10 shows for winter: Local premieres heat up Chicago-area theater

In an effort to entice theater fans from their cozy confines this winter, Chicago-area companies are staging local premieres of Broadway hits along with a smattering of revivals, including a high-profile production by Goodman Theatre starring film and TV veterans Helen Hunt and Robert Sean Leonard.

Lucky for theatergoers, a number of theaters will be offering discounted tickets for $30, $15 or less during Theatre Week, running Feb. 6-16 at suburban and city venues. Tickets go on sale Jan. 7. See chicagotheatreweek.com for a complete list of shows.

• Lifeline Theatre kicks off the new year with the Midwest premiere of “Kid Prince and Pablo,” a hip-hop musical by Joseph Jefferson Award-winning siblings and onetime Highland Park residents Brian Quijada (book) and Marvin Quijada (music). Based on Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper,” the show stars Jesus Barajas as Pablo and Joshua Zambrano as Kid Prince. Jan. 3-Feb. 16 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

• The national tour of “Shucked,” the corn-fed Broadway “farm-to-fable musical” by Tony Award-winning book writer Robert Horn (“Tootsie”) and veteran Nashville composers Brandy Clark and Grammy Award-winner Shane McAnally, comes to town. The musical tells the story about how the residents of corn-loving Cob County respond when a corn blight threatens their town and their way of life. Jan. 7-19 at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. broadwayinchicago.com.

• Goodman Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of “Fat Ham,” James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Set during a backyard barbecue, the play centers around Juicy, a man struggling with his identity, whose father’s ghost shows up asking for revenge on Juicy’s uncle, who is now married to Juicy’s widowed mother. Tyrone Phillips, founding artistic director of Chicago’s Definition Theatre, helms the production, which stars Trumane Alston as Juicy. Jan. 11-Feb. 23 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• The Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the direct-from-Broadway Midwest premiere of “JaJa’s African Hair Braiding,” a workplace comedy about West African immigrants building a community at their Harlem beauty salon, where owner JaJa and her fellow stylists beautify their clients’ locks. Jan. 14-Feb. 2 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Performer/playwright Vanessa Severo channels acclaimed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in Severo’s “Frida … A Self Portrait,” a bio-drama that chronicles the artist’s life and art. Jan. 23-Feb. 23 at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

• The 1965 historic exchange between two leading thinkers — Civil Rights activist James Baldwin and conservative William F. Buckley Jr. — about whether the American dream was achieved at the expense of African Americans inspired “Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley,” writer/director Christopher McElroen’s adaptation of a conversation that reflected the country’s deep racial divides. McElroen directs the Chicago premiere, a collaboration between TimeLine Theatre and DePaul University starring Teagle F. Bougere as Baldwin and Eric T. Miller as Buckley. Jan. 29-March 2 at Cortelyou Commons, DePaul University, 2324 N. Fremont St., Chicago. (773) 281-8463 or timelinetheatre.com.

• Buffalo Theatre Ensemble concludes its season with a revival of “Native Gardens,” Karen Zacarias’ comedy about homeowners Pablo and Tania, new to their historic Washington, D.C., neighborhood, who get into a property line dispute (turned culture clash) with neighbors and longtime residents Virginia and Frank. Steve Scott directs. Jan. 30-March 2 at Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. (630) 942-4000 or btechicago.com.

• Academy Award-winner Helen Hunt and Tony Award-winner Robert Sean Leonard star in Goodman Theatre’s revival of “Betrayal,” Harold Pinter’s classic about a love triangle between a woman, her husband and her husband’s best friend that unspools backward. Director Susan Booth’s production features Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Ian Barford, who returns to the theater for the first time in 27 years. There’s been no mention of a Broadway transfer, but this production’s bona fides suggest one might be in the offing. Feb. 8-March 16 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Anthony, a popular high school athlete, and Caroline, a smart, snarky classmate whose illness has kept her out of school for months, share secrets and a passion for Walt Whitman in “I and You,” a sentimental two-hander by the oft-produced playwright Lauren Gunderson (whose latest “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women” runs at Northlight Theatre through Jan. 5). Scott Shallenbarger directs Citadel Theatre’s revival of the 2014 dramedy. Feb. 18-March 23 at Citadel Theatre, 300 Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. (847) 735-8554 or citadeltheatre.org.

• Six precocious middle school students compete for a chance to represent their community at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the charming Tony Award-winning tuner “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” by composer/lyricist William Finn and writer Rachel Sheinkin from an idea by Rebecca Feldman. Paramount Theatre’s revival concludes its 2024-2025 Bold Series. March 12-April 27 at 8 Galena Blvd., Aurora. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

Other productions worth checking out: Northlight Theatre’s “Heart Sellers” (Jan. 23-Feb. 23), Shattered Globe Theatre’s “Lobby Hero” (Jan. 24-March 1), Court Theatre’s “A Raisin in the Sun” (Jan. 31-March 2), Raven Theatre’s “A Lie of the Mind” (Feb. 13-March 22) and Rivendell Theatre’s world premiere of “No Such Thing” (March 22-April 27).