Spotlight: Writers Theatre re-imagines Ibsen's 'A Doll's House'

Posted September 25, 2019 6:00 am

Streamlined classic

Writers Theatre artistic director Michael Halberstam and writer/actor Sandra Delgado ("La Havana Madrid") have re-imagined Henrik Ibsen's proto-feminist "A Doll's House" - a critique of 19th-century, male-dominated conventions in which a young woman leaves her husband and children in order to fully express herself - as a 90-minute one-act. Lavina Jadhwani directs the production, which originated several years ago as a collaboration between Halberstam and Definition Theatre.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, and Tuesday, Oct. 1; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28; and 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. $35-$80. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

Tomasello returns

Cabaret chanteuse Denise Tomasello of Arlington Heights performs her show "Holding Court: Reflections on the Life of Cabaret" at Drury Lane Theatre as part of its ongoing cabaret series. Tomasello's stroll down memory lane consists of Broadway favorites and American classics.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-28, at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. $40-$50. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.

Culture clash

Williams Street Repertory's season continues with a revival of "The Addams Family," the musical by "Jersey Boys" duo Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice inspired by the deliciously macabre drawings by artist/illustrator Charles Addams. Claire Latourette plays Wednesday Addams, who falls in love with an everyman named Lucas Beineke (Joe Lewis). His family is the complete opposite of Wednesday's darkly quirky brood. Or so it seems.

8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-28, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, and runs through Oct. 20 at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. $39.50. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org.

Life extraordinary

A young man suspects his salesman father has exaggerated his wild stories about an adventure-filled youth meeting witches, kissing mermaids and performing with the circus in the musical "Big Fish," an affectionate examination of love and reconciliation based on Daniel Wallace's novel and Tim Burton's film. BoHo Theatre revives the tuner with Tommy Thurston as Edward Bloom and Jeff Pierpoint as his son, Will. BoHo artistic director Stephen Schellhardt directs.

Previews at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, and 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Oct. 3-4, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Oct. 5. $25-$35. (773) 975-8150 or bohotheatre.com.

Liz Chidester, left, and Diana Coates play twins in Raven Theatre's Chicago-area premiere of "Sundown, Yellow Moon." Courtesy of Christopher Semel

Family drama

Twin sisters Ray (Liz Chidester) and Joey (Diana Coates of First Folio Theatre's "Henry V") return to their small town home and their newly divorced, recently unemployed father in "Sundown, Yellow Moon," a family drama by Rachel Bonds. Artistic director Cody Estle directs Raven Theatre's Chicago-area premiere, which also features Aurora resident Rob Frankel.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 3-5, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Oct. 7. $32-$46. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

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