“The truth got to come however it’s gonna come.” That’s a prophetic line in “HAMBONE,” a world premiere drama by Javon Johnson that opens at Victory Gardens Theater on Monday. Set in a South Carolina diner in 1988, this winner of the 1999 Theodore Ward competition for African-American playwrights explores four black men in a time of bewildering change (Jesse Jackson is running for president and James Brown is incarcerated for assaulting a cop) who struggle for truth, healing and renewal. Staged by Ron OJ Parson, “Hambone” drives home a lesson about the futility of trying to suppress the past: It always finds its way into the future.
“Hambone” runs through Feb. 25 at Victory Gardens Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-871-3000.
Other theater openings to note:
“The Producers,” Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.; 312-902-1400: Thursday night marks the local premiere of a Broadway-bound biggie — a musical version, by Mel Brooks and co-author Thomas Meehan, of Brooks’ celebrated 1968 film about a down-on-his-luck producer and a reluctant accountant. Desperate for glory or at least financial stability, these scammers set out to get rich by creating a tax-breaking flop show called “Springtime for Hitler.” Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick tackle the title roles in a staging by famed director and choreographer Susan Stroman.
“Betty’s Summer Vacation,” Roadworks Productions at Victory Gardens Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-871-3000: Opening Saturday in a staging by David Cromer (director of “Booth” and “Orson’s Shadow”), this Midwest premiere of the latest Obie-winning work by subversive satirist Christopher Durang (“Beyond Therapy,” “Baby with the Bathwater,” “Marriage of Bette and Boo”) is topical indeed. It skewers the phenomenon of reality television, along with the questionable morals of its participants and its seemingly insatiable audience. At a summer beach haunted by an unseen “studio audience,” four young renters must provide sensational entertainment in order to survive.
“Raised in Captivity,” Circle Theatre, 7300 W. Madison St., Forest Park; 708-771-0700: Ty Perry directs this revival of Nicky Silver’s popular black comedy, the story of five misfits trying to connect without killing each other. The mayhem opens Wednesday.
“The Crucible,” The Simple Theater at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St.; 773-278-7471, ext. 194: A new theater debuts Thursday with a solid classic, Arthur Miller’s uncomfortably contemporary story of the Salem witch hunt of 1692.
“Promises, Promises,” Ovations! Concert Celebrations of Great American Musicals, Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy.; 312-902-1500: Continuing on Wednesday this vibrant series of concert performances of landmark American musicals, Neil Simon’s 1968 Broadway adaptation of Billy Wilder’s 1960 film “The Apartment” features a score by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by Hal David. Marc Robin directs a crackerjack cast headed by Broadway legend George Hearn as a pompous employer and Jason Graae as the corporate flunky who lends his apartment to his bosses for extramarital activities.
“What U Got,” Albany Park Theater Project at Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph St.; 312-742-8497: Opening Friday, this collection of six original theater pieces was developed from real-life neighborhood stories by a community-based teen theater ensemble. The works, which play for one weekend only, detail a young girl whose family is impacted by the Nicaraguan civil war, a boy who finds himself humiliated for being Hispanic, a young woman who weighs the consequence of “coming out” to her mother, a boy’s struggle with Tourette’s Syndrome, another’s first year of high school, and a third who finds a special joy in sharing stories with his grandmother.
“Pang!,” Free Street, 1419 W. Blackhawk St.; 773-772-7248: Friday sees the launch of a performance series by artists and teenage performers in Free Street’s Producing Arts for a New Generation program. The opening act is big band/hip-hop poet Marvin Tate and D-Settlement, as well as a performance by TeenStreet, a jobs program in which teenagers use improvised action to create drama.
“Romeo & Juliet,” Pickwick Live at Pickwick Theatre, 5 S. Prospect St., Park Ridge; 847-692-6590: Beginning Wednesday, Ina Marlowe’s staging of Shakespeare’s star-crossed love tragedy features veteran Chicago actors William J. Norris and Tony Mockus in a revival by Organic Theater Company.
“Egyptian Rat Screw,” Uffish Theater Company at Chopin Theatre Studio, 1543 W. Division St.; 312-243-0319: Opening Thursday in a staging by Lauren Miller, this new play by Chicago author Jason M. Lindner is billed as an ultra-black comedy set in a contracting universe where cruelty is cultivated as an art.
“Jennie Richee,” Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; 312-397-4010: On Thursday, Ridge Theater, a New York-based experimental group known for its precise multimedia productions, presents a world premiere by Mac Wellman that’s inspired by the life and work of outsider artist Henry Darger (1892-1972). A hospital custodian in Chicago for most of his life, Darger lived alone in a single room, creating large, complex paintings and sprawling literary epics over a 30-year period. His prodigious output was hidden from the outside world until his death, when his landlord discovered his pictures and manuscripts.
“Twistin’ the Night Away,” Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-633-0630: Continuing the theater’s series of Saturday staged readings and discussions of plays-in-progress, David Barr’s action-packed musical biography is based on the life of legendary R&B and pop singer Sam Cooke. As staged by Ilesa Lisa Duncan, the play chronicles the rise and fall of this music-business pioneer whose brief but brilliant career paralleled the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. Cooke will be played by R&B songwriter and singer Greg Henneghan, lead singer for the classic 1970s group Love Togetherness & Devotion.
