Spotlight: Citadel Theatre revives psychological thriller ‘Misery’
Citadel co-founders star in ‘Misery’
Citadel Theatre co-founders Scott and Ellen Phelps take on the roles of bestselling novelist Paul Sheldon and his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes, who rescues him after he’s injured in a car crash. After she learns he has killed off her favorite character, she holds him hostage until he rewrites the novel in William Goldman’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “Misery.” Scott Westerman directs.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 10-11. Opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12, at the West Campus, Lake Forest School District, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. $45. citadeltheatre.org.
Life on the South Side
Ron OJ Parson helms Court Theatre’s revival of the 1938 drama “Big White Fog” by Theodore Ward. Set on the eve of the Great Depression, the play is about a Black family living on Chicago’s South Side whose members struggle with a worsening economy and increasing violence.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Sept. 12 and 19; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13-14; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 17-18, at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 20. $42-$90. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.
Love across universes
The Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture revives Nick Payne’s “Constellations.” An examination of human connection, the play begins with a chance meeting between theoretical physicist Marianne and beekeeper Roland and chronicles their relationship, which unfolds across multiple parallel universes. The production is part of The Athenaeum’s season devoted to the search for meaning.
Previews at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12; 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, at 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Sept. 18. $42, $52. (312) 820-6250 or athenaeumcenter.org.
‘Grease’ is the word
A tough guy and a prim, proper girl fall in love at the fictional Rydell High School in “Grease” by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, who premiered their 1950s-set musical at Chicago’s Kingston Mines nightclub in 1971. The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre revival features songs from the original production and from the 1978 film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Dina DiCostanzo directs.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 17-18, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens Sept. 19. $29-$55. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
Remy Bumppo’s Chicago premiere
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company opens its 30th season with the Chicago premiere of “Wish You Were Here” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Sanaz Toossi (“English”). Azar Kazemi directs the 1978-set drama, which unfolds in Iran where a close group of female friends try to maintain a sense of normalcy as revolution escalates, forcing each of them to choose between emigration or facing an uncertain future at home.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 18-20, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 21. $15-$55. (773) 975-8150 or remybumppo.org.
Shakespeare tribute
Three years after William Shakespeare’s death, members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, work to compile the definitive collection of his manuscripts in Lauren Gunderson’s “The Book of Will.” The comedy finds the two men battling a shady publisher, diminishing resources and their own mortality as they work to preserve literary and theatrical history. Promethean Theatre Ensemble’s revival stars artistic director Jared Dennis as John and Ben Veatch as Henry. Beth Wolf directs.
Previews at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Sept. 18-19, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 30. $25, $30. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com or prometheantheatre.org.
Instrumental Theatre Company makes its debut
Chicago newcomer Instrumental Theatre Company — which incorporates conventions of music, theater, drama and storytelling — stages a site-specific, play-with-music production of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” The cast adapted the tale about an aspiring young playwright, the budding actress he loves, his fading actress mother and her new lover, a popular but mediocre writer. Skylar Grieco directs.
7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 5 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 27 at the Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago. $20. instrumentaltheatre.org.