Theater events: A crime spree set to music, a dark comedy & more
Previews begin Friday, Feb. 8, for MadKap Productions' “Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical,” the show by composer Frank Wildhorn, lyricist Don Black and writer Ivan Menchel about the young lovers who went on a murderous crime spree during the Great Depression. The production, directed by Stephen M. Genovese, runs through Feb. 24 at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.
Hell in a Handbag Productions presents “The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes - The Valentine Edition,” a parody of the 1980s sitcom about four senior women living together in Florida. When Dorothy can't find a date for the senior center's Sadie Hawkins Dance, her mother Rose sets her up with a man who has a colorful past. Previews begin Friday, Feb. 8, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or handbagproductions.org or stage773.com.
Theatre Above the Law revives “Art,” Yasmina Reza's play about three friends who have a falling out after one of them purchases an all-white painting, which causes them to question the nature of their friendship. Performances run Friday, Feb. 8, through Sunday, March 3, at 1439 W. Jarvis St., Chicago. See theatreatl.org.
Theatergoers ages 2 to 5 take a trip through human development as part of Chicago Children's Theatre's production of “The World Inside Me,” which follows a person's growth from birth to age 5. Previews for the show, a co-production with Spellbound Theatre in New York, continue at The Station, 100 S. Racine Ave., Chicago. The show opens Saturday, Feb. 9. (312) 374-8835 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Petite Original Productions presents “That's Amore!” in which grandparents Jenny and Michael regale their grandchildren with the musical version of their lifelong love story. Performances run Saturday, Feb. 9, through Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Mary Wilson House-Beyer Auditorium, on the campus of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 306 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge. The production stars Steven Arvanites and Susan Baushke, who are married in real life. (847) 553-4442 or petiteopera.org.
The Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers returns to the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Blvd., Chicago, on Saturday, Feb. 9, for a fundraiser benefiting Sideshow Theatre Company and GirlForward, an organization that assists young female refugees resettling in the United States. The event is for ages 21 and older. See sideshowtheatre.org.
Nothing Without a Company presents the site-specific premiere of “The Soccer Player in the Closet,” Ryan Oliveira's 2015 play about a top-ranked online soccer player who, after years, finally leaves his apartment but leaves behind a stench his friends and family try to understand while they try to comprehend the secrets he's been keeping. Previews begin Monday, Feb. 11, at Webber Farm and Garden, 2833 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 14. See nothingwithoutacompany.org.
The Year of Chicago Theater officially kicks off during a Chicago Theater Week event titled “It's Showtime, Chicago” from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago. The Second City, Free Street Theater, Chicago Children's Choir and Walkabout Theater Company are among the ensembles participating in the kickoff. See chicago.gov.
The national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” comes to Chicago. The musical is about an anxious, isolated teen who - through a misunderstanding - is believed to have been the best friend of a classmate who kills himself. Performances begin Tuesday, Feb. 12, at the Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago, and run through Sunday, March 10. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.
Also beginning performances Tuesday, Feb. 12, is “Friends! The Musical Parody,” a sendup of the TV sitcom about a group of 20-something pals navigating life, love and careers in 1990s Manhattan. Performances run through Sunday, March 3, at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.
Previews begin Wednesday, Feb. 13, for Lookingglass Theatre Company's premiere of “Act(s) of God,” by ensemble member Kareem Bandealy. Ensemble member Heidi Stillman directs the dark comedy about a family dinner that includes an unexpected guest of “cosmic proportions.” The show opens Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.
An aging boxer forced to retire from the ring or risk blindness or possible death tries to find a new career in Rod Serling's classic, “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” in a revival at The Artistic Home directed by co-founder John Mossman. Ensemble member Mark Pracht stars as Harlan “Mountain” McClintock in the production, which begins previews on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 1376 W. Grand Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, Feb. 17. (866) 811-4111 or theartistichome.org.
Married magicians and mentalists Danny Orleans and Jan Rose perform a series of Valentine's Day shows Thursday, Feb. 14, through Saturday, Feb. 16, alongside headliner Wes Mathison at the Chicago Magic Lounge, 5050 N. Clark St., Chicago. Tickets range from $42 to $57. (312) 366-4500 or chicagomagiclounge.com.
The Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago, announced its revival of “The Woman in Black,” starring Bradley Armacost and Adam Wesley Brown in director Robin Herford's re-creation of his original London staging, will close Sunday, Feb. 17. Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from Susan Hill's supernatural tale, the play is about an attorney who hires an actor to help him tell his story about the ghostly woman who haunts a manor house in a remote English town. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalegeorgetheatre.com.
Court Theatre has extended its production of “Photograph 51,” Anna Ziegler's play about British chemist Rosalind Franklin, whose work was critical to the discovery of double helix DNA credited to male scientists James Watson and Francis Crick. Performances run through Saturday, Feb. 23, at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.
Raven Theatre announced its 2019-2020 season will begin Oct. 3 with the Chicago-area premiere of “Sundown, Yellow Moon,” Rachel Bonds' drama about two sisters who return home to help their recently divorced father. That's followed by a revival of Katori Hall's Depression set “Hoodoo Love” (Oct. 31-Dec. 15) about aspiring blues singer Toulou, who enlists a hoodoo practitioner to put a hex on the musician and ladies man Toulou loves. An adaptation by Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey and Kirsten Brandt of Henrik Ibsen's “A Doll's House” - about a young woman in 19th-century Norway who begins to question her role as wife and mother - runs Feb. 6 to March 22, 2020. Raven's season concludes May 7, 2020, with the premiere of “Eden Prairie, 1971,” by Naperville native Mat Smart. Set on the night of the Apollo 15 moon landing, the play chronicles a draft-dodger's return to his native Minnesota. Performances take place at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. Four-show subscriptions for theatergoers under 30 are $60. Four-show preview subscriptions are $95. Four-show anytime subscriptions are $125. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.