Spotlight: Storyteller spins scary tales at St. Charles' Steel Beam Theatre

A teller named Speller

Just in time for Halloween, actor and storyteller Mike Speller brings his solo show, "Fear Itself," to Steel Beam Theatre, where he shares classic tales of terror and humor.

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22 and 29; 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23 and 30; 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24 and 31, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $22-$28. COVID-19 precautions: Masks mandatory for all audience members. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

Meet Groucho

Actor/comedian Frank Ferrante - currently appearing as The Caesar in Teatro ZinZanni's cabaret/cirque dinner theater extravaganza - performs "An Evening with Groucho Marx" at Chicago's Cambria Hotel. A combination biography with music and comedy routine, the show chronicles the celebrated funnyman's life and career and includes stories about Marx's brothers Harpo and Chico and friends Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields and T.S. Eliot.

7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, at Spiegeltent ZaZou, Cambria Hotel, 14th floor, 32 W. Randolph St., Chicago. $39.50-$59.50. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within six hours of the start time. Masks mandatory except when eating or drinking. (312) 488-0900 or zinzanni.com/chicago.

Raven Theatre premiere

Two decades after Wayland and Della Rose Early fled their Mississippi home for Chicago, the couple grapples with their unrealized dreams and their longtime marriage in "The Last Pair of Earlies" by Chicago native Joshua Allen. Wardell Julius Clark directs Raven Theatre's premiere, which stars Marcus D. Moore and Shadana Patterson as the titular couple.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, and Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1. $30-$40. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within six hours of the start time. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

'Ragtime' revived

Music Theatre Works' season continues with a revival of "Ragtime," the sprawling musical by Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and writer Terrence McNally. Adapted from E.L. Doctorow's novel, the tuner chronicles the lives of African Americans, Jewish immigrants and upper-class Caucasians pursuing the American dream at the dawn of the 20th century. Stacey Flaster directs.

The preview is 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The show opens at 8 p.m. Oct. 29. $41-$108. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination, masking required. (847) 673-6300 or musictheaterworks.com.

In other news

Check with theater companies or venues regarding COVID-19 admission requirements, including masking, proof of vaccination and/or a negative COVID-19 test.

• "Joy Ride," a new documentary concert film/comedy special by comedian and filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait has its Midwest premiere at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Goldthwait, who relocated to DuPage County from California earlier this year, co-stars with comedian Dana Gould ("Stan Against Evil") in the film, which chronicles their decadeslong friendship and their approach to comedy. See musicboxtheatre.com/films/joy-ride.

• To celebrate the resumption of live theater performances, Otherworld Theatre holds an open house from 8-11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 22, at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. That's followed by "Speechless! An Evening of Silent Physical Comedy" from 7:30-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23. See otherworldtheatre.org.

• Previews begin Saturday, Oct. 23, for The Artistic Home's revival of "Eurydice," Sarah Ruhl's reinterpretation of the Orpheus myth from the perspective of his wife, Eurydice, whose death prompted her musician husband to descend into Hades in an attempt to secure her release. In Ruhl's version, Eurydice is reunited with her father in the underworld, where she struggles to remember her husband. Artistic director Kathy Scambiatterra directs the production, which opens Thursday, Oct. 28, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-3830 or theartistichome.org.

• UrbanTheater Company's screening of its play-on-film "Brujaja" on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 23-24, at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, 3015 W. Division St., Chicago, marks the conclusion of Destinos - the 4th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Directed by Miranda González from Melissa DuPrey's script, the film is about an accidental witch who finds her purpose upon tapping into her ancestral power. Tickets are $32.50. See clata.org/destinos.

• Three friends struggle with relationships, identity and faith in the "Single Woman Chronicles, The Stage Play," a show by Charbria Shine that encourages women to find "wholeness, joy and self before focusing on love." The Chicago-area performance takes place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Living Hope Church, 9000 Taft St., Merrillville, Indiana. Tickets are $25. (419) 549-6426 or charbriashine.com/swcthestageplay.

• A once-jailed Middle Eastern poet escapes to the U.S. where she endures gender inequality, poverty and bigotry in "My Name is Inanna" by Ezzat Goushegir. Red Tape Theatre will livestream its in-person performances beginning Saturday, Oct. 23, at The Ready, 4536 N. Western Ave., Chicago. Proof of vaccination and masking required. See redtapetheatre.org.

• The Annoyance Theatre's Legend Series continues with an improv performance by Susan Messing and Norm Holly on Sunday, Oct. 24, at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Showtime is 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Proof of vaccination required. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• "What the Constitution Means to Me," Heidi Schreck's mostly autobiographical play whose Chicago run was shuttered by the COVID-19 pandemic 19 months ago, resumes performances Tuesday, Oct. 26, at The Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. Cassie Beck plays Heidi, a brainy teen who competes in American Legion-sponsored constitutional debates to earn money for college. The revival opens Oct. 29. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test and masking is required. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Trap Door Theatre revives "Queen C," Laura Ruohonen's play about a 17th-century Swedish monarch who "pushes back against the obligations she was born to fulfill." Performances run Thursday, Oct. 28, through Dec. 4 at 1655 W. Cortland St., Chicago. Proof of vaccination and masking required. (773) 384-0494 or boxofficetrapdoor@gmail.com.

• Writer/comedian Alex Edelman, who has written for CBS' "The Great Outdoors" and Netflix's "Slutty Teenage Bounty Hunter," headlines The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Edelman performs Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 28-31. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, has reopened under new management as the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture. In that capacity, it will house a new event space - to be renovated by spring 2022 - which will host conferences, lectures and other gatherings. Other proposed changes include renovations to the main stage and new black box studios. The center will continue to provide accessible performance and rehearsal spaces to arts organizations, according to a prepared statement. The management team includes executive director Lawrence Daufenbach and associate director Katie Joy Daufenbach and an advisory board.

• Remy Bumppo Theatre Company announced its 2022 season, which marks the company's resumption of in-person performances at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. It begins March 2, 2022, with "Passage," Christopher Chen's examination of power inspired by E.M. Forster's "A Passage to India." That's followed on April 27, 2022, by Joan Didion's examination of loss and grief, "The Year of Magical Thinking." "These two plays examine what it means to be a stranger in a strange land. Whether literal or metaphorical, the characters in these works are thrown into a new landscape and must brave an unfamiliar landscape in order to survive," said artistic director Marti Lyons in a prepared statement. "After the last 18 months, who amongst us cannot relate to this hardship?" For flexible subscriptions, see remybumppo.org or call (773) 244-8119.