Chiaroscuro ( A Study In Shadow ) , Bailiwick Repertory, through Oct. 19. You can sit back and enjoy the nudity in this 'erotic thriller' ( inspired by 17th-century Italian artist Caravaggio ) , but the experience will be much more satisfying if you don't leave your brains at the door. MSB
Odin's Horse, Infamous Commonwealth Theatre at Raven Theatre, through Oct. 19. Playwright Robert Koon finds lovely poetry in his even-handedly exploration of the conflict between tree-sitting environmentalists and blue collar loggers in this award-winning premiere. SCM
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lifeline Theatre, through Nov. 2. Nick Vidal is pure youthful beauty and stone-cold soulless as Dorian, while an ensemble that includes Don Bender and Sean Sinitski capture both the sublime and scary elements of Oscar Wilde's gorgeously grotesque fable. CS
The Threepenny Opera, The Hypocrites at Steppenwolf Garage, through Oct. 12. It's the final week to see this not-quite-successful but adventurous and visually rich version of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's classic 1927 socialist musical, the Mack the Knife show. JA
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge, Morgan
and Sullivan