Spotlight: Goodman, Dana Delany premiere thriller inspired by real life

The relationship that developed between Emmy Award-winning actress Dana Delany and a 13-year-old fan she met through social media inspired Goodman Theatre’s “Highway Patrol,” a new thriller taken from Delany’s social media posts and direct messages. Co-developed by co-creator/curator Jen Silverman and creator director Mike Donahue, Goodman’s premiere stars Delany (“China Beach”), “Glee” veteran Dot-Marie Jones and Thomas Murphy Molony. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 20-21, and Wednesday through Friday, Jan. 24-26; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27; and 2 p.m. Jan. 28 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens Jan. 30. $25-$90. (312) 443-2800 or goodmantheatre.org/highway.

A celebration of community

Marriott Theatre kicks off 2024 with “In the Heights,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2005 musical about the personal, professional and romantic struggles and triumphs of the residents of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood. James Vásquez (“Damn Yankees”) directs the revival, which is choreographed by William Carlos Angulo (“The Sound of Music”) and stars Joseph Morales as Usnavi, the role he played in the show’s first national tour. Previews at 1 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25; 8 p.m. Jan. 26; 4 and 8 p.m. Jan. 27; and 1 and 5 p.m. Jan. 28 at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens Jan. 31. Tickets start at $60. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

‘Fiddler’ revived

Three-time Joseph Jefferson Award winner Mark David Kaplan plays Tevye, a Jewish milkman living in 1905 Russia who struggles to balance his traditional values with modern ways in Drury Lane Theatre’s revival of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Elizabeth Margolius directs. Previews at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24 and 31; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25; 7 p.m. Jan. 26; 3 and 8 p.m. Jan. 27; and 2 and 6 p.m. Jan. 28 at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens Feb. 1. $85.75-$96.25. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.

Northlight stages Pulitzer finalist

A onetime interpreter for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, Taroon – fearing Taliban retaliation – has been in hiding since the Americans withdrew. But as the birth of his son nears, he must choose between his own safety and seeing his child in “Selling Kabul,” Sylvia Khoury’s 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist play. Hamid Dehghani directs Northlight Theatre’s production. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 25-27, Jan. 30 and Feb 1; 2:30 and 7 p.m. Jan. 28; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The show opens Feb. 2. $30-$89. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.

Batten the hatches

Described as “a new comedy for the end of the world,” Mashuq Mushtaq Deen’s absurdist play “Flood” examines generational divides against a natural disaster. Shattered Globe Theatre’s Chicago premiere features ensemble members Linda Reiter and H.B. Ward as Edith and Darren, a long-married couple living in a high-rise who have a prickly relationship with their children Darren Junior (Carl Collins) and Edith Junior (Sarah Patin). Meanwhile, the waters outside their apartment continue to rise. Previews at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 25-27, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Jan. 28. $10-$52. (773) 975-8150 or sgtheatre.org.