Entertainment

Theater events: Metropolis hosts 'An Evening With Kevin Farley and Guests' Saturday

Posted September 13, 2019 6:00 am

Barbara Vitello

Kevin Farley headlines the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights.

• Performances continue for Bring Your Own Theatre Productions' "Aces & Eights," a farce rooted in film noir by Ross Childs that evolved from a 10-minute scene written for the company's 2015 24-hour theater festival. The play centers on private investigator Francine Noir, who's trying to find a lost will, a missing painting and a friend. The show runs through Sunday, Sept. 15, at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. See byotproductions.com.

• Trap Door Theatre's production of "Love and Information" by Caryl Churchill runs through Oct. 19 at 1655 W. Cortland Ave., Chicago. In the show, more than 100 characters examine how our "incessant consumption of information and virtual connectivity" impacts our identity and our relationships. Kim McKean directs. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

• Previews begin Friday, Sept. 13, for Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's season opener, "Hello Again," by Michael John LaChiusa. This musical adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play "La Ronde" chronicles love affairs among 10 characters, in 10 different scenes, each representing one decade of the 20th century. Libertyville native Brenda Didier directs and choreographs the show, which opens Sept. 22 at 721 Howard St., Evanston. See theo-u.com.

• Promethean Theatre Ensemble presents the Chicago-area premiere of "Blue Stockings," Jessica Swale's fact-based drama about the 1896 campaign by female students at Cambridge University's all-female Girton College to be awarded degrees from Cambridge University. Previews begin Friday, Sept. 13, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Monday, Sept. 16. (773) 697-3830 or prometheantheatre.org.

Dean Santiago plays Junior Boy and Sharon Pasia plays Nani Nothing Without A Company's Chicago premiere of "Pakalolo Sweet." Courtesy of Rachel Blomstrom

• Nothing Without a Company presents the Chicago-area premiere of playwright Hannah li-Epstein's "Pakalolo Sweet," an examination of the benefits and challenges of using marijuana, beginning Friday, Sept. 13, at the Coach House at the Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago. It's about a young man and expectant father whose relatives are cannabis growers in the Hawaiian island of O'ahu. The show opens Tuesday, Sept 17. See nothingwithoutacompany.org.

• "Bring the Beat Back: A Queer Black Sci-Fi Concert Experience" is a coming-of-age story by Derek Lee McPhatter. The future-set show follows a young man struggling to reconcile his sexuality with his faith. Otherworld Theatre's production runs Friday, Sept. 13, to Sept. 29 at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. See otherworldtheatre.org.

• Friday, Sept. 13, marks the debut of "606 Mania," a standup comedy showcase comprised of people of color including two breast cancer survivors. It takes place at 8 p.m. at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. See bsideproduction.com or stage773.com.

• The next chapter of Collaboraction Theatre Company's 2019 Peacebook Festival continues Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14, at LaFollette Park, 1333 N. Laramie Ave., Chicago. The free festival includes short works about peace by dance, theater and spoken-word artists. (312) 226-9633 or collaboraction.org/peacebook.

• Writer/actor/director and stand-up comedian Kevin Farley (brother of Chris Farley and himself a Second City alum) headlines "An Evening With Kevin Farley and Guests" at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Farley performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

Terri McMahon plays the titular Sarah Bernhardt in Goodman Theatre's production of "Bernhardt/Hamlet." Courtesy of Cody Nieset

• Playwright Theresa Rebeck sends up the art of making theater in "Bernhardt/Hamlet," a 2018 comedy about legendary stage actress Sarah Bernhardt's controversial 1899 performance as the Danish prince. Acclaimed Canadian director Donna Feore, of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, directs Goodman Theatre's Chicago-area premiere starring Terri McMahon. Previews begin Saturday, Sept. 14, at 160 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 23. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• The Museum of Contemporary Art and the Prop Thtr collaborate on "The Storefront Project," a celebration of storefront and underground theater. Mikael Burke, April Cleveland, Dado Gyure and Coya Paz are among the participating directors who adapt this "devised theater" at the MCA, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, and Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14-15 and 21-22. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.

• Six-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio host Seth Rudetsky team up for an evening of backstage stories and music at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. "Audra McDonald in Concert With Seth Rudetsky" benefits Steppenwolf. Tickets range from $85 to $150. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Storytown, an ensemble that provides interactive, improvised theater experiences for young children returns from its summer break to perform at noon and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Lakeview East Art Festival at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com or storytownimprov.com.

• Theater residencies at Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago, continue Tuesday, Sept. 17, with eta Creative Arts Foundation's "I Protest," during which artists will work with young people to film video near Millennium Park's Cloud Gate Plaza. Admission is free. See millenniumpark.org.

Frank Ferrante channels funnyman Groucho Marx in his solo show, "An Evening With Groucho." Courtesy of Frank Ferrante

• Actor/director Frank Ferrante, Chef Caesar in Teatro ZinZanni's "Love, Chaos & Dinner," commemorates legendary comedian Groucho Marx with his solo show, "An Evening With Groucho Marx." Ferrante performs the show, seen in New York, London and on PBS, at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the Spiegeltent ZaZou, on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel Chicago, 32 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (312) 488-0900 or eveningwithgroucho.com.

• Previews begin Wednesday, Sept. 18, for Windy City Playhouse's Chicago-area premiere of "Every Brilliant Thing," Duncan Macmillan's solo play about a child's efforts to remind a depressed parent about the things that make life worth living. Rebecca Spence plays the Narrator in director Jessica Fisch's production opening Sept. 26 at 2229 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. See windycityplayhouse.com.

Rebecca Spence stars in Windy City Playhouse's Chicago premiere of "Every Brilliant Thing."

• The first week of Destinos - The 3rd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival featuring ensembles from Chile, Chicago and New York launches Thursday, Sept. 19, at several Chicago locations. Water People Theater's premiere of "The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon/Las Delicadas Lagrimas de la Luna Menguante," about a human rights journalist who emerges from a coma, runs through Oct. 13 at Steppenwolf Theatre's 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St. Chilean writer Guillermo Calderon collaborates with director and puppet artist Aline Kuppenheim on "Feos," about owning up to one's faults. It runs Sept. 20-22 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. Three generations of Puerto Rican women learn that food can't undo generations of pain in the dark comedy "Organico Sofrito or Other Recipes for Disaster" by Venessa M. Diaz. It runs Sept. 19-22 at UrbanTheater, 2620 W. Division St. See clata.org for tickets and information.

• Teatro ZinZanni announced a new block of tickets for performances through March 29, 2020, for the cabaret/circus hybrid "Love, Chaos & Dinner" at the Cambria Hotel Chicago, 32 W. Randolph St., Chicago. In other ZinZanni news, new cast members - including illusionist Voronin, comedian Kevin Kent, yodeling dominatrix Manuela Horn and contortionist Elayne Kramer - join the show beginning Oct. 3. (312) 488-0900 or zinzanni.com/chicago.

• The Den Theatre's premiere of "The One: The Matrix Parody Musical," inspired by the popular sci-fi films, has been extended. Performances run through Sept. 28 at 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, has extended its acclaimed production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's "Into the Woods." Performances of director Gary Griffin's in-the-round production run through Sept. 29. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

• "Miracle," the musical about a Chicago family struggling to hold onto their family-owned tavern during the Chicago Cubs' 2016 World Series run, will close this month. Performances run through Sept. 29 at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 988-9000 or miraclethemusical.com.

• The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation recently announced the donation of annual operating grants ranging from $2,500 to $13,500 to several Chicago storefront theaters that have promoted inclusion and accessibility. Recipients includes Silk Road Rising, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Theatre Y, Babes With Blades and A Red Orchid Theatre.

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