"Layalina," a play about Iraqi immigrants, makes its world premiere at Goodman Theatre; Chicago Shakespeare Theater founder Barbara Gaines takes her final bow as artistic director by revisiting "The Comedy of Errors"; and Evanston s Music Theater Works revives "Avenue Q."
The production is set in a South Philadelphia bar in March, 1959 about five months before Billie Holiday died of drug and alcohol abuse at the age of 44. And the Mercury Theater’s intimate Venus Cabaret space serves as an ideal backdrop.
This week in suburban theater, a traveling salesman spins tall tales in "Big Fish" at Marriott Theatre; dancers compete for a Broadway show in "A Chorus Line" at Drury Lane; and a budding artist finds friendship and inspiration from an unlikely source in "Andy Warhol s Tomato" at Buffalo Theatre Ensemble.