Ferrante treats audiences to 'An Evening with Groucho'

Actor/writer Frank Ferrante treats audiences to "An Evening with Groucho," including the famous comedian's best-loved one-liners and anecdotes along with tunes like "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady" and "Hurrah for Captain Spaulding."

Info: 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg. (847) 895-3600 or prairiecenter.org.

'Chaperone' wakes up"The Drowsy Chaperone," a charmer about a musical theater lover whose favorite musical comes to life in his living room, arrives at the Paramount Theatre for two performances only this week. The story centers on a starlet who decides to give up Broadway for marriage and her producer's efforts to stop her.Info: 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.Writers' debutRon OJ Parson makes his Writers' Theatre directing debut with John Henry Redwood's "The Old Settler." Set in 1943 Harlem, the play centers on a couple of middle-aged sisters played by Cheryl Lynn Bruce and Wandachristine who take in a young boarder from the country who comes to New York to find his wayward fiancee. Info: Previews through Wednesday, Feb. 10. Opens 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.What's newbull; Before its Friday, Feb. 5, performance of Athol Fugard's "The Island," Remy Bumppo Theater hosts South African wine tasting from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Admission is free with a ticket to the performance. Also at the Greenhouse, from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, political activist and educator Prexy Nesbitt will discuss the play's themes as part of the theater's ongoing Between the Lines discussion series. Tickets are $50 and include admission to the Feb. 6, matinee. See (773) 404-7336, remybumppo.org or fugardchicago2010.org for more information.bull; Previews begin Friday, Feb. 5, for Circle Theatre's world premiere of "The Analytical Engine," playwright/writer/actor Jon Steinhagen's eHarmony and Match.com inspired musical comedy. Bob Knuth directs the show about a mid-19th century woman who builds the world's first computer in order to find her perfect match. It opens Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 7300 W. Madison St., Forest Park, (708) 771-0700 or circle-theatre.org.bull; Grassroots Theatre Project presents the world premiere of "MATE: Male Attraction Techniques Exposed" on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Town Hall Pub, 3340 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The site-specific show centers on a group of scientists who gather at a Chicago pub to discuss how animals and humans attract a mate. The shows run at 7 p.m. every Saturday in February and Fridays, Feb. 12 and 26. E-mail grassrootstheatreproject@gmail.com for tickets.bull; Massage, tarot card readings, cabaret performances and art installations are on tap from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Feb. 6, during Red Tape Theatre's Second Annual Chicago Fringe Artists Networking Night, held at the theater at 621 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The $20 admission includes snacks, wine and entertainment. Tickets available at the door or online at cfann.org.bull; Football fans who wear their favorite team's paraphernalia to a Sunday, Feb. 7, matinee or evening performance of Marriott Theatre's "My Fair Lady" at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire can receive a pair of tickets to Marriott's Chicago area premiere of "The Drowsy Chaperone" in April. Audience members must stop by the box office, dressed in team garb, 30 minutes before the 1 or 5 p.m. performances to receive a certificate for the two tickets. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.bull; Another alternative for Super Bowl Sunday, The Moscow Circus comes to the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, for one performance at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7. Tickets range from $24 to $34 for children and $29 to $49 for adults. They're available at the box office, by phone at (630) 896-6666. bull; Bailiwick Chicago inaugurates a cabaret show titled "Show Us Your Love" - a celebration of relationships through Broadway song - at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. The revue runs every Sunday in February. (773) 969-6201 or bailiwickchicago.com.bull; The Silver Project, American Theater Company's yearlong, 25th anniversary celebration will be performed in five installments beginning Monday, Feb. 8, at 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago. The celebration consists of the world premieres of 30 short plays over 10 evenings through June 20. Featured playwrights include Usman Ally, Kristoffer Diaz, Laura Eason, Maria Irene Fornes, David Henry Hwang, Joel Drake Johnson, Nambi E. Kelly, Neil LaBute, Itamar Moses, Tanya Saracho and others. (773) 409-4125 or atcweb.org.bull; A group of Christian camp counselors unwittingly drug themselves and begin to lose their inhibitions and question their beliefs as a result in "11:11," the next production by The New Colony, which recently received a $25,000 grant from Chase Bank. Written by ensemble members Evan Linder and Tara Sissom, the production opens Monday, Feb. 8, at the Victory Gardens Biograph Studio Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or thenewcolony.org.bull; Jeff Christian directs Artistic Home ensemble members Maria Stephens, John Mossman and Kathy Scambiatterra in "The Skin of Our Teeth," Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about an eternal American family that encounters (and survives, barely) floods, an Ice Age and war over the course of several millenniums. Previews continue through Monday, Feb. 8, at the Artistic Home at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. The production opens Tuesday, Feb. 9. (866) 811-4111 or theartistichome.org.bull; LaNisa Frederick stars in Pegasus Players' production of "The Gimmick," Dael Orlandersmith's tale of outsider Alexis, an aspiring writer in late 1960s Harlem, who befriends aspiring painter Jimmy, also an outcast. Together they struggle to overcome neglect, abuse and drugs to realize their ambitions. Ilesa Duncan directs. Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 11, at the O'Rourke Center, Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago. The production opens Tuesday, Feb. 16. (773) 878-9761 or pegasusplayers.org.bull; Michael Bradford examines three generations of African Americans in his play "Fathers Sons," the latest in the eta Creative Arts Foundation season showcasing plays written by African American men and directed by African American women. The production, directed by Kemati J. Porter, opens Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org. bull; Redtwist Theatre has extended its Jeff-nominated production of Martin McDonagh's gripping "The Pillowman," about a writer whose violent stories make him a suspect in a series of child murders. The production runs through March 14 at 1044 N. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. (773) 728-7529 or redtwist.org.bull; Writers' Theatre announced a second extension of its hit revue "Oh Coward!" through April 18 at 664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.