After the Quake, Steppenwolf through Feb. 19. Frank Galati adapts Haruki Murakami’s short stories revolving around Kobe’s 1995 earthquake, and brings the popular author’s prose to dramatic, lyrical and even fanciful life. RR
Hurlyburly,
Gift Theatre Company, through Feb. 18. Michael Patrick Thornton’s contemplative approach to David Rabe’s misogynistic ‘boys behaving badly’ milieu keeps us engaged for the three hours before peripeteia penetrates the testosterone haze. MSB
Much Ado About Nothing, Chicago Shakespeare Theater through Feb. 14. Canadian director Marti Maraden makes a stunning debut with her spot-on interpretation of the Bard’s powerful, yet comic, take on love and deception. RR
Oliver, Marriott Theatre (Lincolnshire), through Feb. 12. A splendid cast and trenchant direction by David H. Bell make this old chestnut fresh again. Michael Notardonato in the title role is sweet and sure of voice and pleasingly unaffected; he’s a young man to watch. JA
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Reed