Spotlight: Aurora's Paramount revives jukebox tuner 'Rock of Ages'

Don't stop believin'

Paramount Theatre celebrates love and rock 'n' roll, 1980s-style, with its revival of "Rock of Ages." The jukebox tuner uses music by Bon Jovi, Styx and Journey to tell the story of a small-town girl eyeing Hollywood stardom and a big-city boy chasing rock-star fantasies. New works director Amber Mak directs the show, which stars Kieran McCabe and Taylor DiTola as the rockin' young couple.

Previews at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, April 13-14; 8 p.m. April 15; 3 and 8 p.m. April 16; 1 and 5:30 p.m. April 17 and through April 21 at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Opens April 22. $36-$79. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination not required. Masks optional but recommended. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

A classic revived

Addie Morales plays the young novitiate Maria and Erik Hellman plays the imposing Captain von Trapp in Marriott Theatre's revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "The Sound of Music." Joseph Jefferson Award winner Nick Bowling directs the revival alongside music director Ryan T. Nelson and choreographer William Carlos Angulo.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, April 13-14; 8 p.m. April 15; 4 and 8 p.m. April 16; 1 and 5 p.m. April 17 at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens April 20. $50-$60. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

'Apparel' resumes

Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced Northlight Theatre to cancel its revival of Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" on the first day of its run, director Tasia A. Jones' production resumes with most of its original cast intact. That includes Mildred Marie Langford, who plays Esther, a black seamstress in 1905 Manhattan who creates fine undergarments for her clientele until she's sidetracked by a marriage proposal from a Caribbean man to whom she's been writing. New to the cast is Felicia P. Fields.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14 and 21; 8 p.m. April 15-16; 7 p.m. April 17; 7:30 p.m. April 20 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The show opens April 22. $30-$89. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.

In other news

Check with venues about COVID-19 precautions.

• TimeLine Theatre's premiere of "Relentless" is being remounted at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Previews continue for Tyla Abercrumbie's play, set in Victorian-era Philadelphia, about two African American sisters who return home to settle their mother's estate and uncover some long-hidden truths. The remount opens Monday, April 11. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masks required. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• After a two-year, pandemic-prompted absence, Improv Playhouse Theater remounts its annual production of "Last Supper Chronicles" dramatizing the Apostles' Last Supper and directed by Improv Playhouse founder David Brian Stuart. The production runs Friday, April 8, through April 16 at 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.

• "Sex Tips for Straight Women From a Gay Man," an interactive, off-Broadway comedy, comes to the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, for an extended run. Writer/co-producer Matt Murphy's play unfolds during a university-hosted seminar featuring the author of a sex self-help book, his hunky assistant and the moderator. Previews begin Friday, April 8. The production opens April 23. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masks required. (773) 404-7336 or sextipsplay.com.

• MadKap Productions presents the musical murder-mystery sendup "Something's Afoot," beginning previews Friday, April 8, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. The play centers around 10 people staying at an English country manor whose wealthy owner has been murdered. Wayne Mell directs. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masks required. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.com.

• On the Spot Theatre Company hosts One Step at a Time, a festival of comedy, drama and dance beginning Friday, April 8, and continuing through May 14, at the Berger Park Coach House Theater, 6205 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago. Featured plays include "Sit Calm," about childhood friends who reunite to find unexpected opportunities; "Perspective Made Easy," which examines race in the workplace; "Seeking Cedric," a comedy about a voice-over artist and an ardent fan; and "Radical Kindness," a dance duet that combines improvisation, music and poetry. Masks required. See onthespottheatrecompany.weebly.com.

• The next installment in Porchlight Music Theatre's ongoing salute to Broadway, "New Faces Sing Broadway 1947" - featuring songs from "Annie Get Your Gun," "Brigadoon" and "Finian's Rainbow" among others recorded at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts - begins streaming at noon Friday, April 8, through May 4. Tickets are $25 to $50 and are available at (773) 777-9884 or porchlightmusictheatre.org.

• The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, presents comedian and "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah" correspondent Michael Kosta at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday, April 8. His Comedy Central special "Michael Kosta: Detroit. NY. LA." is streaming on Paramount+. He's followed on Saturday, April 9, by Los Angeles comedian River Butcher of Freeform's "Good Trouble." He performs at 7:30 p.m. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required. Masks optional but recommended. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com/.

• The family-friendly musical "Peppa Pig Live! Peppa Pig's Adventure," in which the bossy young pig goes on a camping trip with her brother George and pals Pedro Pony, Suzy Sheep and Gerald Giraffe, takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9, at the Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N. Chicago St., Joliet. Tickets are $31-$71. See peppapigliveus.com.

• Actor Doug Jones ("Star Trek: Discovery," "What We Do in the Shadows" and the upcoming "Hocus Pocus 2" and "Nosferatu") join Otherworld Theatre ensemble members for the company's weekly sci-fi-themed improv show "Portal-Prov!" at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 10, at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. Following the show, at 8:30 p.m., Jones will be joined by social worker Eric Koll of Keystone Mental Health and counselor Natalie Jeung of Skylight Counseling Center for a live taping of the "The Nerd Therapy Podcast," a monthly talk show set to launch April 22 that examines "different mental health-related themes in various nerd and geek franchises." This month's episode will focus on Star Trek's lessons on dealing with loss and family trauma. Tickets are $50. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masks required. See otherworldtheatre.org.

• Trap Door Theatre hosts a virtual wine tasting fundraiser from 2-4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10. Tickets are $150 and include two bottles of wine, a food assortment of Mexican-inspired treats and music by Argentine pianist Mauro Frosio. Reservation deadline is Friday, April 8. Items will be delivered Saturday, April 9. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

• Steppenwolf Theatre streams its audio adaptation of Isaac Gomez's adaptation of Erika L. Sanchez's novel "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" to Chicago-area teachers and students. Originally released in April 2021, the audio version starring ensemble member Karen Rodriguez will be available free to all Chicago-based teachers and schools through the company's Steppenwolf for Young Adults initiative. Streaming will be available from April 25 to May 22. See steppenwolftheatre.wufoo.com/forms/z5wpbwb07kxxl0.

• First Floor Theater announced company member Omer Abbas Salem is the recipient of First Floor's second commission under the ensemble's play development program. "We believe that this development program will continue to play a critical role in bringing new ideas to Chicago's stages and we're excited to continue our relationship with a writer whose work we believe exemplifies this vision," producer of the commissioning program Andrew Cutler said in a prepared statement. First Floor also produces the first fully staged production of a Salem play, "The Secretaries: A Parable," from May 5 to June 11, at the Den Theater, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See firstfloortheater.com.

• Court Theatre announced its 68th season will commence Sept. 2 with a revival of Joseph Kesselring's beloved comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace" about a pair of mild-mannered, hospitable older ladies who have a macabre secret. That's followed on Nov. 11 by "The Island," Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona's examination of the evil of Apartheid and the transformative power of theater in which political prisoners rehearse a two-man version of "Antigone" while laboring in the prison quarry. Next up is "Fen" (Feb. 10-March 5, 2023), Caryl Churchill's drama set during the 1980s in rural England about a female tenant farmer who tries to escape the poverty women like her have endured since the 19th century. The season concludes with the musical "The Gospel at Colonus" (May 12-June 11, 2023). A re-imagining of the Oedipus story as part of an African American Pentecostal church service, the show features lyrics by Lee Breuer and Bob Telson and music by Telson. Performances take place at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. Subscriptions range from $105 to $248. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.

• Artemisia Theatre addresses women's rights during its upcoming 2022 season, which marks the resumption of in-person performances after a two-year pandemic hiatus. The season begins July 14 with the premiere of "Roe v. US," a play about the consequences of choice written and directed by Kelcey Anyá. Performances take place at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. That's followed in the fall by the premiere of "Title X" (date to be determined), written by founder and artistic director Julie Proudfoot. It's a docudrama examining abortion rights from 1974 through the present through the eyes of eight different women. See artemisiatheatre.org.