Dirty Dancing, Cadillac Palace Theatre, through Jan. 17. There's far more to this multi-million-dollar spectacle than all that superficial flash and dancing dazzle that'll make your jaw drop. More than mere romance and more than coming-of-age chestnut—Baby's journey is worth taking. CS
Edward II, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, through Nov. 9. It's the last days for a unique staging mixing actors and audience in a mosh pit. Marlowe's messy tale of gay king Ed never will be a good play, but director Sean Graney's trims make it a bloody and pithy power tale. JA
Jesus Hopped the A Train, Raven Theatre, through Dec. 6. The casting may not be perfect, but there's still plenty to recommend in Stephen Adly Guirgis' drama about two murderers who embrace religion in prison. SCM
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lifeline Theatre, through Nov. 16. The scary season may be over, but the man with the face to, literally, die for has been given two more weeks to cast his seductive spell in this shivery adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic. MSB
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge, Morgan
and Sullivan