Theater events: First Folio stages 'Turn of the Screw'

Ghost story

First Folio Theatre presents the stage adaptation of Henry James' psychological thriller “The Turn of the Screw,” in which a governess — who may or may not have come unhinged — believes her charges are being haunted. Artistic director Alison C. Vesely directs ensemble members Melanie Keller and Nick Sandys in Jeffrey Hatcher's two-hander.

Previews begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. The show opens March 31. $22-$27. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

Suburbanite solo

St. Viator High School graduate and Northwest suburban native Greg Matthew Anderson stars in Remy Bumppo Theatre's season ending “Chesapeake.” A one-man play by Lee Blessing, the 1999 comedy centers around a controversial artist named Kerr whose funding is threatened by a dog-loving senator, whose beloved Chesapeake Bay Retriever Kerr kidnaps out of spite for the senator slashing arts funding. Artistic associate Shawn Douglass directs.

Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens April 2. $30-$40. (773) 404-7336 or remybumppo.org.

Sedaka's back

Fox Valley Repertory recalls the summer of 1960 with the Neil Sedaka musical revue, “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” Circle Theatre's Kevin Bellie directs and choreographs this lighthearted show about young romance, which features such tunes as: “Where the Boys Are,” “Calendar Girl” and “Love Will Keep Us Together” among others.

Previews begin Thursday, March 29, at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. The show opens April 7. $32-$42. (630) 584-6342 or foxvalleyrep.org.

Other theater events:

Ÿ “Pretty From a Distance” is the new sketch comedy show from the group called Robot vs. Dinosaur. The show, which premiered in an abbreviated form during this year's Chicago Sketchfest, opens in an expanded form on Friday, March 23, at Luna Central, 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 819-5862 or teatroluna.org.

Ÿ Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, presents the one-woman show “The Stupid Economy,” in which Chrissy Hogue plays six different women dealing with the current economic crisis. The show runs Saturday, March 24, through April 2. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

Ÿ Shortly after their mother's funeral, sisters Diane and Becky find a discarded, unopened letter in “Trash,” a Babes With Blades Theatre Company world premiere by Arthur M. Jolly, winner of the company's annual playwriting competition designed to promote quality fighting roles for women. Previews begin Sunday, March 25, at The Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago. Entering its 15th year, Babes With Blades is an all-female stage combat ensemble. The show, which features two rotating casts, opens April 1 and 2. (773) 904-0391 or babeswithblades.org.

Ÿ Kevin Coval brings his one-man show “L-vis Live!” to Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, as part of its Fresh Squeezed Series showcasing performance artists and targeting diverse audiences. The show, about a white rapper's journey from the suburbs to superstardom, begins previews Monday, March 27, and opens March 30. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

Ÿ Broadway in Chicago brings the Tony Award-winning “Fela!” to Chicago for three weeks. It'sa music, dance and theatrical salute to Fela Kuti, the multi-instrumentalist/composer and human rights activist who pioneered Afrobeat. Performances begin Tuesday, March 27, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

Ÿ The League of Chicago Theatres celebrates World Theatre Day with free panel discussions beginning at 4 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., Chicago. Panelists include: Goodman Theatre artistic associate Henry Godinez; Chicago Shakespeare Theater executive director Criss Henderson; Peter Taub, director of performance programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art; playwright/actor Kwame Kwei-Armah; and moderator Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune theater critic. See chicagoplays.com for more information.

Ÿ New Leaf Theatre's Treehouse Readings Series of in-development plays continues at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West, Chicago. Next up is Greg Romero's “Radio Ghosts,” about a professor whose comatose son sends him holographic phone calls and whose wife speaks to him via ocean waves. See newleaftheatre.org for information.

Ÿ Poland's Teatr ZAR, whose members incorporate song, chanting and physical theater into performances examining the life cycle, brings “The Gospels of Childhood Triptych” to the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. The performance unfolds in three parts: Gospels of Childhood/The Overture, which is rooted in chant singing and tells the story of the resurrection; Caesarean section/Essays on Suicide, which examines freedom and its limitations; and Anhelli/The Calling based on the poem by 19th-century poet Juliusz Slowacki about a young man traveling through Siberia who struggles to achieve independence and deal with his missed calling. Performances take place from Thursday, March, 29, through April 1. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.

Ÿ Eta Creative Arts Foundation examines the impact of gun violence on Chicago neighborhoods in “Tangled” by Nicole Anderson Cobb. The show opens Thursday, March 29, at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.

Ÿ Chicago Shakespeare Theater opens its 2012-2013 season with director Gary Griffin's production of Stephen Sondheim's “Sunday in the Park With George” (Sept. 26-Nov. 5), followed by David Ives' homage to Moliere, “The School for Lies” (Dec. 4-Jan. 20, 2013) based on “The Misanthrope.” Running Feb. 5 to March 24, 2013, is Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar,” directed by Jonathan Munby of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The season concludes with CST's first production of Shakespeare's “Henry VIII” (April 30-June 16, 2013), directed by Barbara Gaines. Rachel Rockwell directs an abbreviated version of “Disney's Beauty and the Beast” (June 28-Aug. 26, 2013). Also, the National Theatre of Scotland returns with the acclaimed “Black Watch” (Oct. 10-21) at the Broadway Armory along with David Greig's new verse play “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart” (Sept. 26-Oct. 14), a supernatural tale about an uptight woman's self-discovery. Subscriptions and single tickets are available at (312) 595-5600 and chicagoshakes.com.

Ÿ Court Theatre's 2012-2013 lineup includes two plays by Moliere, both directed by artistic director Charles Newell. “The Misanthrope” runs from May 9 to June 9, 2013, followed by “Tartuffe” from June 20 to July 14, 2013. The season opens with Ron OJ Parson's production of August Wilson's “Jitney” (Sept. 6-Oct. 14), followed by the musical “James Joyce's ‘The Dead'” (Nov. 8-Dec. 9) re-teaming Newell and music director Doug Peck (“Porgy and Bess”). Writers Theatre regular William Brown makes his Court Theatre directing debut with David Hare's “Skylight” (Jan. 10-Feb. 10, 2013), followed by David Auburn's “Proof” (March 7-April 14, 2013). Three to six play subscriptions are available at (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org. Single ticket are available beginning July 16.

Ÿ Filament Theatre Ensemble is accepting applications for its second annual Allie's Gift, named in honor of the company's late business manager Allison Powell, which provides a Chicago-area theater artist with up to $350 toward a project or endeavor, including materials, a class, etc. Applications are due by 5 p.m. April 13. See filamenttheatre.org or email info@filamenttheatre.org for more information.