Good year on tap for theaters
The 2008-2009 season announcements from Chicago's Court, Goodman and Steppenwolf theaters include a couple of coups and the return of some local favs, making for what looks to be a powerhouse season.
Goodman snagged the rights to Tom Stoppard's "Rock 'n' Roll," the London hit that concludes its smash Broadway run this weekend. The 2009 production marks the Goodman directing debut of Court artistic director Charles Newell. Also on tap, Rebecca Gilman's latest, "The Crowd You're in With," directed by Wendy C. Goldberg (part of the Owen Theatre's season of plays written and directed by women); the previously announced "Desire Under the Elms," starring Brian Dennehy; and "Turn of the Century" by the "Jersey Boys" team of Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, directed by Tommy Tune.
Not to be outdone, Court presents the Midwest premiere of Tony Kushner's musical "Caroline, or Change," with music by Jeanine Tesori along with a new translation by Richard Nelson of Henrik Ibsen's "The Wild Duck."
Ensemble member Frank Galati returns to Steppenwolf to direct "Kafka on the Shore" starring Francis Guinan (currently co-starring in "August: Osage County" on Broadway) and to star in "The Tempest" directed by Tina Landau. Lastly, a pair of plays by Conor McPherson will lure Chicago natives William L. Petersen ("CSI") and John Mahoney ("Frasier") home this fall.
Mahoney stars in "The Seafarer," which concludes its Broadway run this month. The play will run in tandem with "Dublin Carol" starring Petersen.