Although bustling activity is not necessarily a gauge of financial prosperity or artistic quality, it’s worth noting that the 1997-98 season in Chicago is beginning with every available theater space in the area booked with at least one significant performing arts attraction for the remaining months of 1997.
That means houses ranging from 4,000 to 40 seats, will have at least one multi-week dance, music, opera or theater engagement.
Coming in the wake of a somber summer, marked by the closing of the 36-year-old Candlelight Dinner Playhouse — and the loss of the productions of the musicals “Funny Girl,” “Some Like It Hot” and Can-Can” and the comedies “The Food Chain” and “Moon Over Buffalo” that Candlelight and its sister theater the Forum had on their season schedules — this annual burst of renewed activity is especially welcome.
The following list, which runs through the end of 1997, gives an indication of the amazing variety of theater available here in both large commercial houses and small not-for-profit venues. Theaters with subscription series that run into the new year are marked with an asterisk; further information on their seasons is available by mail or a call to the box office.
Information on continuing shows that have already opened can be found in the weekly theater listings of the Tribune’s Friday section.
Best bets
There is no such thing as a sure-fire hit in any theater season, but–based on premise, potential, track record, obvious merits, word-of-mouth and gut instinct– here are a few shows that look like winners in the months ahead:
– The Gin Game. A Pulitzer Prize script by D. L. Coburn, the powerhouse acting duo of Julie Harris and Charles Durning, and a sheaf of excellent reviews in its just-ended Broadway engagement indicate that this tale of two lonely, cantankerous souls in a retirement home may do very well in its Chicago engagement, which begins previews Tuesday and opens Sept. 14. Advance sales at the box office of the Royal George Theatre have been strong.
– The Steward of Christendom. Sebastian Barry’s drama, based on his own family history, was a great critical hit in its London and New York engagements; and its Chicago debut at the Organic Touchstone Theatre has an alluring bit of casting. Laurence McCauley, an actor best known here for his work in comedy and farce, will portray the former Dublin police superintendent who relives his stormy past while confined to a mental institution. Previews begin Sept. 16, with a Sept. 22 opening, through Nov. 9.
– Beauty and the Beast. This live stage production of the hit animated feature film marked the Walt Disney Company’s first excursion into Broadway musical theater. It made a big splash in 1994 when it premiered in New York, where it is still running, and now it arrives here in the Disney-leased Chicago Theatre, starting its scheduled 20-week engagement Oct. 19, after two days of previews. Look for lavish sets and costumes and many special effects, plus those Oscar-winning songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
– The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare Repertory, solidly established as a premiere presenter of the Bard’s works in North America, opens its season with director Barbara Gaines’ take on a society in which everybody, Jews and WASPs alike, is mad about making money. Oct. 19-Dec. 7 at the Ruth Page Theatre.
– Rent. Another Pulitzer Prize (plus Tony Award) winner, the late Jonathan Larson’s phenomenal 1996 update of “La Boheme,” set among starving, alienated artists in the East Village, hasn’t spawned any new wave of rock musicals, but its performance in touring editions has shown that it has drawing power outside of its immediate New York area. Here at the Shubert Theatre, where the show begins previews Nov. 5 and opens Nov. 10, “Rent” is scheduled for a 12-week engagement.
Events
Chicago Theatre
175 N. State St. 312-902-1500
Disney’s `Beauty and the Beast.’ The cartoon feature comes to life, complete with dancing candlesticks and singing teapots. Oct. 19-March 1.
Civic Opera House
20 N. Wacker Dr. 312-902-1500
Annie. The 20th anniversary production of the Broadway musical, with Nell Carter as Miss Hannigan, the mean old orphanage director. Dec. 23-28.
Shubert Theatre
22 W. Monroe St. 312-902-1500
Rent. The phenomenal Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award rock musical, a “La Boheme” for the ’90s. Opens Nov. 10.
Apollo Theatre
2540 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-935-6100
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. A biomusical, first produced in London, based on the life and music of the American pop-rock star. Opens Oct. 28.
Briar Street Theatre
3133 N.Halsted St. 773-348-4000
Blue Man Group. The off-Broadway hit, featuring a trio of blue-painted men who engage in high jinks and audience participation, makes it to Chicago. Opens Oct. 12.
Mercury Theatre
3745 N. Southport Ave. 773-325-1700
Triple Espresso. Three guys in a coffee house put on a show of mime, music and magic in this Minneapolis-originated hit. Nov. 9-Jan. 4.
Royal George Theatre
1641 N. Halsted St. 312-988-9000
The Gin Game. Julie Harris and Charles Durning star in the recent, acclaimed revival of D. L. Coburn’s Pulitzer Prize drama about a couple of feisty oldsters in a retirement home. Sept. 14-Nov. 16.
Theatre Building
1225 W. Belmont Ave. 773-327-5252
Sweet and Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen. A new revue. Sept. 7-Oct. 12.
The Woman in Black. A hit London ghost story, presented in its Chicago premiere by Blood Curdling Productions. Opens Oct. 28.
Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace*
100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. 630-530-0111
South Pacific. The “Some Enchanted Evening” musical, set on a Pacific island in World War II. Oct. 19-Jan. 4.
Drury Lane Theatre*
2500 W. 95th St., Evergreen Park. 708-422-0404
A Talent for Murder. Mystery comedy. Sept. 12-Oct. 19.
Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theatre*
10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire. 847-634-0200
Guys & Dolls. The classic “musical fable of Broadway.” Oct. 29-Jan. 18.
Rosemont Theatre
5400 N. River Rd., Rosemont.312-559-1212
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. A touring version of the New York show, with the Rockettes. Dec. 11-27.
Goodman Theatre*
200 S. Columbus Dr. 312-443-3800
As You Like It. Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, reset in the 19th Century American West. Sept. 29-Nov. 1.
Lillian. David Cale’s new one-man show about a fascinating middle-aged woman. Oct. 27-Nov. 16 in the Goodman Studio.
A Christmas Carol. The 20th annual production of Charles Dickens’ holiday story. Nov. 16-Dec. 30.
Shakespeare Repertory*
1016 N. Dearborn St. 312-642-2273
The Merchant of Venice. Barbara Gaines directs. Oct. 19-Dec. 7.
Steppenwolf Theatre*
1650 N. Halsted St. 312-335-1650
Skylight. Chicago premiere of David Hare’s drama of romantic love and social angst. Sept. 21-Nov. 2.
Space. Tina Landau writes and directs a tale of extra terrestrials. Dec. 7-Jan. 24.
American Theater Company*
3855 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-929-1031
A Stone Carver. Chicago premiere of William Mastrosimone’s working-man’s tragedy. Sept. 8-Oct. 5.
Scapin. A new version of Moliere’s comedy. Dec. 1-28.
Black Ensemble Theater
4520 N. Beacon St. 773-769-4451.
A Tribute to Mr. B (The Music of Billy Eckstine. A cabaret revue about the pop singer. Sept. 19-Oct. 5.
Chicago Theatre Company*
500 E. 67th St. 773-493-5360
A Red Death. Premiere of a stage adaptation of Walter Mosley’s detective novel on the adventures of private eye Easy Rawlins. Sept. 19-Nov. 9.
Court Theatre*
5535 S. Ellis Ave. 773-753-4472
The Iphigenia Cycle. Joanne Akalaitis turns her directing talents to Euripides’ tragedy, in a new translation by Nicholas Rudall. Sept. 15-Oct. 5.
Putting It Together. A musical stitched together with more than 30 songs by Stephen Sondheim. Nov. 7-Dec. 7.
Organic Touchstone Company*
2851 N. Halsted St. 773-404-4700
The Steward of Christendom. Sebastian Barry’s much-praised London hit about a maddened Irishman who had once served as Dublin’s police superintendent, with Laurence McCauley in the title role. Sept. 16-Nov. 9.
After-Play. A comedy by Anne Meara about the post-play reunion of two show-business couples. Nov. 18-Jan. 18.
Victory Gardens Theater*
2257 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-871-3000
The Sutherland. A new play by Charles Smith about the legendary South Side mecca of jazz. Sept. 18-Oct. 26.
Prelude, Fugue & Riffs. A new comedy by James Sherman. Nov. 13-Dec. 7.
Always … Patsy Cline. The long-run biomusical about the late Country-Western singer moves to the upstairs theater of Victory Gardens starting Oct. 17.
Platform Players
The Cure at Troy. Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney’s version of Sophocles’ “Philoctetes,” presented in a staged reading. At 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at Mandel Hall, 57th Street and University Ave. (773-702-7300); 7 and 9 p.m. Oct. 13 at Steppenwolf Studio Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. (312-335-1650), and 7 p.m. at The Arts Club of Chicago, 200 E. Ontario St. (312-787-3997). Tickets are $15.
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Ave. 312-397-4010
Pussy, King of the Pirates. A collaboration between novelist Kathy Acker and punk rockers The Mekons. Sept.19-21.
The Wooster Group. Chicago premiere of the New York avant-garde theater troupe. Works to be presented are “House/Lights,” “Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights” and “The Olga Trilogy: Olga’s House of Shame.” Nov. 12-16.
Bryn Magnus. The Chicago storyteller, in tandem with the screening of a movie about Hollywood. Dec. 4-6.
Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington St. 312-744-6630.
The Glass Menagerie. Tennessee Williams’ play launches a series of free staged readings of significant works reviewed by the late Chicago critic Claudia Cassidy. Sept. 21-29.
The Millionairess. Free staged reading of George Bernard Shaw’s comedy. Oct. 25-Nov. 17.
Lute Song. A Chinese fantasy/romance devised by Sidney Howard and Will Irwin. Second in the Cassidy series of free staged readings. Dec. 7-15.
Chicago Public Library
400 S. State St. 773-252-5433
Henry VI, Part 2. A free presentation by the Shakespeare Project in its “War of the Roses” cycle. Sept. 13.
Apple Tree Theatre*
595 Elm Pl., Highland Park. 847-432-4335
Nine Armenians. Midwest premiere of a drama of an immigrant family. Opens Oct. 19.
After the Fair. A musical romance based on Thomas Hardy’s story. Opens Dec. 7.
Bog Theatre*
620 Lee St. Des Plaines. 847-296-0622
Mark Twain in Person. Richard Henzel in his one-man show. Oct. 3-26.
Illinois Theatre Center*
400A Lakewood Blvd., Park Forest. 708-481-3510.
The Tenth Man. Paddy Chayefsky’s comedy-drama of a modern-day exorcism. Sept. 19-Oct. 5.
Theme and Variations. Local premiere of a long-run Russian drama. Oct. 24-Nov. 9.
The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd. A rare revival of the Anthony Newley-Leslie Bricusse musical Dec. 5-21.
Next Theatre Company*
927 Noyes St., Evanston, 847-475-1875
El Paso Blue. Midwest premiere of Octavio Solis’ bluesy Western based on “Oedipus Rex,” presented with Teatro Vista. Sept. 22-Oct. 18.
Snow. A new work by Tom Szentgyorgi, whose “A Family Man” was presented by Next in 1994. Nov. 18-Dec. 13.
Northlight Theatre*
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 N. Skokie Blvd., Skokie. 847-673-6300
Thunder Knocking on the Door. Keith Glover directs his “blusical tale of rhythm and the blues.” Sept. 24-Oct. 19.
The Glass House. A new musical about a cabaret chanteuse, by Ellen “Bubbe Meises”) Gould. Dec. 10-Jan. 4.
Writers’ Theatre Chicago Books on Vernon,
664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe. 847-835-5398
Niedecker. Kristine Thatcher’s play about Wisconsin poet Lorine Niedecker. Sept. 18-Nov. 2.
Private Lives. The Noel Coward comedy of manners. Dec. 4-Jan. 18.
Arts Center at College of DuPage
425 22nd St., Glen Ellyn. 630-942-4000
Tales from Trashmania. Singer Bonnie Koloc’s multi-media “circus for the eyes.” Sept. 12-Oct. 12.
Mark Twain and the Laughing River. Jim Post’s show on the young Sam Clemens. Nov. 15.
The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University
University Park. 708-235-2222
A Chorus Line. Touring production of the classic musical. Sept. 26.
Miracle on 34th Street. Touring stage musical based on the holiday movie. Nov. 28.
Bailiwick Repertory
1229 W. Belmont Ave. 773-883-1090
Vanguards: 8 Stories of Life Before Liberation. True-life stories of eight gay Chicagoans. Sundays only, Sept. 7-21.
Equus. A revival of Peter Shaffer’s drama of a young man possessed, presented with deaf and hearing actors. Sept. 8-Oct. 19.
Mr. Nanny. A new comedy about parenting by Vicki Quade, a co-creator of the long-run, late-night “Late Nite Catechism.” Sept. 12-Nov. 9.
Smash. An adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher of George Bernard Shaw’s novel, “An Unsocial Socialist.” Oct. 6-Nov. 9.
Mrs. Coney. A family memoir of the Depression, written and directed by Belinda Bremner. Nov. 16-Dec. 21.
The Christmas Schooner. Return engagement of the holiday musical. Nov. 24-Jan.4.
Defiant Theatre
American Theatre Company, 3855 N. Lincoln Ave. 312-357-3461.
The Skriker. Caryl Churchill’s bizarre drama of a mythic figure in search of a human child has its Chicago premiere. Oct. 13-Nov. 16.
ETA Creative Arts Foundation*
7558 S. South Chicago Ave. 773-752-3955
This Far By Faith. Return engagement of the hit drama with music about a minister’s family. Sept. 18-Oct. 26.
Lifting. Drama by Frank J. Hightower. Nov. 13-Dec. 21.
Horsesense Productions
Neo-Futurarium, 5531 N. Ashland Ave. 312-409-2117
Hello Neighbor. Performance by writer/actress Barrie Cole. Sept. 12-Oct. 18.
Inclusive Theatre
Act One Studios, 640 N. LaSalle St. 312-365-2816
Independence. Lee Blessing’s drama of a mother and her three daughters. Sept. 12-Oct. 5.
Kuumba Theatre
Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Van Buren St. 312-421-7880
From the Mississippi Delta. One woman’s rise from poverty to enlightenment, in an autobiographical drama based on the memoirs of Ida Mae Holland.
Lifeline Theatre*
6912 N. Glenwood Ave. 773-761-0667
Lizard Music. Return of the 1992 musical about an 11-year-old boy and his singing lizards. Sept. 24-Jan. 4.
Lookingglass Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Studio Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. 312-477-8088
The Arabian Nights. A revival of director Mary Zimmerman’s storytelling fantasy. Dec. 5-Jan. 4.
Nova Productions
Cafe Voltaire, 3231 N. Clark St. 773-395-5757
Baglady. Drama by Frank McGuinness. Set. 22-Oct. 28.
Old Nehamkin Theatre Company
Cafe Voltaire, 3231 N. Clark St. 773-327-3951
Life and Limb. Keith Reddin’s dark, bittersweet, poignant romantic comedy set in the Eisenhower era. Oct. 2-30.
Pegasus Players*
O’Rourke Center of Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave. 773-878-9761
Genesis. A one-person dramatization of the first book of the Bible. Sept. 24-Oct. 28.
Porchlight Theatre Ensemble
Victory Gardens Studio, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-871-3000
Macabaret. A musical revue. Sept. 11-Oct. 11
Red Wolf Theatre Company
Angel Island, 731 W. Sheridan Rd. 312-409-6024
The Glass Menagerie. Tennessee Williams’ drama introduces a new theater company. Sept. 12-Oct. 12.
Strawdog Theatre Company*
3829 N. Broadway. 773-528-9696
Dark Rapture. Eric Overmyer’s homage to film noir opens the theater’s 10th season. Sept. 8-Oct. 12.
StreetSigns
2074 N. Leavitt Ave. 773-296-1875
Three Men in a Boat. A new adaptation of the 19th Century English comic novel. Sept. 10-Oct. 12.
TeenStreet Theatre
Steppenwolf Studio Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. 773-772-7248
Body House-a jazz tricycle. A new work by the teen acting company. Sept. 12-18.
Stage Right Dinner Theatre
276 E. Irving Park Rd., Wood Dale. 630-595-2044
Hello Dolly! The musical. Sept. 19-Oct. 26.
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* denotes theaters with subscription series that run into the new year; further information on their seasons is available by mail or a call to the box office.
