Part of what makes theatergoing so exciting in Chicago is that so many new works find their voice here first. Or if a play makes its debut elsewhere, its regional premiere in Chicago is often as good as or better than where it was first produced. That's why you might want to take note of these world premiere and regional premieres:
The Astronaut's Birthday, Redmoon Theatre at Museum of Contemporary Art, now through Sept. 26: Leave it to the creative forces of Redmoon Theatre to turn the façade of the Museum of Contemporary art into an oversize sci-fi comic book adventure. Visit www.redmoon.org for more details on this space-age world premiere.
Detroit, Steppenwolf Theatre, now through Nov. 7: A whole bunch of Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble members get to shine in this world premiere of Lisa D'Amour's dark comedy about a suburban couple whose comfortable existence spins out of control when new neighbors move in. Austin Pendleton directs a cast featuring Kevin Andersen, Kate Arrington, Ian Barford, Robert Brueler and Emmy Award-winner Laurie Metcalf ( Roseanne ) . Visit www.steppenwolf.org for more information. ( See the interview with Metcalf on page 15 of this issue. )
Louis Slotin Sonata, A Red Orchid Theatre, now through Oct. 24: The regional premiere of Paul Mullin's theatrically tragic ode to the real-life bomb builder from the 1940s who had a deadly chance encounter with a plutonium core. Visit www.aredorchidtheatre.org for more information.
Thieves Like Us, The House Theatre of Chicago, now through Oct. 30: The House Theatre of Chicago takes a break from home-grown work by presenting the regional premiere of Damon Kiely's adaptation of Edward Anderson's novel about an escaped convict who questions whether to continue a crime spree or go straight amid the Dustbowl of the Great Depression. Visit www.thehousetheatre.com for more details.
Wuthering Heights, Lifeline Theatre, now to Oct. 31: Christina Calvit unveils her world premiere adaptation of Emily Bronte's gothic romantic novel set against a backdrop of the stormy Yorkshire moors. Visit www.lifelinetheatre.com for more information.
An Evening with Sutton Foster, Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, Sept. 23-26: To rechristen the newly renovated theater space at Water Tower Place, Broadway in Chicago brings Sutton Foster, the Tony Award-winning star of Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Drowsy Chaperone, to make her Chicago cabaret debut. Visit www.broadwayinchicago.com for more information. ( See the interview with Foster on page 16 of this issue. )
Obscura, Red Tape Theatre at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Sept. 23-Oct. 23: Jennifer Barclay's world premiere drama is a voyeuristic love story of man who invents a tall tale to win his neighbor's heart, only to have an ominous stranger arrive to destroy those plans. Visit www.redtapetheatre.org for more details.
The Trip, eta Creative Arts Foundation, Sept. 23-Nov. 14: Four longtime chums cram together in a car for a cross-country road trip, testing their patience ( and friendship ) along the way in the world premiere of Crystal V. Rhodes' comic drama. The Trip launches the 40th anniversary of this theatrical organization, which plans a season entirely of new works. Visit www.etacreativearts.org or more information.
At Home at the Zoo, Victory Gardens Theater, Oct. 1-31: This presentation of two interlinked one-acts by Edward Albee features a classic and a regional premiere. Find out what spurs the publishing executive Peter to make his deadly park bench encounter with Jerry in the recently written prequel Homelife to the classic 1958 drama The Zoo Story. Visit www.victorygardens.org for more information.
Dracula: A Tragedy, Redtwist Theatre, Oct. 1-31: Now's the time to jump on the vampire bandwagon, so Redtwist Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Mark Mason's stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel about an undead creature terrorizing England in 1893. Nudity has been promised, so this one is for mature audiences only. Visit www.redtwist.org for more information.
Scorched, Silk Road Theatre Project, Oct. 6-Nov. 7: Lebanese-French-Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad makes his Chicago debut with his drama about two Quebecois siblings who must face up to their family's troubled past when they return to their mother's war-torn homeland. Visit www.srtp.org for more information.
McMeekin Finds Out, Route 66 Theatre Company at Richard C. Christiansen Theatre at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, Oct. 24-Nov. 14: Broadway veteran Kate Buddeke teams up with Jeff Award-winner Randy Steinmeyer to portray a married couple convalescing from a car accident, only have things get much worse when their teenage daughter reveals an unsettling secret in Scott T. Barsotti's new dark comedy. Visit www.route66theatre.org for extra details.
Traces, Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, Oct. 26-Dec. 19: The French-Canadian troupe 7 Fingers makes its Chicago debut with an acrobatic show custom-designed to fit in the intimate playhouse just off Michigan Avenue. Visit www.broadwayinchicago.com for more information.
The Piano Teacher, Next Theatre, Evanston, Nov. 4-Dec. 5: A grandmotherly piano teacher reaches out to her former students, only to uncover a series of shocking secrets in this regional premiere of Julia Cho's new drama. Visit www.nexttheatre.org for more information.
Travels with my Aunt, Writers' Theatre, Nov. 9-March 27: A new theatrical take on Graham Green's novel about a mild-mannered and retired bank executive who is dragged by his wildly eccentric aunt to far fetched places around the globe. Visit www.writerstheatre.org for more information.
Returns and revivals
If untried shows aren't your thing, then there are also plenty of time-tested and recent works that are being produced around Chicago. Sometimes these works are presented with a new twist, or they could just be a tried-and-true restaging.
Low Pay? Don't Pay!, Piccolo Theatre at Evanston Arts Depot, now through Oct. 23: A Chicago premiere of Joseph Farrell's new translation of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Dario Fo's comedy about two housewives who resort to shoplifting when prices get far too high. Visit www.piccolotheatre.com for more information.
Red Herring, Noble Fool Theatricals, St. Charles, now through Oct. 24: Michael Hollinger's film noir and Cold War comedy mystery returns with decidedly St. Charles spin thanks to director John Gawlik. Visit www.noblefool.org for more information.
Speed-the-Plow, Oleana, in repertory at American Theater Company, now through Oct. 31: Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Rick Snyder directs these David Mamet dramas in repertory. Thrill at how these men and women do ideological ( and physical ) battle with each other. Visit www.actweb.org for more information.
Unveiled, Next Theatre, Evanston, now through Sept. 19: Another return of Rohina Malik's examination of five Muslim women in this post-9/11 age. Visit www.nexttheatre.org for more information.
Romeo and Juliet, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Sept. 15-Nov. 21: Acclaimed Australian director Gale Edwards metes out a modernistic approach to Shakespeare's classic romantic tale of woe regarding the star-crossed lovers of Juliet and Romeo. Visit www.chicagoshakes.com for more details.
The Comedy of Errors, Court Theatre, Sept. 16-Oct. 17: Sean Graney of The Hypocrites returns to Court Theatre with a new take on Shakespeare's zany farce filled with mistaken identity, lots of physical humor and an ugly undercurrent of xenophobia. Oh, yeahthere is only a cast of six actors. Visit www.courttheatre.org for more information.
The Lady's Not for Burning, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre at No Exit Café, Sept. 19-Oct. 31: A rare revival of Christopher Fry's post-war-written Shakespearean-style drama about a disillusioned war veteran and a woman who is sentenced to burn at the stake. Visit www.theo-u.com for more information.
Wiggerlover ( White Boy + Black Dad = Grey Areas ) , Next Theatre, Evanston, Sept. 23-Oct. 2: Another return of James Anthony Zoccoli's theatrical memoir of growing up in an interracial Chicago family in 1979 when his Caucasian mother remarries an African-American man. Visit www.nexttheatre.org for more information.
The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story, First Folio Theatre, Oak Brook, Oct. 6-Nov. 7: This acclaimed show that makes wonderfully spooky use of Mayslake Hall at Mayslake Peabody Estate Forest Preserve returns for another eerie outing celebrating America's preeminent 19th-century horror writer. Visit www.firstfolio.org for more information.
Three Sisters, Piven Theatre Workshop, Evanston, Oct. 18-Nov. 21: Acclaimed Broadway playwright Sarah Ruhl returns to her childhood artistic home with an new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's classic drama of three sisters who long to leave their provincial home. Ruhl's mentor Joyce Piven returns to direct. Visit www.piventheatre.org for more details.
The Seagull, Goodman Theatre, Oct. 26-Nov. 14: Tony Award-winning director Robert Falls is on tap to direct Chekhov's classic drama in the intimate Owen Theatre space, and this fact makes it a must-see for the season. Visit www.goodmantheatre.org for more information.
Home, Court Theatre, Nov. 11-Dec. 12: Samm-Art Williams' acclaimed 1981 drama originated at the Negro Ensemble Company and focuses on the political and social upheavals of the 1960s and '70s. Ron OJ Parson recently directed Home for New York's Signature Theatre, and now he stages it back in his Chicago hometown. Visit www.courttheatre.org for more details.