Spotlight
For the third time in its 23-year history, Bailiwick Repertory is staging Animal Farm, George Orwell's cautionary fable about social revolution and the perils of totalitarianism. Third time's the charm, eh? Just kidding! Bailiwick's imaginative productions, and the strong material, made Animal Farm a hit twice before, and it's likely to be more meaningful than ever during this political season. The musical adaptation of Orwell's 1945 novella has a script by Sir Peter Hall and songs by Adrian Mitchell and Richard Peaslee. At Bailiwick, 1229 W. Belmont, through Nov. 7; (773) 883-1090; $25-$30.
Critics' Picks
The Merry Wives of Windsor, Chicago Shakespeare, through Nov. 21. Expat luminary Lusia Strus plays Mistress Quickly, facilitator for lecherous bachelors, jealous hubbies, thwarted lovers and sensible wives in a romp through small-town marital relations. (MSB)
Sailing To Byzantium, Caffeine Theatre, through Oct. 10. Stifled passion and lingering regrets in Edwardian England, but when the thwarted lovers include William Butler Yeats and Ezra Pound, the laments are as eloquent as they are inevitable. (MSB)
The Sum of Her Parts, side project at North Lakeside Cultural Center, through Oct. 10. When Mother dies of breast cancer, her three adult daughters converge for the funeral in a gripping, heartfelt, universal family story. You'll come away richer for the experience. (RR)
W!, Bailiwick, through Oct. 31. Give a conservative enough rope and he'll hang himself. This 90-minute musical revue of the wit and wisdom of George Bush is too true to be funny, but Steve Rashid's songs are clever and co-author Tom Mula is a lively Dubya. (JA)
By Abarbanel (JA), Barnidge (MSB) and Reed (RR)