Spotlight: Marriott brings to life ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’
Marriott’s ‘Charlie’
Roald Dahl’s beloved tale “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” about the adventures of a young boy who gets a chance to tour the factory of an eccentric chocolatier, is the next Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences musical adaptation. Amber Mak directs and choreographs the 70-minute show, which stars Kai Edgar as Charlie Bucket.
10 a.m. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 13-15, and through March 29 at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Tickets start at $18.75. (847) 634-0200 or MarriottTheatre.com.
Women power
Marlene invites famous women from history to a dinner to celebrate her promotion in “Top Girls,” Caryl Churchill’s famous 1982 fantasy play examining feminism and patriarchy. Lucky Stiff directs Raven Theatre Company’s revival, which runs alongside The Story Theatre’s premiere of “Pot Girls,” a riff on Churchill’s original.
Previews continue at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, Feb. 18. $30-$45. raventheatre.com.
Premieres
• “Bernadette The Musical” is about a 19th-century French farm girl who was reportedly visited 18 times by the Virgin Mary, who only Bernadette could see, at a grotto in Lourdes, France. The Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture presents the show’s U.S. premiere.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14; 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15; and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 19. $40-$149. (312) 820-6250 or athenaeumcenter.org.
• Definition Theatre Company stages the Chicago-area premiere of “Black Cypress Bayou,” Kristen Adele Calhoun’s dark comedy about justice and legacy after the death of the richest man in East Texas and the mother and daughters who may know more about it than they’re willing to admit. Ericka Ratcliff directs.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, and Monday, Feb. 15, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at 1160 E. 55th St., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 19. Tickets start at $30. definitiontheatre.org.
• Downers Grove native Leslie Ann Sheppard plays Miss Candice, an AI character who steps out of an algorithm and into a family in Shattered Globe Theatre’s Midwest premiere of “Morning, Noon and Night.” Kirsten Greenidge’s family drama is about mom Mia and teenage daughter Dailyn, who want to make everything perfect for the return of Dailyn’s older sister Alex. SGT associate artistic director AmBer Montgomery directs.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, and Wednesday, Feb. 18, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 19. $25-$60. (773) 975-8150 or sgtheatre.org.
• Lifeline Theatre presents the world premiere of “Kitty and the Beanstalk,” its latest KidSeries musical production adapted from “Jack and the Beanstalk” by ensemble member Jess Wright Buha, in collaboration with Miles and Molly Buha. The action unfolds in a sunless city, where cat siblings Kitty and Tom live. When Kitty trades one of Tom’s creations for some magic beans, Tom throws them away only to find them sprouting into a giant beanstalk. Suitable for kids 4-10.
Previews at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15. $20. lifelinetheatre.com.
Factory’s Kubrickian tale
Three trapped men, who should be focused on escape, can’t stop talking about acclaimed film director Stanley Kubrick in “Kubrickian,” Factory Theater’s “trippy, existential show” … about masculinity, creativity and capitalism. Director AJ Schwartz’s show features Rio Ragazzone, Taylor Mercado Owen, Ben Auxier, Emerson Ross and Katie Bevil.
Previews at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 20. $30. (312) 275-5757 or TheFactoryTheater.com.
A pair of classics
• Saint Sebastian Players continues its 44th season with Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy “Harvey,” about Elwood P. Dowd, whose pal is the titular Harvey, a shape-shifter who appears as a 6-foot, 5-inch rabbit only Elwood can see.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at St. Bonaventure Church, 1625 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago. $30, $35. saintsebastianplayers.org.
• Invictus Theatre Company opens its 2026 season with a revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Tennessee Williams’ 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of sex, lies and mortality. Helmed by founding artistic director Charles Askenaizer, the play unfolds at the Pollitt plantation, where family members have come to celebrate the birthday of the dying patriarch, whose favorite son struggles with his sexual identity and his failing marriage.
Previews at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17 and 23; 1 and 7 p.m. Feb. 21; and 1 p.m. Feb. 22 at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago. The show opens Feb. 24. $25-$45. invictustheatreco.com.
Artistic Home’s play festival
The Artistic Home hosts Cut to the Chase, a minifestival of six new plays examining perseverance in the face of change chosen from hundreds of submissions from writers all over the country. The plays run about 90 minutes and are performed back-to-back during the festival, which is in its 25th year.
8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 19-20, and 5 and 8 p.m. Feb. 21 and 22 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. $25. (773) 697-3830 or theartistichome.org.