Theater Spotlight
A war hero returns home only to face a vengeful wife who can't forgive the bloody family sacrifice he made before going off to battle in Aeschylus' ancient Greek tragedy Agamemnon. Court Theatre digs back to antiquity and finds modern parallels in its world premiere adaptation by Court Theatre founding artistic director Nicholas Rudall. It's the theater's second installment in its Greek Cycle exploring the very dysfunctional House of Atreus. Agamemnon continues through Sunday, Dec. 6 ( with no show on Nov. 26 ), at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Tickets are $45-$65; call 773-453-4472 or visit www.courttheatre.org .
Critics' Picks
Bad Jews, Theater Wit at Royal George Theatre, extended ( eighth time! ) through Dec. 27. What better way to defuse tensions during the holidays than packing the visiting kinfolk off to watch family squabbles much worse than their own? MSB
Design for Living, Pride Films and Plays at Rivendell Theatre, through Nov. 22. They just can't live without each otherbut what does it matter that they are three instead of two when it's a Noel Coward comedy? MSB
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Royal George through Dec. 6. It's a delightful, detail-filled impression of America's greatest songwriter, bolstered by Felder's sparkling pianism. Felder showcases a good two dozen Berlin songs in this handsomely designed one-man show, which also provides an abbreviated history of 20th-century America: war, peace and popular culture. JA
Spill, TimeLine Theatre, through Dec. 19. Leigh Fondakowski's thoroughly researched examination of the 2010 BP oil spill makes sure the human cost of the environmental disaster is front and center at all times. SCM
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan