Theater spotlight: Lifeline stages Jane Austen's 'Emma'
Austen's matchmaker
A well-meaning, young socialist meddles in the romantic lives of her friends and acquaintances in Lifeline Theatre's stage version of Jane Austen's "Emma." Ensemble member Phil Timberlake adapted the 19th-century comedy. Elise Kauzlaric directs the production, which stars Emma Sipora Tyler in the titular role.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, May 24 and 31; 8 p.m. Saturdays, May 25 and June 1; and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 26. The show opens June 2 at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. $20-$40. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.
Tribute to Elgin artist
Fellow theater artists pay tribute to Elgin dancer, choreographer, costumer and wig/makeup artist Dennis Taylor during a three-day mini-fest this weekend at the Elgin Art Showcase. Proceeds benefit the Dennis Taylor Scholarship Foundation for the Performing Arts, which awards grants to high school seniors majoring in the performing arts in college. Friday's production is Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues." Saturday's production is "A Very Dennis Cabaret" showcasing local musicians and 2018 and 2019 scholarship recipients. Sunday's production is A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters."
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 24-25, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 26, at 164 Division St., Elgin. $15 for the first performance, $10 for each additional event. (847) 697-4005.
New, old friends
Steel Beam Theatre founding artistic director Donna Steele returns to St. Charles to co-star in "The Savannah Sipping Society," a comedy by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten. It centers on four middle-aged, Southern women whose chance meeting during an impromptu happy hour leads them to "jump-start their lives." Barb McCaskey, Ann Keen and Paula Tsiagalis round out director Bernie Weiler's cast.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 24-25, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 26, and through June 16 at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $22-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.
Chicago premiere
Firebrand Theatre presents "Queen of the Mist," a musical by composer/lyricist/writer Michael John LaChiusa about Anna Edson Taylor, who in 1901 was the first person to survive a trip over Niagra Falls in a barrel she designed. Barbara E. Robertson plays Anna in Firebrand's Chicago-area premiere directed by Elizabeth Margolius.
Previews at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 26, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Friday, May 31. $25, $55. See firebrandtheatre.org.
'Henry V' with a twist
First Folio Theatre announced the cast of its outdoor production of "Henry V," beginning previews July 10 at Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook. First Folio associate Diana Coates was previously announced in the titular role in director Hayley Rice's production of William Shakespeare's examination about a young ruler gaining confidence and consolidating power. Coates heads up a gender- and race-conscious cast that includes fellow ensemble member Lydia Berger Gray as the Chorus and Alice; Robert McLean as the Duke of Exeter and Mistress Quickly; Sean Sinitski as Pistol and the King of France; and Derek Jeck as Bardolph.