Theater events: Janus remounts 'Shakespeare (abridged)'

Team Shakespeare

Elgin's 400 Shakespeare Festival concludes with "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" a parody of all 37 plays performed by four actresses in less than 100 minutes. Janus Theatre's production is a remount of the show that played Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles earlier this year. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. $16. janusplays.com or cwws.eventbrite.com.

'King Charles III'

Playwright Mike Bartlett imagines what happens after Prince Charles ascends Britain's throne in the award-winning dramedy "King Charles III." Gary Griffin directs Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production, which stars Robert Bathurst ("Downton Abbey") in the titular role. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. $48-$88. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

Austin re-imagined

Northlight Theatre premieres "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley," Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon's imagined sequel to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." Their play picks up Elizabeth and Darcy's storybook romance two years later, during a holiday gathering at the Pemberly estate where romance blooms for another Bennet sister. Jessica Thebus directs. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The show opens Nov. 18. $30-$81. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.

Other theater events

• In December 1968, as she prepares for her comeback, Judy Garland holes up in a London hotel room with her fiance and accompanist preparing for one of the biggest nights of her life. Peter Quilter's "End of the Rainbow," a play with music incorporating some of Garland's biggest hits, examines that period in her life. Porchlight Music Theatre presents the Chicago-area premiere, which begins previews Friday, Nov. 4, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show, which stars Angela Ingersoll, Kyle Hatley and Jon Steinhagen, opens Monday, Nov. 7. (773) 327-5252 or PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.

• "Nevermore," a celebration of the life of Edgar Allan Poe featuring an original score with lyrics taken from Poe's prose and poetry, opens Friday, Nov. 4, at the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center at Morton College, 3801 S. Central Ave., Cicero. (708) 656-1800 or jpactheatre.com.

• Artemisia Theatre's gender-swap version of William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" opens Friday, Nov. 4, at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago. Barbara Zahora adapted and directs "Shrewish," a comedic battle of the sexes in which Petruchio, a woman of color, tames a male Kate. Performances run through Nov. 20. See artemisiatheatre.org.

• About Face Theatre opens its 2016-2017 season with Doug Wright's "I Am My Own Wife," the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (born Lothar Berfelde), who during World War II hid from the Nazis and the Russians by pretending to be a woman. Transgender actress Delia Kropp stars as Charlotte. Previews begin Friday, Nov. 4, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by Andrew Volkoff, opens Thursday, Nov. 10. (773) 975-8150 or aboutfacetheatre.org.

• MadKap Productions revives "Beyond Therapy," Christopher Durang's farce about thirtysomethings Bruce and Prudence whose psychotherapists have bigger problems than their patients. Performances begin Friday, Nov. 4, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. (847) 677-7761 or SkokieTheatre.org.

• The Waltzing Mechanics recount the Russian Revolution through the story of Russia's last royal family executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918 in "Cosmic Events Are Upon Us." Keely Leonard wrote and directs the play, which runs Friday, Nov. 4, through Nov. 26 at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster Ave., Chicago. See waltzingmechanics.org.

• Adventure Stage Chicago returns from performing "Reprise" in Scotland to remount the show at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. Performances run Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5. The family-friendly show centers around an old man who returns a violin to the Northwestern Settlement House 80 years after its director lent it to him. (773) 342-4141 or adventurestage.org.

• Porchlight Music Theatre's annual Chicago Casting Auction takes place Friday, Nov. 4, at Michelle Ballroom, 2800 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Doors open at 7 p.m. The auction begins at 7:30 p.m. Amateur thespians can bid on roles in Porchlight's production of "All Shook Up," an Elvis Presley jukebox musical, which runs March 15-18, 2017, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Tickets for the auction are $75 in advance, $85 at the door. Proceeds benefit Porchlight. See castingauction.com.

• The revamped Circle Theatre launches its second season with a timely revival of Michael John Lachiusa's "First Lady Suite," a musical that examines the nation's most powerful presidents through the eyes of their partners Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower and Jackie Kennedy. Performances begin Saturday, Nov. 5, at Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. See circletheatrechicago.org.

• A deer crashing through the window of their cabin isn't the worst thing that happens during Quiana and Peter's New Hampshire getaway, which spirals out of control when Peter's sister and brother-in-law and an animal control officer show up. First Floor Theater's world premiere of Emily Zemba's farcical "Deer and The Lovers" begins previews Saturday, Nov. 5, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 9. See firstfloortheater.com.

• Chicago Children's Theatre premieres Will Bishop's "Another Snowy Day With Beatrix Potter & Friends," an enhanced production of last season's family-friendly "A Snowy Day With Beatrix Potter & Friends." Suitable for kids 2 to 6, the show features Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail and an accident-prone frog named Mr. Jeremy Fisher. Performances begin Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (872) 222-9555 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., St. Charles, holds a staged reading of Gary McGowan's "Scatter the Pigeons" at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. The play is about the residents of a mobile home community who attempt to ward off a predatory developer. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

• The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, debuts its new sketch comedy show, "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories," adapted from James Finn Garner's book of the same name. It opens Wednesday, Nov. 9. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Pride Films and Plays' annual fall benefit Simply Sensational: Legends and Divas begins at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at the Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway, Chicago. Broadway veteran Capathia Jenkins (NBC's "The Wiz") headlines the fundraiser, which includes appetizers, open wine bar and a post-show dessert reception. Tickets are $75. (800) 737-0984 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Whirled News Tonight hosts "Elect-o-palooza 2016: Fiddling While America Burns" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, at iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. The free show includes improvised sketches that sendup candidates, the media and voters. Also at iO, the comedy duo Shrink Ray'd welcomes special guests to its 8:30 p.m. Thursday shows. They include Allison Ringhand (Nov. 10); Cesar Jaime (Dec. 1) and local legends TJ Jagadowski and Dave Pasquesi who perform during the holiday fundraiser Dec. 8. "Heaven at 11," a late-night talk show set in the afterlife runs Mondays in November. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• The national tour of "Annie," the hit musical by writer Thomas Meehan, composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Martin Charnin, returns to Chicago for a brief run. Performances run Wednesday, Nov. 9, through Nov. 13 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or BroadwayInChicago.com.

• Janus Theatre Company's One & All: Solo Festival begins Thursday, Nov. 10, and runs through Nov. 13 at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. Actor, storyteller and improviser Jeremy Schaefer kicks off the mini-fest with his solo piece "Leaving Rambolia." See janusplays.com.

• A young bird flying south for the winter with his family gets blown off course and ends up at the North Pole in the family-friendly "A Very Electric Christmas," a puppet-inspired production from Lightwire Theater. The company performs the show at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org.

• Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 10, for Steppenwolf Theatre Company's world premiere of "The Fundamentals" an examination of corporate culture by Erika Sheffer. Ensemble member Alana Arenas stars as a Manhattan hotel maid who has an opportunity to move into management then has to decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to get ahead. The show opens Nov. 19 at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, marks the conclusion of its three-year cycle of plays chronicling the fall of the House of Atreus with its production of Sophocles' "Electra," translated by Nicholas Rudall and directed by Seret Scott. The play, which begins previews Thursday, Nov. 10, tells how Electra and her brother Orestes exacted vengeance on their mother Clytemnestra for the murder of their father Agamemnon. The production opens Nov. 19. (773) 753-4472 or CourtTheatre.org.

• Interrobang Theatre Project ensemble member Sarah Gise stars in the company's "The Amish Project," a solo show by Jessica Dickey based on the murder of five young Amish girls in their schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 10, at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 11.

• "Thrones! The Musical Parody," based on the HBO series "Game of Thrones," has been extended. Performances continue through Jan. 15, 2017, at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100 or apollochicago.com.

• Light Opera Works' 2017 season will be accompanied by a name change. Beginning in January, the Evanston company will be known as Music Theater Works. The season begins June 3, 2017, with "Candide," the Leonard Bernstein musical based on Voltaire's satire about an optimist who becomes disillusioned with the world after enduring its hardships. That's followed by the Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim musical "Gypsy" (Aug. 20-27, 2017) inspired by the life of Gypsy Rose Lee. "Duke Ellington's Greatest Hits," a musical revue showcasing the composer and bandleader, runs Oct. 6-15, 2017. The season concludes with "Peter Pan," the musical based on J.M. Barrie's play about the boy who refused to grow up. Most performances take place at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., Evanston. The Ellington revue takes place at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Chicago. (847) 290-5360 or LightOperaWorks.com.

• Black Ensemble Theater has dubbed 2017 "A Theatre Season of Dance" to reflect a season of world-premiere productions showcasing African-Americans who influenced American dance. The season begins Feb. 11, 2017, with "The Nicholas Brothers," followed "Josephine Baker" (May 6-June 25, 2017). "Dance to the Music: More Than Hip Hop" begins previews July 22, 2017. Next up is "The Harlem Renaissance" (Oct. 7-Nov. 19, 2017). The season concludes with "The Sammy Davis Jr. Story" (Dec. 9, 2017-Jan. 21, 2018). Performances take place at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. A Gold Card season pass is $385 and includes one ticket for seven productions including the Black Playwrights Festival and "Sex in the Summer" Series. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.