'Lend me a Tenor' to open at Metropolis
When an accidental overdose keeps the great tenor Il Stupendo from performing, his assistant Max goes on in his place in Ken Ludwig's door-slamming farce "Lend Me A Tenor." Robin M. Hughes directs the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre production, which features Joan McGrath, former host of WGN radio's "The Joan McGrath Show."
Facts" Begins previews Thursday, March 12, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens Sunday, March 15. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
Marriott's "Musical"
Max Quinlan, currently starring as Joseph in Marriott Theatre's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," plays the role of hunky Troy Bolton in Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences' production of "High School Musical." Cat Davis plays Troy's crush, brainy Gabriella Montez in the stage version of the hit Disney Channel movie.
Facts: Runs Tuesday, March 10, to Saturday, May 9, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.
Johannsen at Zanies
Jake Johannsen, a veteran of the "Late Show with David Letterman" and star of an HBO comedy special, "This'll Take About an Hour," brings his understated style of stand-up to Zanies Vernon Hills for two shows this weekend.
7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7 at 230 Hawthorn Village Commons Plaza. (847) 549-6030 or zanies.com.
What's New
•In Barbara Field's "Playing with Fire (after Frankenstein)," a theatrical re-imagining of Mary Shelley's classic novel, the Creature asks the same question many humans ask of their Creator, "Why did you make me?" Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's production of the play with the provocative question previews Friday, March 6, at the Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood, Chicago. The production opens Saturday, March 7. (866) 811-4111 or bohotheatre.com.
•Previews begin Friday, March 6, for Smock Alley Theater Company's world premiere of "The Quiet Man Tales," based on Maurice Walsh's short story compilation "Green Rushes," which inspired John Ford's 1952 film, "The Quiet Man" starring Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne. Chicago-area Irish musicians provide the soundtrack to the play, which chronicles Ireland's 1919-1921 War of Independence. The production, adapted by Frank Mahon and Milissa Pacelli, opens Sunday, March 22, at The Chicago Theatre Downstairs, 175 N. State St., Chicago. (312) 902-1500 or thechicagotheatre.com.
•EP Theater presents the world premiere of Chicago playwright Dave Stinton's fact-based "The Lost Shakespeare Play," based on an 18th-century scandal in which 19-year-old William Henry Ireland claimed to have discovered one of the Bard's lost texts. The 90-minute show unfolds as a confrontation between Ireland and Shakespeare scholar Edmond Malone over the play's authenticity. EP's production opens Friday, March 6, at 1820 S. Halsted St., Chicago. (773) 895-9935.
•On The Spot Theatre Company performs a new romantic comedy "Brick Wall" about two brothers married to two sisters, Fridays and Saturdays through March 29, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.
•Evan Linder drew upon his experiences in a Southern fraternity for his play "Frat," which reveals there's more to the Greek system than keg parties. The New Colony's world premiere begins previews Monday, March 9, at the Dank Haus, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, March 12. (800) 838-3006 or thenewcolony.org.
•Actor/writer Chazz Palminteri brings his one-man show "A Bronx Tale," his self-penned memoir about growing up on the tough streets of Brooklyn during the 1960s, to the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. The limited engagement begins Tuesday, March 10, and runs through Sunday, March 22. (312) 902-1400 or broadwayinchicago.com.
•The national tour of "Mary Poppins" begins previews Wednesday, March 11, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. The Broadway in Chicago production features original Broadway stars Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee reprising their roles. The production opens Wednesday, March 25. (312) 902-1400 or broadwayinchicago.com.
•The third installment of Remy Bumppo Theatre's thinkTank - a series showcasing short works centered on a timely social or political issue - is the world premiere of "American Ethnic," in which slam poets Idris Goodwin, Usman Ally and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai examine race and gender. Performances run from Thursday, March 12, to Sunday, March 29, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or remybumppo.org.
•Caffeine Theatre presents a rotating repertory of "The Changeling," the 17th century drama by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley about a woman who enlists a man to kill her betrothed so she can be with the man she loves, and its 21st century counterpart "Tallgrass Gothic," Melanie Marnich's 2007 re-imagining of the tragedy set in the American plains. The productions mark the fifth anniversary of the theater company. Rotating performances begin Thursday, March 12, at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. (312) 409-4778 or caffeinetheatre.com.
•"How I Learned to Drive," Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a young girl's complicated relationship with her uncle, continues through Sunday, March 15, at Village Players Performing Arts Center, 1010 Madison St. Oak Park. (866) 764-1010 or village-players.org.
•Players, Please Theatre's production of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" closes Sunday, March 8. Performances take place at Aspirations Dance Studio, 350 S. Main St., Lombard. For more information, e-mail info@playerspleasetheatre.com.
•Broadway in Chicago offers tickets for Sunday to Friday performances of the musical "Xanadu" for $44. The offer is good for performances through Sunday, March 29, and is not valid on previously purchased tickets, stage or premium seating. Reservations must be made by Sunday, March 15, for the show, which opened recently at Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. (312) 902-1400 or broadwayinchicago.com.