Spotlight: Buffalo Theatre revives ‘The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley’
Holiday at Pemberley
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble follows up its 2023 production of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s Jane Austen-inspired “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” with “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley,” the second in Gunderson and Melcon’s trilogy inspired by “Pride and Prejudice.” Ensemble member Connie Canaday Howard directs the play, which centers around the unwelcome arrival at the Darcy estate of George Wickham, Lydia Bennet’s scoundrel husband who wreaks havoc that the Pemberley servants try to contain. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, and through Dec. 15 at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. $40. (630) 942-4000, atthemac.org or btechicago.com.
An enchanted place
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre stages “The Secret Garden,” composer Lucy Simon and playwright Marsha Norman’s musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s novel about an orphaned girl sent to live with her uncle at his mysterious manor house. She uncovers and revives a forgotten, overgrown garden, which helps heal the wounded souls of the manor’s residents. Producing director Christopher Pazdernik directs. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8-9; 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10; and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at 721 Howard St., Evanston. The show opens Nov. 16. $30-$60. theo-u.com.
Storyteller’s showcase
Lifeline Theatre hosts its 28th annual Fillet of Solo Festival celebrating Chicago-area storytellers and the live lit scene. Performers include: The Sweat Girls performing “Don’t Rush Me”; Nestor Gomez’s “80 Minutes Around the World: Immigration Stories”; Beth Ann Bryant-Richards’ “True Confessions of a Failed Debutante”; and Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations ensemble, comprised of 16 storytellers on “the better side of fifty-five.” Performances begin at 7 p.m. Fridays, Nov. 8 and 15, and 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 9-10 and 16-17, at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago, and Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse Ave., Chicago. $12 single entry, $60 festival pass. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.
Family in all its incarnations
TimeLine Theatre Company and Court Theatre collaborate for a revival of William Finn and James Lapine’s “Falsettos.” Set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic, the musical is about ex-spouses, co-parents and new lovers whose lives are upended by divorce, remarriage and a bar mitzvah. Stephen Schellhardt plays Marvin, Sarah Bockel plays his ex-wife, Trina, and Charlie Long and Eli Vander Griend alternate as their son Jason in director Nick Bowling’s revival. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Nov. 8 and 15; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 9-10; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 13-14, at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 16. $42-$90. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.
‘Annie’ returns
Hazel Vogel plays the title role in MSG Entertainment’s national tour of “Annie,” the Tony Award-winning tuner about a redheaded orphan girl desperate to find her parents and the kindly billionaire who aids her in her quest. 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Nov. 12-15; 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 16; 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Nov. 17 and through Dec. 1 at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago. $56-$162.15. annietour.com.
Raven Theatre premiere
Chauncy and Nsaku are both struggling comedians, but when Nsaku’s career starts to take off, Chauncy fears he’ll be left behind in “The Comedians,” a new comedy by Philip Dawkins told through a series of stand-up sets. Raven Theatre Company’s premiere stars Bill Larkin as Chauncy and Terry Guest as Nsaku. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Nov. 14-15; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16; and 3 p.m. Nov. 17 and through Nov. 24 at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. $65-$100. raventheatre.com.