Ruth Livier and Fidel Gomez in Goodman Theatre’s “Destiny of Desire”/Photo: Liz Lauren
Monday
“Destiny of Desire” at Goodman Theatre. Karen Zacarías’ comedy explores race, gender and class politics through the lens of the Latin American telenovela. Through April 16. For tickets and more information visit goodmantheatre.org
“For the Love Of (or, the Roller Derby Play)” at Pride Films and Plays. This world premiere asks how much you’re willing to sacrifice—or lose—in order to follow your heart. Through April 16. For tickets and more information visit pridefilmsandplays.com
Tuesday
“Circus 1903” at Broadway In Chicago. Sensational puppetry puts elephants back in the ring as never seen before along with a huge cast of the most unique, amazing and dangerous circus acts from all four corners of the world. Through March 26. For tickets and more information visit broadwayinchicago.com
Wednesday
“Picnic” at American Theater Company. In this loving reimagining, ATC artistic director Will Davis puts William Inge at the center of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, animating what is both sacred and profane about small-town life. Through April 23. For tickets and more information visit atcweb.org
“24WORDS-An Equal Rights Cabaret” at Steppenwolf Theatre’s LookOut Series. A non-stop, one-hundred-minute odyssey for equality. For tickets and more information visit steppenwolf.org
“Bad Taste” at Hell in a Handbag Productions & Mo Less. a revue of queer camp curiosities, featuring a lineup of Chicago’s most hilarious, outrageous and shocking performers. For tickets and more information visit handbagproductions.org
Kelsey Shipley, McCambridge Dowd-Whipple, Anita Darwish, Katie Mazzini and Stephanie Shum in a publicity image for Red Tape Theatre and Walkabout Theater Company’s “Mother of Smoke” /Photo: Austin D. Oie.
Thursday
“Mother of Smoke” at Red Tape Theatre & Walkabout Theater Company. Created in response to the global crisis of displacement, the promise of safety and the crumbling of the American Dream, this new workexamines the conflicting forces relevant to violence and disparity present in Chicago now. Through April 15. For tickets and more information visit redtapetheatre.org
“Write Club” at Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s LookOut Series. Literature as blood sport: three bouts, two opposing writers and two opposing topics assigned in advance. Through March 25. For tickets and more information visit steppenwolf.org
Friday
“By the Water” at Northlight Theatre. A compassionate portrait of a flawed working-class family struggling to keep alive their American Dream. Through April 23. For tickets and more information visit northlight.org
“Born Ready” at The Factory Theater. An aging former child film actor turned variety-show star in the 1950s is desperate to get back into the public’s eye and show business. A new young dancer befriends her and the pair quickly becomes a smash comedy duo but the truth behind their scenes may not be as funny. Through April 29. For tickets and more information visit thefactorytheater.com
“Ohio State Murders” at Dandelion Theatre. In three-time Obie award-winning playwright Adrienne Kennedy’s drama a sinister mystery surfaces and begins to unravel, revealing how we are all unwilling products of our environment and that survival is sometimes the biggest act of defiance. For tickets and more information visit dandeliontheatre.com
“Charlie Parker’s Yardbird” at Lyric Opera of Chicago. In that empty twilight between life and death, tortured jazzman Charlie Parker composes his final masterpiece, revisiting the inspirations, demons and women who fueled his creative genius. Through March 26. For tickets and more information visit lyricopera.org
Lawrence Brownlee as Charlie Parker in “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird” at Lyric Opera of Chicago/Photo: Dominic Mercier
Saturday
“Six Stories Tall” at Adventure Stage Chicago. Influenced by comic books, video games, hip-hop, urban mythology and Latino folklore, this collection of vignettes celebrates youth as everyday heroes taking us on a thrilling, heartfelt journey. Through April 29. For tickets and more information visit adventurestage.org
“Our Christian Nation” playing at The Cornservatory. Ever wonder what the USA would look like if the extreme Christian right got everything they wanted? Through April 29. For tickets and more information visit bit.ly/2m0oBY3
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