Theater Spotlight
Journey back to the 1990s for one of the ice-skating world's most notorious scandals with Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera. Underscore Theatre Company presents the Chicago debut of composer Michael Teoli and librettist Elizabeth Searle's dark musical take on the infamous rivalry and "knee-whack" incident involving American ice skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera plays from Saturday, Nov. 26, through Friday, Dec. 30, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Previews through Nov. 27 are $12, while regular run tickets are $22-$30; call 773-975-8150, or visit TheaterWit.org or UnderscoreTheatre.org .
Critics' Picks
Apartment 3A, Windy City Playhouse, through Dec. 23. Daniel Smith delivers a charismatic portrayal of an aging cupid-ex-machina who rescues lovers from their own foolishness in this deceptively romantic comedy. MSB
End of the Rainbow, Porchlight Music Theatre at Stage 773, through Dec. 9. As the entertainer Judy Garland, Angela Ingersoll is heartbreaking and a perfect fit in this strong Chicago premiere of Peter Quilter's drama re-imagining the gay icon's tragic final months. SCM
The Last Wife, TimeLine Theatre, through Dec. 18. Big, meaty-but-intelligent performances drive playwright Kate Henning's tale of a woman's survival and power in a man's world, ostensibly about King Henry VIII and Catherine Parr, the only one of Henry's wives to survive him, but very much a modern work. JA
Rutherford's Travels, Pegasus Theatre at Chicago Dramatists, through Dec. 4. Charles Johnson's epic yarn of seagoing adventure aboard a slave ship in 1830 draws on classics of the literary genre, making for a likewise thrilling boat-in-a-bottle production. MSB
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan