On stage: Janus puts a new spin on Homer's 'Iliad'

Classic tale

Janus Theatre presents “An Iliad,” a contemporary retelling of Homer's epic poem chronicling the Trojan War and centered on the warriors Achilles and Hector. Artistic director Sean Hargadon directs the play by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare, and he shares the role of the Poet with Joe Cattoggio, Lori Holm and Ann Marie Nordby. Opens 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. $16. See janusplays.com.

Mistresses and minks

Mistresses, mink coats and mobsters abound in “Not Now, Darling,” a 1967 farce by Ray Cooney and John Chapman in a revival helmed by Christopher Kidder-Mastrom for BrightSide Theatre. It's about a pair of fur saloon owners, played by Rob Cramer and Timothy Sullivan, one of whom hopes to curry favor with his would-be mistress by selling her husband a mink coat — except he discovers her husband intends to give it to his mistress instead. Opens 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, at the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville. $20-$25. (630) 447-8497 or brightsidetheatre.com.

‘Cowboy' premiere

Lifeline Theatre presents its world-premiere adaptation of James Leo Herlihy's novel “Midnight Cowboy.” Adapted by Chris Hainsworth of Glen Ellyn and directed by Christopher M. Walsh, the play examines the unlikely friendship between a naive Texas cowboy who comes to New York City to hustle wealthy women and the small-time con man who offers to be his manager. Zach Livingston and Adam Marcantoni star. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 29. $20-$40. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

What's new

• Performances continue for Silk Road Rising's world premiere of “Ziryab, the Songbird of Andalusia,” by musician/playwright Ronnie Malley, about the former slave turned musician born in 789 Iraq who transformed medieval music and culture. Performances continue through Feb. 28 at the Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. (312) 857-1234 or silkroadrising.org.

• Saint Sebastian Players' 35th season continues with William Shakespeare's “The Tempest,” in which former Duke Prospero, deposed and banished to a remote island, uses magic to punish his enemies and reclaim his title. The production, directed by company member Jim Masini, opens Friday, Feb. 19, at St. Bonaventure, 1625 W. Diversey St., Chicago. (773) 404-7922 or saintsebastianplayers.org.

• The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events hosts the third annual OnEdge series showcasing experimental live performances beginning Friday, Feb. 19, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago; The Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph St., Chicago; and Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago. “Broken Red Balloon Dog,” featuring monologues praising worthless things by Tim Etchells of the British theater ensemble Forced Entertainment and Matthew Goulish, takes place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Cultural Center. “My Voice Has an Echo In It” allows observers to catch performances of music, spoken word and video in a soundproof installation Feb. 26 to March 1 at the Cultural Center. Performances are free. The series also includes workshops and discussions. See cityofchicago.org.

• The adults-only “Mr. Horn's (expletive) Neighborhood,” a twist on the popular PBS children's show, returns to the Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19. Also at The Annoyance is “My Solo Show of All Duets,” featuring Rebecca Sohn as Broadway diva Shirley Lame (pronounced la-may) singing musical duets, “the way they were meant to be sung, alone and in the spotlight.” It runs at 8 p.m. Thursdays through March 24. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Kiss Kiss Cabaret at the Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway, Chicago, celebrates Black History Month beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, with the adults-only “Saveur Noir: Uptown's Harlem Renaissance.” That's followed on Saturday, Feb. 20, with an anniversary party beginning at 8 p.m. and featuring the club's resident performers. See uptownunderground.net.

• Comedian/writer/actor Mark Roberts returns to his native Illinois for the Midwest premiere of “New Country,” a comic drama about a country music star whose bachelor party takes a raucous turn. Previews begin Saturday, Feb. 20, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Feb. 27. (800) 838-3006 or newcountrytheplay.com.

• City Lit ensemble members perform selections from Mark Twain's “Old Times on the Mississippi,” recalling his time as a steamboat pilot, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. (773) 293-3682 or citylit.org.

• ComedySportz Theater, 828 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, hosts the Windy City Regional Preliminaries for the College Improv Tournament from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20. The finals take place the same time Feb. 21. (773) 549-8080 or cszchicago.com.

• “The Graveyard Show,” a web series starring David Pasquesi (“Veep”) and Christian Stolte (“Chicago Fire”), launches its third season with a live event Sunday, Feb. 21, at iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. The event includes live performances of past episodes and screenings from the first two seasons from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• “If/Then” original Broadway cast members Jackie Burns, Tamyra Gray and Anthony Rapp perform in the national tour of the musical by composer Tom Kitt and writer/lyricist Brian Yorkey (the duo behind “Next to Normal”). The musical follows Elizabeth, who returns to New York City for a fresh start and whose life splits along two paths which unfold simultaneously. Performances begin Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Previews begin Wednesday, Feb. 24, for Steppenwolf Theatre for Young Adults world premiere of “The Compass.” Devised and directed by Michael Rohd, “The Compass” centers around the trial of a teenager who uses an app to make a life-altering decision with major consequences. The show opens Feb. 27 at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• A Red Orchid Theatre's revival of the rarely performed Tennessee Williams play “The Mutilated,” has been extended. The 1966 one-act comedy is about two down-on-their-luck women who wind up in a bar on Christmas Eve. Directed by ensemble member Dado, it runs through March 13 at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• House Theatre of Chicago, at the Chopin Theater, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago, has extended “The Last Defender” through March 27. The interactive, live-action game is set during the Cold War and requires audience members/players to pursue nuclear war, nuclear peace or a compromise scenario. (773) 769-3832 or thehousetheatre.com.

• Pride Films and Plays named 10 semifinalists in the 2016 Great Gay Play and Musical Contest. By the end of the month, the reading team will reduce that list to five finalists. Those scripts will be performed April 22 to 24 at The Center on Halsted, 3540 N. Halsted St., Chicago. See pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Goodman Theatre introduced a new program, Discover What's Now, that allows members a chance to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of play creation. Membership is free and includes invitations to special events with artists and discounts on performances. The new program is supported through a Wallace Foundation grant to build new audiences. For more information, see goodmantheatre.org/now.

• Idle Muse Theatre announced that Shanghai Low Theatricals will design the puppetry for the company's upcoming production of “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” which runs March 3 to April 3 at Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway Ave., Chicago. (773) 340-9438 or idlemuse.org.

• The Factory Theater returns next month to its Rogers Park neighborhood. The theater inaugurates its new home with “The Last Big Mistake,” beginning March 18, at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. “This is a big step forward for our company,” said artistic director Scott Oken in a prepared statement. “We're moving back to Rogers Park where our company was founded more than 20 years ago.” See factorytheater.com.

• American Blues Theater recently announced it will begin its 2016-17 season — dubbed “Define Yourself” — with the world premiere of “TRANSit,” a one-act by artistic affiliate Darren Canady about a woman drawn to a street performer while both ride New York City's subway late at night. That will run in repertory with Amiri Baraka's examination of race relations “Dutchman,” which begins Aug. 26. Up next is the 15th anniversary production of “It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!” (Nov. 18-Dec. 31), a 1940s radio play adaptation of Frank Capra's beloved film. David Auburn's “The Columnist,” about a journalist feared and respected by 1950s Washington who finds his status diminished as a result of political intrigue, runs Feb. 17 to April 19, 2017. The season concludes with the Chicago-area premiere of “Beauty's Daughter,” Dael Orlandersmith's solo play about a woman confronting challenges in her East Harlem, New York, neighborhood. It runs June 2 to July 2, 2017. Performances take place at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Season FlexPasses are now available at (312) 725-4228 or americanbluestheater.com.

• American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, announces tickets for its 37th summer season will be available to returning patrons on Feb. 29. New patrons can purchase tickets beginning April 11. The season begins June 4, with William Shakespeare's “The Comedy of Errors,” about two sets of shipwrecked brothers. Arthur Miller's “Death of a Salesman” begins performances June 10. Oscar Wilde's “An Ideal Husband,” about a woman who attempts to save her politician husband from a scandal, begins previews June 17. Former Remy Bumppo Theatre artistic director James Bohnen directs Tom Stoppard's time-shifting “Arcadia,” beginning previews July 29. William Brown helms Shakespeare's “King Lear,” beginning Aug. 5. Derrick Sanders, artistic director of Congo Square Theatre Company, directs Carlyle Brown's “The African Company Presents Richard III,” about a 19th century black theater company in New York staging a production of “Richard III.” It begins previews June 3. Samuel Beckett's “Endgame,” directed by Aaron Posner, begins previews Aug. 6, and “Mary's Wedding,” about young lovers separated by war, begins previews Oct. 28. The plays run in repertory through Nov. 20. Four-show ticket packages start at $108. Single tickets start at $47. (608) 588-2361 or americanplayers.org.

— Barbara Vitello