BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE
Summer will soon be here ( or so the weather trackers keep promising ) and with it, plays staged in the fresh air, under the stars, and surrounded by trees and grass—as well as pollen, dew and indigenous fauna. Fortunately, the 2006 season in Chicago offers opportunities for field flowers and greenhouse blossoms alike. The top ten, in chronological order:
1. Gaudy Night, Lifeline Theatre. June 2-July 30. The high-chemistry team of Peter Greenberg and Jennifer Tyler repeat their roles as Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane in this adaptation of Dorothy Sayers' thriller about mysterious deeds at Oxford. For further information, phone ( 773 ) 761-4477.
2. Monsieur Proust, About Face Theatre at Steppenwolf's Upstairs room. June 8-July 16. This is a behind-the-memoir look at the famous author, as recounted by his housekeeper, adapted by Mary Zimmerman and directed by Eric Rosen. For further information, phone ( 312 ) 335-1650.
3. Diner Tales, Raven Theatre. June 4-July 16. Comedian-turned-playwright Tim Joyce celebrates the lives and destinies of Chicago's counter-stool crowd. For further information, phone ( 773 ) 338-2177.
4. Cirque Shanghai, the Skyline Stage at Navy Pier. June 7-Sept. 3. Marco Polo takes us on a family-friendly tour of Cathay ( that's China, to you ) that features acrobats, aerialists and contortionists. Call ( 312 ) 902-1500.
5. Flora, The Red Menace, Theo Ubique at the No Exit Café. June 9-July 1. The musical that made a star of Liza Minnelli is now a pocket-sized production presented by the folks who brought you last season's long-running Kurt Weill and Jacques Brel revues. Phone ( 773 ) 743-3355.
6. The Winning Streak, Apple Tree Theatre. June 25-July 16. Yes, it's another baseball play, but Lee Blessing's father-and-son drama looks not at the players or the coaches, but at the umpires whose decisions decide the course of sports history. For further information, call ( 847 ) 432-4335.
7. Julius Caesar, Oak Park Festival Theatre. June 22-Aug. 15. See open-air assassinations by men in togas under the guidance of David Mink, with John McFarland supplying the violence. ALSO: Picnic, William Inge's steamy American pastorale, directed by Kevin Theis, July 11-August 19. For further information, phone ( 708 ) 445-4440.
8. The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove, Goodman Theatre. June 27-July 23. An ambitious young woman with a flair for business becomes a self-made millionaire nearly a century before Oprah Winfrey founded HER empire in this new play from Regina Taylor. Phone ( 312 ) 443-3800.
9. When Fairy Tales ATTACK, Babes With Blades at First Folio. Saturdays only, June 27-July 25. Wolves, witches and chicks in red hoods take to the Mayslake woods for some swashbuckling fun. ALSO: The Tempest, Shakespeare's fantasy-island classic, June 24-July 30. For further information, phone ( 680 ) 986-8067.
10. Theatre at the Lake series, June 14-Aug. 13. Hit shows from the 2005-06 seasons remounted at the Lakeside space include Strawdog Theatre's Three Sisters, the NeoFuturists' Daredevils and Dog and Pony's Crumble ( Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake ) . Phone ( 312 ) 742-7994.
ALSO: Bailiwick Repertory Gay Pride series, May 24-Sept. 3. The roster for this venerable company's annual festival includes Jim Provenzano's story of teenage boys wrestling ( take THAT, John Tunis! ) , Tommy Rapley's multimedia adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the UK's Shamelessboyz Theatre Company with its variation on Schnitzler's La Ronde. For further information, phone ( 773 ) 883-1090.
Grab a wine cooler and pass the citronella. Let's go to the theatre!