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Chicago-area theaters scare up Halloween treats

Since the 2006 premiere of “The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story,” Halloween has been very good to First Folio Theatre.

“The first time was a conscious decision to do a show that was seasonably appropriate,” said co-founder and executive director David Rice, who wrote the play that chronicles Poe's relationship with his wife, Virginia, through his poems and stories.

“It was so successful we remounted it the next year,” Rice said. “It was successful the second time and we thought, 'Why don't we see if we can keep going?'”

The decision paid off. More than 15,000 people have seen the Oak Brook theater's five “Madness” productions. (A sixth is planned for next year).

Encouraged by that success, First Folio has produced a seasonal show each autumn for nine of the last 11 seasons.

“Other theater companies love to do Christmas shows, we love to do Halloween shows,” Rice said.

In the past, most First Folio season productions have had a distinctly gothic flavor, inspired by the company's home, the Tudor-style Mayslake Peabody Estate mansion.

In 2014, the company premiered “The Gravedigger” by artistic associate Joseph Zettelmaier. Inspired by Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein,” it marked the first in Zettelmaier's horror trilogy. It was followed in 2016 by “Dr. Seward's Dracula,” Zettelmaier's riff on the Bram Stoker novel. This month, First Folio premiered the final installment, Zettelmaier's werewolf-inspired “The Man-Beast,” a bracing examination of love and betrayal starring Elizabeth Laidlaw and Aaron Christensen.

It's a show with bite. But it's not the only option for theatergoers looking for seasonal treats. Here are a few more options for Halloween theatricals.

“The Man-Beast” runs at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; 3 p.m. Thursday and Sunday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday through Nov. 5 at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. $34-$44. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

Chris Davis plays demented dentist Orin opposite Neil Stratman's Seymour in Williams Street Repertory's revival of "Little Shop of Horrors." Courtesy of Jennifer Heim, Jennifer Heim Photography

Neil Stratman stars as meek flower shop employee Seymour, who inadvertently cultivates a man-eating monster from a seemingly harmless plant in Williams Street Repertory's revival of the quirky tuner “Little Shop of Horrors.” Kiersten Frumkin plays his co-worker Audrey, the object of his affection.

8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 29 at Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. $35.50. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org.

Lake Zurich native Demi Zaino stars in Underscore Theatre Company's world premiere of “Carrie 2: The Rage (An Unauthorized Parody),” a rock sendup of Stephen King's novella about a bullied high school teen who inflicts a terrible punishment on her classmates.

7:30 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 19 at The Arkham, 4609 N. Clark St., Chicago. $20, $25. underscoretheatre.org.

Underscore Theatre premieres "Carrie 2: The Rage (An Unauthorized Musical Parody)" playing through Nov. 19. Courtesy of Evan Hanover

Akvavit Theatre puts a seasonal spin on Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's “Ghosts,” about a widow whose philandering late husband has left their son with a devastating legacy. Except in Aquavit's version “Ghosts and Zombies,” the undead have overrun the family estate.

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 29 at Strawdog Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice, Chicago. $25. See chicagonordic.org.

For their adaptation of Bram Stoker's “Dracula,” The Hypocrites combine social commentary, comedy, and the requisite amount of gore and violence. An examination of repression and self-determination, the production is suitable for ages 15 and older.

8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 5 at the Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. $30-$55. (773) 325-1700 or mercurytheaterchicago.com.

When it comes to Halloween offerings, the Annoyance Theatre has something for everyone. For adults, there's the slasher-film parody “Splatter Theater” and “You're a Good Man, Mary Shelley,” which riffs on the tales Shelley's “Frankenstein” created during the 1816 competition between Mary, her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and George Gordon Byron to write the scariest story. The family-friendly “Monster Club” is about a fifth-grade girl who invents imaginary monster friends.

“Splatter Theater” runs at 10 p.m. Fridays through Oct. 28, with a bonus show at 8 p.m. Oct. 31. “You're a Good Man, Mary Shelley,” runs at 8 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 28. “Monster Club” runs at 8 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 29. The Annoyance is at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. $8-$20. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

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