To some, "summer theater" calls to mind idyllic evenings lounging on the grass with rabbits scampering through Arden forest or the Illyrian coast as crickets chirp "Hey nonny-nonny." For those who prefer to spend the warm months in pollen-free, temperature-controlled environments equipped with indoor plumbing and dry floors, however, Chicago's playhouses offer plenty of alternatives to the citronella circuit—and it's not all the traditionally lightweight fluff, either.
You can't get much more classic than Chekhov's Seagull—coincidentally set at a summer home in the Crimea when that region was a vacation resort for affluent aristocrats. This prototype for Downton Abbey-styled family sagas receives three seasonal reimaginings: Linchpin Theatre's Nina Variations proposes the two unhappy lovers confessing their true feelings for one another instead of wasting their lives in thwarted ambitions ( June 6-22; www.linchpintheatre.com ).
Bridgeport's new theater company—appropriately christened The Bridge—debuts with Kestutis Makas' The Golf Ball ( June 13-July 6; 312-307-5197 ), transposing the story from Czarist Russia to modern-day Chicago. Deep into the Dog Days, we finish with Sideshow's Midwest premiere of Aaron Posner's Stupid Fucking Bird ( Aug. 16-Sept. 21; 773-871-3000 ). Oh, and lest we forget where these contemplations began, Piven Theater presents Ivanov ( May 29-June 29; 847-866-8049 ), Chekhov's flagship play, replete with sex, violence and motifs utilized to greater success in his later works.
Ibsen appears right next to Chekhov on the syllabus, but Calamity West's The Doll's House Project—subtitled "Ibsen is Dead"—isn't your classroom version so much as it's an exploration of domestic politics in 1989 America, with Interrobang Theatre Project's production continuing through June 8 ( 773-935-6875 ). Strindberg ranks just behind, with Dance of Death, in a new translation by Conor McPherson and starring Larry Yando and Kate Fry as the estranged spouses, extending at Writers Theater through Aug. 3 ( 847-242-6000 ). World Theater is represented by Max Frisch's The Arsonists, translated and adapted by Alastair Beaton, at Strawdog ( Aug. 15-Sept. 27; 773-528-9696 ), Albert Camus' Regarding the Just at Trap Door ( June 5-July 5; 773-384-0494 ) and Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden at Victory Gardens ( June 20-July 13; 773-871-3000 ).
Shakespeare leads the pack, though, and while you can see Chicago Shakespeare's action-comics Henry V at Navy Pier through June 15 ( 312-525-5600 ), adventuresome playgoers will want to check out the Othello at Gift Theatre, starring Kareem Bandealy as the Moor and Michael Patrick Thornton as Iago ( July 14-Aug. 24; 773-283-7071 ). Fans of make-believe marital violence can also find plenty of it in Prologue Theatre's staging of Claire Luckham's Trafford Tanzi at Fizz Bar & Grill ( June 6-28; www.prologuetheatreco.org ).
If this heavy drama sounds like too much excitement in sultry weather, you can relax with Black Ensemble's One Hit Wonders through June 29 and The Story of the Marvelettes July 20-Sept. 14 ( 773-769-4451 ) or the American Blues remount of Hank Williams: Lost Highway ( July 25-Aug. 31; 773-404-7336 ). For maximum nostalgia, you can't beat Brigadoon, freshly staged at the Goodman by uberdirector Rachel Rockwell ( June 27-Aug. 3; 312-388-3800 ) or the Tribute to the Andrews Sisters revue at Theo Ubique ( June 5-July 27; 800-595-4849 ), where you can enjoy a period-menu dinner on-site. Speaking of dinner, hard-core foodies can revel in chow and romance at the repeat engagement of Lookingglass' Cascabel, starring legendary chef Rick Bayless, and served up in the Goodman's Owen studio ( July 30-Aug. 24; 312-337-0665 ).
Summer's also a time for catching up—precisely the mission of Theater on the Lake ( TOTL ), which brings back the hits of the 2013-2014 season for one-week runs. While TOTL's home is being repaired and renovated, this year's roster—including Urban Theatre's First Class, Stage Left's A Day in the Death of Joe Egg and Strawdog's runaway hit Great Expectations—will be performed at various locations on Chicago's North and South sides. ( For a complete schedule, log onto www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or phone 312-742-7994. )
Oh, but what if you fritter away the whole summer, only to discover Labor day looming and you haven't seen the inside of a playhouse lobby since Kinky Boots closed? No sweat! The weekend before you retire your white shoes offers Timeline's adaptation of Chaim Potok's adolescent-artist-in-crisis My Name is Asher Lev ( Aug. 23-Oct. 18; 773-327-5252 ), for theatergoers prepared to plunge into autumnal brain-exercises, and Stage Left's midwest premiere of Nick Jones' dueling-pistols comedy The Coward ( Aug. 30-Oct. 5; 773-975-8150, ) for those wanting to hang on to carefree sunshine a little longer.
