Northlight announces 41st season of classics, new works

Northlight Theatre in Skokie begins its 41st season with the Sept. 11 world premiere of Bruce Graham's "Funnyman," which marks the theater's fourth premiere collaboration with the playwright in as many years.

Artistic director BJ Jones helms the dramedy about a fading vaudeville comic who attempts to revive his career by starring in an avant-garde, off-Broadway play.

Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy "You Can't Take it With You," about a young woman who brings her straight-laced fiance home to meet her eccentric family, begins performances Nov. 6 under director Devon de Mayo.

Coming Jan. 22, 2016, is Terrence McNally's "Mothers and Sons," about a woman who returns to her son's New York City apartment and his now-married former partner to confront the life her late son might have led. Goodman Theatre associate producer Steve Scott directs.

The conflict between what is legal and what is just underscores Richard Strand's Civil War drama "Butler," about a Union Army general who encounters three escaped slaves. He is bound by law to return them to their owners, but his conscience tells him otherwise. Stuart Carden directs the production, which begins performances March 11, 2016.

Northlight's season concludes with director Kimberly Senior's Chicago area premiere of "The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord," in which the titular characters debate the meaning of God and life. Scott Carter, executive producer/writer with "Real Time with Bill Maher," wrote the play, which begins performances May 6, 2016.

Performances take place at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Season subscriptions for the 2015-16 season range from $109 to $245 and are available at the box office, by phone at (847) 673-6300 or online at northlight.org.