The Caretaker, Writers’ Theatre, through March 25. You simply won’t find a better staging of Harold Pinter’s quintessential 1960 Comedy of Menace, set in a tough London ‘hood where an old bum nearly comes between two vastly dissimilar brothers. Beautiful acting and direction. JA
Gypsy, Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace, through April 1. Klea Blackhurst gives a human and powerhouse vocal performance as Madame Rose, usually just written off as “the stage mother from hell.” This glorious rendition of the hit musical based upon the memoirs of burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee shouldn’t be missed. SCM
Race, Goodman Theatre, through Feb. 19. The mad-Mamet is back in fighting form, scoring punch after punch with this tight little conference-room drama of attorney-client ambivalence, while Chuck Smith’s sly direction keeps our attention focused just where it
ought to be. MSB
Unnecessary Farce, First Folio Theatre at Mayslake Peabody Estate, Oak Brook, through March 4. Chicago actor Paul Slade Smith’s 2006 police farce finally receives a standout local debut that constantly leaves you in stitches thanks to a fine-tuned comic cast who wring multiple laughs out of the silly script. SCM
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge
and Morgan