy couple's Martha's Vinyard estate in Molly Smith Metzler's comedy “Elemeno Pea,” opening this weekend at Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest. Maggie Kettering and Sarah Hecht star as Devon and Simone in director Ellen Phelps' production. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. $35, $38. (847) 735-8554 or citadeltheatre.org.

Sarah Hecht, left, and Maggie Kettering play sisters in Citadel Theatre's production of "Elemeno Pea." Courtesy of the North Shore Camera Club

'Mamma Mia!'

Marriott Theatre revives the audience favorite “Mamma Mia!” featuring music by the 1970s pop group ABBA. Danni Smith (“Man of La Mancha”) stars as single mom Donna whose daughter Sophie (Tiffany Tatreau) is about to get married. Unbeknown to Donna, Sophie is attempting to uncover the identity of her biological father (one of three men from her mother's past) so he can walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Rachel Rockwell directs the show alongside choreographer Ericka Mac and music director Ryan T. Nelson. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens Feb. 15. $50-$60; dinner-theater options available. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

Other theater events

Previews begin Friday, Feb. 3, for Porchlight Music Theatre's Chicago-area premiere of “The Scottsboro Boys,” John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical about nine young African-American men wrongfully accused in 1931 Alabama of raping two Caucasian women. Congo Square Theatre artistic director Samuel G. Roberson makes his Porchlight directing debut alongside music director Doug Peck and choreographer Florence Walker-Harris. The production opens Feb. 10 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or porchlightmusictheatre.org.

Female improv duo Catholic Guilt debuts the new, adults-only sketch show “Finding Their Roots” Friday, Feb. 3, at iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com/chicago.

Williams Street Repertory hosts a Whiskey & Wine Meet and Mingle event in conjunction with its current production of the modern relationship musical revue “First Date.” The 21-and-older event begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, at 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake, with the tasting followed by an 8 p.m. performance of the show. Tickets are $40 and include theater admission. (815) 356-9212 or wsrep.org.

Redtwist theatre company member Brian Parry stars as Willy Loman, a man desperately pursuing a dream he is wholly unsuited for, in the company's revival of Arthur Miller's classic “Death of a Salesman.” Goodman Theatre artistic associate Steve Scott directs the production, which previews Friday, Feb. 3, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago. The revival opens Saturday, Feb. 4. (773) 728-7529 or redtwist.org.

“Deep in the Heart of Tuna,” the latest in the two-hander “Tuna” comedies by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams, gets its Midwest premiere courtesy of New American Folk Theatre. This “best of” show follows Bertha Bumiller and her dysfunctional family in the tiny town of Tuna, Texas. Previews begin Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Pride Arts Center, 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago. Director Derek Van Barham's revival opens Feb. 9. (872) 588-5760 or newamericanfolktheatre.org.

Eclectic Theatre Company, which has performed at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, returns to The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, with a revival of “The History Boys” by Alan Bennett. A coming-of-age tale set at a middling boys' boarding school in England, “The History Boys” examines the purpose and nature of education against the backdrop of teenage boys studying for the exams that will, to a large extent, determine their future. Previews begin Saturday, Feb. 4. The show opens Monday, Feb. 6. (773) 935-6860 or eclectic-theatre.com.

Emerald City Theatre presents an adaptation of Ezra Jack Keats' children's stories. “The Snowy Day and Other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats” begins performances Saturday, Feb. 4, at The Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Suitable for ages 3 to 9, the tales of young Peter's adventures are told with shadow puppets. (773) 935-6100 or emeraldcitytheatre.com.

Transgender performer Bea Cordelia chronicles her life in the solo show “Chasing Blue,” which unfolds as she prepares for a date. Cordelia performs Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4-5, at Steppenwolf Theatre's 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago, as part of Steppenwolf's LookOut series. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org/lookout.

Steppenwolf Theatre honors Tony Award-winner Phylicia Rashad Monday, Feb. 6, at its annual fundraising luncheon Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts. It takes place at noon at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, 221 N. Columbus Drive, Chicago. Tickets are $200. The event raises funds for Steppenwolf's school and young adults programs as well as apprenticeships, fellowships and internships. (312) 654-5632 or email specialevents@steppenwolf.org.

The King of Navarre and members of his court swear off love and romance in favor of scholarly pursuits. But their oath is tested by the arrival of the French princess and her ladies in waiting in William Shakespeare's comedy “Love's Labor's Lost.” Marti Maraden, former artistic director of the Stratford Festival in Canada, returns to Chicago to direct Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production, which begins previews Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 15. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

Goodman Theatre's series of Black History Month commemorations begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, with a community reading of “Gee's Bend” by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder. A co-production between Goodman and the DuSable Museum of African American History, the reading takes place at 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago. Admission is free, but reservations are required. See goodmantheatre.org/blackwordsmatter.

The Artistic Home's revival of “By the Bog of Cats,” Marina Carr's contemporary Irish drama rooted in Greek tragedy, begins previews Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 1376 W. Grand Ave., Chicago. John Mossman directs the play about a woman - abandoned by her mother and her lover and threatened with eviction - who turns for help to local misfits. Ensemble members Kristin Collins, Frank Nall and Tim Musachio star. The show opens Feb. 13. (312) 811-4111 or theartistichome.org.

The League of Chicago Theatres' Theatre Thursdays series continues Thursday, Feb. 9, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, with a performance of Teatro Vista's premiere of “The Wolf at the End of the Block.” Set in Chicago, Ike Holter's play examines racial profiling and media manipulation that hits a neighborhood following a crime. Tickets are $18. The event begins at 6:15 p.m. with a reception followed by the play and a post-show discussion. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org or teatrovista.org.

Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 9, for Theatre at the Center's “My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra.” Lincolnshire's Brenda Didier, in her TATC debut, directs the musical revue featuring George Keating, Christine Mild, McKinley Carter and Eric A. Lewis. The show opens Feb. 12 at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana. (800) 511-1552 or theatreatthecenter.com.

The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, presents “'When the Fog Begins to Lift' by Tennessee Williams' Idiot Sister Rose,” a fictionalized “found” play by the playwright's sister discovered in a bargain bin in Independence, Missouri. It runs through Feb. 26. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

Trap Door Theatre announced an extension of Paul Schmidt's adaptation of Jean Racine's “Phedre,” about a woman destroyed by her love for her stepson. Director Nicole Wiesner's production runs through Feb. 18 at 1655 W. Cortland St., Chicago. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights and Williams Street Repertory in Crystal Lake recently received 2016 BroadwayWorld Chicago awards. Shannon McHugh Mayhall received a reader-submitted award for her performance as Linda Loman in Williams Street Repertory's equity production of “Death of a Salesman.” Will Willhelm received a non-equity BroadwayWorld Award for his performance as Angel in Metropolis' “Rent” and Sophie Kaegi received a non-equity award for her performance as Tiny Tim in Metropolis' “A Christmas Carol.”

Chicago Dramatists announced its faculty members. Mary Ruth Clarke heads screenwriting, Cheryl Coons leads musical theater, Will Dunne heads the scene shop, Dana Lynn Formby heads up writing essentials, Arlene Malinowski helms the solo show and storytelling department and Douglas Post heads up plays-in-progress.

Quest Theatre Ensemble founding director Andrew Park has departed the company to become the artistic director of Nebraska Repertory Theatre and a faculty member at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Lincoln-Nebraska.

Griffin Theatre offers a two-play subscription series for $50. The subscription includes tickets to William Massolia's “In to America” (March 18-April 23), a world premiere about the American immigrant experience, and Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's “Ragtime” (May 27-July 16), a sprawling musical chronicling three families living in New York at the dawn of the 20th century.

American Blues Theater's 2017-2018 season begins July 7 with the Chicago premiere of Dael Orlandersmith's “Beauty's Daughter,” a solo show about a woman living in East Harlem. That's followed by the 16th-anniversary production of “It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!” (Nov. 17-Dec. 30), the staged radio adaptation of Frank Capra's beloved film. The world premiere of Arlington Heights playwright Keith Huff's “Six Corners,” about a pair of burned-out detectives trying to solve the murder of a CTA employee, follows on Feb. 16, 2018. The season concludes with a revival of “Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story” (April 27-May 26, 2018), about the bespectacled Texas guitarist and a seminal rock 'n' roll figure. Performances take place at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Season subscriptions are available at (773) 654-3103 or americanbluestheater.com.

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