On stage: A French farce
French farce
Steel Beam Theatre warms up winter nights with a revival of Marc Camoletti's frisky farce “Don't Dress for Dinner.” St. Charles resident Dennis Brown plays philandering husband Bernard whose plans for a tryst with his mistress go awry when his wife Jacqueline (Lisa Savegnago) announces she intends to spend the weekend at home.
Opens Friday, Jan. 14, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com. On Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 15-16, California Pizza Kitchen, 1202 Commons Drive, Geneva, donates 20 percent of theatergoers' checks to the theater.
Double the laughs
Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme, co-stars of “Super Troopers” and “Beerfest,” and members of the comedy group Broken Lizard, co-headline shows at Zanies this weekend.
8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, at 230 Hawthorn Village Commons, Vernon Hills. (847) 549-6030 or zanies.com.
New at Goodman
Goodman Theatre showcases staged readings of six new plays as part of its 8th annual New Stages Series. They include Dael Orlandersmith's solo examination of “Black n' Blue Boys/Broken Men;” Danai Gurira's “The Convert” about an African girl who escapes polygamy by converting to Catholicism, and Christopher Shin's “Picked,” which looks at the pitfalls that accompany a dream come true.
Friday, Jan. 14, to Sunday, Jan. 23, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-2800 or goodmantheatre.org.
• A 1975 documentary about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' aunt Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Little Edie, who lived in squalor on their decaying East Hampton estate, inspired the musical “Grey Gardens,” by Doug Wright, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie. Michael A. Kott directs Jedlicka Performing Arts Center's production, which opens Friday, Jan. 14, at 3801 S. Central Ave., Cicero. (708) 656-1800 or jpactheatre.com.
• Previews begin Friday, Jan. 14, for Kiss Kiss Cabaret, a combination vaudeville and burlesque performance featuring striptease, comedy, music and magic. The open run begins Friday, Feb. 4, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.
• Puppetry, dance, theater and music combine in “Show Your Face!” — the latest production featured as part of the Museum of Contemporary Art's Global Stage series. A collaboration between the Slovenian dance-theater company Betontanc and the Latvian puppet-theater company Umka.lv, the show centers on a character who travels through the 20th century encountering disparate individuals who may or may not be able to change the world. The show runs Friday, Jan. 14, to Sunday, Jan. 16, at 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.
• Emerald City Theatre presents the world premiere of the family-friendly show, “Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” — based on former “Sesame Street” writer Mo Willems' book about a pigeon who tries to convince a group of children to let him drive. The show opens Saturday, Jan. 15, at the Apollo Theater, 2640 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 529-2693 or emeraldcitytheatre.com.
• Sixteen members of the Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers battle it out during CLLAW VIII on Saturday, Jan. 15, to raise funds for the Sideshow Theatre Company and the Howard Brown Health Center. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. at the Mystic Celt, 3443 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The first match begins at 10 p.m. $5 suggested donation. See sideshowtheatre.org.
• Trap Door Theatre recently opened its production of “Hamletmachine,” Heiner Muller's postmodernist play inspired by Shakespeare's tragedy in which the titular character feels betrayed by the country he once loved. Max Truax directs. Jonathan Guillen provides the music. The show runs through Feb. 12 at 1655 W. Cortland Ave., Chicago. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.
• The Deli,” a new comedy by Joe Sipari described in a prepared statement as “‘Super Bad' meets ‘Raging Bull,'” runs Saturdays through March 5 at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.
• The Scooty & JoJo Show added two performances of the adults-only “Alien Queen” on Saturday, Jan. 15 and 22, at Circuit Nightclub, 3641 N. Halsted St, Chicago. (800) 838-3006 or scootyjojo.com.
• Monday, Feb. 14, is the deadline for Chicago-area sophomore, junior and senior high school students to enter the August Wilson Monologue Competition, designed to expose students to Wilson's renowned play cycle chronicling the African-American experience during the 20th century. The preliminary round takes place at the University of Illinois at Chicago on Feb. 28. Ten finalists will receive coaching from Chicago theater professionals in advance of the finals held at the Goodman Theatre on April 11. The three top students will be flown to New York City for the finals in May. For information and an application, see chicagoplays.com.