Theater events: Goodman stages world premiere of 'Carlyle'

'Carlyle' premieres

James Earl Jones II stars as the titular character in Goodman Theatre's world premiere of "Carlyle," a political comedy about an ambitious African-American Republican who is tapped by party leaders to represent its expanding demographic. Benjamin Kamine directs the world premiere commission by Thomas Bradshaw, an associate professor at Northwestern University. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens April 11. $10-$40. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

'Spelling Bee' returns

Steel Beam Theatre revives the Tony Award-winning musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," a heartwarming show by William Finn and Rebecca Sheinkin about a spelling competition at a fictional middle school. Marge Uhlarik-Boller directs the interactive show, which asks audience volunteers to show off their spelling expertise. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, April 1, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $23-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

Political fantasy

In 2008, in an alternate universe, a female presidential candidate named Hillary is losing her last primary election. To make matters worse, her husband, Bill, arrives in the middle of the night and upends the campaign. It all unfolds in Lucas Hnath's fantasy "Hillary and Clinton" in its world premiere at Victory Gardens Theater. African-American actress Cheryl Lynn Bruce plays Hillary in artistic director Chay Yew's production. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens April 8. $15-$60. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

Other theater events

• Come As You Aren't, a new sketch comedy ensemble, debuts Friday, April 1, at The Public House Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. The six member ensemble examines death, unwanted pregnancy and political tension during the 50-minute revue. (773) 230-4770 or publichousetheatre.com.

• City Lit Theater Company hosts its final concert reading event of the season at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The material consists of public domain comic books including "Lars of Mars #10" from 1951, "Women Outlaws #1" from 1948 and "Pirate Comics #2" from 1950 among others. (773) 293-3682 or citylit.org.

• Barrel of Monkeys hosts its annual benefit Fancy Schmancy: The Trip to Vegas from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at The Drucker Center, 1535 N. Dayton Ave., Chicago. Proceeds from the fundraiser support BOM's creative writing residencies and its Chicago Public Schools programs. Tickets cost $65 to $95 and include hors d'oeuvres and beverages, a DJ and dancing, a raffle, live and silent auctions and a performance of a student-written story "The Trip to Vegas." See barrelofmonkeys.org.

• Singer Hilary Ann Feldman brings her show "Laughing Matters: The Life and Laughs of Carol Burnett" to the Skokie Theatre, 7924 N. Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Together with music director/pianist Beckie Menzie, Feldman chronicles the comedian's life in stories and song. (847) 671-7761 or skokietheater.com.

• Pride Films and Plays celebrates S.W.A.N. Day, which stands for Support Women Artists Now with an evening of open mic performances, music and a talk back with Not In Our House, a support group for female theater artists who've experienced sexual discrimination and harassment within the theater community. Sign up begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. Performances start at 7 p.m. See pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Previews begin Tuesday, April 5, for Chicago Children's Theatre's world premiere of "Jabari Dreams of Freedom" by Nambi E. Kelley ("Native Son"). The play centers around a young artist from Chicago's South Side who uses his Civil Rights era paintings to escape his turbulent life. Within those paintings, he interacts with children from the past, including a young Barack Obama. Director Lili Ann-Brown's production opens April 9 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (872) 222-9555 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• "Riverdance - The 20th Anniversary World Tour" plays the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago, for a limited run beginning Tuesday, April 5. The tour marks the first time in four years "Riverdance" has played the United States. "The fact that the show continues to draw and excite audiences is a tribute to every dancer, singer, musician, staff and crew member who have dedicated themselves to the show," said producer Moya Doherty in a prepared statement. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Chicago-area comedians Michael Palascak, Dobie Maxwell, Brian Hicks, Vince Maranto and Mike Preston are among the comedians performing a benefit at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at West Chicago Community High School, 326 Joliet St., West Chicago. The stand-up comedy show is a fundraiser to help finance drama students' trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland this summer. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students. They're available online at wegotheatre.com or at the door.

• The improv group Cigarette Sandwich opens its show "The Power Half-Hour: Beer-Powered Comedy" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show consists of 30 sketches, in 30 minutes, separated by 30 shots of beer. Also at The Annoyance, a new adult variety show centered on empowerment and titled "That Maxwell (expletive)" runs at 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Jacki Schwarz and Reilly Willson, known collectively as Junior, host the adult variety show "Wednesday Night Smallz" beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 6. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• redtwist theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, presents the Chicago premiere of Richard Strand's "The Realization of Emily Linder," a dysfunctional family comedy about an elderly woman who has a premonition of her death and gathers together her adult daughters to make arrangements. Previews begin Wednesday, April 6. The show opens April 9. (773) 728-7529 or redtwist.org.

• Theatre at the Center's Theatre for Young Audiences season concludes with a musical adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz." The musical based on the writings of L. Frank Baum runs Wednesday, April 6, through April 10, at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana. (219) 836-3255 or theatreatthecenter.com.

• A couple trying to cope with the death of their son in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 travel to Scotland where they meet a group of women who have washed the clothes of the victims to return to their families in Deborah Brevoort's "The Women of Lockerbie." AstonRep Theatre Company's Chicago-area premiere of the fact-based drama begins Thursday, April 7, at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show, directed by AstonRep artistic director Robert Tobin, opens April 10. (773) 828-9129 or astonrep.com.

• Welcoming a provocative new member and becoming the subject of a documentary filmmaker upends the interpersonal dynamics of a longtime book club in "The Book Club Play" by Karen Zacarias. The 16th Street Theater presents the comedy's Chicago-area premiere, directed by artistic associate Kevin Christopher Fox. Previews begin Thursday, April 7, at 6420 16th St., Berwyn. The show opens April 14. (708) 795-6704 or 16thstreettheater.org.

• "Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin," returns to the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago, for a four-week run beginning Thursday, April 7. Felder wrote the one-man show, designed the set and stars as the legendary American composer. "I am thrilled to return to Chicago to perform the role of Irving Berlin on the same stage and in the city I call my theatrical home," said Felder in a prepared statement. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.

• The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents the Chilean theater company Teatrocinema staging "Historia de Amor (Love Story)" beginning Thursday, April 7, in the MCA's Edlis Neeson Theater. The play follows a young woman who is abducted by a man who turns her into his victim, lover and mother, leaving her to seek solace within herself. The "allegory of abuse" references the despair and destruction of citizens during the years of Chilean strongman Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. Performances run through April 10 at 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.

• The League of Chicago Theatres hosts a Theatre Thursday event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Participants attend a performance and get a behind-the-scenes look at the company's world premiere of "Hillary and Clinton," Lucas Hnath's "2008 primary election fantasy." See chicagoplays.com.

• Strawdog Theatre Company has extended its production of "D.O.A.," adapted from Rudolph Mate's 1950s tale about a man named Frank Bigelow (Mickey O'Sullivan) who walks into a police station to report his own murder and has only a few hours to untangle the mystery and find his killer. Performances run through April 10 at Strawdog's Hugen Hall, 3829 N. Broadway St., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or strawdog.org.

• Meg Love has been named Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's new executive director. A company member for eight years, she has served as producer, production manager and stage manager. "Meg brings an immense amount of knowledge, talent, patience and drive to help continue our forward momentum," said artistic director Peter Sullivan in a prepared statement. "I have yet to meet someone who isn't a fan of her personally and professionally and I am excited to take the next step in growth with her as executive director."

• Chicago Children's Theatre announced it hired Frank Maugeri, former producing artistic director for Redmoon Theater, for the new position of community programs artistic director. Maugeri's responsibilities will be to ensure that "education comes first" especially as it relates to the company's move into its first permanent home. "Frank has had countless incredible experiences working with Chicago children creating hands-on, interactive learning experiences that not only entertain, but empower children and help them boost their creativity and confidence," said artistic director Jacqueline Russell in a prepared statement.

• "American Theatre" magazine recently named Adventure Stage Chicago one of "20 theaters to take your kids to." AST's current world premiere "Sight Unseen" runs through April 16 at 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. (773) 969-5523 or adventurestage.org.

• Halcyon Theatre announced their 2016-2017 season, which begins Aug. 18 with "Fefu and Her Friends," Maria Irene Fornes' examination of second wave feminism and the conflict within women's' lives. The action unfolds in one day during which Fefu and her female friends rehearse a play for a charity event. Next up is a U.S. premiere of Debbie Tucker Green's "dirty butterfly" (Nov. 3-Dec. 10), an examination of voyeurism and violence produced in cooperation with The Blind Owl. Halcyon's Chicago premiere of Marisel Trevino Orta's "The River Bride" (May 11-June 18, 2017) is about two sisters, one of whom is about to be married, and the mysterious man who's pulled from a nearby river days before the wedding. A fourth show, to be announced, will be produced with A-Squared Theatre Workshop. Performances take place at the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3253 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago. See halcyontheatre.org.

• Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, begins its 42nd season Sept. 16 with the Chicago premiere of Robert Askins' "Hand to God," a comedy about a satanic sock puppet named Tyrone who upends a Christian youth ministry in Cypress, Texas. A world premiere collaboration with Seattle Repertory Theatre follows on Nov. 11. "Roz and Ray," by Karen Hartman is about a single parent caring for his hemophiliac sons who meets a doctor who apparently possesses a miracle drug. That's followed by the world premiere of ensemble playwright Marcus Gardley's "A Wonder in My Soul" (Feb. 10-March 12, 2017) about a 90-year-old woman who was part of the Great Migration rom the South to Chicago, who in her waning hours, offers a history lesson to those around her. The world premiere of Madhuri Shekar's "Queen" begins performances April 14, 2017. The play centers on a pair of academics who have been studying bees for a decade and are just about to publish their findings when one of them discovers a miscalculation that could irreparably harm their careers. That's followed by the Chicago premiere of Karen Zacarias' "Native Gardens" (June 2-July 2, 2017) a comedy about class and entitlement rooted in a dispute between neighbors over a property line. The 2016-2017 season also includes a bonus series (for which dates have not yet been set) consisting of "Wrestling Jerusalem," an examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict written and performed by Aaron Davidman; "St. Jude," a semi-autobiographical solo work by playwright/performer Luis Alfaro about returning home in the wake of his father's stroke; and "A Little Bit Not Normal," writer/performer Arlene Malinowski's semi-autobiographical solo performance centered around a family secret concerning mental illness. Season subscriptions start at $126. They're available at victorygardens.org, (773) 871-3000 or at the box office.