Irish American News 6 April 2008, Sunday Better Late at Northlight Theatre NORTHLIGHT THEATRE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF BETTER LATE BY LARRY GELBART AND CRAIG WRIGHT, DIRECTED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BJ JONES, FEATURING JOHN MAHONEY AND MIKE NUSSBAUM Northlight Theatre continues its record-setting 33rd season, celebrating Artistic Director BJ Jones’ 10th Anniversary, with the world premiere commission of Better Late, by Larry Gelbart and Craig Wright. The production, featuring Chicago favorites John Mahoney and Mike Nussbaum, and directed by BJ Jones, runs March 28-May 11, 2008, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. Due to an unprecedented pre-sale ticket demand, Northlight Theatre has recently added new dates as preview performances. These added preview performances will began on March 28, 2008. This world premiere production, commissioned by Northlight, reunites playwright Craig Wright (Grace, Lady) with actors Mike Nussbaum and Steve Key, both of whom appeared in Northlight’s production of Grace, and welcomes actors John Mahoney and Linda Kimbrough and playwright Larry Gelbart (Emmy and Tony Award-winning author of M.A.S.H. and City of Angels). As Better Late opens, Julian (Nussbaum) is forced to move in with his ex-wife and her new husband in order to recuperate from a sudden illness. With each passing day, the awkward situation spirals further and further out of control. As the laughter builds, the question becomes: how long will Julian have to stay? This bitingly funny December-December-December romance is a not-to-be-missed new comedy. The cast features John Mahoney (Lee), Mike Nussbaum (Julian), Linda Kimbrough (Nora) and Steve Key (Billy)... Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Boulevard Skokie, IL 60077 - 847/673-6300 - www.northlight.org Bronte at Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theatre American Premiere of Polly Teale’s Brontë Remy Bumppo Theatre Company presents The American Premiere of Polly Teale’s inventive drama Brontë running March 20 through May 4 in the Upstairs Mainstage of the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. This extraordinary play by Polly Teale evokes both the real and fantasy worlds of the Brontës, as the sisters’ austere surroundings give way to the boundless power of imagination. Curtain times are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm. There will be Wednesday matinees at 10:30 am on March 26, April 9 and April 23 and at 2:00 pm on April 2 (no evening performance on this date), 16, and 30. Additionally there will be one Saturday matinee on April 5 at 2:30 pm. Ticket prices for the regular run are $35-$40. Single tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.remybumppo.org or through the Victory Gardens box office at 773-871-3000. Carousel at Court Theatre This Rodgers and Hammerstein masterpiece reinvented musical theatre in its day with its lush score and seamless integration of song, story, and dance. Now the piece Time Magazine named the "best musical of the twentieth century" will soar to new heights in Court's intimate space. Set in a small New England town, the story of an impulsive, brash carnival barker and his bride spans heaven and earth in its exploration of love, human frailty, and redemption. Title: Carousel Music: Richard Rodgers Book & Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein Directed by: Artistic Director Charles Newell Music Direction: Doug Peck Choreography: Randy Duncan Previews: March 6 - March 14, 2008 Regular run: March 15 - April 13, 2008 Schedule: Wednesdays & Thursdays: 7:30 p.m. Fridays: 8:00 p.m. Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. (starting 3/22) & 8:00 p.m. Sundays: 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Tickets: $32-$54 Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online at www.CourtTheatre.org Dead Man's Cell Phone at Steppenwolf Thtr Steppenwolf Theatre Company continues its 32nd season with Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, directed by associate artist Jessica Thebus. The production runs March 27-July 27, 2008 in Steppenwolf’s Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Jean is sleepwalking through her life until she answers a dead man’s cell phone. It turns out to be a wake-up call that sends her on a date with the dead man’s brother, a drinking binge with his wife, and a mysterious rendez-vous with his mistress. Not to mention trips to the afterlife and the black market. In this quirky modern adventure, Jean re-connects to her own spirit and learns that life is for the living. Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Previews: March 27 - April 5, 2008 Opening: Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. Regular Run: April 8 - July 27, 2008 There are no performances on May 3 or July 4. Curtain Times: Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (Sunday evening performances through June 22, 2008 only) Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. (The matinee on Sunday April 6 begins at 2:00 p.m.) Wednesday matinees on June 25, July 2, 9, 16 and 23 at 2:00 p.m. Ticket price: Previews: $20-$45 Regular Run: $20-$68 Twenty $20 tickets are available at Audience Services beginning at 11:00 a.m. on the day of each performance (1:00 p.m. for Sunday performances). Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show. Student discounts available. Audience Services: 1650 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650 Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org Free post-show discussions, sponsored by AT&T, are offered after every performance. Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance. Gaelic Park Radio Listen every Sunday night from 7 to 9pm for a live broadcast from Gaelic Park by Harry Costelloe, Mary Hackett, and Mary Riordan on WCEV 1450 AM. Call 708-687-9323 to request a song or dedication George Bernard Shaw Play in Oak Park Village Players Performing Arts Center Presents: You Never Can Tell by George Bernard Shaw What happens when a suffragette, her three misguided children, a pauper dentist, and a yacht builder meet up with two attorneys at a seaside resort? 'You Never Can Tell,' but there's only one way to find out: at Village Players this April. Shakespeare may have said, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers", but in Shaw's 'You Never Can Tell', he brings one in to restore not only order but also family affection. In one of his plays pleasant, Shaw mixes an unintentionally reunited family with irresistible romance, a dash of melodrama, a dollop of farce, several Wilde-like and absolutely silly coincidences. This Comedy of Errors, set in a seaside town, tells the story of Mrs. Clandon and her three children, Dolly, Phillip and Gloria, who have just returned to England after an eighteen year stay in Madeira. Not knowing their father, they end up inviting him to a family lunch, and hilarity ensues. 'You Never Can Tell' has preview performances April 4 & 5, opens April 6, and runs through April 27. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets for regular performances are $25 for adults and $20 for Students & Seniors. All tickets for previews are $15, and opening night tickets including reception are $30 for adults and $25 for Students & Seniors. Presented in the Mainstage Theatre of the newly renovated Village Players located at 1010 W. Madison. Plenty of parking is available on the street. The theatre is handicap accessible; please call ahead to arrange for special seating. Tickets available at www.village-players.org or by calling 866-764-1010. Last Days of Judas Iscariot @ Gift Theatre THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT By Stephen Adly Guirgis Directed by Kevin Christopher Fox Assistant Directed by Ben Thiem March 19, 2008 - May 4, 2008 Thursday, Friday, Saturday 7:30 PM, Sunday 2:30 PM In Stephen Adly Guirgis’ provocative, wild, and brilliant play on Catholicism, Jesus’ infamous betrayer stands trial in Hope, a small section of Purgatory, in which Satan takes the stand and everyone’s to blame. Previews for THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT are March 19, 20, 22, 23, 2008. The production opens on Thursday, March 27 , 2008 at 7:30 p.m., and runs through May 4, 2008. Showtimes are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. For tickets: (773) 283-7071 or buy online @ www.thegifttheatre.org Preview tickets are $15. Regular run prices are $20 (Thursdays and Sundays) $25 (Friday and Saturdays). Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more by calling the Box Office. $15 tickets are available at all performances for students, seniors, and industry with proper identification. Love Thy Neighbor at Gaelic Park Gaelic Park Players Proudly Present for Spring 2008 "Love Thy Neighbour" by Jimmy Keary Directed by Mick Kenna Performance Dates are: March 28 , 29 , 30 , April 4 , 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 , and 13, 2008 EVENING PERFORMANCES FRIDAY and SATURDAY are at 8:00 p.m. AFTERNOON PERFORMANCES on SUNDAY are at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 for Theatre Performances only. Tickets are $23.00 for Dinner/Theatre Combination. (Sundays only) Reservations are a must for Dinner/Theatre. For tickets and reservations please call Gaelic Park at 708-687-9323 Chicago Gaelic Park 6119 W. 147th Street Oak Forest, IL 60452 The Ascension of Carlotta at 16th Street Thtr The Ascension of Carlotta by WIll Dunne Alice Kowalski works at a 7-11. Romeo Brown’s dream is to rob a 7-11. Drunk on love during the last springtime of the 20th century, they travel the land of Berwyn seeing if two people from two different planets can be both armed and engaged. Directed by Ann Filmer April 4 - May 4, 2008 Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM Previews: Friday, April 4 & Saturday, April 5 Press Opening: Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 PM Tickets: $16 Group discount for 8(+) For info on group tickets call (708) 795-6704 or visit www.16streettheater.org 16TH STREET THEATER IS LOCATED JUST 15 MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN CHICAGO at 6420 16th Street. DRIVING DIRECTIONS: From Chicago 290/Eisenhower Expy west to Austin Exit. Left (south) on Austin. Right (west) on 16th Street. Just after Ridgeland, the Cultural Center is located in the first building on your left, on the south side of the street, next to the Citgo. Free street parking. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Just one mile from the Austin stop on the Blue line. The Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors at CST Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) will concludes its 21st Season with The Comedy of Errors staged by CST Artistic Director Barbara Gaines, whose collaboration with Second City veteran Ron West brings an additional comedic twist to the production. Set in 1940, during the golden age of film, Shakespeare’s comedic classic unfolds as an eccentric group of stage and screen actors gather on an English movie set during World War II in the midst of the London blitz to film the play. Performed in Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater, The Comedy of Errors runs through Sunday, June 29, 2008. Tickets are $44-70 and can be purchased by calling Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Box Office at 312.595.5600 or by visiting the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com. Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier is located at 800 East Grand Avenue in Chicago. The Drowsy Chaperone @ Cadillac Palace Thtr The Five-Time Tony Award®-Winning Musical, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, Will Play Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre for a Limited Two-Week Engagement April 1- 13, 2008 Broadway In Chicago presents the most celebrated musical of the 2006 Broadway season, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, a completely original musical comedy, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre for a limited two-week engagement April 1-13, 2008. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE tells the story of a modern day musical theater addict known simply as "Man in Chair". To chase his blues away he drops the needle on his favorite LP-the 1928 musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the musical magically bursts to life on-stage telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to get married, her producer who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, her chaperone, the debonair groom, the dizzy chorine, the Latin lover and a pair of gangsters who double as pastry chefs. Man in Chair’s love of TheDrowsy Chaperone speaks to anyone who has ever been transported by the theater. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE will play Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre in a limited two-week engagement April 1 – 13, 2008. The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday, April 1, 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 4, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 5, 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, 8 p.m. Sunday, April 6, 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 12, 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12, 8 p.m. Sunday, April 13, 2 p.m. Tickets range in price from $25 to $75 and are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., and 18 W. Monroe St.), through the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers (including Carson Pirie Scott stores, Hot Tix, select Coconuts and fye stores) or online at ticketmaster.com. Groups of 20 or more may receive a discount by calling (312) 977-1710. For more information, please visit www.drowsychaperone.com or www.broadwayinchicago.com. 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