Pictured From Practical Anatomy. Romance, John Mahone. Angels in America.
Well, did you resolve to see more plays this year, like I told you to do before the holidays? If you want to play it safe, Raven Theatre's smash-hit production of A Few Good Men has extended to Jan. 28, Mary-Arrchie Theatre's likewise highly praised Buried Child is running until Jan. 29, you can still catch After The Quake upstairs at Steppenwolf until Feb. 19 and the babes of Lavender Cabaret's Femme TV continue to wink-and-wiggle at the Lakeshore. Or take a chance on these auspicious openings:
Valentine Victorious. The first two chapters in Nathan Allen's hero-with-no-name trilogy sent us into dionysic seizures, so why not stick around for the Return of the King? House Productions, Jan. 14-March 11.
Kiss Of The Spider Woman. Gritty jails, fantasy divas and operatic songs by Kander and Ebb. Hotcha! Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, Jan. 16-Feb. 19.
Practical Anatomy. Before the days of organ-donors, grave-robbers did a thriving business supplying medical schools with fresh corpsesoh, and did I mention this is a MUSICAL? Sansculottes Theater Company, Jan. 18-Feb. 12.
Tartuffe. He's got one hand on the Bible and the other in your pocket, and STILL he manages to grope every woman in sight. He's played by Nick Sandys, one of Chicago's foremost hotties for the over-thirty-but-under-eighty crowd. Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Jan. 22-March 5.
The Sea Horse. Guy Van Swearingen and Kirsten Fitzgerald are a casting dream-team for this courtship comedy of an Old Salt looking to settle into dry dock with a skeptical widow. A Red Orchid Theatre, Jan. 23-March 5.
Dido, Queen Of Carthage. Elizabethan playwrights showing off their classical education only talked about this monarch of sharp wiles and foolish heart, but Christopher Marlowe made her the heroine of 'the first love tragedy in English literature'. Camenae Ensemble Theatre, Feb. 16-March 18.
Of Mice And Men and Dealer's Choice. Two sturdy male-dominated ensembles swap repertoires this season with a pair of classics in the tears-and-testosterone genre. Steep Theatre, Feb. 20-June 29/Shattered Globe, March 17-May 14.
Angels In America. The string of epic-length megaproductions begun in 2003 with The Cider House Rules continues as Sean Graney's and his cohorts, long renowned for hefting heavyweight material, take on Tony Kushner's mammoth sudser. The Hypocrites, March 5-April 30
Romance. Has Chicago's most famous Bad-Boy playwright ( no, Tracy Letts is gonna have to wait to assume that title ) mellowed with age and success? See for yourself in this production—featuring John Mahoney—of his 2005 satire. Goodman Theatre, March 24-April 23.
Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal In Bohemia and The Final Problem. For whodunit fans who can't wait for Lifeline's Gaudy Night, Terry McCabe delivers a lean, no-frills adaptation of the genius detective's two most intriguing adventures. City Lit Theatre, April 20-June 11.
Mark your calendars! There WILL be a quiz over the summer.