Theater

Spotlight: Unlikely lovers collide in Oil Lamp’s Jane Austen-inspired ‘I Love You Because’

Posted August 12, 2026 8:21 am

Barbara Vitello

Aiden McCoy, front, rehearses for Oil Lamp Theater's revival of “I Love You Because,” loosely based on Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice.” (Oil Lamp Theater)

Oil Lamp stages rom-com tuner

Oil Lamp Theater presents “I Love You Because,” a musical rom-com by writer/lyricist Ryan Cunningham and composer Joshua Salzman. Loosely inspired by Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice,” with reversed gender roles, the musical is about the unlikely relationship between a buttoned-up greeting card writer and a free-spirited photographer. Scott Shallenbarger directs.

• Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14 and 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at 1723 Glenview Road, Glenview. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. $30, $55. OilLampTheater.org.

Brandon Acosta plays Taylor M. in Theater Wit's Chicago area premiere of “Adolescent Salvation. (Theater Wit)

Piper Jean Bailey plays Natasha in Theater Wit's Chicago area premiere of “Adolescent Salvation.” (Theater Wit)

Jordan Levene plays Taylor F. in Theater's Wit's Chicago area premiere of “Adolescent Salvation.” (Theater Wit)

Chicago premiere of ‘Adolescent Salvation’

Theater Wit presents the Chicago area premiere of “Adolescent Salvation,” Tim Venable's dramedy about three teens whose Taylor Swift and tequila-fueled sleepover takes a dark turn. Guillermo Cienfuegos (the directing pseudonym of Los Angeles actor Alex Fernandez) directs the production, which stars Brandon Joseph Acosta as Taylor M., Piper Jean Bailey as Natasha and Jordan Levene as Taylor F.

• Previews at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14 and 15, 21 and 22; 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16 and 23; 7 p.m. Aug. 20, at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Aug. 24. $18-446. (773) 975-8150 or TheaterWit.org.

Strawdog at 39

Strawdog Theatre stages “Advance Man: Part One of The Honeycomb Trilogy,” the first installment in the theater's two-year project centered around playwright Mac Rogers' science fiction and horror trilogy examining xenophobia and climate change. Artistic director Noah Elman directs the play about astronauts who return to Earth from Mars with secrets that will forever change the planet and humanity’s place on it.

• Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14 and 15; 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. The show opens Aug. 21. $10-$80. strawdog.org.

Suburban playwright’s comedy gets local premiere

Following its April 2026 premiere Off-Off Broadway, “Gus and Alice,” a comedy written and directed by Benedictine University graduate Mike Rago, opens at Chicago’s Greenhouse Theater for a brief run. The play centers on the titular characters, a couple married more than 50 years, who contemplate moving into a retirement community. Michelle McKenzie-Voight and Al Lerner star.

• 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14 and 15; 3 p.m. Aug. 22 and 23, at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $25. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

Coming-of-age comedy

A young man in the throes of his first crush relies on three Marys for guidance: his Filipina mother Marie, the Virgin Mary and pro wrestler Maria in Nova Entertainment’s production of the queer, coming-of-age tale “Hail Mary/Maria,” by RJ Silva. Adam Reed directs.

• The preview is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. $25-$60. (773) 975-8150 or TheaterWit.org.

Rave on, Buddy

Joey Chelius stars as the titular rocker in Drury Lane Theatre's revival of “Buddy — The Buddy Holly Story,” a jukebox, bio-tuner chronicling the brief but momentous career of the early rock ’n’ roll pioneer. Drury Lane artistic director Matthew D. Carney directs the show, which includes such Holly hits as “Peggy Sue,” “Rave On,” “That'll Be the Day” and others.

• Previews at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20; 7 p.m. Aug. 21; 3 and 8 p.m. Aug. 22; 2 and 6 p.m. Aug. 23; 1:30 p.m. Aug. 26, at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens at 7 p.m. Aug. 26. $85-$150. (630) 530-0111 or DruryLaneTheatre.com.

Jackalope's Living Newspaper Festival

Jackalope Theatre concludes its 18th season with its Living Newspaper Festival, inspired by the Federal Theatre Project initiative from the 1930s. Each night of the festival, Jackalope presents five, one-act plays inspired by current headlines. Participating playwrights include Ike Holter, Aurora Real de Asua, Netta Walker, Madie Dopelt and Anelga Hajjar.

• 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, through Saturday, Aug. 22; 2 p.m. Aug. 23 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24, at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway, Chicago. $20-$35. (773) 340-2543 or JackalopeTheatre.org.

Lara Strong and Scott Silagy star in the Chicago area premiere of the “Vape! The Grease Parody.” (“Vape! The Grease Parody”)

The show that you want (’ooh, ooh, ooh, honey!’)

In the wake of its off-Broadway run, Apollo Theater presents the Chicago area premiere of “Vape! The Grease Parody.” A sendup of the stage and film musical “Grease,” “Vape!” “lovingly pokes fun at all of the wonderful moments, sexual innuendoes, outrageous characters, rivalries and secret romances from the original musical.”

• Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 20 and 21, at 2550 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Aug. 22. $45-$65. vapethemusical.com.

bvitello@dailyherald.com