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Theater events: Solve Valentine's murder-mystery with Improv Playhouse

Valentine's mystery

Improv Playhouse hosts a Valentine's Day-themed murder-mystery dinner. Set during the 1940s, "Love You to Death" is a "killer" interactive comedy complete with gangsters, mols and crooked pols. 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center, 2007 Civic Center Way, Round Lake Beach. $50. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com/.

Camille Robinson, left, Donica Lynn, Jacqueline Williams, Greta Oglesby and Linda Bright Clay star in Victory Gardens Theater's world premiere of Marcus Gardley's "A Wonder in My Soul," which is set in a South Side Chicago beauty salon. Courtesy Of Adam Blaszkiewicz

Moving on?

Beauty salon owners Bell and Birdie struggle over remaining in their South Side neighborhood or bow to crime and gentrification and relocate in "A Wonder in My Soul," a new drama by Marcus Gardley in its world premiere at Victory Gardens Theater. Artistic director Chay Yew helms the production - described as a "love letter to Chicago's South Side" - that stars Jacqueline Williams and Greta Oglesby and features original music by Jaret Landon. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 17. $15-$60. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

Collaboraction premieres "Gender Breakdown" an examination of gender inequity compiled from stories supplied by more than 200 theater artists. Courtesy of Collaboraction Theatre Company

Female power

An all-female cast and creative team examine "gender inequality in theater and beyond" in "Gender Breakdown." Compiled from stories supplied by more than 200 Chicago-area theater artists, Collaboraction Theatre Company's world premiere proposes to "pull back the curtain" on misogyny, racism and gender politics within the theater world. Erica Vannon directs the production created by Dani Bryant. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 22. $5-$30. (312) 226-9633 or collaboraction.org.

Other theater events

• Performances begin Friday, Feb. 10, for "Joan" a musical about Joan of Arc, the 15th-century peasant girl who led the French army to defeat the English. The show runs through Feb. 26 at the Woodstock Opera House, 121 W. Van Buren St., Woodstock. (815) 338-5300 or woodstockoperahouse.com.

• A Broadway star known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes invites his castmates for a weekend getaway that turns murderous in Ken Ludwig's farcical thriller "The Game's Afoot." Jedlicka Performing Arts Center Theatre's revival begins Friday, Feb. 10, at Morton College Campus, 3801 S. Central Ave., Cicero. (708) 656-1800 or jpactheatre.com.

• Combat photojournalist Mia wakes up in her sometime girlfriend's apartment after being found unconscious at a massacre she was covering in Mona Mansour's wartime mystery drama "Unseen." The Gift Theatre presents the world premiere under director Maureen Payne-Hahner. Previews begin Friday, Feb. 10, at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 16. (773) 283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org.

• Silk Road Rising presents "Semitic Commonwealth," a staged reading series made up of six plays by Arab and Jewish playwrights chronicling the human toll of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The series begins at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, and 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, with Hannah Khalil's "Scenes From 69 Years," a snapshot of life in Palestine. Motti Lerner's "The Admission," a political drama set during Israel's 1948 war for independence, has performances at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. The readings take place at 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. Tickets are $10. (312) 857-1234, ext. 201, or semiticcommonwealth.org.

• Performance artist Karen Finley performs her spoken-word piece "Written in Sand: Collected AIDS Writings" as part of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's LookOut Series. Finley performs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10-11. Finley also performs "Unicorn Gratitude Mystery" - an examination of citizenship, gender and abuse of power - at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 and 18. Performances take place at the 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org/lookout.

• Chris Lemmon recounts life with his famous father, Academy Award winner Jack Lemmon, in his solo show, "A Twist of Lemmon." Lemmon performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg. (847) 895-3600 or prairiecenter.org.

• The Actors Gymnasium premieres its circus-theater production "Quest." Loosely based on Leo Tolstoy's story "The Three Questions" and written and directed by Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, "Quest" centers on a hero and her sidekicks attempting to uncover answers to some simple but important questions. The preview is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. The show opens Sunday, Feb. 12. (847) 328-2795 or actorsgymnasium.org.

• Red Theater presents the world premiere of a new musical two-hander inspired by the epic poem "Beowulf." Written and directed by artistic director Aaron Sawyer, with original music by Pavi Proczko and Brindin Sawyer, "Beowulf" tells the story of the warrior Beowulf and the monster known as Grendel's Mother who are forced to relive their deaths over and over. Performances begin Saturday, Feb. 11, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.

• Previews begin Saturday, Feb. 11, for Black Ensemble Theater's original bio-musical "My Brother's Keeper - The Story of the Nicholas Brothers," which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the legendary dance duo Harold and Fayard Nicholas, who achieved international fame on stage and screen during the 1930s and 1940s. Ths show, starring Rueben Echoles and Rashawn Thompson, opens Feb. 19 at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• The Cupid Players reprise their adults-only, holiday-themed, sketch-comedy show "Cupid Has a Heart On: V-Day Edition." The sketch comedy show runs at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, and 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• The Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers holds its next match on Saturday, Feb. 11, at Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago. CLLAW XVI: Battle of the CLLAWentines also features the Jacob Horn Trio and a cash bar. Proceeds benefit The Chicago Women's Health Center and Sideshow Theatre Company, which produces the matches. See cllaw.org.

• After a pair of high-achieving twin sisters fail to get early admission to the college of their choice, they "hatch a sinister plan B" in "Peerless," Jiehae Park's contemporary riff on William Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Hutch Pimental directs First Floor Theater's Chicago-area premiere, which begins previews Sunday, Feb. 12, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, Feb. 15. See firstfloortheater.com.

• Red Tape Theatre hosts its fundraiser Love Ball: A Masquerade, from 6 to 11 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, at the Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway, Chicago. Ensemble member Alex Grelle serves as emcee and his band Sombre Reptiles performs. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. See redtapetheatre.org.

"Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus," the comedic take on romance inspired by John Gray's best-selling book, comes to the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place for a brief run. Performances begin Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• The future of a 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker hangs in the balance after he appears to have participated in a robbery in "Monster," Aaron Carter's stage adaptation of Walter Dean Myers' young adult novel for Steppenwolf Theatre's young adults series. Hallie Gordon directs the play, which follows its four-week run with a tour of Illinois juvenile justice facilities in cooperation with Storycatchers Theatre. Performances begin Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Pivot Arts presents "Live Talk: The Sadness Show," described as an "annual celebration of despair and despondency," at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, at Uncommon Ground, 1401 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. The show consists of area playwrights and performers including Sandra Delgado, Theo Allyn and Bonnie Metzgar reading their own sad stories while playwright Brett Neveu emcees sad karaoke. See pivotarts.org/events.

• The Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, remounts Cathy Schenkelberg's one-woman show "Squeeze My Cans" chronicling Schenkelberg's experiences as a Scientologist. Performances begin Thursday, Feb. 16, and run through March 12. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• Chicago Theatre Workshop premieres "Creatives," a darkly comic jukebox musical with a book by Irvine Welsh and Don De Grazia, and a score consisting of songs by rock artists including Iggy Pop, Simple Minds, Oasis and others. It centers on a pop star who visits his former teacher's songwriting class to judge a contest. Performances run Thursday, Feb. 16, through March 5 at The Edge Theatre, 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago. See chicagotheatreworkshop.org.

• Drury Lane Theatre has extended its production of "Saturday Night Fever," adapted from the 1977 film about a young man from Brooklyn unhappy with his squabbling family and his dead-end job who finds release each Saturday at the local disco. Performances run through April 9 at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.

• Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, has extended its production of John Walch's one-man autobiographical show "Circumference of a Squirrel," about growing up with a father who developed a hatred for squirrels. Performances run through Feb. 26. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• Pride Films & Plays has extended its production of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," a musical about a trio of drag and transgender performers traveling across the Australian Outback performing their drag show. Performances run through March 12 at 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. (800) 737-0984 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Halcyon Theatre announced its 2017-2018 season will begin Sept. 14 with the Midwest premiere of "The Oregon Trail." Bekah Brunstetter's play is about a middle school student who gets transported back to 1848 where she accompanies her great-great grandmother on a covered wagon journey. It's followed on May 10, 2018, by the Midwest premiere of Caridad Svich's "De Troya," a drama inspired by urban myths about rebellion, regret and faith. Additionally, Halcyon was awarded a $50,000 grant from Art Works Fund to support the company's examination of how venues affect performance and audience engagement. Season subscriptions are available now. Single tickets are available beginning May 15. (773) 413-0454 or halcyontheatre.org.

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