OPENINGS
Friday
“Three Hotels” — through Jan. 12 by Actors Workshop Theatre / Redtwist Theatre at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.; $20-$30, 773-728-7529 and www.actorsworkshop.org. Michael Colucci and Johnny Garcia direct a revival of Jon Robin Baitz’ tense international drama from 1993. A corporate executive finds himself morally adrift amid a company scandal over baby formula in the Third World.
Sunday
“Dickens in America” — through Dec. 18 by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at the Victory Gardens Greenhouse, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25-$40, 773-871-3000. A hit at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, “Dickens in America” is a piece by James DeVita about the famed British author’s speaking tours of the United States. The acclaimed Wisconsin actor James Ridge performs the one-man show.
Tuesday
” The Christmas Schooner” — Tuesday and Wednesday by Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.; $25-$50, 773-883-1090 or www.bailiwick.org. Last year was supposed to be the final sailing of Bailiwick’s long-running holiday attraction about the Christmas tree ships that once plowed the treacherous waters of Lake Michigan. But due to popular demand, the show is back for a concert-style presentation for a short run.
Wednesday
” A Christmas Carol” — through Dec. 23 by Writers’ Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; $30, 847-242-6000. As he does every year, Writers’ Theatre artistic director Michael Halberstam offers an atmospheric one-man version of the seasonal Dickensian classic, reading from the original text.
CLOSINGS, last chance
Sunday
“Things We Said Today” — You might feel the need for a shower after “Things We Said Today.” This collection of typically disturbing Neil LaBute playlets won’t leave your head without a good scrubbing. Especially at the intimate Profiles Theatre — where you can see the fear in an actor’s eyes — the solo confessional style of “Things” lends itself beautifully and horribly to LaBute’s dramatic incision. This has been the first time these short works, probing mostly male cruelty in romantic relationships (penned separately for benefits, solo festivals and the like), have been performed together as a cohesive evening of theater. They fuse surprising well, not least because they’re acted in compelling fashion by a company of mostly very young and alternately shallow and vulnerable Chicago performers. At Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway; $25, 773-549-1815.
“Meet Me in St. Louis” — If the delightful production of the family musical “Meet Me in St. Louis” is an indication of how producer Kyle DeSantis intends to run things at his late grandfather’s classic suburban theater joint, a whole lot of Chicago’s musical lovers are going to have to learn to enjoy the Eisenhower Expressway. The purse strings have been loosened at the Drury Lane Oakbrook and quality musical artistry given the resources it needs. Jim Corti’s artful production represents one heck of an upgrade. The rising star Jessie Mueller — replete with that Garlandesque tremolo — makes a charming Esther Smith and she’s sufficiently spunky to freshen this oft-revived show. At Drury Lane Oak Brook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace; $25-$29, 630-530-8300.
———-
cjones5@tribune.com
