Spotlight: 'The Roommate,' 'Defiance' and 'The Mousetrap' make for lots of drama
Odd couple
Robyn, a 50-something lesbian vegan from the Bronx, agrees to share a house in Iowa belonging to recently divorced housewife Sharon in “The Roommate,” a two-handed dramedy by Jen Silverman that premiered last year at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre. Citadel Theatre revives the play under director Beth Wolf, whose production stars Citadel co-founder Ellen Phelps and Laurie Carter Rose.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 30-31. The show opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. $20-$45. (847) 735-8554, ext. 1, or citadeltheatre.org.
Manor house mystery
The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre revives “The Mousetrap,” the Agatha Christie whodunit that has run continuously in London's West End for more than 66 years. Joe Lehman directs the mystery, which unfolds at a young couple's remote guesthouse, Monkswell Manor, which they had the misfortune to open on the eve of a blizzard a few hours after a neighbor was murdered. As it turns out, the suspect remains at large, which imperils Monkswell's proprietors and their guests.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 7, and Friday, Feb. 1; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens Feb. 8. $35, $40. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
Power play
During the early 1970s, the commander of a North Carolina Marine base rocked by racial violence enlists help from an African-American captain to investigate in “Defiance,” John Patrick Shanley's examination of power, loyalty and responsibility. Buffalo Theatre Ensemble member Kurt Naebig directs the company's revival, which stars fellow ensemble member Bryan Burke as Lt. Colonel Littlefield and David Goodloe as Captain Lee King.
Preview at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. The show opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1. $40. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org.