Goodman Theatre to celebrate Eugene O'Neill
Goodman Theatre ushers in 2009 with "A Global Exploration: Eugene O'Neill in the 21st Century," a salute to the iconic American playwright who depicted family dysfunction unlike any other. The international event features Brazil's Companhia Triptal performing the "Sea Plays," Amsterdam's Toneelgroep performing "Mourning Becomes Electra" and Goodman's revival of "Desire Under the Elms" starring Brian Dennehy. Chicago's Hypocrites and Neo-Futurists and New York's Wooster Group also perform.
Facts: Begins Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.
Drury Lane begins with a bang
Previews continue through Wednesday, Jan. 7, for Drury Lane Oakbrook's production of "Miss Saigon," a modern take on Puccini's "Madame Butterfly," by lyricist Alain Boublil and composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, the duo responsible for "Les Miserables." Melinda Chua Smith, who starred in the show's national tours here and abroad, plays Kim.
Facts: Opens Thursday, Jan. 8, at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. (630) 530-0111 or drurylaneoakbrook.com.
Northlight presents world premiere
A Taiwanese immigrant tries to recreate his mother's recipes with help from a black friend in "Po Boy Tango" by Kenneth Lin. Chay Yew directs the world premiere at Skokie's Northlight Theatre.
Previews begin Thursday, Jan. 7, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The play opens Jan. 15. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.
What's new
• Rasaka Theatre Company, in cooperation with Premiere Theatre and Performance, presents the Chicago premiere of "Yoni Ki Baat," the South Asian version of "The Vagina Monologues." Previews begin Friday, Jan. 2, at Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway, Chicago. The show opens Sunday, Jan. 4. (312) 777-1070 or rasakatheatre.org.
• Neil LaBute ("In The Company of Men," "The Shape of Things," "Nurse Betty") joins the members of Profiles Theatre Saturday, Jan. 3, to celebrate the company's 20th anniversary. Profiles' relationship with the playwright has evolved over the last two years during which the Chicago company staged a half dozen LaBute plays to critical acclaim. "An Evening with Neil LaBute: Live and In Person" features LaBute performing selections from his latest, untitled work. In addition, Profiles members perform a staged reading of the writer's 2008 drama, "Reasons to Be Pretty." The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago. The $50 admission includes a ticket to Profiles' next production, the Midwest premiere of "Great Falls" by Lee Blessing. (773) 549-1815 or profilestheatre.org.
• Broadway in Chicago brings the touring production of "Grease," featuring "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel, to the Auditorium Theatre for a brief run. Performances begin Tuesday, Jan. 6, and run through Jan. 18 at 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. (312) 902-1400 or broadwayinchicago.com.
• Melanie Marnich's "These Shining Lives," originally commissioned by Skokie's Northlight Theatre, gets its Midwest premiere courtesy of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, a company devoted to promoting women theater artists. The play tells the true story of four women who worked painting watch faces for the Radium Dial Company during the 1920s. Unbeknown to them and more than 1,000 of their co-workers, they were exposed to toxic radiation levels, the effects of which eventually killed them. Marnich's play chronicles the women's efforts to hold the company accountable for their illnesses. It opens Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.net.
• "Touch," Toni Press-Coffman's play about a reserved young man whose world is suddenly upended, opens Wednesday, Jan. 7, at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West, Chicago. New Leaf Theatre artistic director Jessica Hutchinson directs the company's production. (773) 516-3456 or newleaftheatre.org.
• Mercury Theater's tautly wrought and well-received production of "The Screwtape Letters" gets another extension. Adapted by Jeffrey Fiske and Max McLean from C.S. Lewis' novella examining Christian faith, the play unfolds epistolary style, as a series of letters from senior demon Screwtape (McLean) to his nephew Wormwood - an unseen apprentice demon - instructing the neophyte on how to corrupt a human. Performances continue through Feb. 15 at 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. (773) 325-1700 or ticketmaster.com.