Theater events: Pioneering women at heart of 'Bull in a China Shop' at About Face

Posted May 15, 2018 6:00 am

True tale

About Face Theatre presents the Midwest premiere of Bryna Turner's "Bull in a China Shop," based on the true story of 19th-century academics, activists and women's suffrage supporters Mary Woolley and Jeanette Marks, whose romantic relationship began at Mount Holyoke College and spanned 50 years. Helming the production is Keira Fromm, who said in a prepared statement that "Mary and Jeannette's struggle to reform women's education and advocate for the suffrage movement echoes the fights that women still wage today ... Ultimately the play is a unique meditation on bravery." Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens May 31. $15-$38. (773) 975-8150 or aboutfacetheatre.com.

Family drama

A 21-year-old traveling cross-country on his bicycle stops at his grandmother's Greenwich Village apartment to recharge in Amy Herzog's Pulitzer Prize finalist "4,000 Miles," in a revival at Steel Beam Theatre. Larry Boller directs the domestic drama about growing up and growing older. R.J. Cecott and JoAnn Smith star as the relatives turned unlikely roommates. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 18-19, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. Runs through June 10. $22-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

Kareem Bandealy plays Captain Nemo in Lookingglass Theatre Company's adaptation of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

Jules Verne classic

Lookingglass Theatre Company concludes its 30th season with a world premiere of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," adapted from Jules Verne's science-fiction novel by director David Kersnar and Althos Low. Kasey Foster plays explorer Professor Aronnax, whose crew is kidnapped and held on a submarine by Kareem Bandealy's charismatic and mysterious Captain Nemo, who takes them on a worldwide adventure in search of sea monsters and other ocean-dwelling creatures. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The show opens June 2. $35-$80. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.

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