Spotlight: Buffalo Theatre Ensemble and Oil Lamp Theater enter 2026 laughing
Two by Paul Slade Smith
• A pair of bumbling police officers set up a sting operation at a hotel to trap an embezzling mayor and his female accountant in “Unnecessary Farce,” a zany 2006 comedy by Paul Slade Smith. Helming Buffalo Theatre Ensemble’s revival is ensemble member Kurt Naebig, who also directed the company’s 2024 production of Smith’s “The Outsider.” The cast includes BTE ensemble members Bryan Burke, Lisa Dawn and Laura Leonardo Ownby.
Preview at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. The show opens Jan. 30. $45. (630) 942-4000 or AtTheMac.org or btechicago.com.
• Oil Lamp Theater kicks off 2026 with Paul Slade Smith’s campaign comedy “The Outsider,” about a wonkish lieutenant governor of a small unnamed state named Ned Newly, who’s thrust into the spotlight after a sex scandal forces the governor out of office. After his swearing-in goes viral (for the wrong reason), Ned’s chief of staff hires a couple of pros to help rescue his career.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, and 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at 1723 Glenview Road, Glenview. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24. $30, $55. OilLampTheater.org.
Happy trails
Open Space Arts stages the North American premiere of “My Life as a Cowboy,” Hugo Timbrell’s comedy about courage, friendship and identity. It centers around Conor, a 17-year-old lifeguard from a London suburb who dreams of entering a country western dance competition. Joining him are fellow lifeguard Michael and their sharp-tongued friend Zainab. Joseph Jefferson Award-winner and former Bailiwick Repertory Theatre artistic director David G. Zak directs.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23-24, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, and through Feb. 8, at 1411 W. Wilson St., Chicago. $25, $30. openspacearts.org.
’Stereophonic’ in Chicago
The 2024 Tony Award-winning Broadway hit “Stereophonic” makes its Chicago premiere as part of its national tour. Written by David Adjmi, with original music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, the play-with-music chronicles the efforts of a 1970s rock band on the verge of stardom working on their second album while its members are on the verge of breaking up.
The preview is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, Jan. 28. $40-$135. BroadwayInChicago.com.
Chicago premiere
Theatre L’Acadie opens its sixth season with the Chicago premiere of “Rising Water,” John Biguenet’s tale of survival inspired by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Theatre L’Acadie co-artistic director and New Orleans native Erin Sheets directs the play about a New Orleans couple who awake in the middle of the night, find their house filling with water and retreat to the attic where they contemplate their lives while they await rescue.
Previews at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, and Sunday, Jan. 25, and press performance at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, at Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, Jan. 28. $25. theatrelacadie.com.
Marital warfare
Steppenwolf Theatre continues its 50th anniversary with “The Dance of Death,” Conor McPherson’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s 1900 play. Steppenwolf co-founder Jeff Perry, longtime ensemble member Kathryn Erbe (returning to Chicago after nearly 30 years) and ensemble member Cliff Chamberlain star in this examination of marital warfare directed by Yasen Peyankov. “When we set out to program the 50th anniversary season, our priority was to welcome a large host of ensemble members from across Steppenwolf’s storied history back home,” said artistic directors Glen Davis and Audrey Francis in a prepared statement. “Nowhere is this clearer than in ‘The Dance of Death,’ which has an all-ensemble cast and an ensemble director at the helm.”
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 29-30, and Feb. 4-6; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31; and 3 p.m. Feb. 1 at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 7. $20-$148.50. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
Redtwist celebrates defiant femmes
Redtwist theatre continues its season devoted to “defiant femmes” with Dominique Morisseau’s “Confederates,” about women “raising their voices against the institutions of racism and misogyny that hold them back.” The action unfolds simultaneously in the present — where accomplished professor Sandra is rattled by a racist cartoon nailed to her office door — and during America’s Civil War — where the enslaved Sara fights for freedom by spying for the Union Army. Aaron Reese Boseman directs the production, which stars ensemble member Monique Marshaun as Sandra and Shenise Brown as Sara.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 29-31, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 1. $10-$60. RedtwistTheatre.org.
Teatro ZinZanni bids Chicago farewell
Teatro ZinZanni — the cabaret/cirque-inspired dinner-theater hybrid that made its Chicago debut in 2019 at the Cambria Hotel, 32 W. Randolph St., Chicago — will close. The gastro-theatrical spectacle paired performances by vocalists, circus artists, clowns and comedians with a four-course dinner. Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 31. Tickets start at $92. (312) 488-0900 or zinzanni.com/chicago.