Critic's notebook: Current plays
Here is a look at currently running plays recently reviewed by the Daily Herald.
"Between Barack and a Hard Place," Second City Theatre, 1616 N. Wells St., Chicago. Second City sends up Illinois' junior senator in its 94th revue featuring requisite jabs at pop culture and politics. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 and 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays; open run. Running time: About 1 hour, 45 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Paid lots nearby. Tickets: $17-$25. Rating: For adults. Box office: (312) 337-3992 or www.secondcity.com. Reviewed by Scott Morgan. 2½ stars
"The Color Purple," Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. The musical homage to female empowerment adapted from Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel -- with a pastiche of a score featuring pop, blues and gospel -- is masterfully executed by director Gary Griffin and wonderfully entertaining thanks to knockout performances by Jeannette Bayardelle as Celie and Chicago's own Felicia P. Fields as Sofia. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Running time: About 2 hours, 40 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Paid lots nearby. Tickets: $28-$85. Rating: Suitable for teens and older. Box office: (312) 902-1400 or www.broadwayinchicago.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3½ stars
"Cymbeline," Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Director Barbara Gaines plays up the comedy to excellent effect in Shakespeare's plotty, fairy tale-like, comic-tragedy incorporates several stories, primarily that of a clever young princess who marries a commoner against her father's wishes. The tale also includes an evil Queen, a seductive foreigner, loyal servants and noble rustics linked more closely to the princess than anyone suspects. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Nov. 11. Additional 7 p.m. shows Oct. 28; additional 1 p.m. shows Wednesday, Oct. 10 and 17. Running time: About 3 hours, including intermission. Parking: Paid lots nearby. Tickets: $54-$70. Rating: Suitable for teens and older. Box office: (312) 595-5600 or www.chicagoshakes.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3½ stars
"Elmina's Kitchen," Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green St., Chicago. August Wilson's influence is apparent in Kwame Kwei-Armah's play about father trying to protect his son from the clutches of the thugs who rule their crime-ridden London neighborhood. The play, which recalls Wilson's "Jitney," "Fences" and "King Hedley II," gets its Midwest premiere courtesy of Congo Square Theatre, a company that Wilson mentored. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 14. Running time: About 2 hours, 20 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Some street parking, paid lot. Tickets: $27.50, $32.50. Rating: For adults. Box office: (312) 733-6000. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"The Fool (Returns to His Chair)," The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. Don't look for a profound meaning in the Neo-Futurists unique and oblique examination of fools in their various social and historical incarnations. Just enjoy the ride, which unfolds as a series of quirky and imaginative vignettes. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays; through Sept. 29. Additional 8 p.m. shows Oct. 5, 6, 12 and 13. Running time: About 90 minutes, no intermission. Parking: Street parking available. Tickets: $10-$15. Rating: For adults, contains violence, mature subject matter, sexual situations. Box office: (773) 275-5255 or www.neofuturists.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 2½ stars
"High School Musical," Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Canned music, snail-paced dialogue scenes and some lackluster chorus performances earn this ubiquitous show based on Disney's hit TV movie merely passing marks. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 7 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Nov. 11. Running time: About 2 hours, 20 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Nearby garage and street parking available. Tickets: $22-$42. Rating: For all ages. Box office: (847) 577-2131 or www.metropolisarts.com. Reviewed by Scott Morgan. 2½ stars
"Jitney," O'Rourke Center at Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago. Pegasus Players' production of August Wilson's play about gypsy cab drivers driven out of business by urban renewal runs smoothly thanks to director Jonathan Wilson (no relation) and an able cast whose easy camaraderie make this snapshot believable. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 28. Running time: About 2 hours, 30 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Free lot. Tickets: $17, $25. Rating: For adults. Box office: (773) 878-9761 or www.pegasusplayers.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical," Pheasant Run Resort & Spa, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. Pleasantly predictable, Noble Fool's send-up of middle age features upbeat tunes, pun-filled lyrics and benefits from Michael Weber's breezy direction and a cast with the comedic chops to keep the laughs coming. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays; through Nov. 11. Running time: About two hours, including intermission. Parking: Free lot. Tickets: $27. $38 ($49, $60 with dinner). Rating: For adults. Box office: (630) 584-6342 or www.noblefool.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"The Odd Couple," Drury Lane Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Drury Lane delivers a safe, respectable revival of Neil Simon's 1965 comedy about a pair of divorced men -- a neat-freak and a slob -- trying to co-exist without driving each other crazy. Director Greg Kolack and leads Norm Boucher and Dan Rodden make the most of this comic chestnut. Showtimes: 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Fridays, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 7. Running time: About 2 hours, 30 minutes, including intermissions. Parking: Free lot adjacent to theater. Tickets: $25-$50. Rating: For most ages. Box office: (630) 530-0111 or www.drurylaneoakbrook.com. Reviewed by Scott Morgan. 2½ stars
"Paradise Lost," TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. Written more than 70 years ago, Clifford Odets' American tragedy about a family succumbing to the economic, social and political pressures of the Depression era resonates as profoundly today as it did then. TimeLine's heartfelt, pristinely acted revival has more going for it than good timing, it also has Louis Contey's sure hands to prevent it from descending into melodrama. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 21. Running time: About 2 hours, 15 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Paid lots nearby. Tickets: $25-$30. Rating: Suitable for teens and older. Box office: (773) 281-8463 or www.timelinetheatre.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3½ stars
"Phantom," Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Porchlight Music Theatre's production has a fine cast, able directors and resourceful designers, but the real star of this "other phantom" (a nod to Andrew Lloyd Webber's better-known version) is the truly lovely score by Maury Yeston that flirts with operetta while remaining grounded in the Broadway tune tradition. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays; through Nov. 11. Running time: About 2 hours, 15 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Street and valet. Tickets: $34,$35. Rating: For teens and older. Box office: (773) 327-5252 or www.ticketmaster.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"The Princess Club," Redmoon Central, 1463 W. Hubbard St., Chicago. Redmoon Theatre examines female beauty and body image, self-esteem and gender roles, rejection and inclusion in a quirky, visually arresting spectacle that revisits "Rapunzel," "The Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella" to skewer princesses in all their incarnations. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; through Oct. 7. Running time: About 90 minutes, no intermission. Parking: Street parking. Tickets: $15-$30. Rating: For adults. Box office: (312) 850-8440, ext. 111, or www.redmoon.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"The Producers," Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Marriott's regional premiere of Mel Brooks' blockbuster musical about a couple of producers looking to get rich by producing a flop show is a smash thanks to stars Ross Lehman as wily Max Bialystock and Guy Adkins as his nervous protégé, Leo Bloom. Marc Robin re-imagines the big, brassy show in the round without sacrificing its spectacle. Showtimes: 1 and 8 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays; through Dec. 2. Running time: About 2 hours, 30 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Free lot. Tickets: $55 Wednesday and Thursday (includes dinner); $45 Friday to Sunday (show only, $32-$43 extra for dinner). Rating: Suitable for teens and older. Box office: (847) 634-0200 or www.marriotttheatre.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3½ stars
"Some Girl(s)," Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago. Neil LaBute's play about a man who tracks down former girlfriends hoping to right some wrongs, gets a taut production from Profiles, a company specially suited to the writer's caustic humor and lean, unsentimental style. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 28. Running time: About 90 minutes, including a deleted scene. Parking: Limited street parking. Tickets: $25, $30. Rating: For adults. Box office: (773) 549-1815 or www.profilestheatre.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"Suddenly, Last Summer," Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Shattered Globe's excellent revival of Tennessee Williams' one-act about sexual repression and manipulation and a mother's desperate attempts to preserve her son's reputation benefits from exceptional performances by Linda Reiter and Allison Batty and a sumptuous set by designer/director Kevin Hagan. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 27. Running time: About 80 minutes, no intermission. Parking: Discounted parking in the Children's Memorial Hospital parking garage. Tickets: $20-$35. Rating: For adults. Box office: (773) 871-3000 or www.shatteredglobe.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"Three Sisters," Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Gift Theatre makes the most of its intimate space, delivering a solid, resourcefully staged production of Chekhov's drama about well-educated, once-privileged young women unhappily living in the Russian countryside who long to return to their beloved Moscow. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Running time: About 2 hours, 40 minutes, including intermission. Parking: Street parking. Tickets: $20-$25. Rating: For teens and older. Box office: (773) 283-7071 or www.thegifttheatre.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"War," Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph St., Chicago. Chicago's Seanachai (shawn-uh-kee) Theatre averages about one production a year, but they make it count, delivering a spirited revival of Roddy Doyle's rollicking Irish comedy about a group of middle-class Dubliners competing in a weekly trivia contest. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 7. Running time: About two hours, including intermission. Parking: Paid lots nearby. Tickets: $20, $25. Rating: For teens and older. Box office: (312) 742-8497 or www.seanachai.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars
"The Woman in Black," McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Director Amelia Barrett does a fine job sustaining the tension in this chilling, well-told ghost story by Stephen Mallatratt, which features a couple of great storytellers in actors Robert Jordan Bailey and Kurt Naebig. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; through Oct. 14. Running time: About two hours, including intermission. Parking: Free lot. Tickets: $17-$30. Rating: For teens and older. Box office: (630) 942-4000 or www.atthemac.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. 3 stars