Theater

Spotlight: Strindberg revivals at Steppenwolf and Court and premieres at Rivendell and Story theaters

Posted February 03, 2026 2:41 pm

Steppenwolf Theatre co-founder Jeff Perry and ensemble member Kathryn Erbe rehearse “The Dance of Death,” adapted by Conor McPherson from August Strindberg’s 1900 play about marital warfare. Courtesy of Joel Moorman

Two by Strindberg

• Steppenwolf Theatre co-founder Jeff Perry reunites with fellow ensemble members Kathryn Erbe and Cliff Chamberlain for “The Dance of Death,” adapted by Conor McPherson from August Strindberg’s 1900 play about a couple trapped in a loveless marriage. As they approach their 25th anniversary, a visitor arrives upsetting their “wedded bliss — if decades of resentment, recrimination and mutual sabotage count as bliss.” Ensemble member Yasen Peyankov directs.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Feb. 3-6, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7. $20-$148.50. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Court Theatre revives “Miss Julie,” August Strindberg’s 1888 social Darwinist drama about gender and class conflict, desire and ambition. The story centers on the titular aristocrat Miss Julie (Mi Kang), who abandons social conventions to have an affair with her father’s ambitious manservant Jean (Kelvin Roston Jr.). Associate artistic director Gabrielle Randle-Bent directs.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 6 and 13; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7-8; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 11-12, at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 14. $42-$90. (773) 753-4472 or CourtTheatre.org.

A classic drama, intimately staged

American Blues Theater continues its 40th anniversary season with an intimate production of William Inge’s classic “Come Back, Little Sheba,” directed by associate artistic director Elyse Dolan. Philip Earl Johnson plays Doc, a recovering alcoholic, and artistic director Gwendolyn Whiteside plays his wife, Lola, a former beauty queen, who are forced to marry due to an unexpected pregnancy. Years later, their quiet life gets upended when they take on a young woman as a boarder. Performances take place in ABT’s 31-seat black box theater.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, and Wednesday, Feb. 11, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, at 5627 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 12. $34.50-$64.50. (773) 654-3103 or americanbluestheater.com.

In comes ‘Company’

MadKap Productions revives Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” the 1970 tuner about a 35-year-old bachelor whose married friends urge him to settle down.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, and through March 1 at Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. $48, $42 for seniors and students. (847) 677-7761 or SkokieTheatre.org.

Revival benefits women’s shelter

Nearly 30 years after its premiere, Clark Week Productions revives “The Angels of Lemnos,” a Joseph Jefferson Award-winning play by Jim Henry about a homeless man with an intellectual disability who finds and cares for a baby boy. Clint Clark directs.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, and through Feb. 22 at the Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St., Chicago. $27.22-$50.36. A portion of the proceeds will go to Deborah’s Place, a shelter serving women experiencing homelessness. 3common.com/event/angelsoflemnos.

The national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical “The Outsiders” plays Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre Feb. 10-22. Courtesy of Matthew Murphy

‘Outsiders’ in Chicago

The national tour of “The Outsiders,” the Tony Award-winning musical based on S.E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s film, comes to Chicago for a brief run. Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1967, the action centers on Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser family of “outsiders” who are at constant war with their affluent rivals, the Socs.

7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Feb. 10-13, and Feb. 17, 19 and 20; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 and 21; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15; 1 and 7 p.m. Feb. 18; and 1 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. $49-$165. BroadwayInChicago.com.

Rory Alexander plays William Shakespeare and Kemi-Bo Jacobs plays his wife, Agnes, in the Royal Shakespeare Company and Neal Street Productions’ “Hamnet,” adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel in its U.S. premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company

On stage at Chicago Shakes

• The Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Hamnet,” adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti (“Life of Pi,” “Red Velvet”) from Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel, has its U.S. premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Rory Alexander plays William Shakespeare and Kemi-Bo Jacobs plays his wife, Agnes, in the 2023 play about a couple confronting the death of their 11-year-old son. Erica Whyman directs the co-production between RSC and Neal Street Productions.

Previews at 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Feb. 10-12, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 13. $58-$149. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Also at Chicago Shakes, artistic director Edward Hall helms “Short Shakespeare! Hamlet,” a 75-minute adaptation of the tragedy, with Jaylon Muchison as the titular prince.

11 a.m. Saturdays through Feb. 28 and 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. $56 adults, $44 students. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

Timely satire

Citadel Theatre revives “Admissions,” Joshua Harmon’s 2018 satire on privilege, white guilt and hypocrisy. The story centers on the head of admissions at a prestigious prep school who is committed to diversity in a student body, but changes her mind when her son receives deferred enrollment from Yale University while his Black best friend is accepted, forcing her and her husband, the school’s headmaster, to confront the discrepancy between their ideals and their ambitions. Beth Wolf directs.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 11-12, at the West Campus building, Lake Forest School District, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. $20-$45. (847) 735-8554, ext. 1, or citadeltheatre.org.

A pair of premieres

• Rivendell Theatre Ensemble member Hallie Gordon directs the premiere of “Pivot,” Alex Lubischer’s dark comedy about a bride-to-be in Milton, Nebraska, whose wedding plans blow up in her face. The production features ensemble members Ashley Neal, Keith Kupferer, Glenn Obrero and artistic director Tara Mallen, among others.

Previews at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 12-13; 8 p.m. Feb. 14, 19 and 20; and 3 p.m. Feb. 15 at 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 23. $32-$88. (773) 334-7728 or RivendellTheatre.org.

Ayanna Bria Bakari directs Story Theatre’s premiere of “Pot Girls” by Paul Michael Thomson. Courtesy of David Hagen

• The Story Theatre concludes its fifth season with the premiere of “Pot Girls” by ensemble member Paul Michael Thomson. Described as a riff on Caryl Churchill’s “Top Girls,” the play is about a writer whose latest play has earned acclaim, but also may be causing harm, which forces her to consider her responsibility to art and activism. Ayanna Bria Bakari directs.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 12-14, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 16. $28-$48. (773) 338-2177 or thestorytheatre.org.

Chekhov revived

Following three premieres, Red Theater revisits a classic, Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” directed and adapted by Ian Maryfield. An examination of unrequited love, fame and art (specifically the conflict between tradition and innovation), the play centers on aging actress Arkadina, her aspiring writer son Konstantin, and Nina, the budding actress he loves who is enamored with Arkadina’s lover, the hack novelist Trigorin.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 11-12, and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 14. $30. redtheater.org.