Spotlight: City Lit stages 'Happy Days,' Buffalo Grove native stars in Artistic Home's 'Dying for It'
Not so 'Happy Days'
Kayla Boye plays a woman who remains endlessly optimistic despite being buried waist-deep in a mound in "Happy Days," Samuel Beckett's tragicomic examination of loneliness, inertia and death. Jon Dambacher directs. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 17-18, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 19, through April 2 at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. $30. Masks encouraged. See facebook.com/kayla.boye.
Tragicomedy
A ragtag team of early Soviet Russians - including a dissatisfied intellectual, a questionable priest and a controversial writer - seek to profit from the actions of Semyon, an unemployed young man who has an obsessive urge to commit suicide in "Dying for It," Moira Buffini's tragedy turned slapstick comedy. Buffini adapted the comedy from the 1928 satire "The Suicide" by Soviet dramatist and screenwriter Nikolai Erdman. Buffalo Grove native Daniel Shtivelberg plays Semyon in The Artistic Home's revival. Previews at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 18, and Wednesday, March 23, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 19, at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, March 23. $15, $35. Masks recommended. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.
In other news
Check with venues about COVID-19 precautions.
• The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, celebrates St. Patrick's Day with two evenings of standup comedy dubbed "Shamrock Shenanigans" featuring Adam Burke, Jeannie Doogan (March 17 only), Sean Flannery, Chelsea Hood (March 18 only), with Joe Kilgallon and Kristen Toomey. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 17, and 7:15 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 18. Masks encouraged. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.
• Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, premieres its choose-your-own-adventure-style "Think Fast, Jordan Chase" on Saturday, March 18. For kids 8 and older, the production centers on people who are young, Black, Queer and have disabilities to tell a story about new friendships and staying true to oneself. "This play is about bullying, but there are no villains," said playwright Sonia Goldberg in a prepared statement. "A 'bully' is always someone in the thick of navigating big emotions ... Sometimes there are misunderstandings that get in the way of connection. If you learn to take a breath and listen, a world of opportunities opens up." See filamenttheatre.org.
• "Hot Dish!" a comedy cooking and interview show, comes to The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 19. Comedians Lauren Hooberman, Colleen Brennan and Amy Sumpter team up with broadcaster Jill Hopkins for the show, which includes interviews, trivia and a tasting. Also at The Den, Irish comedian David Nihill headlines a special taping at 7:15 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25. Masks recommended. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.
• Previews begin Thursday, March 23, for Redtwist Theatre's premiere of "Babel," Jacqueline Goldfinger's dark, future-set comedy about two couples trying to get pregnant in a world where eugenics is a reality. Associate artistic director Rinska Carrasco-Prestinary directs the show, which opens March 26 at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. See redtwisttheatre.org.
• Idle Muse Theatre Company premieres "The Last Queen of Camelot," adapted from Arthurian legends and directed by artistic director Evan Jackson. The play centers on Queen Guinevere and Morgan Le Fey, the two most powerful women in Camelot, who struggle to control their destiny as King Arthur's final battle looms. Previews begin Thursday, March 23, at The Edge Off-Broadway Theater, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago. The show opens March 25. (773) 340-9438 or idlemuse.org.
• Writers Theatre has extended its hit revival of the musical "Once," adapted from the 2007 Irish film about a heartbroken musician considering giving up music until he meets a woman who convinces him to do otherwise. Performances run through April 16 at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.
• Polarity Ensemble Theatre founder and artistic director Richard Engling releases his third novel, "Give My Regards to Nowhere," on Wednesday, March 22. Inspired by Engling's experiences as a member of Chicago's storefront theater community, it tells the story of a director who puts his marriage and his finances at risk to produce Shakespeare his way. See polarityensemblebooks.com.
• Refracted Theatre Company's 2023 season begins March 28 with a free monthly play reading and discussion program titled Roll Call. A workshop production of Mathilde Dratwa's "A Play About David Mamet Writing a Play About Harvey Weinstein," a dark comedy about sexism, institutional misogyny and predators, takes place in the spring. That's followed this summer by "Tambo & Bones," Dave Harris' play about two people trapped in a minstrel show. See refractedco.com.