Spotlight: Glen Ellyn native Sean Hayes stars in Goodman's 'Good Night, Oscar'

Goodman premiere

Emmy Award winner and Glen Ellyn native Sean Hayes ("Will & Grace") stars as pianist/actor Oscar Levant in Goodman Theatre's premiere of "Good Night, Oscar." Doug Wright's play examines the "distinction between exploitation and entertainment and the high cost of baring one's soul for public consumption." It unfolds in 1958 during an unforgettable episode of "The Tonight Show," in which host Jack Parr interviews the irascible Levant.

Previews at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 13; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, March 16-17, and through March 20 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens March 21. $25-$88. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance or a negative antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance and masking required. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

BET season of healing

Black Ensemble Theater kicks off its season of healing with the premiere of "It's Just Like Coming to Church (Welcome to the Church of You)" by founder and artistic director Jackie Taylor. The musical incorporates gospel, soul, jazz, blues and hip-hop in a celebration of faith, love and forgiveness.

Previews at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 12; 3 p.m. Sunday, March 13; 7 p.m. Friday, March 18; and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens March 20. $50, $55. COVID-19 precautions: Masks are required. (773) 769-4451 or blackensembletheater.org.

Musical biography

Lesley Nicol, who co-starred as Mrs. Patmore on "Downton Abbey," performs "How the Hell Did I Get Here?" a musical biography that chronicles her life from childhood through her success on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series. The production, which features original songs by Mark Mueller, marks the show's North American premiere.

Previews at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12, and Friday, March 18; 7 p.m. Sunday, March 13, and Wednesday and Thursday, March 16-17; and 3 and 8 p.m. March 19 at The Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens March 20. $59-$89. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

Addiction in Appalachia

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, a company devoted to producing works by and about women, premieres "Spay," an examination of "addiction, Appalachia and the families our system has failed." Madison Fiedler's play centers on sisters Noah (Rae Gray) and Harper (Krystel McNeil), who react differently to their mother's overdose death. Georgette Verdin directs.

Previews at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 12, and March 17-19, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 13, at 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. The show opens March 23. $25-$45. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.org.

In other news

Check with theaters regarding COVID-19 precautions.

• Friday, March 11, is the opening of Music Theater Works' revival of "La Cage aux Folles," the musical by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein based on the 1973 French farce about the mayhem that ensues when the son of a gay nightclub owner and his lover invites his fiancee and her conservative parents over for dinner. Performances run through April 3 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. See musictheaterworks.com.

• After a museum curator tells a white artist that white men aren't "part of the new America," he enlists the help of a Black actress to create a fictional artist as the face of his work in "White," a new play by Definition Theatre ensemble member James Ijames. Ericka Ratcliff directs the company's world premiere in association with Steppenwolf Theatre. Previews continue through Wednesday, March 16, at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The play opens Thursday, March 17. See steppenwolf.org.

• Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre revives the fairy tale-inspired "Once Upon a Mattress." A grown-up twist on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea," the tuner is about a domineering queen who, in an effort to prevent her son from marrying, devises impossible tests for his prospective wives, until the unrefined Winnifred the Woebegone upends the queen's plans. Previews begin Friday, March 11, at 721 Howard St., Evanston. The show opens March 20. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. A dinner-theater option is available. (773) 939-4101 or theo-u.com.

• Performances begin Friday, March 11, for The Saint Sebastian Players' revival of the charming musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the William Finn-Rachel Sheinkin musical about a group of junior high students vying for the chance to represent their school at the National Spelling Bee. Performances run through April 3 at St. Bonaventure Church, 1625 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID test and masking required. (773) 404-7922 or saintsebastianplayers.org.

• Otherworld Theatre introduces its new sci-fi-themed improv show "Portal-Prov!" Performances run at 7 p.m. Sundays beginning March 13 at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative PCR test and masking required. See otherworldtheatre.org.

• WBEZ's Natalie Y. Moore launches her new book, "The Billboard," online and in-person from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, March 14, at Haymarket House, 800 W. Buena Ave., Chicago. Moore's stage adaptation of her book will run this summer at 16th Street Theater in Berwyn. Reservations are required. See haymarketbooks.com.

• Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and other A.A. Milne favorites take the Mercury Theater Chicago stage Tuesday, March 15, for the Chicago premiere of "Disney's Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation." The family-friendly production features life-size puppets and songs by Nate Edmondson, Robert and Richard Sherman and Carly Simon. Performances run Tuesday, March 15, through June 12 at 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. See winniethepoohshow.com.

• Redtwist theater revives Lucas Hnath's "Isaac's Eye," a combination (only partly true) historical drama and satire about Sir Isaac Newton, who seeks to gain admittance into a prestigious academic society by performing a risky experiment on himself and perhaps exposing the secrets that his rival Robert Hooke hides. Previews begin Thursday, March 17, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The production, directed by Rinska Carrasco-Prestinary, opens March 20. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (773) 728-7529 or redtwisttheatre.org.

• About Face Theatre opens its 27th season with the world premiere of "Laced," Samantha Mueller's drama about three bartenders coming to terms with the vandalization of the beloved queer bar where they work. Performances begin Thursday, March 17, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Artistic associate Lexi Saunders directs the production, which opens March 25. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (773) 697-3830 or aboutfacetheatre.com.

• Metropolis Performing Arts Centre hosts its annual black-tie Metropolis Gala beginning at 5:30 p.m. April 9 at the Cotillion Banquets, 360 S. Creekside Drive, Palatine. The fundraiser will include dinner, open bar, silent auction, raffle and entertainment from Metropolis artists and students. Tickets start at $150. RSVP by March 25 to (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater founder and artistic director Barbara Gaines announced she will retire in 2023 from the Tony Award-winning theater she founded in 1986 and whose inaugural performance of "Henry V" took place on the roof of Chicago's Red Lion Pub. "I feel it's time now for the theater to welcome new artistic leadership. Change can infuse a new and bold creative energy, as our work to imaginatively explore Shakespeare alongside other playwrights continues and evolves in new ways to meet our changing world," Gaines said in a prepared statement. "My mission over these many years has been to fill the world with the humanity of Shakespeare ... and that's exactly what I believe we've been able to do together. I am immensely proud of all that we've done and deeply inspired by the thrilling possibilities ahead for Chicago Shakespeare in the decades to come."

• The Gift Theatre resumes in-person performances with the launch of its 2022 season. First up is the Chicago premiere of Naomi Iizuka's "At the Vanishing Point," which "weaves together historical fact, myth and memory to give voice to people who would otherwise exist only as faded images in an old photo album." Performances take place April 28 to May 22 at Filament Theatre, 4040 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. That's followed by the premiere of "Mud City," a 10-episode radio drama by founding artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton about a former journalist turned private detective who's searching for her daughter who's been missing for four years. The season concludes with "The Locusts" (Oct. 20-Nov. 19 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago), ensemble member Jennifer Rumberger's drama about a Miami detective called to investigate a serial killer in her small hometown. Early-bird subscriptions are available for $99 through Thursday, March 17. (773) 283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org.

• 16th Street Theater announced its 15th season will begin June 23 at the Wirtz Center at Northwestern University, 1949 Campus Drive, Evanston, and at 710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, with "The Billboard," Natalie Y. Moore's drama about a women's clinic that puts up a provocative billboard. That's followed by "Man and Moon" (Oct. 21-Nov. 13 at Madison Street Theater, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park), Siena Marilyn Ledger's play about the unlikely friendship that develops in the waiting room of an oncology unit. 16th Street will also showcase four new plays as part of its Write Collective. The free performances will take place on Zoom on June 3, Aug. 12, Oct. 7 and Dec. 2. Subscriptions start at $50. (708) 795-6704 or 16thstreettheater.org.