Here are some returning favorites to take note of:
—Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story; Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut, 312-642-2000; through Nov. 2. Never mind the day the music died. Buddy Holly raves on in powerhouse performer Justin Berkobien, who plays the kid with the voice that could launch a thousand dance parties. Granted, the plot's not exactly 'War and Peace,' but danged if the music isn't absolutely irresistible.
—Side By Side By Sondheim; Light Opera Works at Light Opera Works Second Stage, 1420 Maple, Evanston, 847-869-6300; Sept. 28-Nov. 9. Sextuple-Jeff Award-winning director Rudy Hogenmiller and quadruple threat singer/actor/composer/director Jon Steinhagen team up to direct a revue of music by the country's best living composer. Expect dazzle as a cast performs gems from West Side Story, Company, Follies and more.
—Mame; Drury Lane Oak Brook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, 630-630-0111; Oct. 9-Dec. 21. Two reasons to see the musical about a richer-than-god Manhattan party girl who finds her maternal instinct after taking in her orphaned nephew: Barbara Robertson ( a.k.a. Madame Morrible from Chicago's Wicked ) plays the larger than life title role Nov. 19 to Dec. 21, then cabaret luminary Kat Taylor steps in Nov. 16 to the close.
—The Glass Menagerie ( Photo by Kevin Viol ) ; Shattered Globe Theatre at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln, 773-404-7336; through Nov. 2,. Joker's henchman, cell-phone maladroit, Soiree Dadaist—Is there anything actor David Dastmalchian can't do? His unforgettable Tom Wingfield is matched by Linda Reiter, who manages to be at once domineering, fearsome and desperately needy as Amanda. And Michael Falevits walks off with each scene he's in as the stumblejohn Gentleman Caller.
—The Yellow Wallpaper; Chicago Danztheatre at Gorilla Tango, 1919 N. Milwaukee, 773-548-5459; Oct. 3-5, 10-12. DanzTheatre's adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1890 feminist horror story is a harrowing spectacle. The tale of a Victorian woman forced to take a 'rest cure' is as creepy as they come. And her hallucinatory symptoms—picture a wallpaper pattern writhing with souls trapped in Hell—are utterly unnerving.
—Our Town; Hypocrites Theatre at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 N. Division, 773-472-7352; Sept. 20-Oct. 26. Rather than stumble over adjectives, we'll offer a statistic: Over the past 20 years, we can count the shows we've gone back to see twice during the same run on half of a single hand. Our Town was one of those ultra-rarities. It's just that good.
—Jesus Hopped the A Train; Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark, 773-338-2177; Oct. 7-Dec. 6. Hallowed be thy name indeed: Jesus goes to Harlem in Stephen Adly Guirgis' tale of a born-again serial killer and a Latino jailed for shooting a religious cult leader. Michael Menendian directs an intellectually ferocious piece that tackles religion, race, politics and the dead-alive days of Rikers Island inmates.
—Forbidden Broadway: Dances with the Stars, Royal George Cabaret Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted, 312-902-1500; Oct. 2-Nov. 30. Once again, creator Gerard Alessandrini skewers the not-so-sacred singing and dancing cows of the Great White Way. Expect wicked send-ups of such critically reviled gems as Young Frankenstein and Little Mermaid, not to mention that terribly unfortunate revival of A Chorus Line.
—Porgy and Bess ( Photo by Robert Millard/LA Opera ) ; Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker, Nov. 18-Dec. 18; 312-332-2244. South Carolina's Catfish Row comes to vibrant, sultry life in George Gershwin's 1935 masterpiece about passion, addiction and devotion. Amazingly, this is the Lyric's first time staging the 63-year-old piece. Francesca Zambello, who directed the Lyric's lush and provocative Salome, returns to helm this jazz and blues-infused opera.
—Amadeus, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier, 312-595-5600; through Nov. 9. Mozart's final requiem is put into extraordinary context in Peter Shaffer's thrilling interpretation of the composer's short, tumultuous life. Director Gary Griffin is a proven wonder when it comes to another great composer, Stephen Sondheim. Now we'll see if he can work the same theatrical magic with Mozart.