Drury Lane stages 'Thoroughly Modern Millie'

A gem set in the Jazz Age

Drury Lane Oak Brook continues its season with the lighter-than-air "Thoroughly Modern Millie," about a Kansas girl seeking her matrimonial fortune in 1920s Manhattan. William Osetek directs a cast that includes Holly Ann Butler as the titular "modern," with Mark Fisher as love interest Jimmy and Paula Scrofano as the scheming Mrs. Meers.

Previews begin Thursday, Oct. 22, at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens Thursday, Oct. 29. (630) 530-0111 or drurylaneoakbrook.com.

'Heroes' Chicago premiere

Chicago favorite Mike Nussbaum joins Roderick Peeples and longtime Remy Bumppo Theatre artistic associate David Darlow for the Chicago premiere of "Heroes," Tom Stoppard's bittersweet comedy about three World War II veterans planning an adventure to Indochina. Remy Bumppo Theatre artistic director James Bohnen directs.

Previews continue through Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, Oct. 18. (773) 404-7336 or remybumppo.org.

All improv, all the time

Schaumburg's Laugh Out Loud Theater has added "Instant Musical" to its Thursday lineup. The show's first act is comprised of improvised scenes done in different musical styles. The second act features an entirely improvised musical inspired from an audience member's suggestion.

8 p.m. Thursdays through Nov. 19 at the Streets of Woodfield, 601 N. Martingale Road, Schaumburg. (847) 240-0386 or loltheater.com.

• Village Players Theater hosts a special Halloween-inspired production titled "Theatre of Souls," an original work by Joe Kennedy about three souls confronting a mysterious man. The production opens Friday, Oct. 16, at 1010 Madison St., Oak Park. Additionally, the theater company opens its 2009-2010 season with "You Can't Take It With You," George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's comedy about a young woman who brings her fiancé and his straight-laced folks home to meet her eccentric family. Performances begin Saturday, Oct. 17, at the theater. (866) 764-1010 or village-players.org.

• Victory Gardens Biograph Theater continues its Fresh Squeezed series with New Colony's "Walk of Shame: Stories of Personal Humiliation and Regret Told Through Theater, Comedy, Music and Dance," a late-night comedy show about the walk home the morning after. The performance is Friday, October 16, at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• "Man of La Mancha," the musical inspired by the adventures of Cervantes' beloved Don Quixote, gets an intimate staging courtesy of Theo Ubique. The production begins previews Friday, Oct. 16, at No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, Oct. 18. (773) 347-1109 or theoubique.org.

• Thirteen sketches comprise "Mrs. Gruber's Ding Gong School," a coming-of-age comedy presided over by a slightly dotty schoolmarm. The show opens Friday, Oct. 16, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

• Filament Theatre re-imagines a classic Halloween tale with music. The company presents "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A New Folk Musical," beginning Friday, Oct. 16, at the Viaduct Theater, 3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago. (773) 296-6024 or filamenttheatre.org.

• Barrel of Monkeys hosts its annual Fancy Schmancy Benefit from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago. Single tickets range from $75 to $100. The evening includes food, live and silent auctions, and a performance of BOM's "That's Weird Grandma." Proceeds benefit the company's programming efforts. Call (773) 281-0638 for reservations.

• The world premiere of the musical "Dooby Dooby Moo," Lifeline Theatre's latest KidSeries production is Sunday, Oct. 18, at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Adapted by ensemble member James E. Grote from Doreen Cronin's children's book (with music and lyrics by George Howe), the musical is about an ambitious duck's efforts to win the county fair talent show with an ensemble comprised of a pig, cow and ewe. Cronin and illustrator Betsy Lewin will be at the theater to meet and greet patrons and sign copies of their book from noon to 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18. The production runs Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 6. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

• The family-friendly show "Life's Ruff" featuring ordinary dogs and their owners performing special feats returns to Gorilla Tango Theatre for performances at 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Gorilla Tango is located at 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

• Family discounts are available for select performances of "Million Dollar Quartet," a rousing jukebox musical that re-imagines an impromptu 1956 recording session at Sun Studios involving Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. One child younger than 17 will be admitted free with each paid adult to the 6:30 p.m. performances on Sundays, Oct. 19 and Nov. 15, at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100. To obtain the family discount, use the code "family" when ordering tickets through ticketmaster.com. Tickets for the show are on sale through Sunday, Jan. 3.

• The 41st annual Joseph Jefferson Awards ceremony saluting the best in equity theater in the Chicago area takes place at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets for the black-tie-optional event cost $75 and include the preshow buffet. See jeffawards.org for tickets.

• Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs theater incubator program encouraging new works by Chicago theater companies continues Monday, Oct. 19, with a look at LiveWire Chicago Theatre's work-in-progress, "Lower Debt (or It's Not You, It's the Economy)." The showcase begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. (312) 742-8497 or dcatheater.org.

• A newcomer to the Chicago-area scene, Rendition Theatre presents August Strindberg's rarely performed "Creditors," which looks at a marriage poisoned by a mysterious stranger who befriends the husband in order to turn him against his wife. Performances begin Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago. See renditiontheatre.org for tickets.

• In what promises to be an intriguing re-imagining of Mary Shelley's gothic tale, director Sean Graney and The Hypocrites take on "Frankenstein." Graney's world-premiere adaptation of the novel is underscored by the musings of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Thomas Edison among others and shot through with references to "Macbeth," "Doctor Faustus" and "Prometheus Bound." Previews begin Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. The production opens Friday, Oct. 23. (312) 397-4010 or the-hypocrites.com.

• Silk Road Theatre Project concludes its season with the world premiere of an East-meets-West revue featuring songs from Broadway musicals set along the legendary Silk Road. The show features music from "Kismet," "Pacific Overtures," "Bombay Dreams" and "Miss Saigon," among others. Previews for "Silk Road Cabaret: Broadway Sings the Silk Road" begin Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. The production opens Sunday, Oct. 25. (312) 857-1234, ext. 201.

• Previews begin Thursday, Oct. 22, for Gift Theatre's world premiere, "Summer People," written by ensemble member Jenny Connell. Jeff Award-winner Paul D'Addario directs the play, set in the summer of 2004, about the impact a soldier's return from Iraq has on a family in Maine. The production opens Monday, Oct. 26, at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org.

• Porchlight Music Theatre reprises and revises its popular Halloween special "Macabaret," a satirical musical revue centered around all things macabre and morbid. L. Walter Stearns directs the show, which runs Thursday, Oct. 22, to Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or porchlighttheatre.com.

• Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion is the site of a new "In The Works" theater series showcasing in-development plays from Chicago companies. The Chicago Actors Wordshop inaugurates the series with "Bread and Salt," a salute to working-class men and women and the American dream and comprised of poems by Carl Sandburg. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, Oct. 22-24, at 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago (between Michigan and Columbus avenues). (312) 742-8497 or dcatheater.org.

• Eta Creative Arts Foundation offers two-for-one tickets to its production of "Resurrection," running through Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.