Spotlight: Steppenwolf premiere examines youth activism
Steppenwolf premiere
A young woman fights for her family’s right to live on their land in Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s premiere of “a home what howls (or the house what was ravine)” by Matthew Paul Olmos. Laura Alcalá Baker directs this examination of displacement and youth activism produced as part of Steppenwolf’s Young Adults Series. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, and 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10. Tickets start at $20 for adults, $15 for college students, $5 for high school students. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
‘Chess’ in concert
BrightSide Theatre presents a concert version of “Chess,” the musical about two grandmasters in love with the same woman, by writer/lyricist Tim Rice and ABBA composers Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Artistic director Jeffrey Cass directs. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9-10, and Feb. 16; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 and 18; and 2 and 8 p.m. Feb. 17 at Madden Theatre, North Central College, 171 Chicago Ave., Naperville. $37 for adults, $32 for seniors and students. (630) 447-8497 or brightsidetheatre.com.
‘Black By Popular Demand’
After a sold-out engagement last year, The Second City’s “Black by Popular Demand” — a revue featuring an all-BIPOC cast and crew — returns for an extended run. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Feb. 9 through May 25, at Up Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. Tickets start at $29. (312) 337-3992 or secondcity.com.
Ancient tale updated
The Factory Theater infuses an ancient tale with modern flair in its latest show, “Party at the Pantheon: A Modern Greek Stoner Comedy” by Michael Jones. Kamille Dawkins directs this comedy in which Dionysus throws a party for Orpheus who’s down in the dumps after his girlfriend Eurydice dies. Previews at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9-10, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 16. $10-$25. thefactorytheater.com.
‘Magic Flute’ re-imagined
Goodman Theatre resident director and Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman directs “The Matchbox Magic Flute,” the world premiere in-miniature adaptation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute.” The family-friendly show tells the story of Prince Tamino who attempts to rescue Princess Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, with the assistance of a magical flute. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, and Wednesday through Friday, Feb. 14-16, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show runs through March 10. $25-$90. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org/flute.
Dylan on Broadway
The national tour of “Girl From the North Country,” a musical set to the music of Bob Dylan with a book by Conor McPherson, plays a limited engagement at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago. Set in 1934, the story follows the wayward travelers staying at a Duluth, Minnesota, guesthouse. Preview is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, Feb. 14. $25-$119. broadwayinchicago.com/ or northcountrytour.com/.
Darkly comic fable
Invictus Theatre Co. Chicago revives “Topdog/Underdog,” Suzan-Lori Parks’ dark dramedy about two brothers — Lincoln and Booth — whose names inspired a lifetime of sibling rivalry. Mikha’el Amin plays Lincoln and DeMorris Burrows plays Booth. Previews at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, and Friday, Feb. 16; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago. The show opens Feb. 19. $25-$45. invictustheatreco.com/.
A luminous tale
Citadel Theatre stages “Silent Sky,” Lauren Gunderson’s play chronicling the efforts of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who developed a method to measure the distance between stars that Edwin Hubble used to prove his theory of the expanding universe and the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way. What’s remarkable is that Leavitt made her discoveries without a telescope, which her gender prohibited her from using. Beth Wolf directs Citadel’s revival, which stars Melissa Harlow as Henrietta. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 14-15, at 300 Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. The show opens Feb. 16. $20, $40. (847) 735-8554 or citadeltheatre.org.