America: All Better! *** 1/2
The frightening, funny revue on the Second City mainstage is a darkly comic show about these yin-and-yang times in Chicago. Open run at Second City, 1616 N. Wells St.; $20-$25 at 312-337-3992
An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus *** 1/2
Most versions of the Faust legend concentrate on whether the good doctor’s decision to sell his soul to the devil was Medieval religious folly or the acute self-actualization of a Renaissance man. Back in 1996, Chicago writer Mickle Maher tossed away all that in favor of a raw look at the state of mind of the whiny Dr. F., just before he hits the elevator down. As performed with off-kilter eloquence by Colm O’Reilly, this fascinating piece of avant-garde Chicago brain candy will put you in mind, terrifying mind, of your own last few minutes on terra firma, whether or not you bargained away eternity. Through Sunday at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St.; $12 at 773-347-1041
Calls to Blood ***
The New Colony production of James Asmus’ “Calls to Blood” has a minimal set, simple lighting and four young performers wholly in sync with one another, wholly able to replicate the casual jokes and hidden terrors of yuppie life in Chicago, and, in the case of a very arresting young actress named Sarah Gitenstein, wholly willing to dig deep and jolt you out of your uncomfortable seat. And that’s all you need here. This play is about two couples in their late 20s, one married, one dating, and their intimate relationships and secrets. It taps into one of the Chicago’s theater’s most enduring traditions — the edgy play about love and sex, written with an improv sensibility. If you go, and I think you should, you might guess the big first-act close before it happens, but you won’t be bored. Through Nov. 28 at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St.; $25 at ticketmaster.com
The Fantasticks ** 1/2
Early in Porchlight Music Theatre’s production, there’s a lot of twitter and flurry as El Gallo, Hucklebee and the rest of the crew flit around stage. It’s an irritating moment. But the nonsense stops when Jeff Parker (who plays El Gallo) hits the first line of the first song. “Try to remember,” it goes, “that kind of September.” My wall of bad attitude tumbled like the divide that separates Matt from Luisa, the girl next door whom he must love and lose and, wiser, love again. Sean Kelly is a promising young director. Through Nov. 15 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.; $37 at 773-327-5252
Fedra: Queen of Haiti ***
In J. Nicole Brooks’ zesty and profoundly gutsy retelling of the Greek myth, the famous lady has become a pill-popping diva and ruler of Haiti, trying to reconcile tenuous political power with the tugs of forbidden desire for her husband’s son. Brooks has written a fresh, free-spinning adaptation that retains the essential leanness of classical drama — and the idea of this little island of Haiti becoming a superpower only deepens the magnitude of Phaedra’s (or Fedra’s) fall. Which is not to say that everything in this Lookingglass play works. It was probably not the best idea for Brooks to star in her own show. I believed her as a struggling leader, but not as a prisoner of her own lustful desires. Through Nov. 15 at Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan Ave.; $28-$62 at 312-337-0665
Graceland ****
Ellen Fairey’s beautiful, haunting play takes place in the eponymous cemetery on Chicago’s North Side. It’s the Air and Water Show weekend, which unsettles Fairey’s likable but lost characters, all trying to cope with their troubled lives as fighter jets roar overhead. “Graceland,” under the direction of Matthew Miller, centers on a sister and brother, at the cemetery because their father just blew his head off, piling on to his children’s problems. Fairey’s drama ultimately is about finding bits of happiness where you can. It touched me greatly. I think it would do the same for you. Through Nov. 15 at National Pastime Theater, 4139 N. Broadway; $30-$35 at 773-549-1815
Hairspray *** 1/2
The story of Tracy Turnblad and her dreams of having a Baltimore breakfast, kissing the boy of her dancing dreams and changing the world is one of the best musicals of the past decade. Not only does Marc Robin’s choreography brim with ambition, it’s an incredibly detailed sweep of movements, full of little character details that constantly delight. You’ll have a blast. Through Dec. 6 at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire; $45 at 847-634-0200
Heroes ***
This classy, touching and gently absurdist French comedy from Gerard Sibleyras is now in its Chicago premiere by Remy Bumppo. On the back terrace of a home for retired soldiers, three veterans of World War I keep one another company while fighting back the intrusive signs of their own mortality. By the end of an entertaining 90 minutes, they’ve figured out a few things about community and sustaining a role in life. The skillful Mike Nussbaum, David Darlow and Roderick Peeples play the old soldiers under James Bohnen’s droll but mercifully light direction. Through Nov. 29 at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; $35-$40 at 773-404-7336
Jersey Boys ****
As the music of the Four Seasons and their rise from Newark, N.J., to the top of the pop-music charts, “Jersey Boys” delivers a smash-hit adult night out on the town. Open run at the Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.; $30-$110 at 312-902-1400
The Mercy Seat *** 1/2
Nobody writes fights better than Neil LaBute. His spiteful, vindictive, take-no-prisoners squabbles between lovers are so close to the truth, it feels as if the playwright has been hanging around outside your bedroom door. “The Mercy Seat” is set in Manhattan on Sept. 12, 2001. LaBute’s characters are in no way inspired by the horrors of a terrorist attack to start acting with greater compassion toward their fellow human beings. In fact, a married, philandering character named Ben, played here by Darrell W. Cox, sees the moment as an excuse to be even more self-serving. Through Dec. 13 at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway; $30-$35 at 773-549-1815
Million Dollar Quartet *** 1/2
Great balls of fire! Here’s a hit. This commercial musical has the kind of jaw-dropping performances that lift your feet from the floor. Open run at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25-$80 at 773 -935-6100
Studs Terkel’s Not Working *** 1/2
The city of Chicago surely is a perennially amusing beast — and nobody meat-packs the local laughs like Second City. In a well-timed, 90-degree turn from Obamarama and Blagomania, this is a hilarious show composed almost exclusively of Chicago material about ordinary people. Open run at Second City e.t.c. Theatre, 1608 N. Wells St.; $20-$25 at 312-337-3992
Treasure Island ***
The first clue is the way the rigging of the good ship Hispaniola overwhelms the Lifeline Theatre stage. The second is the serious faces of the men describing the mutinous horrors wrought by Long John Silver and his motley crew. And the third is the sense of adolescent adventure that permeates the salty air of the theater. Yep, this is “Treasure Island” done right. Robert Kauzlaric’s straight-up version of John Hildreth’s new adaptation treats this grand yarn by Robert Louis Stevenson with the upmost dignity. Through Nov. 15 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave.; $30 at 773-761-4477
Yeast Nation (the triumph of life) ***1/2
The tag line could be “the ultimate prequel.” The latest musical from the creators of the hit show “Urinetown” is set at the dawn of time, amidst the first creatures to roam the Earth. We’re not talking pterodactyls. We’re talking — or rather, we’re singing and dancing — salt-eating, single-cell organisms floating in their own primordial soup. It’s as if Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann set themselves the task of finding the most absurdly impossible subject matter for a new musical. That was the point. And Hollmann’s score is superb. Through Sunday at American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron St.; $35-$40 at 773-409-4125
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Thoroughly talented ‘Millie’
Thoroughly Modern Millie ***
A slight but wholly enjoyable piece of entertainment, this movie-into-musical never looked entirely comfortable on Broadway. But “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” a cheerful Manhattan comedy-romance set in the flapper era, sits very nicely at Drury Lane Oakbrook. Tammy Mader’s fearlessly irreverent choreography fills the stage. And audiences are embracing a show that doesn’t reinvent the “Millie” wheel, but is rooted in good-natured honesty and classy vocals. As Millies go, I’ve seen a few who were lighter (and more ambitious) on their feet than Holly Ann Butler’s, but never one more likable or with a stronger spirit. Through Dec. 20 at Drury Lane Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace; $29-$38 at 630-530-0111
