Theater events: Pat McGann headlines comedy show at the Metropolis
Monologist Roberta Miles brings her adults-only solo shows “I Want a Banana and Other Desperate Love Stories” and “Cracked: Surviving My Life” to the Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. Miles alternates the shows Fridays and Saturdays from Friday, Sept. 14, through Saturday, Sept. 29. See robertamiles.com or propthtr.org.
Eta Creative Arts Foundation welcomes Congo Square Theatre Company and its remount of “Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill,” starring Joseph Jefferson Award winner Alexis J. Roston as Billie Holiday. Performances begin Friday, Sept. 14, at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.
“You & Me,” the two-person improv show established by The Gift Theatre co-founder Michael Patrick Thornton and featuring him and a guest artist, continues at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Thornton performs with Sadieh Rifai at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, and with Michael Shannon at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. See filamenttheatre.org.
Comedian and television host Pat McGann headlines “An Evening With Standup Comedian Pat McGann and Friends” at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. McGann and company perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. Tickets are $35 and $40. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
Groups of 15 people follow a white rabbit to various downtown Evanston locations as part of Upended Productions' remount of “Alice,” a promenade, multidisciplinary theatrical experience featuring work by The Factory, Mudlark and Fleetwood-Jourdain theaters, and ensemble members from the Neo-Futurists, Theatre Oobleck, WildClaw and Barrel of Monkeys. The preview is at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, beginning at the LaCapra State Farm office, 829 Chicago Ave., Evanston. Performances begin Sept. 22 and run through Oct. 21. Tickets cost $17-$25. See upendedproductions.com.
Previews continue for Theatre at the Centre's production of “Ghost the Musical,” adapted from the hit 1990 film starring Patrick Swayze as a murder victim whose spirit - with help from psychic Oda Mae - sticks around to protect his lover Molly. Garrett Lutz and Courtney Mack star as the lovers and Donica Lynn plays the psychic who assists them. Director/choreographer Linda Fortunato's production opens Sunday, Sept. 16, at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana. (219) 836-3255 or theatreatthecenter.org.
The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, heralds the return of the Halloween-themed sendup “Splatter Theater.” For 31 years, the adults-only show has parodied slasher films and their tropes. Previews begin at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. The show opens Sept. 29 and runs through Oct. 27. Continuing at The Annoyance is “Grease 3: Even Greasier,” a campy, adults-only musical parody of the 1978 movie musical reset during the 1990s. The show runs at 8 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 27. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.
Midsommer Flight hosts a release party at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17, at Uncommon Ground Edgewater for the company's new CD “Fourteen Lines,” consisting of 12 William Shakespeare sonnets set to original music by ensemble members Elizabeth Rentfro and Erick Rivera. Tickets cost $50 for general admission and $75 for general admission plus a wristband (includes food, plus one hour of free beer, wine and well drinks). Uncommon Ground Edgewater is at 1401 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. See midsommerflight.com.
Chicago Dramatists inaugurates its new Monday Night Drama Series consisting of public readings of in-progress plays at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17, at 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Kicking off the series is Lydia R. Diamond's “Toni Stone” about one of the first women to play professional baseball as part of the Negro League. See chicagodramatists.org.
New works by Sandra Delgado, Noah Haidle, Paula Vogel and Ricardo Gamboa are among the plays Goodman Theatre will showcase as part of its 15th annual New Stages Festival. The free festival introduces seven new works, three of them fully staged and performed in repertory. They are: Paola Lazaro-Munoz's “There's Always the Hudson” (Sept. 19-Oct. 6) about two people out for revenge against everyone who hurt them; Delgado's “Felons and Familias” (Sept. 21-Oct. 7) about an immigrant whose application for citizenship is flagged, forcing her from her home; and Korde Arrington Tuttle's “Graveyard Shift” (Sept. 23-Oct. 7) about what happens when a Texas transplant collides with a small-town police officer. The fest also includes staged readings of Gamboa's “The Wizards,” Sarah Schulman's “Between Covers,” Haidle's “Birthday Candles” and Vogel's “Cressida on Top.” The fest begins Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.
Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 20, for Hell in a Handbag Productions' “The Artificial Jungle,” a camp parody by the late Charles Ludlam (“The Mystery of Irma Vep”). A Red Orchid Theatre's Shade Murray directs the play, which centers on pet store owner Chester, his wife, devoted mother and the mysterious drifter who disrupts their lives. The show opens Sept. 23 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com or handbagproductions.org.
Scarlett Strallen plays Nell Gwynn opposite Timothy Edward Kane's King Charles II in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's North American premiere of “Nell Gwynn.” Jessica Swale's Olivier Award-winning comedy is about a young actress in 17th-century London who becomes the toast of Restoration theater then captures the heart of the king, becoming his mistress and mother to two of his sons. Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 20, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. The production is directed by Christopher Luscombe who helmed the original London production. It opens Sept. 28. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.
“Destinos,” the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, returns for its second year beginning Thursday, Sept. 20, at several Chicago venues. Theater artists hail from Chicago, Los Angeles, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Participating theaters include: Aguijon, Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Teatro Vista, UrbanTheater, Victory Gardens and Water People theaters. This week's performances include: Water People Theater's production - in cooperation with American Writers Museum and The Poetry Foundation - of Nestor Caballero's “Musas/Muses” (Sept. 20-23 at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St.); UrbanTheater's production of Guadalis Del Carmen's “Not for Sale” (Sept. 20-23 at 2620 W. Division St.) and The Miracle Center playwright Roberto J. Negron's adaptation of a Marissa de Jesus Paolicelli children's book titled “There's a Coqui in My Shoe!” (Sept. 21-Oct. 31 at 2311 N. Pulaski Road). For schedule and ticket information, see clata.org or call (312) 631-3112.
Trap Door Theatre presents a revival of 19th-century playwright Luiti Pirandello's “Naked” in a translation by Nina da Vinci Nichols. Directed by Kay Martinovich, “Naked” tells the story of a young governess who becomes desperate and destitute after enduring a series of misfortunes and attempts to kill herself. She survives and invents a romantic tale about her life that makes her something of a celebrity. The production opens Thursday, Sept. 20, at 1655 W. Cortland Ave., Chicago. In other Trap Door news, the company will tour its production of Matei Visniec's “Occidental Express” to Hungary, Romania and the Republic of Moldova as part of several theater festivals. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.
The League of Chicago Theatre's Theatre Thursday event returns Thursday, Sept. 20, to Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, with the company's immersive production of Leslie Liautaud's “Southern Gothic.” The play is about longtime friends who uncover secrets about each other during a birthday celebration. Tickets are $65 and include a cocktail preshow and a talkback with actors and creative team members following the performance. (773) 891-8985 or windycityplayhouse.com.