End Days, Next Theatre, through Nov. 29. Jesus, Elvis and Stephen Hawking play supporting roles to Laura T. Fisher’s complex and wholly empathetic depiction of an Evangelical zealot. Never mind God. Fisher walks away (albeit not on water) with Deborah Zoe Laufer’s trippy, provocative drama. CS
Man of La Mancha, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre at No Exit Café, through Nov. 22. A misguided visual concept almost sinks this stirring musical adaptation of Cervantes’ Don Quixote, but Danielle Brothers’ cross-gender turn as the moonstruck old knight single-handedly carries the evening. MSB
These Shining Lives, Rivendell at Raven Theatre, through Nov. 21. A remount of Melanie Marnich’s richly-personal yet fact-based drama about 1920’s women who painted radium dials on watches; a tale of sexism and accountability that resonates today. JA
Thoroughly Modern Millie, Drury Lane, Oak Brook, through Dec. 20. Who cares if Jeanine Tesori’s wonderful score is littered with interpolations? This is truly one fun tap-happy production that both jabs at and celebrates the art deco exuberance of the 1920s musical. SCM
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge,
Morgan and Sullivan