Theater events: Writers Theatre examines 'The Scene'

Making the 'Scene'

Writers Theatre resident director Kimberly Senior returns to the North Shore to helm "The Scene," Theresa Rebeck's black comedy set in Manhattan and populated by show biz types. Deanna Myers plays Clea, an Ohio transplant who upends the lives of three friends played by Charin Alvarez, Mark Montgomery and LaShawn Banks. They begin to question themselves, their work and their relationships after encountering Clea at a party. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The show opens March 1. $35-$80. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

Power and the press

As the Cold War rages, Joe Alsop reigns as the nation's most influential journalist in David Auburn's "The Columnist." But as the 1960s dawn, the political dramas in which Joe is embroiled turn personal in this drama, making its Chicago-area premiere courtesy of American Blues Theater. Keira Fromm directs the production, which stars Philip Earl Johnson as Joe Alsop. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 23. $19-$49. (773) 327-5252 or americanbluestheater.com.

'Bar Show' is back

After two years, Aurora's Comedy Shrine revives its adults-only, interactive, improvised comedy "The Bar Show" this weekend. The show is premised on this: In a bar, anything can happen, and usually does. 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at 4034 Fox Valley Center Drive, Aurora. $20, plus a two-beverage minimum. 21 and older. (630) 585-0300 or comedyshrine.com.

Other theater events

• Quest Theatre Ensemble's revival of the Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt chamber musical "The Fantasticks," the tale of thwarted young love inspired by Edmond Rostand's "Les Romanesques," previews Friday, Feb. 17. Adam Fane and Tiffany Williams star as young people whose fathers spark a romance between the youngsters by pretending to keep them apart. The show opens Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Blue Theatre, 1609 W. Gregory St., Chicago. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Reservations are required. See questensemble.org.

• An astronomer puts off marrying in order to plot the course of Venus across the sky in "Transit of Venus," by Canadian playwright Maureen Hunter. But when he returns home 11 years later, the astronomer finds life has changed considerably for everyone. Saint Sebastian Players' production begins performances begin Friday, Feb. 17, at St. Bonaventure, 1625 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7922 or saintsebastianplayers.org.

• A biblical scholar mourning the loss of his brother imagines himself as the disciple James, who 30 years after Christ's death faces a choice: renounce his brother Jesus of Nazareth or face death, in "Jesus the Jew, As Told by His Brother James" by William Spatz. Steven Strafford stars in the Forum Productions show. It begins previews Friday, Feb. 17, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, Feb. 22. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• Lifeline Theatre presents "A Wrinkle in Time," James Sie's adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's 1963 fantasy novel about a young girl, her brother and their friend who - aided by extraterrestrial pals - scour the universe in an attempt to rescue her father from dark forces. Ensemble member Elise Kauzlaric directs this newly revised adaptation, which begins previews Friday, Feb. 17, at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 26. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

• The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago, hosts a free reading of "Sycamore," a love triangle involving a brother, sister and the boy next door, by Sarah Sander. The reading begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. Raven Theatre's world premiere begins previews March 8 at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. See raventheatre.com.

• Chicago Slam Works Ensemble Theatre examines everything we don't say about desire, love and sex in "Never Mind, It's Nothing," the next in its 2017 season of poetry-centered, interdisciplinary theater. Performances begin Friday, Feb. 17, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. See chicagoslamworks.com.

• Silk Road Rising's "Semitic Commonwealth," a staged reading series made up of six plays by Arab and Jewish playwrights addressing the human toll of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, continues with Zohar Tirosh-Polk's "The Zionists." The play with music examines the effects of relocation and loss on an Israeli family over several generations. It runs at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, and 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. Set in 1939, Ismail Khalidi's "Tennis in Nablus" chronicles the last days of the Arab revolt as Palestinians try to drive out the British. It runs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19. Tickets are $10. (312) 857-1234, ext. 201, or semiticcommonwealth.org.

• "One Woman Sex and the City: A Parody of Love, Friendship and Shoes," a tribute to the HBO series about NYC hipster writer Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), comes to the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Kerry Ipema channels the sitcom's four main characters at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org.

• Circle Theatre revives David Ives' dramedy "Venus in Fur," beginning previews Saturday, Feb. 18, at The Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Ives' two-hander examination of power, sexuality and gender roles unfolds as a writer and first-time director auditions an actress who is not all she appears. Director Charlotte Drover's production opens Monday, Feb. 20. See circletheatrechicago.org.

• Members of the Chicago Actors' Call to Action, a group that helps raise funds for nonprofit foundations, celebrates Black History Month during a benefit concert for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Doors open at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, for the cabaret, which takes place at The Promontory Chicago, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave., Chicago. Singer Lynne Jordan and actors Denzel Tsopnang and Andre Teamer are among the artists scheduled to perform. $20. (312) 801-2100 or promontorychicago.com or chicagoactorscta.org.

• "The Illusionists - Live From Broadway," consisting of master illusionists and magicians including Dan Sperry ("America's Got Talent"), Italian escapologist Andrew Basso, "psychic savant" Colin Cloud and others, comes to Chicago for a brief run. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday, Feb. 21-26, at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com or theillusionistslive.com.

• Previews begin Tuesday, Feb. 21, for TUTA Theatre Chicago's premiere of "Gentle," adapted from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "A Gentle Creature" and directed by TUTA founding artistic director Zeljko Djukic. The play centers on the mysterious, unlikely marriage between a young woman and a pawnbroker. It opens Thursday, Feb. 23, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (800) 838-3006 or tutato.com.

• The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, hosts its seventh One-Minute Play Festival. The theme of this year's festival is "America Is" and features works by Lonnie Carter, Bilal Dardai, Jeewon Kim, David Kideski, Jenny Seidelman, Jon Steinhagen and Robert Tenges among others. Performances take place at 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 21-22. See oneminuteplayfestival.com.

• AstonRep Theatre revives Lee Blessing's "Eleemosynary," examining the relationship between three generations of women: Dorothea, the eccentric grandmother; her brilliant daughter Artie; and Artie's exceptional daughter Echo, who has been raised by Dorothea. Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 23, at The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave., Chicago. The revival, which stars Debra Rodkin, Alexandra Bennett and Sarah C. Lo, opens Feb. 25. (773) 828-9129 or astonrep.com.

• Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, presents "The Best of Bri-Ko," an all-silent, 60-minute clown show starring Tim Soszko and Brian Peterlin, who turn the simplest tasks into comedy. Performances run every Thursday, Feb. 23, through March 23. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• Short Story Theatre presents an evening of true tales centered around the following: an encounter with a wolf, a lost dog and assorted misadventures. The next performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at Miramar Bistro, 201 Waukegan Ave., Highwood. (847) 433-1078 or shortstorytheatre.com.

• Goodman Theatre continues its Black History Month celebration with a lecture from resident director Chuck Smith on "Playwrights From Past to Present"at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St., Chicago. The lecture is free, but reservations are required. See goodmantheatre.org/blackwordsmatter.

• Performances continue for BoHo Theatre's season opener "Urinetown," Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis' musical satire set sometime in the near future when a water shortage results in a ban on private toilets forcing citizens to use public restrooms for a fee. The revival, directed by Stephen Schellhardt, runs through March 26 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or bohotheatre.com.

• Irish Theatre of Chicago's New Irish Voices Festival, showcasing staged readings of plays by Ireland's emerging playwrights, continues through Feb. 24 at Chief O'Neill's Pub & Restaurant, 3471 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. The company performs Sabina Kelly's "The Spinning Wheel," about a shocking crime that takes place in 1859 and unites the women living in a rural village, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. The company performs Geraldine Aron's "The My Way Residential," about a 78-year-old resident of a London nursing home who forms an unlikely bond with a 24-year-old immigrant. See irishtheatreofchicago.org.

• "Forrest Gump" fanatic Charlie Davis acts out the entire film with the audience selecting the order of the scenes in his one-man show "GUMP: With Your Pal, Charlie Davis!" The adults-only production runs at 10 p.m. Fridays through March 3 at The Public House Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 230-4770 or thepubtheatre.com.

• Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, has extended its revival of Pearl Cleage's "Blues for an Alabama Sky." Director Ron OJ Parson's production of the play, about a group of friends experiencing New York City's Harlem Renaissance during the Great Depression, runs through Feb. 19. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.

• Trap Door Theatre has extended its production of "Phedre," adapted by Paul Schmidt from Jean Racine's domestic tragedy about a woman in love with her stepson. Performances run through Feb. 24 at 1655 W. Cortland St., Chicago. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

• The Gift Theatre announced that Tony Award-winning playwright David Rabe, whose "Good for Otto" premiered at The Gift Theatre in 2015, has joined the ensemble, which was founded in 1997 by artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton and William Nedved. "I'm hesitant to join anything other than unions or guilds," said Rabe in a prepared statement. "But ... I thought: David, wake up. What are you waiting for?"

• Gorilla Tango Theatre celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Owners Dan Abbate and Kelly Williams established Gorilla Tango as a venue for itinerant theater companies according to a model they describe as "theater in bulk." "The secret to our success is no secret," said Abbate in a prepared statement. "It's volume. We knew early on that in order to succeed we had to have tons of things going on at all times, not just Friday and Saturday nights."

• Walkabout Theater Company announced that director and dramaturge Kendra Miller has stepped down as co-artistic director but will stay on as an artistic associate. Co-artistic director Thom Pasculli has taken over as the company's sole artistic director.