Theater events: 'Bridges of Madison County' opens in Naperville

BrightSide's 'Bridges'

BrightSide Theatre opens its season with a revival of “The Bridges of Madison County” by composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown and writer Marsha Norman. Based on Robert James Waller's novel, the musical chronicles the brief, poignant affair between a lonely Iowa farm wife (Julie Ann Kornak) and a globe-hopping photographer (Justin Miller), who comes to town to do a photo spread on covered bridges. Jeffrey Cass directs. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, at The Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville. $25, $30. (630) 447-8497 or brightsidetheatre.com.

Wilde revival

Charismatic rascals Jack and Algernon are happily leading a double life (with help from their fictional alter-ego Earnest), until their affection for proper young ladies forces them to give up their charade in Oscar Wilde's sparkling comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Writers Theatre artistic director Michael Halberstam helms the company's revival, which stars Alex Goodrich and Steve Haggard as the likable rogues. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The show opens Nov. 15. $35-$80. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

Northlight's 'Book of Will'

A few years after William Shakespeare's death, his fellow actors and company members work to publish the writer's plays and preserve his legacy in “The Book of Will,” Lauren Gunderson's fictionalized account of the making of the first folio, without which works such as “Macbeth” and “Twelfth Night” might not have survived. Jessica Thebus directs Northlight Theatre's Midwest premiere of the 2017 play. Gunderson also wrote “Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley,” which premiered at Northlight last year. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The show opens Nov. 17. $30-$81. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.

Other theater events

MadKap Productions presents a limited run of “Rocket City, Alabam',” a dramedy by Mark Saltzman set right after World War II in Huntsville, Alabama, where German aerospace engineer and Nazi Party member Wernher von Braun helped U.S. scientists build guided missiles. The story centers on the reaction of a young Jewish girl to von Braun's troubling past. Performances begin Friday, Nov. 3, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.

Performances begin Friday, Nov. 3, for Jedlicka Performing Arts Center's revival of Tennessee Williams' “The Glass Menagerie” starring Nancy Hays as Amanda, and Hays' real-life daughter Mary Heffernan as Amanda's fragile daughter Laura. “I can really relate to Laura,” said Heffernan, who has mild cerebral palsy, in a prepared statement. “I fully understand how a person who is disabled can become emotionally isolated from others.” The production, under director Michael Nedza, runs through Nov. 18 at 3801 S. Central Ave., Cicero. See jpactheatre.com.

For the eighth year, The House Theatre of Chicago remounts its family-friendly, ballet-free production of “The Nutcracker,” in which young Clara battles The Rat King to save her family. Previews begin Friday, Nov. 3, at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. The show, directed by ensemble member Chris Mathews, opens Nov. 10. (773) 769-3832 or thehousetheatre.com.

Theater lovers longing for their time in the spotlight can make their wish come true during The Casting Auction, a fundraiser taking place Friday, Nov. 3, at Michelle's Ballroom, 2800 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Sponsored by The Casting Auction and Kokandy Productions, the event offers participants an opportunity to bid on roles in Kokandy's production of “The Addams Family,” which will run for four performances next April. The evening includes a buffet, open bar, entertainment by Kokandy Productions and the auction. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The auction starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $55 in advance, $75 at the door. See castingauction.com.

Theater Wit hosts its first Stay at Home Gala, which will stream live online from the company's complex at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3. Tickets are $100 and include entertainment, silent auction and dinner, which will be delivered to your home. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org/gala.

The Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers hosts its next match - CLLAW VIII: Fall of the Patriarchy - on Friday, Nov. 3, at the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago. In addition to the matches, the event includes musical entertainment from The Fox & The Hounds and a cash bar. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15. Proceeds benefit Sideshow Theatre Company and the Chicago Women's Health Center. See cllaw.org.

Previews begin Saturday, Nov. 4, for the Teatro Vista and Victory Gardens Theater co-production of “Fade” by Tanya Saracho (“How to Get Away With Murder,” “Girls”). A behind-the-scenes drama set in Hollywood, it centers on Mexican-born Lucia, a TV writer who discovers Mexican-American custodian Abel has limitless plot ideas, which, over time, blend into her own “with unintended consequences.” The show, directed by Teatro Vista's Sandra Marquez, opens Nov. 10 at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

Lucky Plush Productions founder and artistic director Julia Rhoads and Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (500 Clown) premiere their new collaboration, a dance theater work titled “Rooming House” on Saturday, Nov. 4, at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Presented in Spanish and English as part of Steppenwolf's Lookout Series, “Rooming House” examines behavior that results in life-changing consequences. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org or luckyplush.com.

Chicago Opera Theater, in cooperation with Long Beach Opera, presents Gian Carlo Menotti's “The Consul,” on Nov. 4, 10 and 12 at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Grammy Award-winning opera star Patricia Racette plays Magda Sorel, a political refugee on the run with her seriously ill child, who arrives at a consulate seeking help. (312) 704-8414 or chicagooperatheater.org.

Northlight Theatre honors actor Harry Lennix (NBC's “The Blacklist,” Broadway's “Radio Golf”), a South Side Chicago native and Northwestern University graduate, with its Speak Up! Award on Saturday, Nov. 4, at its 2017 gala Staging the Future Together. The award recognizes leaders and advocates who speak up about important issues. Northlight's fundraiser begins at 6 p.m. at The Evanston Golf Club, 4401 Dempster St., Skokie. The evening includes cocktails, dinner, live and silent auctions and entertainment. Tickets cost $250. Proceeds benefit Northlight's main stage productions and its new play initiative. For tickets, call (847) 324-1614.

“The Low Upside With John Sabine,” a solo show examining the upsides of heroes and villains, opens Saturday, Nov. 4, at iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com/chicago.

Barrel of Monkeys performs “Who Tells Your Story?” which consists of sketches written by youngsters who have experienced the death of a parent, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. The event is a co-production between Barrel of Monkeys and Hearts to Art, an Auditorium Theatre summer camp for kids who've lost a parent. (312) 341-2300 or auditoriumtheatre.org.

The next installment of The LIVINGroom solo performance series begins Sunday, Nov. 5, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Titled “Dada Solo,” it's named after Dada, the satirical, subversive, avant-garde art movement that originated after World War I. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

Steppenwolf Theatre hosts a public memorial honoring its late, longtime ensemble member and Joseph Jefferson Award winner Mariann Mayberry (“Good People,” “August: Osage County,” “Metamorphoses”), who passed away Aug. 1 after battling cancer. The memorial will take place at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, at Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 654-5657 or email mariannmayberrymemorial@steppenwolf.org.

Broadway veteran Nick Adams (“Priscilla: Queen of the Desert,” “A Chorus Line”) headlines Pride Films and Plays' fall benefit Simply Sensational. It begins at 7:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, at 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. (800) 737-0984 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

Previews begin Wednesday, Nov. 8, for Invictus Theatre's inaugural production of William Shakespeare's “Othello” featuring Reginald Vaughn as the noble Othello poisoned against his beloved Desdemona (Callie Johnson) by the insinuations of Karissa Murrell Myers' villainous Iago. The production, directed by artistic director Charles Askenaizer, opens Nov. 13 at Heartland Studio Theatre, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. See invictustheatreco.com.

Pegasus Theatre Chicago opens its season with “Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery,” a coming-of-age play with music by Shay Youngblood. Set in the South during the 1960s, it centers around a 25-year-old African-American woman who recalls the older women who raised her after her mother died. Pegasus artistic director Ilesa Duncan directs the production, which stars Melanie Loren as the young woman. Previews begin Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Chicago Dramatists, 773 N. Aberdeen, Chicago. The show opens Nov. 13. (866) 811-4111 or pegasustheatrechicago.org.

Eclipse Theatre Company concludes its season devoted to Kia Corthron with a revival of her 2000 play “Breath Boom,” about the leader of a violent girls' gang whose world is upended after she confronts the consequences of her past behavior. Mignon McPherson Stewart directs the production, which begins previews Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 12. (773) 935-6875 or eclipsetheatre.com.

Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble members Kevin Anderson, Ian Barford, Francis Guinan, James Vincent Meredith, Sally Murphy and William L. Petersen reunite for the world premiere of fellow ensemble member and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts' new comedy “The Minutes,” about cutthroat politics in a small town. Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 9, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The play, directed by Steppenwolf artistic director and frequent Letts collaborator Anna D. Shapiro, opens Nov. 19. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

“Escape to Margaritaville,” the Broadway-bound musical featuring music and lyrics by popular singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett, comes to Chicago for a brief run beginning Thursday, Nov. 9. The show runs through Dec. 2 at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. The musical, directed by Tony Award-winner Christopher Ashley, is about an island resort bartender who falls in love with a tourist. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com or escapetomargaritavillemusical.com.

Silk Road Rising presents the U.S. premiere of “Wild Boar,” a play by Hong Kong playwright Candace Chong, with a translation by David Henry Hwang. It's about an editor who teams up with some college students to investigate the case of a missing professor. Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 9, at 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 18. (312) 857-1234, ext. 201, or wildboarplay.org.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, presents “Thank You for Coming: Play,” the second work by choreographer and director Faye Driscoll. In this co-commission by the MCA and the Chicago Humanities Festival, performers take turns playing the same character to examine how different people create meaning. Performances run from Thursday, Nov. 9, through Sunday, Nov. 12. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.

The League of Chicago Theatres Theatre Thursday series continues Thursday, Nov. 9, at 1909 W. Byron Ave., Chicago, with a performance of American Theater Company's “Welcome to Jesus,” Janine Nabers' dark comedy about life in a small Texas town. The evening begins at 7 p.m. with a pre-performance talk and reception with artistic director Will Davis and Associate artistic director Sarah Slight. It concludes with a post-show talkback. Use discount code “THTH.” See chicagoplays.com.

The Factory Theater hosts its fundraiser gala The Shameless Ball from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. The evening includes food, beverages, entertainment and a raffle. See thefactorytheater.com.

Performances continue for Trap Door Theatre's “Occidental Express,” Mattei Visniec's drama about the journey toward a mythical, ideal future. The show runs through Nov. 18 at 1655 W. Cortland St., Chicago. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

Collaboraction's annual Peacebook Festival - a free festival of theater, dance, spoken word and music focused on promoting peace in Chicago neighborhoods - concludes Saturday, Nov. 4, in LaFollette Park, 1333 N. Laramie Ave., Chicago. For details, see collaboraction.org.