THREE TO SEE: This Week's Theater Recommendations
By Melody Udell in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 1, 2013 7:00PM
Adam Poss, Director Evan Cabnet and Liam Benzvi during rehearsal for playwright Christopher Shinn's Teddy Ferrara at the Goodman.
The Chicago stage tackles some heavy topics in this week’s best-of theater round-up.
The Goodman’s new show revolves around the experiences of a gay college student coming to terms with a headline-making campus tragedy. Partly based on the Tyler Clementi story, we’re looking forward to how playwright Christopher Shinn grapples with such hot-button topical issues. The show runs Saturday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, March 3.
Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, 312-443-3800 or online.
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
We’re itching to see how Lookingglass uses this witty, observant script about two haunted U.S. Marines and the ravages of the Iraqi war. The play’s Chicago debut might not bill Robin Williams as the lead — he played the tiger in the Broadway production — but somehow we think that might be a boon to this intensely dark comedy. The show runs through Sunday, March 17.
Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan Ave., 312-337-0665 or online.
Forget about Rent. The much-older, classic opera version of the iconic stage show brings together the passion, love and drama found in a struggling community of Parisian artists — with soaring melodies to boot. The show runs through Thursday, March 28.
Lyric Opera, 20 N. Wacker Dr., 312-332-2244 or online.