On stage: Goodman examines language, identity in Chicago premiere of ‘English’
Pulitzer Prize-winner opens at Goodman
In a Tehran school, four Iranian adults prepare to take the English language exam that could dictate the next chapter of their lives in “English,” Sanaz Toossi’s 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning play in its Chicago premiere at Goodman Theatre. Iranian director Hamid Dehghani helms the production. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 10-11 and 17-18; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 12 and 19; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, May 15-17, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens May 20. $15-$55. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.
Seminal novel adapted for the stage
Lifeline Theatre’s 2023-2024 season continues with Nambi E. Kelley’s adaptation of “Native Son,” Richard Wright’s seminal 1940 novel about racial oppression and the anger, fear and violence it provokes in the oppressed. Ilesa Duncan directs the revival, which stars Tamarus Harvell as Bigger Thomas, a 20-year-old Black man struggling against white society’s perceptions. James Lewis co-stars as Bigger’s alter-ego, The Black Rat. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 10-11 and 17-18, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 12 and 19, at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens May 20. $25, $35. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.
A.B.L.E. ‘Odyssey’
The Chicago Shakespeare Theater teams up with A.B.L.E. — Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations — a group that creates theater for, with and by people with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities — to produce a version of Homer’s “The Odyssey” that incorporates music, movement and shadow puppetry. 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Tickets start at $15. (312) 595-5600 or ableensemble.com/events.
Family-friendly tale
The Young People’s Theatre of Chicago concludes its second season with a hip-hop, soul-infused musical adaptation of “Last Stop on Market Street,” Matt de la Peña’s award-winning tale of 6-year-old CJ, his grandmother, and their extraordinary bus ride. Adapted by Cheryl L. West, the show features a score by Paris Ray Dozier and his father, Lamont Dozier, of the famed Motown songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland. Preview at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at The Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11. $19, $25. (773) 404-7336 or yptchi.org.
SATC parody
The Arcada Theatre presents “Sex in the City, The ‘Super’ Unauthorized Musical Parody,” a send-up of the romantic dramedy TV series about four single women looking for love in 1990s New York City. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at The Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. $39-$59. (630) 962-7000 or arcadalive.com. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, at the Des Plaines Theatre, 1476 Miner St., Des Plaines. $25-$59. (224) 354-2333 or desplainestheatre.com/.
Raven Theatre premiere
Raven Theatre concludes its 41st season with a commission of “The Prodigal Daughter,” the third installment in playwright Joshua Allen’s Grand Boulevard Trilogy about Black families living in Chicago during the early 20th century. The action unfolds in the summer of 1919, during which at least 26 cities around the country were gripped by racial violence. It centers around salesperson Virginia Bass (Stephanie Mattos), whose return to Chicago to visit her family, including her estranged father, occurs at the height of the tension. Jerrell L. Henderson directs. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, May 16-18, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens May 22. $35-$45. raventheatre.com.
‘Pro-Am’ premiere
Brynne Frauenhoffer examines Miami’s professional-amateur porn scene in “Pro-Am,” in its premiere at First Floor Theater under director Rebecca Willingham. The play centers on rising star Chloe and trans performer Natasia, who are determined to extend their time in an industry where careers typically last only a few months. Previews at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 16, and May 18, 19 and 22 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens May 23. $5-$35. thedentheatre.com.