Theater events: ComedySportz goes head to head at Metropolis

Sportz center

The members of ComedySportz bring their family-friendly, competitive-style improvisation to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre for one performance this weekend. Two teams improvise sketches and songs based on audience suggestions, with the audience determining the winner. The performance is part of Metropolis' comedy series. 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $25. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

Family reconciliation

Twenty years after her son's death, a still-grieving mother visits his former partner, now happily married with a child, in Terrence McNally's "Mothers and Sons." Goodman Theatre artistic associate Steve Scott directs Northlight Theatre's revival of the 2013 drama about a mother's conflicted feelings over her son and her attempt to reconcile with his lover. The cast includes Cindy Gold as Katharine and Jeff Parker as Cal. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The show opens Jan. 29. $25-$79. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.

Bertie & Jeeves return

Christian Gray and Jim McCance reprise their roles as befuddled playboy Bertie and his implacable gentleman's gentleman Jeeves in First Folio Theatre's fourth production of a P.G. Wodehouse tale. Adapted by Martha Raether, "Jeeves at Sea," is set on a yacht anchored off the shore of Monte Carlo, where Bertie's current romantic peccadillo finds him pursued by both the playful Lady Stella and the stern Miss Minerva. Alison C. Vesely directs. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. The show opens Jan. 30. $29-$39. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

Other theater events

• Red Theater and Oracle Productions remount their hit production "R & J: The Vineyard." This 90-minute adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" incorporates American Sign Language along with deaf and hard-of-hearing actors. Performances run Friday, Jan. 22, through Saturday, Feb. 20, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.

• The Hypocrites remount Hans Fleischmann's acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie," originally staged for Mary-Arrchie Theatre in 2013. Previews begin Friday, Jan. 22, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The production opens Jan. 31. See the-hypocrites.com.

• Previews begin Saturday, Jan. 23, for Filament Theatre's "Pinocchio: A Folk Musical," a new family-friendly adaptation by Tyler Beattie about a puppet who longs to be a real boy. Scott Ferguson directs the production, which features six actors performing multiple roles and playing instruments. The show opens Jan. 30 at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 270-1660 or filamenttheatre.org.

• Oracle Theatre opens its sixth season Saturday, Jan. 23, with an all-male, all African-American production of Eugene O'Neill's "The Hairy Ape." An examination of class inequality, "The Hairy Ape" centers on Yank, a coal shoveler on an ocean liner whose worldview is upended after he meets a wealthy woman during the trip. Performances run through March 12 at 3809 N. Broadway St., Chicago. Admission is free, but reservations are recommended. See publicaccesstheatre.org.

• Goodman Theatre hosts several events in conjunction with its world premieres of Jose Rivera's "Another Word for Beauty" and Roberto Bolano's "2666." Rivera, composer Hector Buitrago and director Steve Cosson join WBEZ's Jim DeRogatis for a discussion of "Another Word for Beauty" at 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24. That's followed at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, by a preperformance discussion on using beauty pageants to help rehabilitate female prisoners hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The League of Chicago Theatres hosts a preperformance discussion with "Another Word for Beauty" artists at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, as part of the league's Theatre Thursdays series. All events take place at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Eta's Magic Box Series showcasing in-development works returns at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. Prologue Theatre Company presents a reading of the romantic comedy "A Little Betrayal Among Friends" by Caridad Svich. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.

• Previews begin Wednesday, Jan. 27, for Raven Theatre's Midwest premiere of "The Old Friends" by Horton Foote. This marks Raven's third production of a Foote play in as many seasons. Foote reportedly wrote a first draft of the play during the 1960s. It received a workshop production in 1982 and a reading by New York's Signature Theatre Company in 2002 but wasn't fully staged until 2013. Set during the 1960s in a fictional Texas town, it's the story of two wealthy families whose rivalries are roused upon the return of a long absent resident. Foote's daughter Hallie Foote said in a prepared statement: "I'm thrilled to see Raven Theatre Company's commitment to my father's body of work and I'm happy to support their efforts." The show opens Feb. 2 at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• David H. Bell directs Windy City Playhouse's Chicago-area premiere of Nell Benjamin's ("Legally Blonde") slapstick comedy "The Explorers Club," about a female anthropologist seeking to be the first woman admitted to a Victorian Era scientific gentleman's club. Previews begin Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 2014 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago. The show opens Feb. 4. (773) 891-8985 or windycityplayhouse.com.

• Cheek by Jowl and Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre bring a co-production of William Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" to Chicago Shakespeare Theater for the kickoff of the yearlong Shakespeare 400 Chicago, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the playwright's birth. Declan Donnellan directs a modern take on the use and abuse of power. Performances run Wednesday through Sunday, Jan. 27-31, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Chicago Children's Theatre's presents the family-friendly "Snowflake," a one-man show starring Gale LaJoye as a clown-like character who transforms ordinary objects into treasures. It runs Wednesday, Jan. 27, through Sunday, Feb. 14, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (877) 222-9555 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• The variety show "Afro-Futurism" showcasing African-American sketch comedy artists, musicians and standup comedians runs at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at The Second City e.t.c., Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. See thesecondcity.com.

• Rivendell Theatre and the documentary theater ensemble The Waltzing Mechanics collaborate to produce the world premiere of Danielle Pinnock's solo show "Body/Courage," beginning previews Thursday, Jan. 28, at 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. The 90-minute performance examines what it means to grow up in an "unpopular" body - how skin color, shape, age, ability and gender impact self image and how "the mirror does not reflect our inner truth." It opens Feb. 4. (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.org.

• Speaking of The Waltzing Mechanics, the company's weekly show "El Stories," gleaned from interviews with people using Chicago-area public transportation, now runs at 10:30 p.m. Saturdays at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• Continuing previews at the Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, is "Voyage of the Saucy Maiden," an adults-only combination of "Moby Dick," a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta and the Marquis de Sade. The show opens at 8 p.m. Jan. 30. Running on Fridays through Feb. 12 is the all-female improv ensemble SheBeast. American Wonderbread Kaleidoscoope diverges from its typical improv to showcase storytellers, musicians and improvisers at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through March 8. Lastly, Andel Sudik's desire to face her fear of death led to "Obits," a new improv show that uses obituaries to inspire sketches. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• The producers of "Listen to Your Mother" seek written submissions on the subject of motherhood - from people who are moms or had moms - for a performance event scheduled May 1 at the Athenaeum Theatre in Chicago. Submissions are due Feb. 1. Email Tracey Becker at ltymchicago@gmail.com.

• Black Ensemble Theatre announced its upcoming 40th anniversary season will be a season of greatest hits beginning Saturday, Feb. 13, with "Doo Wop Shoo Bop," a 1995 show that salutes the 1950s doo-wop era, and "Those Sensational Soulful '60s" showcasing music by artists like The Temptations, Sam Cooke and The Four Tops among others. The shows will run in repertory through March 19. That's followed by the Dionne Warwick tribute "Don't Make Me Over" (April 9-May 15), featuring hits such as "Alfie," "Walk on By" and "I Say a Little Prayer." Next up is the 2000s hit show "The Jackie Wilson Story" (July 30-Sept. 4), which received a national tour in 2002. "I Am Who I Am (The Story of Teddy Pendergrass)" (Sept. 24-Oct. 30) is about the R&B star who became a quadriplegic after a 1982 car accident. The season concludes with a revival of BET's hit 1976 show "The Other Cinderella" (Nov. 26-Jan. 8, 2017), an African-American version the fairy tale. Performances take place at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.