Local theater: Fox Valley salutes Rodgers & Hammerstein

Rodgers & Hammerstein salute

Local cabaret artists perform songs from “South Pacific,” “The King & I,” “Carousel” and other classic musicals as part of Fox Valley Repertory's “Score By Score: The Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein.” WJJG radio personality Kevin Moore hosts the one-night-only event, which includes a behind-the-scenes look at the legendary composing duo.

8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 584-6342 or foxvalleyrep.org.

Family matters

A homeless man attempts to drive a wedge between two brothers who take him into their home in Harold Pinter's absurdist classic “The Caretaker.” Ron OJ Parson directs William J. Norris, Kareem Bandealy and Anish Jethmalani in the Writers' Theatre revival at the company's second space at Books on Vernon.

Previews begin Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe. The show opens Nov. 16. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

Court's ‘Iliad'

Timothy Edward Kane stars as the poet in “An Iliad,” Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson's modern, one-man adaptation of Homer's tale chronicling the 10-year Trojan War. Court Theatre artistic director Charles Newell directs the company's regional premiere.

Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 10, at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 19. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.

More theater events

• The Elgin Cultural Arts Commission and the city of Elgin host the FallBack Arts Festival Friday to Sunday, Nov. 4-6, at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way; the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St.; and the Draewell Gallery of Art at Judson University's Harm A. Weber Academic Center. The festival features painting, poetry and acting and includes performances from Moving Dock Theatre Company and Illinois poet laureate Kevin Stein and an exhibition showcasing photographs taken in Elgin on Sept. 10, 2011. See cityofelgin.org or email elginarts@gmail.com for a schedule.

• Previews begin Friday, Nov. 4, for The Factory Theater's production of “The Gray Girl,” Colin Milroy's drama about a reporter in the 1950s who uncovers crime and corruption at Chicago's famed Riverview Park. The show opens Friday, Nov. 11, at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or thefactorytheater.com.

• A woman nearing middle age and still living with her mother encounters a sweet, but simple younger man in Diedre O'Connor's “Assisted Living,” which gets its world premiere courtesy of Profiles Theatre. This production, directed by artistic director Joe Jahraus, marks the second O'Connor play Profiles has produced in two years, the last one being 2010's “Jailbait.” Previews begin Friday, Nov. 4, at 3408 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Nov. 10. (773) 549-1815 or profilestheatre.org.

• Adventure Stage Chicago begins its eighth season with Tom Arvetis' world-premiere production of “Walk Two Moons,” adapted from Sharon Creech's tale about a 13-year-old girl abandoned by her mother, who helps her friend when her friend's mom disappears. Performances run Saturday, Nov. 5, through Saturday, Dec. 3, at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. Creech will attend the 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, performance and a post-show book signing and discussion. (773) 342-4141 or adventurestage.org.

• A Mexican-American man goes to see his abusive, terminally ill father one last time and is confronted by the ghosts of his parents in “Graham Cracker,” by South suburban Chicago native J. Antonio Mendoza. Broad Shoulders Productions premieres the play on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Wally's, 1359 N. Maplewood, Chicago. Mendoza directs the production, which runs weekends through Saturday, Nov. 19. See http://bit.ly/oDK1Ng for tickets.

• Bailiwick Chicago hosts its annual casting auction fundraiser from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Dank Haus Cultural Center, 4740 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $75 and include food, drink entertainment from ensemble members and an auction which includes a role in Bailiwick's February 2012 production of “Damn Yankees.” See bailiwickchicago.com for more information.

• Speaking of gala events, Silk Road Rising hosts Threads of Silk: A Gala to Benefit Silk Road Rising from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Narcissus Room at Macy's on State Street, 111 N. State St., Chicago. The $125 ticket includes cocktails, dinner and a cabaret show. For tickets, call executive director Malik Gillani at (312) 857-1234, ext. 202, or email malik@silkroadrising.org.

• Premiere Theatre and Performance remounts its 2008 production of German writer Botho Strauss' “Seven Doors,” about the challenge of connecting with another person in the modern world. Previews begin Sunday, Nov. 6, at Dank Haus, 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 13. (773) 250-7055 or ptapchicago.org/ivp.

• Lookingglass Theatre hosts a free panel discussion in conjunction with its current production, “The Great Fire,” beginning at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at the theater at the Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Panelist Bill Savage, from Northwestern University, discusses “The Great Fire and the Reshaping of Chicago: The Fire's Impact on Class, Race, Immigrants, Geography and Who Lives Where.” (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.

• “Solo Sundays,” pairing two comedians on a double bill, debuts Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. (773) 561-4665 or theannoyance.com.

• Previews begin Tuesday, Nov. 8, for Mary-Arrchie Theatre's revival of “Red Light Winter,” Adam Rapp's drama about unrequited love and disappointment centered on two former college pals who share a beautiful prostitute they pick up in Amsterdam's red light district. Carlo Lorenzo Garcia directs Dan Behrendt, Dereck Garner and Sasha Gioppo in the show, which opens Thursday, Nov. 10, at Angel Island, 735 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago. (773) 871-0442 or maryarrchie.com.

• The 1980s-inspired “Rock of Ages” — a love story set against the music of Journey, Styx and Pat Benatar — returns to Chicago for a brief run beginning Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Actor/pianist/playwright Hershey Felder, who starred as Beethoven, Chopin and George Gershwin, returns to Chicago with his latest one-man show, “Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein.” directed by Joel Zwick (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”). Previews continue through Tuesday, Nov. 8. The show opens Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Performances run through Dec. 30. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.

• Hubris Productions continues its season devoted to lessons of lust with the Chicago area premiere of “All Childish Things,” Joseph Zettelmaier's play about a group of “Star Wars” fans whose plan to steal fandom merchandise goes awry. Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 12. See hubrisproductions.com.

• Goodman Theatre's New Stages Amplified series continues with Seth Bockley's comedy, “Ask Aunt Susan” about a twenty-something man who moonlights as an online advice guru assisting women with everything from boyfriend woes to physical problems. Performances run Thursday, Nov. 10, to Sunday, Nov. 20, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Joanie Schultz directs. Andy Carey stars as the titular Susan. Also on tap at Goodman are free staged readings of Laura Jacqmin's “Two Lakes, Two Rivers” about townspeople searching for the answer to an 11th drowning of a local boy (Nov. 7) and Christopher Shinn's “Teddy Ferrara” about a gay college student whose life is upending following a campus tragedy (Nov. 14). (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• A new musical theater company, Street Tempo Theatre will debut at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, with Earl Wilson Jr.'s “Let My People Come,” a 1970s off-Broadway cult show about human sexuality directed by Stage 773 artistic director Brian Posen. Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 10. Wilson will attend the show's Nov. 13 opening. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com or streettempotheatre.com.

• American Theater Company presents “Escape,” subscriber-only, workshop-style productions of three recently uncovered short plays by Tennessee Williams paired with three modern dances choreographed by DanszLoop Chicago's Paula Frasz. “‘Escape' is a gift to our subscribers for their loyalty. These three short plays, lost for almost 40 years, capture a deep-seeded desire for freedom in a diverse set of characters and stories, including Tennessee's only all-African-American published play,” said artistic director PJ Paparelli in a prepared statement in which he called the dance-theater collaboration a “unique experiment.” Performances run through Sunday, Nov. 6, at 1909 W. Byron, Chicago. (773) 409-4125 or atcweb.org.

• Seattle natives Nick Casalini and Muriel Montgomery bring their new sketch show “Ragamuffins” to io Theater, 3541 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show runs Thursdays through Dec. 22. (773) 880-0199 or ioimprov.com.

• “Broke-ology,” Nathan Louis Jackson's drama about two brothers arguing about who will take care of their failing father, opened this week at eta creative arts foundation. Performances continue through Dec. 18 at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.

• The Writers' Theatre revival of Tom Stoppard's “The Real Thing” has been extended again. Performances continue through Sunday, Dec. 4, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

• Trap Door Theatre has extended its U.S. premiere of “Overweight, unimportant: Misshape — A European Supper,” a dark comedy, set in a bar frequented by troubled, desperate and depraved individuals by Austrian playwright Werner Schwab. Performances run through Sunday, Nov. 13, at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland Ave., Chicago. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

• Broadway in Chicago has introduced to Chicago a free audience rewards program which allows audience members who attend shows at Cadillac Palace Theatre, the Oriental Theatre, Bank of America Theatre, the Auditorium Theatre and the Broadway Playhouse to earn points redeemable for tickets, special events and merchandise. See broadwayinchicago.com for more information.