A Catered Affair, Porchlight Music Theatre at Stage 773, through April 1. Harvey Fierstein and John Bucchino’s 2008 Broadway musical, based on the 1956 Bette Davis film, receives a lovely and emotionally well-acted chamber-sized production courtesy of the fine folks at Porchlight. SCM
fml: How Carson McCullers saved my life, Steppenwolf Theatre, through March 18. Sarah Gubbins’ Steppenwolf for Young Adults world-premiere drama provides a nice portrait of a La Grange lesbian student in a Catholic school who knows that “It Gets Better” later, but is having a hard time making it through. SCM
The Jackie Wilson Story, Black Ensemble Theatre, through March 18. It’s your last chance to see the show that helped build the shiny new theater now lighting up the corner near Clark and Montrose. Don’t you be the one crying “Lonely Teardrops” after it’s gone. MSB
Show Boat, Lyric Opera of Chicago, through March 17. I have some nits about this new production, but the bottom line is that it’s a brilliantly-sung, colorfully-staged and engaging version of a justifiably legendary Broadway show. Go, hear “Old Man River,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “You Are Love.” JA
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge
and Morgan