CITY
Altar Boyz: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham — these sweet-voiced boyz are irreverent enough to please shoppers out to let loose on the Magnificent Mile, and affectionate enough to ensure no one cancels church. Through March 30 at Drury Lane Water Tower, 175 E. Chestnut St.; $45-$55, 312-642-2000.
The American Dream Songbook: As much about an imperfect marriage as a dream — American or otherwise — Leonard Bernstein’s 1953 operetta “Trouble in Tahiti” is a rare treat for Chicago’s legions of Bernstein fans. In a rare and well-performed revival at the plucky Next Theatre of Evanston, this five-actor, 45-minute song suite draws exclusively from the American idiom. Through March 22 at Next Theatre Company, Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston; $25-$45 at 847-475-1875.
As You Like It: In myriad beautiful ways — really beautiful — the director William Brown pitches this tonally tricky Shakespearean comedy as a contemplative, elegiac piece that’s as wise and mournful as it is sprightly and amusing. You sense here both an end point to all the courtship shenanigans and, as we age, our growing reliance upon them. And that only deepens the play. Through April 13 at Writers’ Theatre, 325 Tudor Ct., Glencoe; $45-$58 at 847-242-6000.
Breathing Corpses: Laura Wade’s arresting, 90-minute contemporary drama from Britain follows three sets of characters who all run into dead bodies. And the notion of what constitutes a corpse, exactly, is most assuredly up for debate. This is a juicy, tightly packed and exceedingly smart show, and the buzz-worthy Steep Theatre Company is packing its little Sheridan Road storefront to the gills. When this show is on the boil, it’s hot. And the scene between actors Lucy Carapetyan and Jonathan Edwards, who play a couple immersed in heat and violence, sizzles deliciously on the dividing line between normal marital tensions and mutually assured destruction. Through March 22 at Steep Theatre, 3902 N. Sheridan Rd.; $18 at 312-458-0722.
Blue Man Group: The Blue Men may no longer be on the technological knife edge, but they got a lot of things right, marrying spectacle with emotional engagement, making it fun (if a bit loud) for families, and most of all staying smart, spewing sociological theory along with their Twinkies. Open run at Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted St.; $49.50 to $59.50, 312-902-1500.
Dolly West’s Kitchen: As you’ll appreciate if you see Kimberly Senior’s production of “Dolly West’s Kitchen” at TimeLine, the Irish playwright Frank McGuinness writes warm, transitional plays about people coping with crumbling borders. This drama, set in McGuinness’ native County Donegal in 1943, features many tropes of Irish drama — Chekhovian sisters, booze, a butcher’s block table, the desire for escape even as nationalist loyalties simmer on the kitchen stove. The best work of the night comes from Niall McGinty, as a wound-tight Irishman who comes to see that change can mean possibility more than fear. Through March 22 at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave.; $25 to $30, 773-281-8463.
Hephaestus, a Greek Mythology Circus Tale: Just steps from the Magnificent Mile, Chicago has a live, 75-minute, all-human circus spectacular featuring stellar international artists, dazzling gymnastics and thrilling feats of daring. Tony Hernandez has assembled a terrific cast for this reprise engagement of a circus-style telling of the mythic, inspiring story of a young god who overcame the disadvantage of being the runtish offspring of Zeus and Hera. It’s a must see. Through March 9 by Lookingglass Theatre in Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave.; $30-$60, 312-337-0665.
Hizzoner: Mayor Richard J. Daley as a tragic figure? Neil Giuntoli’s gripping “Hizzoner” is a persuasive case, and his performance as Daley is a sight to behold. By Prop Thtr, 3504 N. Elston Ave.; $40, 773-539-7838. Also March 22 at York High School, 355 W. St. Charles Rd., Elmhurst.
Jersey Boys: As the slick and thrilling Broadway musical proudly declares from its industrial stage, the Four Seasons forged an all-hit jukebox for working-class guys and their girlfriends. Open run at LaSalle Bank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.; $30-$150, 312-902-1400.
Journey’s End: R.C. Sherriff’s “Journey’s End” is suddenly popular again. This 1929 picture of life in the trenches of World War I is now the subject of a superbly crafted, very moving and powerfully intimate revival from the skilled director Jonathan Berry. The cast of Nigel Patterson, John Dixon and Hans Fleishman all offer searing performances in a play that offers remarkable portraits of selfless military courage. A must-see. Through March 9 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.; $15 to $24, 773-327-5252.
Les Miserables: Great scores — and make no mistake, “Les Miserables” is among the most emotionally stirring of them all — deliver more when performed in a more intimate setting. Assuming you have the right performers. Well, the Marriott has the right performers, all right, including John Cudia’s compassionate Valjean, Kathy Voytko’s lush Fantine and Richard Todd Adams’ textured Javert. Dominic Missimi delivers a slightly more modest but very fine new production of “Les Mis” that retains the majesty and sense of occasion of this incomparably epic, yet proudly populist, musical. Through May 11 at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire; $45, 847-634-0200.
Requiem for a Heavyweight: You’ve got to hand it to Rod Serling. Before “The Twilight Zone,” he figured out the poignancy of a teleplay about the twilight of a boxer. In 1956, Serling penned “Requiem for a Heavyweight” for CBS, with Jack Palance as the Mountain. The emerging, intensely focused Chicago actor Sean Sullivan is the star of Lou Contey’s rich production for Shattered Globe. In the tiny theater at the Victory Gardens, that destructive opening sequence in the ring is fought — literally fought — about 3 feet from the front row. Through March 8 at the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; $27-35, 773-871-3000.
The Selfish Giant: As any self-respecting 4-year-old knows, irreverence is crucial in a children’s show. The folk singer Michael Smith, who anchors Chicago Children’s Theatre’s droll, all-ages musical version of “The Selfish Giant,” is clearly on the side of the kids. As you listen to Smith, you watch the visuals of Blair Thomas, Chicago’s premier visual-theater artist. Thomas and his designers create a slew of mournful, whimsical puppets, tricks, animals and handmade motifs that appear from trunks, hats and the sky. Through March 9 in the Field Museum’s Levin Gallery, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive; $17-$27, 312-665-7400.
Wicked: Blond girl. Green girl. Love interests. Goat. Wizard. All are in fine Midwestern fettle. Open run at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.; $32-$90 at 312-902-1400.
SUBURBS
As You Like It: In myriad beautiful ways — really beautiful — the director William Brown pitches this tonally tricky Shakespearean comedy as a contemplative, elegiac piece that’s as wise and mournful as it is sprightly and amusing. He achieves this in the intimate setting of Writers’ Theatre in concert with superlative design work and a fine, cohesive and experienced ensemble of Chicago-based actors. You sense here both an end point to all the courtship shenanigans and, as we age, our growing reliance upon them. And that only deepens the play. Through April 13 at Writers’ Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; $45-$58 at 847-242-6000.
The Turn of the Screw: Nothing gooses up a ghost story like the presence of a child. The Victorian writer Henry James knew that; his 1898 novel “The Turn of the Screw” is a ghost story set in the requisite remote, gothic mansion and features not one, but two, kiddies. Through March 30 by Writers’ Theatre at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe; $45-$58, 847-242-6000.
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This week
Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat: This world premiere reveals an exceedingly smart, sophisticated and compelling exploration of Arab-American identity — and the opportunities as well as perils of assimilation. Not only does playwright Yussef El Guindi probe the dilemma of being Arab in a culture with little understanding of the Middle East, he’s also willing to explore the advantages of leaving your past behind in America. If you’re interested in smart new plays, don’t miss this new evidence that the growing Silk Road Theatre Project has real guts behind its genial facade. Through March 30 in Pierce Hall at the Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St.; $28-$32 at 866-811-4111.
