Spotlight: Goodman, Definition co-produce Chicago premiere of Pulitzer-winning ‘Fat Ham’
Shakespeare reinvented
Playwright James Ijames rethinks masculinity in “Fat Ham,” his Pulitzer Prize-winning riff on William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in its Chicago premiere courtesy of Goodman and Definition theaters. Trumane Alston plays Juicy, whose newly widowed mother has wed her husband’s brother, angering her late husband’s ghost who demands his son Juicy avenge him. Definition artistic director Tyrone Phillips helms the production, which features Ronald L. Conner as Juicy’s father, Pap, and his uncle Rev and Anji White as his mother, Tedra. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, and Tuesday through Friday, Jan. 14-17; 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12 and 19; and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens Jan. 21. $25-$85. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ for modern times
City Lit Theater presents the Chicago premiere of “Glassheart,” a version of “Beauty and the Beast” by Chicago playwright Reina Hardy. In Hardy’s version, the Beast moves to Chicago with his friend, a lamp named Only, and meets his neighbor, a barista named Aiofe, who turns out to have a lot in common with him. Actor/playwright Mark Pracht plays the Beast opposite newcomer Cailyn Murray’s Aiofe. Executive artistic director Brian Pastor directs. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10-11 and 17-18, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The show opens Jan. 19. $25-$35. (773) 293-3682 or citylit.org.
New works showcase
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre showcases eight new and in-development works for solo artists and duos as part of its second WinterFest. Featured works include mundane tragedies examined through a comedic lens; a show about growing up Black, queer and weird; one about a young man determined to find a boyfriend; and a show about three hip-hop teenage buskers whose meeting with their idol changes their lives. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, Tuesday, Jan. 14, Thursday, Jan. 16, and Jan. 18, 21 and 23; and 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12 and 16, at 721 Howard St., Evanston. $10. theo-u.com/winterfest-25.
Midwest premiere
Straight from Broadway, Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the Midwest premiere of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” a dramedy by Ghanaian-American playwright Jocelyn Bioh (“School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play”) about what it means to be an outsider in the place one calls home. The action unfolds in a Harlem salon where West African immigrant hair braiders “work their magic on the locals’ locks.” Previews at 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Jan. 14-16, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. The show opens Jan. 17. $44-$135. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.
Jackalope remounts thriller
Jackalope Theatre remounts its 2024 production “The Smuggler,” a one-man, thriller-in-rhyme by Ronán Noone. Andrew Burden Swanson stars as Tim Finnegan, an Irish immigrant bartender in an affluent Massachusetts resort town who is drawn into the community’s dark underbelly after he loses his job. Preview at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, at The Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway St., Chicago. $15-$35. jackalopetheatre.org.
‘Fun Home’ revival
Porchlight Music Theatre revives the Tony Award-winning musical “Fun Home,” a coming-of-age/coming-out tale adapted from Alison Bechdel’s semiautobiographical graphic novel about her complicated relationship with her closeted father. Stephen Schellhardt directs. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 16-17; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18; and 2 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens at 6 p.m. Jan. 19. $20-$85. porchlightmusictheatre.org.