Puff: or Believe It or Not, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at Greenhouse Theater, through Jan. 7, The "well-made" lay may have once been dismissed as formulaic, but this frothy madcap farce of high-society lovers and liars wholly redeems the genre. MSB
Red Velvet, Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier, through Jan. 21. Not many people know that Ira Aldridge was the first non-white actor to play Othello the Moorunder considerable protest from Shakespeare's countrymenbut Lolita Chakrabarti restores his place in history. MSB
Sammy: A Tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr., Black Ensemble Theater, through Jan. 21. The demographic diversity of the audiences at Black Ensemble attest to the universal appeal of the entertainer whose career spanned three generations and virtually every branch of show business.MSB
Wicked, Oriental Theatre, through Jan. 21. The 2003 Broadway blockbuster is back in Chicago, but now its political relevance is much more frighteningly uncomfortable in light of the current occupants of the White House. Be awed by the Oz-inspired spectacle while also mulling over its Wicked's important messages. SCM
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan