Theater events: Janus turns to 'Pride & Prejudice'

Austen in Elgin

Janus Theater Company pairs a couple of romantic comedies for its second summer repertory series. Jon Jory's adaptation of Jane Austen's “Pride & Prejudice” stars Cady Leinicke as the proud Elizabeth and Robert Richardson as the prejudiced Darcy. Marge Uhlarik-Boller directs the show, which runs in repertory with Shakespeare's “Two Gentleman of Verona.” “Pride & Prejudice” opens at 8 p.m. Friday, June 29, at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. “Two Gentleman of Verona” opens Friday, July 13. $15-$17. (847) 841-1713 or janustheater.com.

‘Oedipus' reboot

Victory Gardens Theater concludes its season with “Oedipus el Rey,” Luis Alfaro's re-imagined version of Sophocles' tragedy. Chay Yew directs the production, which stars Adam Poss as a Chicano ex-convict and the titular king of Los Angeles' gangland, who battles the fate that awaits him. In a prepared statement, Yew said he chose the play to examine “gang and prison culture, class, race and recidivism in Chicagoland.” Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 29, at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Monday, July 9. $20-$50. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

‘39 Steps' up next

John Buchan's 1915 novel and Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 thriller inspired Patrick Barlow's adaptation of “The 39 Steps,” a Tony Award-winning comedy thriller about an ordinary man who gets caught up in the spy game. A quartet of actors play all the parts. David New directs Drury Lane Theatre's production starring Peter Simon Hilton, Angela Ingersoll, Jeff Dumas and Paul Kalina of 500 Clown. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 5, at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens Thursday, July 12. $35-$46. (630) 530-0111 or drurylaneoakbrook.com.

What's new

• Soul Theatre's production of Harold Pinter's one-act comedy “The Lover” opened this week at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. Paul Wagar directs the play about a couple who tries to “spice up” their relationship by engaging in an imaginary affair. Several post-show discussion accompany the production, including a Friday, June 29, examination of sex for people 40 and older. On Sunday, July 1 and July 14, therapist Bridget Gregory explores communication in relationships and on Thursday, July 5, yoga instructor Andrea Klunder teaches meditation and yoga to improve one's love life. See facebook.com/soultheatre for information and brownpapertickets.com/events for tickets.

• The National Pastime Theater hosts its fourth annual summer festival Naked July: Art Stripped Down, beginning Friday, June 29, and continuing through Aug. 11, at the Preston Bradley Center, 941 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. Among the featured events is a revival of Jose Rivera's “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot,” about the reunion of a soldier and his wife and their struggle to reconnect after a separation. It runs at 8 p.m., Friday, June 29, through Aug. 11. See nakedjuly.com. The festival also includes the adults-only “Eureka!” a Living Canvas performance piece in which the performers' bodies become a canvas for projections revealing the love-hate affair we have with the human body. It also runs at 10 p.m., Friday, June 29, through Aug. 11. See thlivingcanvas.com. Also part of the festival is Pride Films and Play's production of Cal Yeomans' adults-only “Richmond Jim” about a young gay man transformed by an older lover. It runs at midnight Fridays and Saturdays from June 29, through July 7, August 3 and 4 and various other weekdays. See pridefilmsandplays.com. Also, the Beast Women bring their show combining comedy, burlesque and music to National Pastime for a brief run from July 26 through 29. See beastwomenproductions.com. Lastly, National Pastime Theatre teams up with Chicago Filmmakers for a retrospective of filmmaker James Herbert, known for the R.E.M. music video “It's the End of the World As We Know It.” His films run July 21 and 22 at Chicago Filmmakers, See chicagofilmmakers.org. For more information call the NPT box office at (773) 327-7077 or see nakedjuly.com.

• Mark Galli, senior managing editor of “Christianity Today,” Wheaton College provost Stanton L. Jones and Wheaton College philosophy department chairman W. Jay Wood discuss “Love, Sex, the Meaning of Life and the Existence of God,” following the 8 p.m. Friday, June 29, performance of “Freud's Last Session,” at the Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport, Chicago. (773) 325-1700 or mercurytheaterchicago.com or freudslastsession.com.

• The Neo-Futurists offer students enrolled at Chicago-area colleges a $5 admission discount to their long-running “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes” on their school's dedicated weekend. University of Chicago students receive the discount Friday to Sunday, June 29-July 1. Northeastern Illinois University students receive the discount Friday to Sunday, July 6-8. Shows are at 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. (773) 275-5255 or neofuturists.org.

• Goodman Theatre artistic associate Regina Taylor re-imagines her gospel musical “Crowns” for its 10th anniversary production beginning previews Saturday, June 30, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Adapted from Craig Marberry's book, “Crowns” is a coming-of-age tale about a young African American woman who finds strength from older women known for their Sunday chapeaus. The production starring Felicia Fields and E. Faye Butler and directed by Taylor, opens July 9. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Spectralia Theatre teams up with the Chicago Park District and Friends of the Parks to present free performances of a condensed version of Shakespeare's “As You Like It” in various Chicago parks beginning Saturday, June 30, and continuing through Aug. 5. See spectralia.org for locations. (773) 654-3097.

• Theater on the Lake continues its 60th season on Wednesday, July 4, at the theater at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, with a remount of redtwist theatre's “Opus,” Michael Hollinger's play about the clash of wills between two leaders of a world-famous string quartet and the unexpected turns the ensemble takes as a result. It runs through Sunday, July 8. The 2012 season marks the debut of co-artistic directors Michael Patrick Thornton (ABC's “Private Practice”), co-founder of The Gift Theatre, and Meghan Beals McCarthy, associate artistic director of Chicago Dramatists. (312) 742-7994 or chicagoparkdistrict.com.

• A university professor confronts his floundering marriage and the breakup of a longtime affair with a fellow male faculty member in Simon Gray's “Butley.” Hubris Productions revives the play beginning Thursday, July 5, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens July 7. See hubrisproductions.com.

• Rasaka Theatre Company presents the Chicago area premiere of Rajiv Joseph's “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” about the lifelong love story between two people who meet as children in a school nurse's office and sustain myriad physical and emotional wounds over the years. Artistic director Lavinia Jadhwani directs Mouzam Makkar and Tim Martin in the play which begins previews Thursday, July 5, at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. The show opens July 7. (312) 777-1070 or rasakatheatre.com.

• Raven Theatre has extended its production of Eric Simonson's adaptation of the Mark Harris novel “Bang the Drum Slowly,” about the unlikely friendship between a superstar pitcher and his third-string catcher. Performances continue through July 15, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• Lookingglass Theatre has extended its production of “Eastland: A New Musical” with book and lyrics by Andrew White and music by Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman. Performances continue through Aug. 19, at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.

• Performances continue through Sunday, July 1 for the Victory Gardens Theater production of “ ... and the whole train was like ...” written and performed by the VG Poets Conservatory and based on their musings aboard a train bound for Chicago. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday, June 29, and Saturday June 30, and at 4 p.m. July 1, at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company has announced its 27th season which begins Sept 20 with Sam Shepard's “Geography of a Horse Dreamer,” about a cowboy who can predict the winners in horse races, who's abducted by gangsters for their own gain. It's followed by a re-imagined revival of Tennessee Williams' “The Glass Menagerie” (Dec. 9-Jan. 20, 2013) with an original score by Daniel Knox. Next up is Austin Pendleton's “Uncle Bob” (Feb. 14-March 24, 2013), about a young, adrift man visiting his hyper articulate, hermit uncle. “The Brig,” by Kenneth H. Brown runs from April 18-May 26-2013. First staged in 1963 by New York's The Living Theatre, it's an experimental piece based on the author's experience in a military prison. The season concludes with Mary-Arrchie's annual theater showcase, “Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Festival.” It runs Aug. 16-18, 2013. All performances take place at Angel Island, 735 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago. Tickets are available online at maryarrchie.com or by phone at (773) 871-0442.

• Performances continue through July 8, of The State Theatre's production of “After the Quake,” adapted by Frank Galati from the stories of Haruki Murakami, in which a writer invents stories to calm a little girl in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. Performances are at the Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org or statetheatrechicago.com.