Raven Theatre stages revival of 'The Odd Couple'

1960s comedy revivedThe suburbs are well represented in Raven Theatre's revival of Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple," about a couple of divorced men in 1960s New York City. Brookfield's Jon Steinhagen plays Felix opposite Eric Roach's Oscar. Greg Caldwell of Des Plaines, Greg Kolack of Downers Grove and Larry Carani of Forest Park play their poker buddies in the comedy directed by artistic director Michael Menendian.Previews begin Tuesday, May 18, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.Midwestern mythologyLisle resident and DePaul University instructor Doug Long adapts and directs several short stories by Fort Wayne, Ind., writer Michael Martone in Village Players' comedy, "Alive and Dead in Indiana." Featured stories include: "Pieces," a monologue for KFC's Colonel Sanders, and "On Hoosier Hysteria," a monologue for former Vice President Dan Quayle. Runs through May 29, at 1010 W. Madison St., Oak Park. (708) 764-1010 or village-players.org.Looking for laughsComedian Tommy Davidson ("In Living Color") headlines Schaumburg's Improv Comedy Showcase this weekend. 8 and 10:15 p.m. Friday, May 14; 7 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday, May 15; 7 p.m. Sunday, May 16. at 5 Woodfield Road, Schaumburg. (847) 240-2001 or improv.com. bull; Inconceivable Theatre remounts its Anton Chekhov-inspired "Three Sisters - Alone!" about a fictional Canadian theater troupe attempting to stage Chekhov's play with disastrous results. The show runs this weekend and next - Friday, May 14, through May 22 - at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green St., Chicago. See inconceivabletheatre.org for information.bull; Village Players Theater concludes its New American Classics series with Christopher Durang's "The Marriage of Bette and Boo," his 1985 comedy chronicling three decades of dysfunction, divorce, alcoholism and death. Artistic Director Dan Taube directs the show which opens Saturday, May 15, at 1010 W. Madison St., Oak Park. (866) 764-1010 or village-players.org.bull; A hitchhiker, a cop, an apple seller and a blind man meet traveling across America in "Sun, Stand Thou Still," by Steven Gridley. Ka-Tet Theatre Company's production begins previews Friday, May 14, at Stage Left, 3408 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago. The show opens Saturday, May 15. (800) 838-3006 or katettheatre.org. bull; Benjamin Thiem directs the Midwest premiere of "Body of Awareness," Annie Baker's drama about a female couple whose relationship is threatened when they host an artist famous for his nude photos of females, and one of the women considers posing for him. Previews for Profiles Theatre's production begin Friday, May 14, at 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago. The show opens May 20. (773) 549-1815 or profilestheatre.org.bull; American Theater Company hosts Breastfest 2010, with some of the proceeds going to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Research, from Saturday, May 15, to Monday, May 17, at 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago. Saturday's event features a 10:30 p.m. improv set with Annoyance Theatre founder Mick Napier among others. Sunday, May 16th, at 8 p.m. will be an amazing night of music with headliner John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, Robbie Fulks and Ron Lazzeretti and Naomi Ashley. The mini-fest concludes at 8 p.m. Monday, May 17, with three improv sets featuring the all-female Virgin Daiquiri, 3033 and Chicago Improv Festival's Improviser of the Year Susan Messing performing "Messing with a Friend" with special guest star, former Second City main stage member Brad Morris. (773) 409-4125 or atcweb.org. bull; Kathleen Puls Andrade chronicles her and her husband's experience trying to conceive in her one-woman, multimedia show "Journey to the Center of the Uterus: Adventures in Infertility!" Andrew Eninger supplies the animation and Marshall Stern supplies the music for the show running every other Sunday beginning Sunday, May 16, at the Green House Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or journeytothecenteroftheuterus.com.bull; Broadway in Chicago presents the tour of "The 39 Steps," the comic stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's film based on the John Buchan novel about a secret agent wrongly accused of murder who seeks to clear his name. The show features four actors performing all the characters in this whodunit comedy. Performances run Wednesday, May 19 through May 30, at the Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.bull; Former and pending late night talk show host and comedian Conan O'Brien brings his "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television" tour to the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago on Wednesday, May 19, and Thursday, May 20. See ticketmaster.com for tickets. bull; Previews begin Thursday, May 20, for Tuta Theatre Chicago's production of Bertolt Brecht's "Baal." Josh Schmidt ("The Adding Machine: A Musical") provides original music for Zeljiko Djukic's production of Brecht's first play about a dissolute poet who leaves death and destruction in his wake. The show opens Friday, May 21, at the Chopin Theatre 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. (773) 680-0826 or tutato.com.bull; Lookingglass Theatre's re-imagined remount of "Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale" has been extended until June 6, at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.