Spotlight: World premieres at American Blues, Northlight theaters
World premiere
American Blues Theater commences its 40th anniversary season with the world premiere of artistic affiliate and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz’s “Things With Friends,” winner of ABT’s 2023 Blue Ink Playwrighting Award. The play is about a Manhattan couple hosting a dinner party around the same time the George Washington Bridge collapses. Artistic affiliate Dexter Bullard directs.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 29-30; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31; and 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 3-4, at 5627 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 5. $39.50, $49.50, $64.50 (opening night). (773) 654-3103 or americanbluestheater.com.
Drury Lane revives 1950s thriller
For more than 70 years, “Dial M For Murder,” Frederick Knott’s 1952 thriller about a husband’s plot to kill his wealthy wife, has thrilled audiences. Drury Lane Theatre revives Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Knott’s play. Amanda Drinkall plays heiress Margot Wendice and Erik Hellman plays her husband, Tony, in Drury Lane’s production directed by Adam Immerwahr.
Previews at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4; 7 p.m. Sept. 5; 3 and 8 p.m. Sept. 6; and 2 and 6 p.m. Sept. 7 at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens Sept. 10. $75-$150. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.
Northlight salutes TV pioneer
Northlight Theatre commences its 50th season with the world premiere of “The First Lady of Television,” James Sherman’s play about Gertrude Berg, creator and star of the first U.S. sitcom “The Goldbergs,” which began in 1929 as a radio show that ran until 1946, then moved to television from 1949 to 1956. The action unfolds in 1950 as Gertrude’s co-star is accused of being a Communist, forcing her to decide whether to fire him or risk cancellation. Cindy Gold plays the titular characters in this Northlight production directed by artistic director BJ Jones.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Sept. 4-5; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 and 9; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7; and 1 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The show opens Sept. 11. $36-$98. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.
Rhino Fest returns
Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr host the 36th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival, showcasing solo works, plays, multimedia performances, music and post-dramatic or experimental theater. Artists scheduled to perform include theater companies Tellin Tales and El Bear; solo performance ensemble BoyGirlBoyGirl; writer/storyteller Idris Goodwin; musician Keith Fort; playwright/audio dramatist Jessica Wright-Buha; set designer/theater maker Rick Paul; filmmaker Wendy Jo Carlton; director/playwright/professor Cecilie Keenan; actor Charles Pike with playwright and digital artist David Hauptschein, and poet/movement artist Maya Odim. Art/folk/cabaret act The Crooked Mouth kicks off the festival with a Full Moon Vaudeville concert.
The kick off is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, at the Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave., Chicago. The fest runs Sept. 5-28 in Chicago at the Facility Theatre; Labyrinth Arts, 3658 N. Pulaski Ave.; and Jarvis Square Theater, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, with $20 the suggested price. rhinofest.com.
Tuner on ice
A day on the lake ice fishing inspired “Guys on Ice,” a musical by writer/lyricist Fred Alley and composer James Kaplan about longtime friends Lloyd and Marv, who discuss life, love and the Green Bay Packers while out on a frozen lake in Northern Wisconsin. Rockford’s Artists’ Ensemble Theater revives the tuner under AET producing artistic director Richard Raether.
7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Sept. 4-5; 4 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7 and through Sept. 21 at Cheek Theatre, Clark Arts Center, Rockford University, 5050 E. State St., Rockford. $28, $19 on Thursdays, $10 students. (815) 394-5004 or artistsensemble.org.