Spotlight: ‘Da Vinci Code’ thriller at Drury Lane, ‘Titanic’ tuner at Marriott
From the page to the stage
Drury Lane Theatre stages the Midwest premiere of “The Da Vinci Code,” adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel from Dan Brown’s bestselling 2003 novel. The mystery thriller centers on a Harvard professor and a French police cryptographer who team up to solve the murder of a Louvre Museum curator. In the process, they find themselves in the dispute between religious factions over whether Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child together.
Previews at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9 and 16; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, April 10; 7 p.m. April 11; 3 and 8 p.m. April 12; and 2 and 6 p.m. April 13 at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens April 17. $75-$150, dinner and show packages available. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.
Tuner sets sail
Marriott Theatre’s 50th anniversary season continues with a revival of “Titanic,” the rarely produced 1997 musical by composer/lyricist Maury Yeston and writer Peter Stone, inspired by the passengers on “the ship of dreams” purported to be unsinkable. Director/choreographer Connor Gallagher makes his Marriott debut helming a cast that includes David Girolmo as Captain E.J. Smith, Alex Goodrich as White Star Line chairman J. Bruce Ismay, Christopher Kale Jones as the ship’s designer Thomas Andrews and Lillian Castillo as second class passenger Alice Beane.
Previews at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, April 9-10; 7:30 p.m. April 11; 4 and 8 p.m. April 12; and 1 and 5 p.m. April 13 at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens April 16. $68-$81. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.
Raven Theatre remounts CCT favorite
Raven Theatre hosts a limited run of Chicago Children’s Theatre’s popular production “The Beatrix Potter Tea Party,” which incorporates puppets and music to tell “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” “The Tailor of Gloucester” and other Potter stories.
9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6 and through April 20, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. $40, $20 for kids 3 and younger. raventheatre.com.
Mamet Midwest premiere
Victory Gardens Theater, in association with Relentless Theatre Group, stages the Midwest premiere of “Henry Johnson,” the latest work by David Mamet. A play about ethics and manipulation, it’s about a middle-aged man navigating the corporate world and prison life. Teatro Vista co-founder Edward Torres directs a cast that includes Thomas Gibson (“Criminal Minds,” “Dharma and Greg”), Keith Kupferer (“Ghostlight”), Al’Jaleel McGhee and Daniil Krimer.
Previews at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, April 9-11, and 3 and 7:30 p.m. April 12 at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $64-$69. victorygardens.org.
Welcome to ‘Scary Town’
A bunny named Deven has lived happily in Merry Town all his life, but as he turns 13, he discovers a family secret that causes him to reconsider everything he knows in “Scary Town,” premiering at Hell in a Handbag Productions. Artistic director David Cerda wrote the adults-only play inspired in part by soap operas as well as the work of children’s author Richard Scarry and filmmaker David Lynch.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, April 9-11, at The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave., Chicago. The show opens April 12. $22-$35. handbagproductions.org.