Theater events: Steppenwolf premieres Tracy Letts' 'Linda Vista'

The Latest by Letts

Steppenwolf Theatre presents the world premiere of "Linda Vista," the latest by ensemble member and Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Letts. Dexter Bullard directs the comedy, which stars Ian Barford as a 50-year-old newly divorced man who rediscovers love (and sex) after moving into a new apartment. Ensemble members Tim Hopper, Sally Murphy and Caroline Neff co-star. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens April 8. $20-$89. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Pardo on stage

Standup comedian Jimmy Pardo, who for six years warmed up the crowd for Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show, headlines Zanies this weekend. A veteran of "The Tonight Show," "Conan" and "The Late, Late Show," Pardo hosts a podcast called "Never Not Funny." 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 24, at Zanies at MB Financial Park, 5437 Park Place, Rosemont. $25 plus a two-item food or beverage minimum. (847) 813-0484 or zanies.com.

Struck by stars

As Women's History Month concludes, First Folio Theatre celebrates Henrietta Swan Leavitt - "the most famous astronomer you've never heard of" - in Lauren Gunderson's award-winning drama "Silent Sky." Melanie Keller directs the play about a "computer lady" at Harvard University's observatory during the early 20th century who made important discoveries despite being prohibited from using a telescope. Cassandra Bissell stars as Leavitt. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st St., Oak Brook. The show opens April 1. $23-$39. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

Other theater events

• Adventure Stage Chicago will remount its 2012 production "Six Stories Tall" beginning Friday, March 24, at Vittum Theater, Northwestern Settlement, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. Rooted in comic books, video games, urban myths and Latino folklore, the family-friendly play chronicles young heroes battling monsters and villains. Performances run on select dates through April 29. ASC will also perform the play in Memphis, Tennessee, and in New York. (773) 342-4141 or adventurestage.org.

• This week's other family-friendly productions include Emerald City Theatre's adaptation of "The Wiz," adapted from L. Frank Baum's novel, with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. ECT's production, for kids 5 to 12, runs Saturday, March 25, through June 11 at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100 or emeraldcitytheatre.com.

• "Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles" returns to Chicago for a limited engagement. The touring production runs Tuesday, March 28, through April 2 at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Stage Left Theatre and ComedySportz Chicago team up to uncover the nation's worst 10-minute play as part of DrekFest 2017. This year's contenders include "Angels in Afghanistan: A Gay Muslimist Fantasia" by Thor Rudebeck; "The Gyno Room, Or Aaron Sorkin Presents Women's Rights" by Kyle J. McCloskey; "Armageddon: A Play (Not to be Confused With the Film of the Same Name)" by Eileen Tull; and "Desires Unleashed (A Great American Tale of Great American Tales)" by Sean Paraventi. Staged readings of the finalists take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, at 929 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Audience votes will determine the grand loser, whose author will receive a cash prize to "hide the offending play away forever." (773) 883-8830 or stagelefttheatre.com.

• Performances begin Thursday, March 30, for Theatre Y's production of "Fatelessness," a semi-autobiographical story adapted from Imre Kertesz's novel about a Hungarian teenager's life in Auschwitz, Buchenwald and other concentration camps during the Holocaust. Performances run through April 16 at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. (708) 709-0183 or theatre-y.com.

• Porchlight Music Theatre honors legendary Broadway producer and director Hal Prince and acclaimed Chicago-area director/choreographer Rachel Rockwell - recipient of this year's Guy Adkins Award for excellence in Chicago music theater - during its annual Icons Gala, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30, at Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago, 221 N. Columbus Drive, Chicago. Adrian Aguilar, Angela Ingersoll, James Earl Jones II, Bethany Thomas and Austin Cook are among the Chicago-area theater artists scheduled to perform during the luncheon, which also includes live and silent auctions. Tickets are $125 before March 31, and $150 after. (773) 777-9884 or porchlightmusictheatre.org.

• After spending its last season at the Factory Theater, Strawdog Theatre will take over the former Signal Ensemble Theater space at 1802 W. Berenice, Chicago, beginning with its 2017-2018 season, which is yet to be announced. Strawdog's last production at The Factory will be "The Night Season," which runs May 11 to June 24. See strawdog.org.

• The Second City announced 16 recipients of its fourth annual Bob Curry Fellowship, in honor of the company's first African-American alumni who performed with Second City in 1966. One hundred ninety-two actors and improvisers from multicultural backgrounds submitted applications for the program designed to help foster new talent.

• TimeLine Theatre begins its 2017-2018 season with the Chicago-area premiere of "The Audience" (Aug. 16-Nov. 12, at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago), Peter Morgan's imagining of the Tuesday afternoon meetings between Queen Elizabeth II and her 12 prime ministers, which have taken place weekly for the last 60 years. Janet Ulrich Brooks stars as Elizabeth. That's followed by Sarah Ruhl's "In the Next Room, (or The Vibrator Play)" (Oct. 20-Dec. 17 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago), an examination of love, marriage and sex set during the late 19th-century. Previews begin Jan. 10, 2018, at TimeLine Theatre for the Chicago-area premiere of "Boy," Anna Ziegler's drama about gender identity examining the repercussions of a couple's decision to raise one of their twin boys as a girl. The season concludes with the world premiere of Brett Neveu's "To Catch a Fish" (April 25-July 1, 2018, at TimeLine Theatre), a dramedy set in a low-income Milwaukee neighborhood developed through Timeline's playwright's collective. FlexPass subscriptions range from $88 to $204 and are available at (773) 281-8463, ext. 6, or online at timelinetheatre.com.

• The Chicago-area premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical "Fun Home," inspired by graphic artist Alison Bechdel's memoir about coming to terms with her sexuality and that of her closeted father, kicks off Victory Gardens Theater's 2017-2018 season. Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Gary Griffin helms the production, which runs Sept. 19 through Nov. 12. VGT teams up with Teatro Vista for "Fade" (Nov. 4-Dec. 23), a behind-the-scenes drama about a Mexican-American author hired to write for a TV show, by Tanya Saracho ("How to Get Away With Murder," "Girls"). That's followed by "Breach: a manifesto on race in america through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self hate" (Feb. 9-March 11, 2018), a coming-of-age tale about a pregnant young woman trapped in a dead-end job. Performances begin April 6, 2018, for "Doing It," about a woman released from prison after seven years who tries to rebuild her life and reconnect with her children. The season concludes with "Mies Julie" (May 25-June 24, 2018), Yael Farber's adaptation of August Strindberg's "Miss Julie" set in post-apartheid South Africa. Performances take place at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Five-show main stage subscriptions start at $99. They're available at the box office, at (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.