Theater Spotlight
Relive the success of playwright Philip Dawkins' 2011 hit drama The Homosexuals with a special reunion of the original cast overseen by director Bonnie Metzgar for a one-night-only About Face Theatre benefit performance. The Homosexuals had its world premiere here in Chicago, and it has subsequently gone on to have numerous productions around the country. The Homosexuals plays 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, in Rubloff Auditorium of the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St. There is a post-show talkback and reception with the cast, director and playwright. Tickets are $15; visit www.aboutfacetheatre.com .
Critics' Picks
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Oriental Theatre, through Feb. 21. Take a pleasant walk down memory lane to celebrate the many pop hits of Carole King in this better-than-usual jukebox musical. SCM
Chapter Two, Windy City Playhouse, through Dec. 20. We may be older and wiser now, but the course of true love hasn't gotten any smoother in the nearly 40 years since Neil Simon's been-around-the-block lovers embarked on it. MSB
Good for Otto, Gift Theatre, through Dec. 20 and then extended from Jan. 14 to Feb. 7. Both profound and invigorating, David Rabe's world premiere looks at two community mental health workers and their patients struggling with parental abandonment. Rabe's skill makes it's more exciting and entertaining than you'd think. JA
No More Sad Things, Sideshow Theatre Company at Victory Gardens Theater, through Dec. 20. It may be the most tourist-y part of Hawaii, but Hansol Jung takes colonialist Freudian fantasy and spins it into romantic magic to dazzle even jaded cynics. MSB
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan