In the Heat of the Night
Contemplate the current U.S. state of race relations and policing by looking back to the 1960s with Shattered Globe Theatre's production of In the Heat of the Night. This stage adaptation by Matt Pelfrey is drawn from the novel by the late author John Ball, and it explores what happens when an African-American police officer is asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile Alabama town. Shattered Globe Theatre's In the Heat of the Night continues through Sunday, June 5, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets are $30 and $25 for seniors; call 773-975-8150 or visit TheaterWit.org or ShatteredGlobe.org .
Critic's Picks
Dreamgirls, Porchlight Music Theatre at Stage 773, extended through May 22. Director/choreographer Brenda Didier skillfully crams this African-American showbiz epic into a very intimate space that repeatedly dazzles. SCM
Jerusalem, Profiles Theatre at the Main Stage, through May 22. British anti-establishment playwright Jez Butterworth is at it again and nobody does amoral unshaven dropout better than Darrell W. Cox making with the acting chops at full throttle. MSB
Kill Floor, American Theater Company, through May 1. An ex-con mother takes a job in a slaughterhouse while trying to reconnect with her estranged biracial son in Abe Koogler's often-uncomfortable family drama. SCM
Mosque Alert, Silk Road Rising, through May 15. This world premiere set in Naperville touches on Islamophobia, Islamic homophobia, assimilationist Islam and, indirectly, attitudes expressed by Presidential candidates. It's timely, important and well-done. Author Jamil Khoury may put too much on the plate, but who can blame him? JA
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan