Theater events: Boo Killebrew's 'Lettie' premieres at Victory Gardens

• During band practice, young rockers begin to question their roles while struggling with whether this is what they really want to do in "33 to Nothing," a play with music by Grant James Varjas. Tyrone Phillips directs A Red Orchid Theatre's production, which begins previews Friday, April 6, at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. The show opens April 13. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• "The Second City e.t.c.'s 42nd Revue" opens Friday, April 6, at Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. Annelise Toft directs the sendup of pop culture and current events. (312) 337-3992 or secondcity.com.

• A woman paroled after seven years in prison struggles to rebuild her life, reconnect with her children, hold a job and stay out of trouble in "Lettie," a new play by Boo Killebrew in its world premiere at Victory Gardens Theater. Previews begin Friday, April 6, and the play opens April 13 at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. VGT artistic director Chay Yew directs the production, which stars Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Caroline Neff in the titular role. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• Adventure Stage Chicago premieres "Roots in the Alley," adapted by ASC playwright-in-residence Carlos Murillo from Lucas Baisch's play. Baisch incorporates Mayan myths to tell the story of two sisters who learn about their heritage through an online game. Performances begin Friday, April 6, at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. (773) 342-4141 or adventurestage.org.

• Previews begin Saturday, April 7, for Firebrand Theatre's production of "9 to 5 the Musical" adapted from the 1980 film about three work colleagues turned friends who successfully reshape their corporation's culture with impressive results. Sharriese Hamilton, Anne Sheridan Smith, Sara Reinecke and Scott Danielson star in the production directed by Firebrand artistic director Harmony France with music direction by Andra Velis Simon. The show opens Tuesday, April 10, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See firebrandtheatre.org.

• Chicago actors Megan Core and Paul McComas pay tribute to the late playwright Sam Shepard with their 40-minute adaptation of "Fool for Love," Shepard's play about star-crossed lovers that premiered 35 years ago. The performance takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at Rock House, 1742 Glenview Road, Glenview. Suggested donation is $5. Proceeds benefit the Les Turner ALS Foundation. See therockhouseinc.com.

• Black Ensemble Theater partners with the DuSable Museum on The Jackie Taylor Drama Series showcasing plays written by BET's Black Playwrights Initiative. Performances run in repertory from Saturday, April 7, through Sunday, April 22, at 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago. The plays include Ervin Gardner's "National Anthem," which examines athletes' right to peacefully protest; Reginald Williams' "The Plea," about violence in Chicago neighborhoods; and L. Maceo Ferris' "In the Shadow of Justice," about black detectives confronting corruption within the Chicago police department. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org or dusablemuseum.org.

• Barrel of Monkeys hosts its annual fundraiser event Fancy Schmancy: We Could Be Heroes from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at The Drucker Center, 1535 N. Dayton Ave., Chicago. Supporters are invited to dress as their favorite hero for the event, which includes hors d'oeuvres, beverages, performances, a DJ and dancing. Tickets are $80 in advance, $90 at the door. Proceeds benefit Barrel of Monkeys, an arts education ensemble now in its 21st season. See barrelofmonkeys.org/fancy.

• Pianist/storyteller Richard Glazier hosts a musical tour of Broadway and Hollywood Sunday, April 8, at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Stage to Screen Starring Richard Glazier takes place at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• A woman and her same-sex partner dream of getting married in the woman's North Carolina hometown and of enjoying a wedding cake made by a renowned local baker. But after the baker learns the cake is for a lesbian couple, she begins to reconsider her own marriage and some deeply held beliefs in "The Cake" by Bekah Brunstetter, a writer/producer on NBC's "This is Us." Rivendell Theatre Ensemble's Midwest premiere begins previews Sunday, April 8, at 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by Lauren Shouse, opens April 18. (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.org.

• Steppenwolf Theatre's Tina Landau, director of "The Doppelgänger (an international farce)," discusses its world premiere with playwright Matthew-Lee Erlbach at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 8, at the 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The play, starring Rainn Wilson from NBC's "The Office," opens April 15. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Red Theater hosts its annual fundraiser from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, April 8, at Revolution Brewery, 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The $75 admission includes beverages, music, a silent auction and a meet-and-greet with ensemble members. (773) 227-2739 or redtheater.org/tickets.

• "Ratas de Dos Patas," a variety show celebrating Latino culture, opens Sunday, April 8, at The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Also at The Annoyance is "War Kids," which examines The Gulf War in Kuwait and 2006's Lebanese War from young people who lived through them. It runs Wednesdays through April 25. Comedians Shelby Quinn and Jon Matteson perform solo shows "Big Boy" and "Jon Matteson: a solo show by Jon Matteson" Sundays through May 20. Lastly, "With This I Will Take Over the World," a puppet musical about two supervillains runs Fridays through April 20. Some shows may be for adults only. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Akvavit Theatre hosts a benefit concert at 8 p.m. Monday, April 9, at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago. A Little Night of Nordic Music features Gregory Treco, the Bahamas-born actor-singer who's currently playing Aaron Burr in the Chicago production of "Hamilton." Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door, and include appetizers, drink tickets and performances. See chicagonordic.org.

• A Dominican mother and her estranged son attempt to rekindle their relationship but are stymied by secrets in "Ashes of Light" by Marco Antonio Rodriguez. UrbanTheater Company's production, directed by Miranda Gonzalez, begins performances Tuesday, April 10, at 2620 W. Division St., Chicago. (312) 761-8821 or urbantheaterchicago.org.

• Broadway in Chicago presents the North American tour of "The Sound of Music" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and inspired by Maria Augusta von Trapp's memoir "The Trapp Family Singers." Performances run Tuesday through Sunday, April 10-15, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Previews begin Wednesday, April 11, for the Midwest premiere of "Our Great Tchaikovsky," a play with music by pianist/writer Hershey Felder celebrating Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky and featuring his compositions. The production opens April 15 and runs through May 13 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Chicago Theatre Workshop presents "Disaster! A '70s Disaster Movie Musical!" The sendup of 1970s disaster movies is in an immersive production at Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago. Performances begin Thursday, April 12. See chicagotheatreworkshop.org.

• Chicago newcomer Thompson Street Opera Company, which stages works by living composers, presents a double bill of two short operas Thursday through Sunday, April 12-15, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The featured operas are Marcus Maroney's "Dust of the Road," based on Kenneth Sawyer Goodman's play about a married couple wrestling with greed and guilt, and Andrey Komanetsky's "Bobok," based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story about a frustrated writer who hears dead people talking. See thompsonstreetopera.org.

• Performances continue through April 28 at 1655 W. Cortland Ave., Chicago, for Trap Door Theatre's "Letter of Love (The Fundamentals of Judo)." Based on texts by Fernando Arrabal and Yves Klein and directed by French director Aleksi Barriere, the text "is a letter of love, reproach and reconciliation that covers the last years of (a) mother's life." See trapdoortheatre.com.

• Raven Theatre has extended its premiere of Philip Dawkins' two-hander "The Gentleman Caller," about a 1944 meeting between playwrights William Inge (Curtis Edward Jackson) and Tennessee Williams (Rudy Galvan) before they achieved success. Performances run through May 27 at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.