Spotlight: Chester Gregory salutes soul music legends at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre

10th anniversary, take two

BrightSide Theatre revisits its pandemic-interrupted 10th anniversary season with a revival of "She Loves Me," the Jerry Boch-Sheldon Harnick musical about quarrelsome co-workers who both respond to "lonely hearts" newspaper ads and unwittingly wind up writing love letters to each other. Artistic director Jeffrey Cass directs.

Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville. $33, $28. Masks required. (630) 447-8497 or brightsidetheatre.com.

Remy Bumppo's 'Routes'

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company concludes its season with "Routes," Rachel De-lahay's new play about national identity and the complexities of the United Kingdom's immigration system. The play weaves together several stories: A Nigerian man desperate to return to his family in London, a naturalized Brit stuck in immigration limbo, and a youthful offender whose mother works for border control. Mikael Burke directs.

Previews continue at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14-15, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Oct. 20. $30-$40. Proof of vaccination required, masks recommended. (773) 975-8150 or remybumppo.org.

Soul celebration

Actor/vocalist Chester Gregory honors soul legends Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson and others in his revue "Higher and Higher: A Rock 'n' Roll Party With Chester Gregory," the next in the Artists Lounge Live series at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre.

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $45, $50. Masks recommended. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

In other news

Check with venues about COVID-19 precautions.

• Previews continue for Goodman Theatre's premiere of "Swing State," artistic associate Rebecca Gilman's portrait of America's heartland centered on a solitary widow living in rural Wisconsin whose only visitor is a friend with a checkered past. This marks Gilman's ninth Goodman premiere and the sixth collaboration with outgoing artistic director Robert Falls, who helms the production. Previews continue through Saturday, Oct. 15, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, Oct. 16. Masks required. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Prop Thtr premieres "The Clean-Up," a play by Hallie Palladino commissioned and developed through the theater's 2021 play development lab. Previews continue through Thursday, Oct. 20, for this dramedy about the child-care crisis and the challenges of parenting. The not-for-kids-comedy opens Oct. 21 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. See propthtr.org.

• An imagined meeting between Mexican painter Frida Khalo and 17th-century Mexican poet Sor Juana is the subject of "Cintas de Seda," Norge Espinosa Mendoza's play making its North American debut on Friday, Oct. 14, as part of Destinos: The 5th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Performances run through Nov. 20 at Aguijon Theater, 2707 N. Laramie Ave., Chicago. See aguijontheater.org or clata.org.

• Also premiering during Destinos: The 5th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival is "The Wizards," about a Black LGBTQ couple who find a Ouija board that puts them in contact with The Wizards, a fictional Mexican American, 1970s Motown cover band from Chicago's South Side. Performances run Friday, Oct. 14, through Nov. 19 at the APO Cultural Center, 1438 W. 18th St., Chicago. See clata.org.

• The Annoyance Theatre celebrates its 35th anniversary this weekend with an all-star show at 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. That's followed at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, with an open-stage show featuring alumni and current performers. Tickets are $20 for the all-star show and free for the open-stage show. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Broadway in Chicago presents a staged concert version of the musical "Children of Eden" at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. Grammy Award-winner Michelle Williams and Broadway veteran Randal Keith are among the singers performing the musical by Stephen Schwartz, which tells the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel and Noah. Masks required. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons, known for being an Emmy Award-winning writer/producer for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," headlines The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. Prior to his performance, The Den hosts the comedy podcast "Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet," consisting of dramatic readings of one-star reviews "written by real people with not-so-real problems." The podcast is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. Lastly, writer/actor/comedian Michael Ian Black ("Ed," "The State, "Reno 911!") headlines shows at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 and 7 and 9:15 p.m. Oct. 22. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required; masks recommended. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• Michael Ingersoll channels the late singer/songwriter Glenn Campbell in "Southern Nights: Michael Ingersoll Sings Glen Campbell." The "Jersey Boys" star performs "Gentle on My Mind," "Galveston," "Wichita Lineman" and other hits at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, and 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Tickets are $55. Masks recommended. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

• Venus Cabaret Theatre at the Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, presents "Carrie II: The Rage, The Unauthorized Musical Parody," inspired by the 1999 sequel to "Carrie," at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17. See mercurytheaterchicago.com.

• Previews begin Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Madison Street Theatre, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park, for 16th Street Theater's "Man and Moon." Produced in cooperation with Dragonfly Theatre Company, the play unfolds in an oncology unit waiting room where an unlikely friendship develops between a 12-year-old girl and a transgender man in the process of transitioning. The play opens Oct. 21. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masks required. (708) 795-6704 or 16thstreettheater.org.

• A Theater in the Dark presents workshop productions of "A Virgin Death," a new play about grief by Chicago writer Ian Ornstein, from Oct. 20-23 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The play centers around five friends who gather several years after a tragic loss in an attempt to move forward. See athenaeumcenter.org.

• The famed Blue Man Group celebrates 25 years Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted St., Chicago. People attending that performance will experience a few surprises during the show and receive a gift after the performance. Tickets start at $49. In celebration of the anniversary, Illinois residents can receive 25% off select seats through Dec. 1. (800) 258-3626 or blueman.com/chicago.

• Black Ensemble Theater hosts its Legacy Gala 2022: Rejoice, Restore and Rejuvenate from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. The event includes hors d'oeuvres, food stations, dancing and musical entertaining featuring selections from the American songbook. Proceeds fund BET productions and educational outreach efforts. (773) 754-3914 or blackensembletheater.org.

• First Folio Theatre supporters have until Oct. 23 to bid on items in the theater's annual auction fundraiser. Items include theater, ballet, symphony and opera tickets, jewelry, restaurant gift certificates, golf foursomes, Chicago Blackhawks tickets and more. (630) 986-8067.

• BoHo Theater executive director Sana Selemon, a Marriott Theatre artistic assistant and a Boho company member since 2019, announced she will step down in March 2023. A search for her replacement is ongoing.

• Shattered Globe Theatre's 2022-2023 season began with its production of "Stew," which runs through Oct. 22 at Theater Wit. The season continues Jan. 27, 2023, with the premiere of "Radial Gradient," Jasmine Sharma's play about three women who take part in a research study about creating positive change in the wake of a hate crime. That's followed by the U.S. premiere of "London Road" (April 21-June 3, 2023) an experimental musical by writer/lyricist Alecky Blythe and composer/lyricist Adam Clark based on a true story about the residents of a small town in the United Kingdom trying to cope with the serial murder of five sex workers. Performances take place at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Season subscriptions range from $55 to $115. See sgtheatre.org.