Spotlight
One classic 19th-century opera that is perfect for the Halloween season is Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Inspired by Sir Walter Scott's gothic novel of a troubled young Scottish noblewoman, Lucia di Lammermoor features arguably the most famous "mad scene" in all of opera, arriving after the title heroine has stabbed her husband to death on their wedding night. Lucia di Lammermoor plays seven performances between Saturday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker Dr. It's sung in Italian with projected English translations. Tickets are $17-$299; call 312-827-5600 or visit LyricOpera.org .
Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova stars in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor for the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Critics' Picks
Hand to God, Victory Gardens Theater, extended through Oct. 30. Get ready to laugh and be shocked by Alex Weisman's outstanding performance of a Texas youth who falls under the thrall of a demonic, foul-mouthed hand puppet. Robert Askins' acclaimed Broadway comedy is a mix of The Muppets meets The Exorcist. SCM
Life Sucks, Lookingglass Theatre, through Nov. 6. Is too much love a good thing? The spirit is warm, autumnal and hilariously sad in this Americanized, modernized take on Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. It's Chekhov lite, but lovingly written and brilliantly played in rich comic style. JA
Man in the Ring, Court Theatre, through Oct. 16. In 1962, superstar boxer Emile Griffith was cheered by fans for beatingeven killingmen as spectator sport, but couldn't admit that he also loved men, but now his story can finally be told. MSB
Naperville, Theater Wit, through Oct. 16. It's not a suburb, this little town to our southwest, but a full-service community with caffeine depots dispensing fortification and fellowship to courageous people facing uncertain futures just like those of their pioneer forebearers. MSB
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan