Hir, Steppenwolf Theatre, through Aug. 20. It's hard to like the characters in Taylor Mac's darkly distorted family sitcom, but only a joker couldn't admire the astonishing performances, especially Francis Guinan as the nearly-wordless father in clown make-up. Director Hallie Gordon's fine foursome features Amy Morton as a vengeful mom. JA
An Octoroon, Definition Theatre at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, through Aug. 20. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins incorporates so many laughse.g. two men fighting, while played by one actorinto his deconstruction of Boucicault's 19th-century blockbuster that we almost forget how smart it is. MSB
Aladdin, Cadillac Palace Theatre, through Sept. 10. This national tour is a corporate Disney product, no doubt. But most audiences nostalgic for the blockbuster 1992 animated feature probably won't care since Aladdin delivers as a wowing, big-budget stage spectacle. SCM
The Fair Maid of the West, Oak Park Festival Theatre, through Sept. 2. The season of "Swashbuckling in the Suburbs" continues amid leafy-green Austin Gardens with this home-grown seagoing adventure yarn of a woman captain in search of her lost sweetheart. MSB
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan