Blues for an Alabama Sky, Eclipse Theatre, Victory Gardens Greenhouse, through April 29. Pearl Cleage’s tale of dreams dashed and fulfilled celebrates the rich culture of 1930s Harlem, and has a gay hero. Wordy but worth it, with a fine ensemble cast. Last week. JA
The Gin Game, Apple Tree Theatre, through May 13. Between them, Anne Whitney and Tony Mockus have 120 years’ stage experience and know a hawk from a handsaw. They create a firestorm in D.L. Coburn’s searing two-hander about life in the twilight years. CS
The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow, Collaboraction, through May 6, Chicago Center for the Performing Arts. This transfer of a brave and brilliant show gives skeptics time to see what they almost missed, such as Jennifer Shin’s electrifying performance. MSB
The Love of a Nightingale, LiveWire at The Side Project, through April 29. Timberlake Wertenbacker’s thoughtful adaptation of the brutal Greek myth of Philomele questions the power imbalances between men and women in a powerful pocket-sized production. SCM
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge,
Morgan and Sullivan