Eden stara in Paramount's 'Ballroom with a Twist'

Barbara Eden stars in a new dance show choreographed by "Dancing With the Stars" choreographer Louis van Amstel that features a progressive take on ballroom dance.

Facts: Performances are at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

'Superstar' returns

"Jesus Christ Superstar," the first Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice collaboration centered around the last seven days in the life of Christ, comes to the Rosemont Theatre for a brief run. Ted Neeley, understudy in the original Broadway cast and star of the 1973 film, plays the title role he has played since 1972.

Facts: Opens Thursday, April 30, at 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont, (800) 745-3000.

Locals play in 'Oz'

Northwest suburban youngsters from Lake Zurich, Aurora and Buffalo Grove have been tapped to play Munchkins in the national tour of the stage musical adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz." The pint-size performers include: Kevin Gallagher, Zachary Keller, Josie Mercado and Matt Rice.

Facts: Opens Thursday, April 30, at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago. (800) 745-3000 or thechicagotheatre.com.

What's new

• Saint Sebastian Players concludes its season with "The Real Thing," Tom Stoppard's brainy examination of love, art and fidelity among members of Britain's literati. The show opens Friday, April 24, at St. Bonaventure, 1625 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago. (773) 404-7922 or saintsebastianplayers.org.

• A frazzled producer copes with a tipsy soloist, a delivery boy looking for his big break and a waitress with stars in her eyes in "The 1940s Radio Hour," a revue set in 1942 that showcases some well-loved standards. Citadel Theatre Company's production opens Friday, April 24, at the Gorton Center, 400 E. Illinois St., Lake Forest. (847) 735-8554 or citadeltheatre.org.

• Infamous Commonwealth Theatre concludes its season devoted to the topic nature with a revival of Frank Galati's famed adaptation of "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck's novel about the hardships one family endures and the generosity they display as they struggle through the Depression. The production, directed by founding member Genevieve Thompson, opens Saturday, April 25, at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. (312) 458-9780 or infamouscommonwealth.org.

• Exciting times at TimeLine Theatre, the mid-size Chicago company that a year ago secured the rights to the Chicago premiere of "The History Boys," Alan Bennett's award-winning coming-of-age drama set in a boys boarding school in 1980s Britain. Jeff Award winner Nick Bowling directs the production which includes fellow ensemble member and Jeff winner Terry Hamilton. The show opens Saturday, April 25, at 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. (773) 281-8463 or timelinetheatre.com.

• Adventure Stage Chicago hosts its first benefit Spring Fling: A Celebration of New Orleans from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. The event includes food, music, a silent auction and family-friendly activities including face painting, palm and tarot card readings and more. (773) 342-4141 or adventurestage.org.

• Remy Bumppo Theatre stages Harold Pinter's examination of marriage and memory, "Old Times," in which an old friend threatens a long-married couple's domestic stability. Artistic associates Linda Gillum and Nick Sandys star in the production directed by artistic director James Bohnen. It opens Sunday, April 26, at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or remybumppo.org.

• "Disappearing Acts: Stories by Nikolai Gogol," gets its world premiere at Piven Theatre, located in the Noyes Cultural Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. The show consists of two of Gogol's classic absurdist stories: "Nose," about a man's comic efforts to reclaim his vanished nose, and "Overcoat," about a bureaucrat who pays a high price for winter warmth. The production opens Monday, April 27. (847) 866-8049 or piventheatre.org.

• A widower has the ability to perceive a person's color aura which reveals that individual's immediate future in Tommy Lee Johnston's "Aura." Larry E. Wiley and Connie Anderko star in a redtwist theatre's world premiere of this three-character drama. Director Jan Ellen Graves' production opens Monday, April 27, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago. (773) 728-7529 or redtwist.org.

• Babes With Blades celebrates the end of its 11th season with an all-female production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Next Theatre's Kevin Heckman directs the production which features young performers from The Viola Project, which offers acting workshops for girls age 8 to 18. Previews continue through Sunday, April 26, at La Costa Theatre, 3931 N. Elsteon Ave., 2nd floor, Chicago. The show opens Monday, April 27. (773) 880-0016 or babeswithblades.org.

• Steppenwolf Theatre honors Todd Rosenthal, the award-winning set designer responsible for the company's hit, "August: Osage County," with the Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 27, at the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Also being honored, Keith Parham for his lighting design of Next Theatre's "Adding Machine: A Musical." Call (312) 344-6105 or e-mail robmillburn@ameritech.net for reservations.

• Michael Menendian directs Raven Theatre's production of "Hedda Gabler," Henrik Ibsen's portrait of a manipulative woman whose schemes conclude in tragedy. Previews begin Tuesday, April 28, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, May 3. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• Silk Road Theatre Project hosts a staged reading of "In the Crossing," Arab American playwright/performer Leila Buck's play chronicling her experience living in Lebanon with her Jewish husband during 2006's Israel-Hezbollah war. The reading takes place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, April 28, and Wednesday, April 29, at Anderson Hall in the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, 126 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. (312) 857-1234 or srtp.org.

• "Unveiled," London-born playwright Rohina's examination of the lives of five Muslim women in the wake of Sept. 11, begins performances Thursday, April 30, at the 16th Street Theater, Berwyn Cultural Center, 6420 16th St., Berwyn. (708) 795-6704, ext. 105 or 16thstreettheater.org.

• "No scripts, no scripture, just supper," is how Chicago Fusion Theatre describes its improvised comedy "12 Hungry Men" about how Jesus and his apostles might have behaved at their first supper. The show previews Thursday, April 30, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. It opens Friday, May 1. (773) 598-4549 or chicagofusiontheatre.org.