Ameriville, Universes at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, through Feb. 26. Victory Gardens meets Slam Poetry in this pinch-hitter import combining spoken-word performance, a cappella vocals and body percussion in a panoramic tour that starts with hurricane Katrina and finishes in an ecstasy of Dionysian exuberance. MSB
The Caretaker, Writers' Theatre, through March 25. You simply won't find a better staging of Harold Pinter's quintessential 1960 Comedy of Menace, set in a tough London 'hood where an old bum nearly comes between two vastly dissimilar brothers. It features beautiful acting and direction. JA
Disgraced, American Theater Company, through Feb. 26. Ayad Akhtar's world premiere play showing a Muslim-American lawyer's professional and personal life suddenly unraveling definitely presses plenty of hot-issue buttons. This insightful drama also benefits from the ensemble's strong acting. SCM
Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Hypocrites at Chopin Theatre, through March 11. Steve Moulds' modernized update of Luigi Pirandello's massively influential play within a play drama is full of laughs and chills as it explores the "realities" of theater and bringing stories to life. SCM
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge
and Morgan
