Spotlight: Amy Morton returns to Steppenwolf in ‘You Will Get Sick’
Morton back at Steppenwolf
Longtime ensemble member Amy Morton returns to the Steppenwolf Theatre stage for the first time in nearly a decade to co-star in the Chicago premiere of “You will Get Sick,” Noah Diaz’s dramedy about a terminally ill young man (Namir Smallwood) who hires as his caretaker a middle-aged aspiring actress (Morton). Co-artistic director Audrey Francis directs.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 5-6 and 12-13; 3 and 7:30 p.m. June 7 and 14; 3 p.m. June 8; and 7:30 p.m. June 10-11 at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens June 15. $52.50-$116.50. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
The story of AA
Theatre 68’s production of “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” produced last year at Chicago’s Biograph Theater, returns for a limited run. Written by Samuel Shem and Janet Surrey and starring director/actor Ronnie Marmo as Bill W., the play tells the story of stockbroker Bill W. and Ohio surgeon Dr. Bob, who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous.
7:30 p.m. Friday, May 30, and June 6; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, and June 7; and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 1 and 8, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets start at $69. billanddrbobonstage.com.
Clowns, acrobats, theater artists
Actor and circus artist Jean Claudio created and stars in “Memorabilia,” about a frazzled inventor named Salvador who creates a device to preserve his most cherished memories and confront his darker ones. Teatro Vista’s Midwest premiere, combining clowns, acrobats, jugglers and dancers, is directed by co-creator Raquel Torre.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 30-31, and 6 p.m. Sunday, June 1, at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, June 4. $35, $45. teatrovista.org.
Matt & Ben, the early years
Theatre Above the Law revives “Matt & Ben,” a satire by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers that imagines the early lives of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck before they became Oscar-winning stars. Artistic director Tony Lawry helms the production.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 30-31, at the Jarvis Square Theater, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, June 1. $15-$25. (773) 655-7197 or theatreatl.org.
Definition Theatre premiere
Definition Theatre premieres “Black Bone,” the first play developed through the Amplify Series, the company’s new works initiative. A satire by Chicago playwright Tina Fakhrid-Deen, the play is about a group of Black academics who discover that one of them is Caucasian “passing” as Black. Deadly consequences result. Carla Stillwell directs.
Previews at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 31 and June 1, and 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 2, at Definition @ 55th, 1160 E. 55th St., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, June 5. Tickets start at $25. definitiontheatre.org.
Physical theater fest
Ensembles from the U.S., the United Kingdom and South America will participate in the 12th Physical Theater Festival showcasing international, visual, and “physical theater performances that challenge and expand the boundaries of live theater.”
Monday, June 2, through June 8 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $30; $17.50 for artists, seniors, veterans and students. Scratch Night and Made in Chicago tickets are $15. $3.75 fee added to all tickets. physicalfestical.com.
‘Tina’ returns
“Tina, The Tina Turner Musical,” the jukebox bio-tuner chronicling the life of the Grammy Award-winning queen of rock ’n’ roll from her humble beginnings in rural Tennessee through her chart-topping 1984 comeback, returns to Chicago for a limited run.
7 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, and Thursday, June 5: 1 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 4; 7:30 p.m. June 6; 2 and 7:30 p.m. June 7; and 1 p.m. June 8 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. $49-$140. broadwayinchicago.com.