Spotlight: 'Damn Yankees' steps up to the plate at Marriott Theatre

Batter up

"A strong team can be nine on the field or just one special person by your side," said James Vásquez, director of Marriott Theatre's revival of the musical "Damn Yankees." Based on Douglass Wallop's 1954 novel "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant," the show is about the Faustian bargain baseball fan Joe Boyd makes to ensure his beloved Senators' pennant victory over the New York Yankees.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, April 12-13; 8 p.m. Friday, April 14; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 15; 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, April 16; and 1 p.m. April 19 at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens April 19. Tickets start at $54. Masks recommended. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

School days

Paramount Theatre presents "School of Rock," the musical adapted from the 2003 film starring Jack Black as a wannabe rocker turned prep school substitute teacher Dewey Finn who forms a rock band made up of grade-school students. Trent Stork directs Paramount's regional premiere of the Andrew Lloyd Webber tuner.

Previews at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 12 and 19; Thursday, April 13 and 20; 8 p.m. Friday, April 14; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 15; 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 16; and 1:30 p.m. April 19 at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. The show opens April 21. $28-$79. Masks recommended. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

'Grease' is the word

Drury Lane Theatre opens its season with a revival of "Grease," the born-in-Chicago musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey (with additional songs by John Farrar). Set in 1959 at the fictional Rydell High School, the show centers around the unlikely romance between greaser Danny Zuko (Jake DiMaggio Lopez) and good girl Sandy Dumbrowski (Emily Schultheis). Paul Stancato directs and choreographs.

Previews at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12 and 19; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13 and April 19; 7 p.m. Friday, April 14; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 15; and 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. $85-$95. Masks recommended. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.

In other news

Check with venues about COVID-19 precautions.

• Remy Bumppo Theatre premieres "Galileo's Daughter," Jessica Dickey's examination of faith and forgiveness about a playwright studying the letters between Galileo Galilei and his eldest daughter, Maria Celeste, who - as a result of threats against her father - is forced to abandon her work and join a convent. The production marks artistic director Marti Lyons' Remy Bumppo directing debut. Previews continue through Sunday, April 9, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, April 13. (773) 975-8150 or remybumppo.org.

• Previews continue for A Red Orchid Theatre's Chicago premiere of "Is God Is," Aleshea Harris's drama about twins who receive a letter from the mother they thought was dead asking them to avenge her in an especially violent way. The show opens April 15 at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. Masks recommended. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• Practical Theater Company continues its 44th anniversary celebration at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 8-9, at Studio5, 1934 Dempster St., Evanston. Victoria Zielinski, Paul Barrosse and Dana Olsen perform their comedy revue in the style of an old-time radio broadcast, complete with sound effects. A party celebrating 44 years and including music and sketch comedy takes place April 15. See studio5.dance.

• The Conspirators, a new Chicago theater and performance collective, presents "The Jesus Christ Superstar Do-It-Yourself Messiah Complex," a singalong celebration of the 1970 rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The performance takes place at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 9, at The Conspiratorium, 755 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. Email witness@conspirewithus.org.

• Former Goodman Theatre artistic director Robert Falls returns to his artistic home to helm his adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard," about a widow who returns to her estate to find the heavily mortgaged property is about to be sold. Previews continue through April 9 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens Monday, April 10. Masks recommended. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Performances begin Tuesday, April 11, at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago, for "Jagged Little Pill," the Broadway tuner adapted from Alanis Morissette's hit 1995 album. The musical, featuring a book by Lemont native Diablo Cody, touches on racism, sexuality and drug abuse in telling the story of a troubled Connecticut family. Masks recommended. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Comedian Dan Perlman (Showtime's "Flatbush Misdemeanors") headlines The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8. Also at The Den, comedian Patti Vasquez joins "Hot Dish," a combination comedy and cooking show, at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 16. Masks recommended. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• "Out of the Loop," a documentary about the Chicago stand-up comedy scene featuring interviews with Jeff Garlin, Deon Cole, Judy Tenuta, Hannibal Buress and others, will be released on Amazon.com and streaming services on Tuesday, April 11.

• The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre hosts its annual fundraiser gala on April 29 at Cotillion Banquets, 360 S. Creekside Drive, Palatine. Chris Petlak, morning host on 101.9-FM The Mix, serves as emcee and auctioneer for the gala, which includes dinner, live and silent auctions and a performance by singer/actress Mary Kate Morrissey, standby for Elphaba in Broadway's "Wicked," who also played the role on the national tour and co-starred in the national tour of "Mean Girls." Single tickets are $150 and must be purchased by April 17. See metropolisarts.com.

• Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a company dedicated to producing opera in a storefront setting, announced its 10th season will be its last. The final production will be "The Consul," Gian Carlo Menotti's 1950 opera about a dissident attempting to flee a totalitarian state with his wife, child and mother. Performances run Sept. 23 through Oct. 8 at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago. See thirdeyete.org.

• Goodman Theatre announced its 2023-2024 season, titled "Remix Reality." and the first curated by artistic director Susan V. Booth who took over last year as Goodman's artistic director. The Albert Theatre's season begins Sept. 16 with "The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years." The comedy about African American debutantes by frequent Booth collaborator Pearl Cleage is the centerpiece of a citywide celebration of the playwright marked by productions at Congo Square, Definition Theatre, ETA Creative Arts Foundation, MPAACT, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and others. The 46th annual "A Christmas Carol," starring Larry Yando as Scrooge, runs from Nov. 18 to Dec. 31. Next up is the premiere of "Highway Patrol" (Jan. 20-Feb. 18, 2024), a new thriller based on the digital archives of Emmy Award-winning actress Dana Delany, who became Twitter friends with a 13-year-old fan. That's followed by "The Penelopiad" (March 2-31, 2024), Margaret Atwood's play about Penelope's 20-year domestic vigil waiting for her husband, Odysseys, to return from the Trojan War. Goodman's major revival of August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," about a man searching the country for his estranged wife, runs April 13-May 19, 2024. The Albert season concludes with the premiere of "Female Troubles: A Period Piece" (June 25-Aug. 4, 2024), a musical about a young woman who is unmarried and pregnant in 19th-century England.

The Owen Theatre's season begins Sept. 29 with "Lucha Teotla," a 90-minute wrestling tale about family, honor and tradition produced in collaboration with the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance. That's followed by director Mary Zimmerman's adaptation of "The Matchbox Magic Flute" (Feb. 10-March 10, 2024), an intimate version of Mozart's "The Magic Flute." The Owen season concludes with "English" (May 10-June 9, 2024), a Guthrie Theater co-production of Sanaz Toossi's off-Broadway play about four adult Iranian students studying for an English test that they must pass for various reasons.

Performances take place at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Five-play Albert subscriptions start at $110. Three-play Owen subscriptions start at $48. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org/remix.