Theater events: Danai Gurira's family comedy “Familiar” opens at Steppenwolf
Theatreworks USA returns to the McAninch Arts Center with its 60-minute, family-friendly production of the musical “Pete the Cat,” based on the children's series by James Dean and Eric Litwin. After Pete the Cat is found out and about after bedtime, the cat-catcher sends him to live with an uptight family whose members ultimately benefit from Pete's adventuresome attitude. The performance is at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at the College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org.
Previews begin Friday, Nov. 9, at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, for Victory Gardens Theater's commission of Ike Holter's “Rightlynd” featuring original music by Charlie Coffeen. The title refers to a Chicago ward filled with abandoned stores, decaying apartment buildings and crime that becomes the target of a massive gentrification effort opposed by an alderwoman in danger of becoming the very politician she despises. Lisa Portes directs the play, which opens Nov. 17. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.
After the wicked Snow Queen lures away her friend Kai, Gerda embarks on a quest to the North Pole to save him in “The Snow Queen,” Hans Christian Andersen's tale of friendship and courage. Filament Theatre presents Tyler J. Monroe's adaptation directed by Allegra Libonati. Previews begin Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 17, with a sensory-friendly performance on Dec. 2. (773) 270-1660 or filamenttheatre.org.
Chicago Opera Theater presents “Iolanta,” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's tale of a blind princess who's unaware of her disability until a duke falls in love with her. Performances take place Saturday, Nov. 10, Thursday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 18, at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. See chicagooperatheater.org.
Lucky Plush Productions performs selections from “Rink Life” at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago, on Saturdays, Nov. 10 and 17. “Rink Life” is a dance-theater piece inspired by 1970s roller rink culture. Earlier this year, Lucky Plush received a National Theater Project Creation and Touring Award to help fund the creation of hybrid dance and theater works. (312) 336-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
Veterans can purchase $18 tickets to “Private Peaceful” through Sunday, Nov. 11. Adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel by director Simon Reade, the play is about an English soldier during World War I who is accused of cowardice and is sentenced to death by a firing squad. It runs through Nov. 11 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Veterans must mention Vet18 to receive discounted tickets. (773) 404-7336 or privatepeacefulusa.com.
Ben Hollis, former host of WTTW's “Wild Chicago,” performs his solo show “Sex, Booze & Candy Bars - A Wild Man's Musical Memoir,” about a Chicago kid confronting his self-centered desires, on Sunday, Nov. 11, at The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.
Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, currently starring in the touring production of “Hello, Dolly!,” will be named actor of the year by the Sarah Siddons Society during a fundraiser Monday, Nov. 12. The Sarah Siddons Society provides scholarships to theater students from Northwestern, DePaul and Roosevelt universities and Columbia College Chicago. See sarahsiddonssociety.org.
Erasing the Distance, an organization that dramatizes true stories from people whose lives have been impacted by mental health issues, presents “Story Showcase: First Responders.” Performances run Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 12-14, at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. The production examines the experiences of firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement officers who encounter traumatic events in the line of duty. See erasingthedistance.org.
The Second City debuts its new holiday revue, “The Second City's The Good, the Bad & the Ugly,” on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Up Comedy Club, Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. (312) 337-3992 or secondcity.com.
Performances begin Wednesday, Nov. 14, for the touring production of “Miss Saigon,” the musical by composer Claude Michel Schönberg and lyricists Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr., with additional lyrics by the Chicago area's own Michael Mahler. Laurence Connor directs the new production of the musical about a young Vietnamese woman who falls in love with an American soldier just as the American army leaves Vietnam. Performances run through Dec. 8 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.
Porchlight Music Theatre's “Porchlight Revisits” series showcasing rarely revived musicals returns with staged concert performances of “1776,” by composer/lyricist Sherman Edwards and writer Peter Stone. Set during the Second Continental Congress, the show is about the imagined events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (773) 777-9884 or porchlightmusictheatre.org.
The Gift Theatre hosts Gift Gala 2018: The Next Chapter from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The event includes music, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction and a reading by Chicago author Megan Stielstra. (773) 283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org.
Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 15, for American Blues Theater's 17th anniversary production of “It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!” The show re-creates a 1940s radio broadcast adapted from Frank Capra's beloved 1946 film about a man who's shown what his small town and its residents would be without him. Gwendolyn Whiteside directs the show, which opens Nov. 17 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 654-3103 or americanbluestheater.com.
Strawdog Theatre Company presents Lauren M. Gunderson's “The Revolutionists,” about four real women (including a writer, a deposed queen and a Caribbean spy) during the French Revolution. Gunderson's examination of the role of art, the course of violence and women's roles during insurgent times begins previews Thursday, Nov. 15, at 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago. Director Denise Yvette Serna's production opens Nov. 27. (773) 644-1380 or strawdog.org.
One of London's longest-running, most successful plays, “The Woman in Black” begins previews Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Director Robin Herford re-creates his original West End staging of the two-hander adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from Susan Hill's ghost story about a young London lawyer and his ghostly encounters at a remote mansion. Chicago actors Bradley Armacost and Adam Wesley Brown star in the revival, which opens Nov. 18. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago-area premiere of the family comedy “Familiar” by actor/writer Danai Gurira (“The Walking Dead,” “Black Panther”), beginning previews Thursday, Nov. 15, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The action centers around a Zimbabwean-American family whose preparations for the eldest daughter's wedding are upended by an unexpected visitor. Danya Taymor (“Pass Over”) directs the Chicago-area premiere, which opens Nov. 26. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
“SnowGirls - The Musical,” a parody of the film “Showgirls” set at the North Pole, is the latest from Hell in a Handbag Productions. Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 15, at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. The play opens Nov. 24. (800) 838-3006 or handbagproductions.org.
Idle Muse Theatre Company presents the second radio play in its series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. In Michael Dalberg's “A League of Identity,” Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Dr. Watson take on two capers at once. The performance takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway St., Chicago. (773) 340-9438 or idlemuse.org.
Comings and goings: Griffin Theatre recently welcomed new ensemble members Isa Arciniegas, Larry Baldacci, Peter Byrne, Jermaine Hill, Nicole Laurenzi, Ryan McBride, Rochelle Therrien, Jason VonRohn and Scott Weinstein. Griffin also added new artistic associates: Will Kiley, Dorothy Milne, Mechelle Moe, Alexander Ridgers, Rachel Sypniewski and Brandon Wardell. ... Shattered Globe Theatre named Drew Schad, an ensemble member since 2009, business manager. ... Underscore Theatre Company artistic director and co-founder Laura Stratford will step down in March 2019 to focus on her career as a lyricist and librettist. ... Chicago Dramatists announced executive director Vanessa Bamber will step down on Dec. 31.