Spotlight: Janus Theatre revives ‘Every Brilliant Thing’
Life’s brilliant things
Ice cream. Water fights. The color yellow. After his mother attempts suicide, a youngster compiles a list of things that make life worth living in “Every Brilliant Thing,” Duncan MacMillan’s examination of the impact of a parent’s mental illness on a child. Benedict L. Slabik II stars in Janus Theatre’s revival of this provocative show about coping with grief and depression.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, and 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, and through March 9, at Al’s Cafe, 43 DuPage Court, Elgin. $18. janusplays.com. Call Al’s Cafe for reservations at (847) 742-1180.
Marriott’s outer-space adventure
Marriott Theatre kicks off its young audiences season with “The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System,” adapted from the children’s book by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. The musical by composer/lyricist Matthew Lee Robinson and writer Marshall Pailet is about schoolchildren lost en route to the planetarium and their teacher Ms. Frizzle, who redirects the bus into outer space for an interplanetary field trip. Associate artistic director Katie Johannigman directs and choreographs.
Previews at 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 21-23 and Feb. 26-28, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens March 1. $16.75. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.
Rodgers and Hammerstein revue
Steel Beam Theatre celebrates one of musical theater’s greatest duos in its revival of “Some Enchanted Evening: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein.” The revue features songs from classic tuners such as “Oklahoma,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and “The Sound of Music,” among others.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, 28 and March 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 and March 2, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $22-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.
New take on Shakespeare’s ‘Titus’
Redtwist Theatre director of development Dusty Brown directs his adaptation of “Titus Andronicus,” William Shakespeare’s grisly tale of bigotry and revenge that engulfs a country “teetering on the brink of civil war over petty grievances and personal vendettas.” The production stars Anne Sheridan Smith as the titular character.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23. Tickets start at $35. redtwisttheatre.org.
Jackalope fringe fest hit gets U.S. premiere
Jackalope Theatre Company presents the U.S. premiere of its 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival hit “Dummy in Diaspora.” Writer/performer Esho Rasho’s coming-of-age solo play is about a Middle Eastern American boy navigating his sexuality in a country that doesn’t have a place for him.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, and Feb. 28 and March 1, at Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway, Chicago. The show opens March 3. $15-$35. (773) 340-2543 or jackalopetheatre.org.
Paramount Theatre receives $1 million gift
The Aurora Women’s Empowerment Foundation donated $1 million to the Paramount Theatre in Aurora for the development of three to four new works this year and to support the Paramount School of the Arts, which instructs students of all ages and ability levels both privately and in group settings.
The AWEF’s mission is to empower Aurora-area women by making grants to organizations “engaged in meaningful, measurable work that helps women overcome the hurdles of inequity and exclusion, propelling them forward with life-changing programs and services.”
“AWEF’s generous support is a powerful affirmation of the vital role Paramount Theatre plays in fostering artistic expression and education in our community,” said Paramount’s chief development officer Jonathan Jensen in a prepared statement.