A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic..., Route 66 Theater Company at Den Theatre, through Sept. 23. Halley Feiffer's irreverent comedy of adult children and ailing moms displays enough warmth to earn its showy title. MSB
Barbecue, Strawdog Theatre at Steppenwolf Theatre, through Sept. 30. What people believe always trumps the truth. Satirical playwright Robert O'Hara (BootyCandy) explores this conundrum, and also issues of cultural appropriation that blur Black/white race lines, in this semi-outrageous comedy. JA
One Thousand Words, Theater Faction at Theater Wit, through Sept. 17. Premiering at Chicago Music Festival in 2015, this bittersweet tale of same-sex romance in the 1940s now boasts two acts' worth of love ballads in its score. MSB
Trevor: The Musical, Writers Theatre, Glencoe, through Oct. 1. Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis affectionately adapt and expand upon the Academy Award-winning 1994 film short. It's all about a showbiz-minded boy and his classmates who come to terms with shifting friendships and budding sexualities. SCM
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan