Spotlight
Chicago Shakespeare Theater kicks off its Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration ( commemorating the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death ) by hosting Cheek by Jowl and the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre's touring co-production of Measure for Measure. Performed in Russian with English subtitles, the production ( by director Declan Donnellan and designer Nick Ormerod ) presents a modern take on Shakespeare's late morality play involving a young nun's attempt to save her imprisoned brother's life. Measure for Measure plays at Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Courtyard Theatre at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Friday, Jan. 27-29, at 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, with a final matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31. Tickets are $68 to $78; call 312-595-5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com .
Theater Spotlight and
Byhalia, Mississippi, Definition Theatre Company and The New Colony at Den Theatre, through Feb. 14. Playwright and actor Evan Linder's world-premiere drama poses tough questions about marital fidelity and race in America. SCM
Good for Otto, Gift Theatre, through Feb. 7. Both profound and invigorating, David Rabe's world premiere looks at two community mental health workers and their patients struggling with parental abandonment. Rabe's skill makes it's more exciting and entertaining than you'd think. JA
What I Learned in Paris, Congo Square Theatre at Athenaeum Theatre, through Feb. 7. It's 1973, Atlanta has just elected its first Black mayor, but the women on his campaign staff have their own agenda in Pearl Cleage's romantic comedy. MSB
Year of the Rooster, Red Theatre at the Frontier, through Feb. 6. Who are you calling chicken? Human actors portray the feathered gladiators who suffer bloody death in the ring at the behest of their owners' petty ambitions. MSB
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan