The big wait, of course, is for Billy Elliott, opening on April 11, but beginning previews on March 18. Winter 2010 features an abundance of intriguing shows, however ( many of them grouped together festival-style, for those looking to socialize in study groups ) . So if huddling at home in the frigid dark starts making you want to run out the door to roll nekked in the snow like a polar bear—why not go to a play ( especially a play set in warm, summery, tropical climes, as six of these listed are ) instead?
Currently running:
—The Pillowman, Redtwist Theatre ( 773-728-7529 ) , through Feb. 6. The space is one of the smallest storefronts in town, making the intimacy of Martin McDonagh's exploration of the line between fiction and reality even creepier.
—American Buffalo, Steppenwolf Theatre ( 312-335-1650 ) , through Feb. 14. When this play opened in 1975, who suspected that David Mamet would become an influential voice in American Theater on the order of Tennessee Williams? Well, Steppenwolf might have, and that's what makes them the perfect company to revive it 35 years later.
—Killer Joe, Profiles Theatre ( 773-549-1815 ) , through Feb. 28. Speaking of auspicious debuts: Tracy Letts' tale of low-level murder received mixed reviews when it premiered at the Next Lab in 1993, but since then, it's played all over the world and its author took a Pulitzer last year. And now, 17 years later, we can all indulge our hindsight.
Upcoming openings:
—Master Harold...and the Boys, Timeline Theatre ( 773-281-8463 ) , opens Jan. 23-24. Jonathan Wilson directs this first entry in a series of three apartheid-era plays by African author Athol Fugard, staged by three Chicago companies over a six-month period.
—Hughie/Krapp's Last Tape, Goodman Theatre ( 312-443-3800 ) , opens Jan. 30. A man with a past, standing on a stage, flanked by passive listeners, is talking to himself—but when the man is Brian Dennehy, what playgoer wouldn't volunteer to be part of the room's furniture?
—The Brother/Sister Plays, Steppenwolf Theatre ( 312-335-1650 ) , opens Jan. 30. Three plays running in repertory under a single roof may not a festival make, but Tarell Alvin McCraney's portraits of life in an Afro-Caribbean community promise excitement on director Tina Landau's characteristically epic scale.
—The Island, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at the Greenhouse ( 773-404-7336 ) , opens Jan. 31. In this second of a trio of Athol Fugard plays presented this season, a pair of inmates in an African prison—think Nelson Mandela—struggle to retain their dignity as their loyalty to one another is put to the test.
—August: Osage County, Broadway in Chicago at the Ford Oriental ( 800-775-2000 ) , opens Feb. 2. If you missed it at Steppenwolf the first time round, you'll have to settle for the New York version of the play that won Chicago writer/actor Tracy Letts his Pulitzer ( see earlier entry for Killer Joe ) . Don't pass up this second chance.
—A Love Lost Life: The Unauthorized Story of Marlon Brando, Theatre Building Chicago ( 773-327-5252 ) , opens Feb. 18. Now there's a title to catch your eye! The Wild One's son, Christian Brando, allegedly gave approval to author David Nathie Barnes' biodrama of the Godfather's troubled relationship with his own children.
—Blue Door, Victory Gardens Theatre ( 773-871-3000 ) , opens Feb. 1. Hamlet and Scrooge aren't the only dramatic heroes visited by ghosts in the night. Tanya Barfield's middle-aged, divorced, African-American math professor finds himself confronting no less than four generations of inquisitive ancestors in this premiere production.
—Mrs. Caliban, Lifeline Theatre ( 773-761-4477 ) , opens Feb. 15. Peter Greenberg and Jennifer Tyler are the headliners, and Brenda Barrie plays the title role. If that's not enough for you, this original adaptation of Rachel Ingalls' 1983 novel also features an illicit affair between a bored housewife and her lover from the black lagoon.
—Abigail's Party, A Red Orchid Theatre ( 312-943-8722 ) , opens Feb. 15. A bevy of charismatic Red Orchid regulars—among them, the enchanting Kirsten Fitzgerald and Mierka Girten—headline Mike Leigh's satirical portrait of middle-class Brits at a cocktail party gone predictably awry.
—Twelve Angry Men, Raven Theatre ( 773-338-2177 ) , opens Feb. 21. Reginald Rose's reminder of our responsibilities as free-thinking citizens is as timely in 2010 as during its premiere during the McCarthy era, and nobody does hard-nosed American realism better than Raven.
—Uncle Vanya, Strawdog Theatre ( 773-528-9696 ) , opens Feb. 21. Why can't all Chekhov translations be like those of Curt Columbus, especially when the production proposes to highlight the forbidden love of a progressive country doctor for his pompous brother's trophy wife in this "smoldering" portrait of fin-de-siècle Russian society?
—Dancing At Lughnasa, Seanachaí Theatre at the Irish-American Heritage Center ( 773-878-3727 ) , opens Feb. 27. Don't be fooled by all the Hibernia-centric press—the play, the company and its new home may reflect the culture of rural Ireland, but the themes in Brian Friel's bittersweet memoir are universal.
—The DNA Trail, Silk Road Theatre Project at the Chicago Temple ( 312-857-1234 ) , opens March 7. Did I mention the proliferation of festival programming this winter? In this one, seven playwrights of diverse ethnicity recount their experiences and explore their differences and similarities.
—Chess, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre at the No Exit ( 773-347-1109 ) , opens March 8. If the phrase "I get my kicks above the waist, sunshine!" awaken memories of '80s nightlife, you won't want to miss this "cold war" musical by Tim Rice ( minus Andrew Lloyd you-know-who ) , staged by the company that took seven Jeffs last year for their vest-pocket dinner-theatre.
—Legion, WildClaw Theatre at the Viaduct ( 773-296-6024 ) , opens March 15. We don't need your sissy vampires—not when we have William Peter Blatty's sequel to The Exorcist, delivered page-to-stage in all its bloody glory by horrorscribe Charley Sherman.
—Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Remy Bumppo Theatre at the Greenhouse ( 773-773-404-7336 ) , opens March 21. This adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 glam-trash novel may nowadays be only a star-turn à deux ( cf. The Lion In Winter ) , but who cares when the stars are a hot couple like Nick Sandys and Linda Gillum?
"Hot"—that's the operative word for this second-decade-of-the-21st-century winter. See you at the box office!
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