OPENINGS
Saturday
“The Crucible” — through Nov. 11 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.; $20-$68, 312-335-1650 and www.steppenwolf.org. Pitched as a theatrical conversation about the nature of American identity, the Steppenwolf Theatre’s eclectic 2007-’08 mainstage season kicks off with a revival of Arthur Miller’s classic allegorical tale of fear, fanaticism and the naming of names in 17th-Century Salem, Mass. Anna D. Shapiro directs a cast that includes Alana Arenas, Ian Barford, Alan Wilder and Kelly O’Sullivan.
Monday
“Passion Play: a cycle” — through Oct. 21 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.; $20-$70, 312-443-3800 and www.goodmantheatre.org. Sarah Ruhl’s three-act opus considers the myriad omplexities of the theatrical representation of the life of Jesus Christ. This major work by one of America’s most important contemporary playwrights has been extensively revised since its first production at Arena Stage in Washington, D. C., making this one of the signiture events of the fall theater season.
Tuesday
“Spare Change” — through Nov. 3 by Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield Ave.; $20-$25, 773-883-8830 and www.stagelefttheatre.com. Set in Chicago and concerned with the social responsibilities of the urban professionals who pack the city’s hip neighborhoods, this urbane new work by the Evanston playwright Mia McCullough came out of the Steppenwolf’s First Look Festival last summer. This will be its first subsequent staging.
Wednesday
“The Sparrow” — through Dec. 31 by House Theatre of Chicago at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.; $34.50-$49.50, 773-935-6100, 312-902-1400 and www.apollochicago.com. All eyes on the House Theatre of Chicago as it makes the leap from off-Loop warehouse to splashy commerical production at the Apollo Theater. Tickets prices have risen since “The Sparrow,” an iconic tale of a high-schooler with special powers, made its debut to great critical acclaim and popular fascination. But the House is promising a colorful new production — with greater resources but the same heart.
“The Savannah Disputation” — through Nov. 25 by Writers’ Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; $45-$58, 847-242-6000 and www.writerstheatre.org. The most prominent world premiere in the short history of Writers’ Theatre, the comissioned work “The Savannah Disputation” is a new play from the young American playwright Evan Smith, the author of “The Easy Chair” and an emerging writer known for high style and rich use of language. The titular disputation involves two Southern sisters, their Catholic priest and an overeager evangelist.
