Entertainment

Spotlight: Shattered Globe, Goodman stage local premieres

Posted September 30, 2024 10:37 pm

Barbara Vitello

Isabella Maria Valdés, left, Linda Reiter and Rebecca Jordan star in Shattered Globe Theatre's Midwest premiere of “Becky Nurse of Salem” by Sarah Ruhl. Courtesy of Jeffrey L. Kurysz

Salem’s legacy

Shattered Globe Theatre launches its 34th season with the Midwest premiere of “Becky Nurse of Salem,” Wilmette native Sarah Ruhl’s darkly comic examination of the legacy of the Salem witch trials directed by frequent Ruhl collaborator Polly Noonan. Ensemble member Linda Reiter plays the titular Becky, whose namesake was executed for witchcraft in 1692. Struggling with her family’s past and her own identity, Becky seeks help from a local witch. Previews at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5, and Wednesday, Oct. 9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Oct. 10. $10-$52. (773) 975-8150, sgtheatre.org or theaterwit.org.

Namir Smallwood rehearses for Goodman Theatre's Chicago premiere of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winner “Primary Trust” by Eboni Booth. Courtesy of Hugo Hentoff

2024 Pulitzer Prize winner gets local premiere

Goodman Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of “Primary Trust,” Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a longtime bookstore employee whose life is upended when the store closes and he’s forced to find a new job, new friends and self-worth. Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Namir Smallwood stars. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, and Oct. 8-11; 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6 and 13; and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens Oct. 14. $20-$65. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

‘Charlotte’s Web’ on stage

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie presents TheaterWorks USA’s “Charlotte’s Web,” adapted from E.B. White’s beloved children’s novel about the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte, who devises a way to keep Wilbur from becoming pork chops. 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, at 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. $15-$28. (847) 673-6300 or northshorecenter.org.

Grant Drager, left, David Cerda, Ed Jones, Ben Meneses, Josh Kemper, Tyler Anthony Smith, Caitlin Jackson and Elizabeth Lesinski star in Hell in a Handbag Productions’ world premiere parody “The Golden Girls Meet The Skooby Don’t Gang: The Mystery of The Haunted Bush.” Courtesy of Rick Aguilar Studios

Seasonal mashup

Hell in a Handbag Productions concludes its 22nd season with the premiere of “The Golden Girls Meet The Skooby Don’t Gang: The Mystery of the Haunted Bush.” In this mashup of Handbag parodies of “The Golden Girl” and “Scooby-Doo,” Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia enlist the help of the teenage detectives to help solve a mystery. Artistic director David Cerda wrote the play and Frankie Leo Bennett directs. Previews at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 10-12, at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. The show opens Oct. 13. $29-$60. handbagproductions.org.

Kevin Webb plays The Baker and Sonia Goldberg plays the Baker’s Wife in Kokandy Productions’ revival of Stephen Sondheim's “Into The Woods.” Courtesy of Collin Quinn Rice

Sondheim revival

Kokandy Productions revives Stephen Sondheim’s fairy tale-inspired “Into the Woods,” which examines what happens to the Grimm Brothers’ characters after they achieve their happily ever after. Kevin Webb and Sonia Goldberg star as The Baker and The Baker’s Wife and Stephanie Stockstill plays The Witch in director/choreographer Derek Van Barham’s production featuring a score arranged for two pianos. Previews at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 10-12; 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13 and 20; and 7 p.m. Oct. 14, 21, 24 and 25 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. The show opens Oct. 26. $25-$55. kokandyproductions.com.

Rough House Theater's “House of the Exquisite Corpse” features puppets by artists Justin D’Acci and Sion Silva. Courtesy of Yvette Marie Dostatni

Rough House’s ‘Exquisite Corpse’

Rough House Theatre delivers chills during its fourth immersive haunted experience, “House of the Exquisite Corpse,” populated by puppets and designed to shock, scare and astonish. The adults-only show includes puppetry, physical performance and illusion. It takes place at Steppenwolf Theatre’s Merle Reskin Garage space. Ticketed entries are every 15 minutes, starting at 7 p.m., with the last entry at 9:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 10 through Nov. 2, at 1624 N. Halsted St., Chicago. $21-$46. roughhousetheater.com.

Greek tragedy inspires new play

Euripides’ tragedy of “Hippolytus,” who dies after rejecting his stepmother’s love, inspired the new play “The Love Object” by The Story Theatre playwright-in-residence Justine Gelfman. The story centers on a pop princess about to commence a world tour, whose friend and assistant wants to pursue her own interests but reconsiders after a scandal threatens her pop star pal. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 10-12, at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, Oct. 13. $15-$20. (773) 338-2177 or thestorytheatre.org.

UP Comedy’s seasonal shows

“She the People,” the satirical sketch comedy show that sends up the patriarchy, returns to The Second City along with “Clued In, An Invitation to Die For.” The latter is a 90-minute Halloween murder-mystery inspired by Agatha Christie’s novels. “She the People” is at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, through Nov. 23. Tickets start at $29. “Clued In” is at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, 17 and 31, and 4 p.m. Oct. 27. Tickets start at $30. Both shows are at the UP Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. (312) 337-3992 or secondcity.com.

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