Pictured Goodman's I Am My Own Wife with Jefferson Mays.
The city inspectors threw up some roadblocks for many of the smaller theaters, delaying plans for the coming year. There are the reliables, of course: Blue Man Group for audiences too young to have courted sensory saturation in the '60s. Late Nite Catechism for those with wistful memories of that old-time religion. Tommy Gun's Garage (in fancy new quarters at Wabash and Cermak) for a hearty dinner and a slick-and-sassy floor show. A Christmas Carol and The Christmas Schooner for the holidays. But some outstanding shows are running as we now print and more look to be on the way:
Hannah And Martin, TimeLine Theatre. Currently running through Oct. 10. If you missed this powerhouse production last spring, don't pass up a second chance to see Elizabeth Rich and David Parkes engage us in intellectual aerobics. For information, phone (773) 281-8463
A Clockwork Orange, Defiant Theatre. Currently running through Oct. 16. This adaptation of Anthony Burgess' 1962 caveat is one of Defiant's best, but it's also their farewell to Chicago, so this is your last chance to see them before they hang up their guns and depart for western skies. For information, phone (312) 742-8797
Bald Grace, Pirate Queen, The Stockyards Project. Currently running through Oct. 16. Not just another silly swashbuckler, but a bona fide biodrama of 16th-century Irish sea captain Grace O'Malley, performed in Chicago's newest playhouse only blocks from Midway airport. For information, phone (773) 788-1035
A Delicate Balance, Remy Bumppo. Currently running through Oct. 31. Suburban angst in this Pulitzer prize-winning play might be less flamboyant than in that OTHER play by Edward Albee, but betcha this ensemble makes the intrigue equally compelling. ALSO WATCH FOR Arcadia, Tom Stoppard's time-traveling brainteaser, opening Nov. 28. For information, phone (773) 871-3000
Two Sisters And A Piano, Apple Tree Theatre, in association with Tearo Vista. Opening Sept. 27. The ties that bind in a troubled Havana circa 1991, as recounted by Nilo Cruz, the author who gave us Anna In The Tropics. For information, phone (847) 432-4335
The Dresser, Steppenwolf Theatre. Opening Sept. 26. Powerhouse actors Tracy Letts and John Mahoney play an old trouper and his young assistant doing a wartime production of King Lear. ALSO WATCH FOR: The Cherry Orchard, a new translation by Curt Columbus, opening Upstairs on Nov. 14, and Lost Land by Stephen Jeffreys starring John Malkovich (the team that gave us The Libertine) opening April 10. For information, phone (312) 335-1650
Equus, The Hypocrites. Opening Oct. 2. You might think you already know this symposium on rational order vs. pagan ecstacy, but the people who surrounded us with a herd of armored quadrupeds for Ionesco's Rhinoceros are sure to have some surprises in store. ALSO WATCH FOR True West, Sam Shepard's seminal trash-the-stage spectacle, opening April 15. For information, phone (773) 409-5578
The Immigrant, Northlight. Opening Dec. 8. Balalaikas and slide guitars, Kletzmer and Country—when musical worlds collide. ALSO WATCH FOR Red Herring, the screwball espionage comedy nobody saw when it played in 2001 at the Athenaeum, opening March 16. For information, phone (847) 673-6300
All Shook Up, Cadillac Palace. Opening Dec. 19. It's not just a revue of Presley's greatest hits, but since this bound-for-Broadway show's script is by Joe DiPietro, who wrote I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (still running at the Royal George) and Over The River And Through The Woods, don't look for it to get in the music's way TOO much. For information, phone (312) 902-1400
The Curse of the Crying Heart, House Productions. Opening Jan. 15. Nathan Allen promised us a trilogy and, true to his word, delivers the further adventures of The Melancholy Kid, now seeking his fortune among the Japanese Samurai. For information, phone (773) 525-0596
Of Mice And Men, Shattered Globe Theatre. Opening Jan. 16. After a year downtown, his much-awarded company returns to Victory Gardens with an American classic. For information, phone (312) 223-1168
I Am My Own Wife, Goodman Theatre. Opening Jan. 18. Lucky playgoers saw it here at About Face before it won a Tony in NooYawk. The rest of us get our second chance at downtown prices. ALSO WATCH FOR Mariela In The Desert, Henry Godinez directs Karen Zacarías' poignant drama of aging Mexican bohos recalling good times with Diego and Frida, opening in the Owen on Feb. 8, and Silk, Mary Zimmerman's adaptation of the novel by Alessandro Baricco, opening May 3. For information, phone (312) 443-3800
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Announcements should soon be forthcoming from Mary-Arrchie (operating in a freshly licensed Angel Island), National Pastime, Profiles, City Lit, Stage Left and others—not to mention all the numerous as-yet-unknown companies preparing to strike out on their own. See you on opening night!