Spotlight: Pandemic-delayed 'Moulin Rouge' arrives in Chicago

'Moulin Rouge' arrives

The pandemic-delayed North American tour of the Tony Award-winning "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" kicks off in Chicago this week. Elgin native Courtney Reed stars as chanteuse Satine and Conor Ryan plays Christian, the young poet who battles the wealthy Duke of Monroth (David Harris) for her affections. Directed by Tony Award-winner Alex Timbers, "Moulin Rouge" is adapted from Baz Luhrmann's hit 2001 film.

Previews at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23; and 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, March 24-25; and through April 5 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. $52.50-$139. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (800) 775-2000 or broadwaychicago.com.

Chicago premiere

American Blues Theater presents the Chicago-area premiere of "Stand Up If You're Here Tonight," writer/director John Kolvenbach's solo play about a man desperate to connect with other people. ABT artistic affiliate Jim Ortlieb stars in the play inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The preview is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The opening is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 20. $27.75-$47.75. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. Masks optional after March 28. (773) 975-8150 or americanbluestheater.com.

Friendship-inspired tuner

The unlikely friendship between country western star Patsy Cline and Houston housewife Louise Seger inspired "Always ... Patsy Cline," the musical about the pen pal friendship the women struck up after meeting outside of one of Cline's concerts in 1961. Kevin Wiczer directs the Raue Center for the Arts revival, which stars Sarah Beth Tanner as Patsy and Michelle Tibble as Louise.

Opens at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 19, and runs through April 16 at 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Raue members: $27.65, nonmembers $39.50. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination not required. Masking required. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org.

Austen's 'Emma'

First Folio Theatre presents "Emma," Jane Austen's tale of a spirited young woman's well-meaning attempts at matchmaking. Rachel Lambert directs Phil Timberlake's adaptation, which features Vero Maynez as Emma Woodhouse, whose inflated sense of her own abilities upends her romantic life as well as those of her friends and neighbors.

Previews at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, and Friday, March 25, and 2 and 8 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. The show opens March 26. $29-$59. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

In other news

Check with venues about COVID-19 policies.

• "Easter Bunny Bingo," which ran for a week during 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered it, reopens Friday, March 18, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Creator Vicki Quade, Liz Cloud and Nancy Greco will alternate in the role of Mrs. Mary Margaret O'Brien, a former nun who calls bingo while explaining Easter traditions. The interactive show runs through April 16. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• Previews begin Friday, March 18, for a remount of The Factory Theater's "Last Night in Karaoke Town," which was suspended in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Written by Mike Beyer and Kirk Pynchon, the play is about the proprietor of a Cleveland karaoke bar threatened with closure, who hatches a plan with his longtime customers to preserve the watering hole. The show opens March 25 at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or thefactorytheater.com.

• Writer/director/producer Ken Levine, who shared a 1983 Emmy Award for best comedy series ("Cheers"), visits Aurora's Riverfront Playhouse for performances of his play "Upfronts and Personal." Levine will participate in post-show talkbacks on April 1 and 2. The play is about a television executive trying to present the network's upcoming season to sponsors while managing the egos of his writer/producers and dealing with his $1,000 per night hooker. The play runs Friday, March 18, through April 23 at 11-13 S. Water Street Mall, Aurora. (630) 897-9496 or riverfrontplayhouse.com.

• Comedian/writer/actress Beth Stelling, formerly of Chicago, headlines The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Stelling, whose stand-up special "Girl Daddy" is currently streaming on HBO Max, performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19. The Den requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• Otherworld Theatre's new interactive, sci-fi show, "Murder on the Horizon: An Immersive Sci-Fi Noir," previews Thursday, March 24, at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. Set in the distant future, when humans are genetically and technologically enhanced, the plot centers on the investigation into the murder of a scientist conducting secret research on a space station. Admission to the 90-minute show is limited to eight. "Murder on the Horizon" runs from March 25 to May 1. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking required. See otherworldtheatre.org.

• "Hamilton" star and Tony Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler) makes her Chicago concert debut at 7 p.m. April 9 at the Auditorium Theatre, Roosevelt University, 50 E. Ida Wells Drive, Chicago. An Auditorium Theatre fundraiser, "An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry" consists of pop, soul and Broadway classics, followed by cocktails, a buffet and entertainment. Tickets start at $60 for the performance only. Performance and post-show reception are $750. (312) 341-2300 or auditoriumtheatre.org.

• Misalliance Repertory Theatre, the company founded two years ago by veterans of Shaw Chicago, produced an audio version of James M. Barrie's 1915 play "The New Word," which unfolds the night before Russell, 19, leaves to serve as a second lieutenant in World War I. Barbara Zahora, artistic director of Oak Park Festival Theatre, directs the production, which is available online at misalliancerepertory.org. Free, but donations are accepted.

• The Sarah Siddons Society, which funds scholarships for promising theater arts students at several Chicago-area universities, awarded its Leading Artist Award to Elgin native Courtney Reed. The Broadway veteran - who debuted in New York City months after graduating from the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University - is currently starring as Satine in the North American tour of "Moulin Rouge! The Musical."

• Paramount Theatre artistic director and multiple Joseph Jefferson Award-winner (actor, choreographer, director) Jim Corti will receive Porchlight Music Theatre's Guy Adkins Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Musical Theater. The award will be presented during Porchlight's annual Chicago Sings fundraising concert, "Chicago Sings Stephen Sondheim," on May 23 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. See porchlightmusictheatre.org.

• Strawdog Theatre Company announced it has shifted to a free theater model in order to advance its mission of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. "This is an exciting new era for Strawdog as we continue to redefine what storefront theater and ensemble work means," said artistic director Kamille Dawkins in a prepared statement. "Strawdog aims to be transparent and approachable to our community, and a free theater model eliminates that invisible yet strong barrier of approachability, because our theater is now accessible to people of all income levels." To sustain itself, Strawdog will rely on recurring contributions and donations, including support from the following organizations: The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and The Saints. Reservations are required. See strawdog.org for information on the theater's upcoming production of "On the Greenbelt," running April 22 through May 28, at Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago.

• Shattered Globe Theatre recently announced new ensemble members, including actors Demetra Dee, Tina M. Jach, Jazzma Pryor and Devonte E. Washington; costume designer Hailey Rakowiecki; and actor/musician Tina Muñoz Pandya. New artistic associates include actors Mikey Gray, Lawrence Grimm and Adam Schulmerich; lighting designer Jason Lynch; technical director/lighting and sound engineer David Antonio Reed; and filmmaker/musician/teacher Leslie Ann Sheppard.

• Sideshow Theatre Company commences its 2022 season on March 25 with a pay-what-you-can staged reading of "Drive-In at the End of the World," Preston Choi's play about a pair of monster hunters battling big myths in a small town. That's followed on Aug. 19 with the premiere of "Pro-Am," ensemble member Brynne Frauenhoffer's play about Miami's professional/amateur porn scene. Performances take place at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. See sideshowtheatre.org.