America: All Better! *** 1/2
The frightening, funny revue on the Second City main stage 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
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. 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, 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. Penned by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, “Try To Remember” is one of the greatest songs ever written for the musical theater, and it’s a crucial reminder that life, and September, are short. Sean Kelly is a promising young director, and Emma Rosenthal is a fascinating and honest Luisa. This “Fantasticks” isn’t a perfect show — the comic business of the old men is obvious and hammy — but it consistently returns to moments that remind you what really matters. Through Sunday 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. But it was probably not the best idea for Brooks to star in her own show. I believed her as a struggling leader, not as a prisoner of her own lustful desires. This play has many strengths, but lets its conceptual excellence pull too much focus from the deep yearnings at the heart of every classic human dilemma, be they in Athens or Haiti. Through Sunday 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 even as fighter jets roar overhead. “Graceland,” ultimately, is about finding bits of happiness where you can. It touched me greatly. Through Dec. 20 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 dreams and changing the world is one of the best musicals of the past decade. And the Marriott Theatre has master stylist Marc Robin running its salon. Not only does his choreography brim with ambition, it’s an incredibly detailed sweep of movements, full of little character details that constantly delight. Because Robin’s work is so subtle and personal, it creates a production that feels both less flashy and more emotionally present than the Broadway original. 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 little French comedy from Gerard Sibleyras is now in its Chicago premiere at Remy Bumppo Theatre. Three veterans of World War I keep one another company while fighting back the intrusive signs of their own mortality. By the end of a swift and entertaining 90 minutes, they’ve figured out a few things about 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. This is one of those gentle but clever little plays that tap into something profound while seeming to merely dance around the edges of life. 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 to the top of the pop-music charts, “Jersey Boys” delivers a smash-hit adult night out on the town. The Chicago production is still running strong with several new Seasons, including Dominic Scaglione Jr. as a terrific Frankie Valli. 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. This is an intense play, a very well-written play. It’s directed at Profiles by Joe Jahraus with little fanciness but with notable smarts. The downside is that you can easily find Ben and his boss-slash-lover Abby (played by Cheryl Graeff) so irritating you can’t bear to hear them yak anymore. Through Dec. 13 at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway; $30-$35 at 773-549-1815
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. There are two reasons that director Matt Hovde’s shrewd new e.t.c. revue is the best since the days of Jack McBrayer and Keegan-Michael Key. Since the show celebrates Studs Terkel’s urban poetry, the writing is much richer and thicker than usual. And 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. Which comes as great comic relief. Open run at Second City e.t.c. Theatre, 1608 N. Wells St.; $20-$25 at 312-337-3992
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. 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
Treasure Island ***
The first clue is the way the rigging of the good ship Hispaniola so overwhelms the Lifeline Theatre stage, it threatens to sail out onto the Red Line tracks outside. 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. Well, almost. Long John’s infamously chatty parrot Captain Flint is AWOL. But 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 Sunday at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave.; $30 at 773-761-4477
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Million Dollar Quartet ***1/2
Great balls of fire! Here’s a hit. Even after a yearlong run, this Broadway-bound musical still has the kind of fresh, jaw-dropping performances that lift your feet from the floor. It’s all based on an actual night in 1956 when Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, a young Elvis Presley and a restless Johnny Cash showed up at Sam Phillips’ Sun Studios for a jam session. The show contains two dozen iconic musical numbers performed in spectacular fashion by a cast of superb singer-musicians, led by the astonishing Levi Kreis and Lance Guest. The simplistic book will need some work before Broadway, but you won’t be worrying much about that when these guys get the room fired up.
Open run at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25-$80 at 773-935-6100
