Literary adaptations dominate First Folio season

Literary adaptations dominate First Folio Theatre's 24th season, which commences with a limited run of Anne Nelson's 9/11-inspired two-hander "The Guys," about a New York City fire captain who seeks an editor's help in preparing eulogies for his firefighters lost during the Sept. 11 attacks. The production, which is not part of the regular subscription series, runs Sept. 9 to 11.

"Sherlock's Last Case," Charles Marowitz's rumination on the relationship between Holmes and Dr. Watson, who steps up to solve the mystery of who is threatening the famous detective, follows on Oct. 2.

Artistic associate Christian Gray and Jim McCance reprise their roles as bumbling aristocrat Bertie Wooster (Gray) and his ever-efficient valet Jeeves (McCance) in the premiere of "Jeeves Saves the Day" (Jan. 29-March 1, 2020), a comedy by Margaret Raether based on P.G. Wodehouse's stories. First Folio's fifth foray into the Wodehouse canon finds Bertie buffeted by his relatives - fierce Aunt Agatha, meek Cousin Egbert and marriage-minded Honoria - and requiring the intervention of the unflappable Jeeves.

The 2019-2020 season concludes with the premiere of artistic associate Heather Chrisler's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women." In Chrisler's version, running March 25 to April 26, 2020, four young women playing in an attic channel the March sisters and bring their stories to life. The season marks the first since its founding that First Folio will not stage a summer Shakespeare production in order to renovate the outdoor stage where the company's inaugural production of "The Tempest" took place.

Performances take place at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st St., Oak Brook. Two- and three-show subscriptions range from $42 to $98. Tickets for "The Guys" are $35. Subscriptions are available by phone (630) 986-8067 or online at firstfolio.org. Individual tickets go on sale June 1.