Spotlight: Shattered Globe stages Chicago premiere of family drama 'Stew'

Home cooking

While preparing a meal, three generations of Black women confront the violence they have all endured in "Stew," a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist by playwright Zora Howard in its Chicago premiere at Shattered Globe Theatre. The cast includes ensemble members Demetra Dee and Jazzma Pryor, along with Velma Austin and Jasmine Cheri Rush.

Previews at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9-10; 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11; and 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Sept. 15. $25-$45. Proof of vaccination and masks required. (773) 770-0333 or sgtheatre.org.

A 'monster' tale

Manual Cinema's "Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster" launches Chicago Children's Theatre's 18th season. Adapted from Mo Willems' children's books, the show incorporates Muppet-style puppets, film, live actors and musicians to tell the story of the unlikely friendship between Leonardo, a monster who's not very scary; Sam, a fearful young boy; Kerry, an even more fearful young girl; and her monster pal Frankenthaler. Manuel Cinema's Sarah Fornace - co-director of the multimedia artist collective known for combining puppetry, original music and video projection - helms the production.

9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-11, and through Oct. 16 at 100 S. Racine Ave., Chicago. $25-$36. Masks required. See chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

Destinos returns

Paramount, American Blues and Teatro Vista are among the local theaters premiering works during Destinos, the fifth Chicago International Latino Theater Festival showcasing Latino theater artists from the Chicago area, the U.S. and Latin America. Six world premieres are among the 13 productions scheduled for the five-week festival produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, whose members dedicated this year's festival to CLATA's leader, the late Myrna Salazar.

Runs Wednesday, Sept. 14, through Oct. 16 at venues including the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.; The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.; Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.; National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St.; and Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, among others. $10-$74. (312) 631-3112 or destinosfest.org.

In other news

Check with venues about COVID-19 precautions.

• The Elgin Fringe Festival, an annual celebration of music, theater, dance, film and the visual arts, returns this weekend for its ninth year. Performers scheduled to appear include: The Therapy Players (psychotherapists by day, improv artists by night), Elgin Theatre Company, comic actor Timothy Mooney, improviser/storyteller Jimmy Carrane, comedian Brian Johnson and Possibilities Theatre Company, among others. Purchase buttons for general admission and tickets to individual performances at Side Street Studio Arts (Fringe Central), 15 Ziegler Court, Elgin. Free admission to some shows; $7 or $12 for others. See elginfringefestival.com.

• Cabaret chanteuse and Broadway veteran Karen Mason, an Arlington Heights native, celebrates the music of John Kander and Fred Ebb during her show "Kander & Ebb ... And All That Jazz," featuring music from "Cabaret," "Chicago" and other musicals. Mason performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $45, $55. Masks are encouraged. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• MadKap Productions presents "Falling for Make Believe," a musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart that tells the behind-the-scenes story about lyricist Hart's struggle with alcoholism, his sexual identity and his troubled relationship with composer Rodgers. Performances begin Friday, Sept. 9, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Masks are required. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.

• Previews begin Friday, Sept. 9, for The Factory Theater's premiere of "The HOA," about a couple who move to their dream home and then discover something's not quite right in the neighborhood. The show, directed by Christy Arington, opens Sept. 16 at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (866) 811-4111 or thefactorytheater.com.

• Lyric Opera of Chicago opens its 68th season with Guiseppe Verdi's "Ernani," about a nobleman, king and elderly uncle all in love with the same woman. Performances run Friday, Sept. 9, through Oct. 1 at 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Masks recommended. (312) 827-5600 or lyricopera.org.

• Refracted Theatre Company launches its inaugural season Thursday, Sept. 15, with the premiere of "St. Sebastian," an examination of racism and "wokeness" about a couple planning to flip a house in a Black neighborhood. The show opens Sept. 17 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. See thedentheatre.com.

• Randy Feltface, the comic puppet voiced and operated by Australian comedian Heath McIvor, headlines The Den Theatre Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 15-17. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre hosts its annual fundraiser, Metropolis Arts Stroll and Shop Soiree, from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The event features merchandise from local businesses, beverages and appetizers and includes a raffle. Tickets are $50 and are available at metropolisarts.com.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Criss Henderson announced last week he will step down as executive director later this year. "There are new creative chapters and artistic projects that I want to bring to fruition outside of the day-to-day operations of running a theater," Henderson said in a prepared statement. "As Chicago Shakespeare passes its 36th year, I feel the theater is ready for an infusion of fresh perspectives and next-generation vision." Under the leadership of Henderson and founder/artistic director Barbara Gaines (who will step down next year), CST received the regional theater Tony Award in 2008 along with multiple Laurence Olivier and Joseph Jefferson Awards. Under their leadership, CST moved to Navy Pier in 1999. Henderson also developed The Yard, a state-of-the-art performance space built at Chicago Shakespeare in 2016, the same year he spearheaded Shakespeare 400 Chicago. "Criss made a lot of magic happen here for many years," Gaines said in a prepared statement. "Chicago Shakes wouldn't be as spectacular an institution without him."

• Teatro Vista announced it will premiere two new in-person shows and two digital works as part of its 2022-2023 season dubbed "Shadow Work." The in-person season begins Sept. 21 at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre (1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago) with the psychological thriller "Enough to Let the Light In," about a night between friends that descends into chaos as secrets are revealed. That's followed in spring 2023 by actor/writer Paloma Nozicka's "The Dream King" (dates and venue to be determined), a musical by Marvin Quijada that uses no words to tell the story of a man who falls in love with his dream woman in his dreams. The digital season includes Isaac Gomez's "La Vuelta," about how our existence has a ripple effect, especially during times of crisis, and season two of Gabriel Ruiz's serial fiction podcast "The Fifth World," about a man producing a true crime story about a missing child. See teatrovista.org.

• About Face Theatre, an ensemble dedicated to sharing the stories of the LGBTQ+ community, begins its 28th season Nov. 17 with "Mosque4Mosque," about a queer, Arab-American Muslim man whose mother attempts to find the perfect man for him to marry. That's followed by "Gender Play, or What You Will" (May 4-June 3, 2023), an examination of William Shakespeare's plays from a queer perspective. Performances take place at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Admission is pay-what-you-can. See aboutfacetheatre.com.

• During its 2022-2023 season, Invictus Theatre Company explores the power of rhetoric to move groups of people with three politics-centered plays. First up is William Shakespeare's "Julius Ceasar" (Oct. 20-Nov. 20), about one time comrades who plot Caesar's assassination because they fear he aspires to be emperor. That's followed by Katori Hall's "The Mountaintop" (Feb. 16-March 19, 2023), a re-imagination of the events leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 assassination. The season concludes with Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" (May 11-June 11, 2023), a commentary on McCarthyism expressed through a Salem witch trial. Performances take place at 1106 W. Thorndale, Chicago. Subscriptions are $75. See invictustheatreco.com.