Spotlight: Chekhov's 'Seagull' inaugurates Steppenwolf's new in-the-round theater

A re-imagined classic

Steppenwolf Theatre's Jeff Perry returns to the theater he co-founded for fellow ensemble member Yasen Peyankov's adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "Seagull," which inaugurates the company's new in-the-round theater. The story centers around an aspiring playwright determined to push theatrical boundaries; the aspiring actress he's in love with; his aging mother, herself a star of the stage; and her younger lover, a famous author. Peyankov directs an ensemble that includes Namir Smallwood, Sandra Marquez, Caroline Neff, Scott Jaeck and Lusia Strus, among others.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 29; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 1, and through May 6, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens May 7 and 10. $54-$98. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Also at Steppenwolf

Comedian and storyteller Mike Birbiglia brings his coming-of-middle-age show "The Old Man and the Pool" to Steppenwolf Theatre for a limited run. Birbiglia described what audiences can expect in a prepared statement: "We want you to laugh. We want you to feel. We try to delve into some big themes: life, death and mortality. But with jokes. And stories. A lot of them."

8 p.m. Friday, April 29; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 30; 8 p.m. Sunday, May 1; 8 p.m. Thursday, May 5 and through May 22, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. $55-$95. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Groovy gals

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre salutes the 1960s with "Shout! The Mod Musical," in which five young women pay tribute to the era's popular female singers including Lulu, Dusty Springfield and Petula Clark, among others. The all-suburban cast includes Haley Bolithon and Marcela Ferrarone of Arlington Heights, Annie Beaubien of Barrington, and Kelli Clevenger of Elgin.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 29; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30; 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1, and through Thursday, May 5, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens May 6. $35, $40. COVID-19 precautions: Masking encouraged. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

A question of faith

The investigation into a novice nun's claim that the baby she bore resulted from a virgin conception sparks conflict between the court-appointed psychiatrist and the convent's Mother Superior in "Agnes of God," John Pielmeier's examination of faith and love. Steel Beam Theatre's revival stars artistic director Marge Uhlarik-Boller, Crystal Skipworth and Jenny Reeves-Wilson.

8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 29-30; 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1, and through May 15, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $23-$28. COVID-19 precautions: Masking required. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

In other news

Check with venues regarding COVID-19 precautions.

• Postponed due to the Omicron variant surge earlier this year, redtwist theatre's revival of "Collected Stories" continues previews through Saturday, April 30, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. Donald Margulies' play is about a professor and celebrated short-story writer and her relationship with the protégé she takes under her wing who subsequently writes a novel that the professor thinks too closely resembles her own story. Director Ted Hoerl's production opens Sunday, May 1. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (773) 728-7529 or redtwist.org.

• Shattered Globe Theatre and Chicago Dramatists host "Remembering Joel Drake Johnson," a memorial tribute to the acclaimed playwright, member of Victory Gardens Theater's playwrights ensemble and former Stevenson High School teacher who died in January 2020 of cancer. The tribute takes place from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. "The theater community had planned to celebrate Joel's rich artistic and personal life in April 2020. Now, two years later, we will gather," said Shattered Globe producing artistic director Sandy Shinner in a prepared statement. "Joel was a close friend, an extremely generous teacher and a gifted playwright with razor-sharp insight. He loved the theater. With great compassion, Joel created characters who revealed their hearts and their flawed humanity so that we could better understand each other and ourselves." Make reservations at bit.ly/rememberingjoel.

• The Artistic Home presents "The Pavilion," Craig Wright's drama about high school sweethearts who reunite after several decades to try to make things right. Previews run from Sunday, April 30, to Wednesday, May 4, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, May 4. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• Victory Gardens Theater hosts a reading of "Primary Trust" at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, as part of its Ignition New Play Program. Eboni Booth's play about friendship and loss centers around Kenneth, who loses his job after 20 years and finds unexpected support from his happy-hour friend Bert. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• Actor/writer/singer/producer Sandra Delgado returns to the stage with her show "The Sandra Delgado Experience" at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at Joe's on Weed Street, 940 W. Weed St., Chicago. Tickets are $35 and $45 for the show, which incorporates storytelling, Colombian music and songs that helped Delgado through the pandemic. See sandradelgado.net.

• Writer and Nothing Without a Company artistic director Hannah Li-Epstein is among the performers joining artist Mia Park for "Let Me Tell You: Stories of Asian American Authenticity," a showcase commemorating Asian Pacific Heritage Month, from 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, May 2, at Bezazian Library, 1226 W. Ainslie St., Chicago. Admission is free. See miapark.com.

• The hit jukebox tuner "Jersey Boys," which tells the behind-the-scenes story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons from their early days through super stardom, returns to Chicago for a brief run. Performances begin Tuesday, May 3, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Previews begin Thursday, May 5, for Raven Theatre's Chicago premiere of "The Luckiest," Melissa Ross' drama about a woman who, after receiving an earthshaking diagnosis, finds herself navigating between her best friend and her mother, each of whom have the best intentions for her. Director Cody Estle's production opens May 9. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (773) 388-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• Trap Door Theatre presents "Medea Material," translated and adapted by Sarah Tolan-Mee from Heiner Müller's examination of Euripides' "Medea" as a dance theater piece. Performances begin Thursday, May 5, at 1655 W. Cortland St., Chicago. See trapdoortheatre.com.

• As the Third Reich crumbles, four women vie to be Adolf Hitler's secretary as he heads into his bunker in "The Secretaries," a play by First Floor Theater ensemble member Omer Abbas Salem, developed as part of Goodman Theatre's Future Labs initiative. First Floor Theater's premiere begins previews Thursday, May 5, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens May 12. See firstfloortheater.com.

• Saint Sebastian Players concludes its 40th anniversary season with the premiere of "The Shady Lady," a corporate satire by Kara Poe Atnip and ensemble member Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend. Performances begin Thursday, May 5, for the play about an executive for an environmental nonprofit who buys an expensive yacht using the nonprofit's funds. When a reporter uncovers the embezzlement, he and his staff scramble to cover it up to avoid going to prison. The production runs through May 22 at St. Bonaventure Church, 1625 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7922 or saintsebastianplayers.org.

• Comedian Erica Rhodes ("Modern Family," "Veep," "New Girl") headlines The Comedy Vault, 18 E. Wilson St., Batavia. Rhodes performs Thursday through Saturday, May 5-7. Masking required. (630) 454-4174 or comedyvaultbatavia.com.

• Goodman Theatre has extended its remount of TimeLine Theatre's "Relentless," Tyla Abercrombie's drama about African American sisters who return to their Philadelphia home in 1919 to settle their late mother's estate and find her diaries, which portray a woman different from the one they knew. Performances run through May 8 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Congo Square Theatre has extended its production of "What to Send Up When it Goes Down," Aleshea Harris' series of vignettes examining racialized violence and the loss of Black lives. Performances run through May 7 at the Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island, Chicago. See congosquaretheatre.org.

• TimeLine Theatre named Chicago native Mica Cole as its new executive director, guiding the company's strategic and financial direction and board and staff development, among other duties. In addition to serving eight seasons as the Repertory Producer at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Cole served as executive director of Free Street Theater and director of education and engagement at Writers Theatre.