The Good Person of Szechwan, Cor Theatre at A Red Orchid Theatre, through Sept. 11. This is not your schoolroom Brecht, but a parable brimming with vibrant street sounds and topicality, starring a cross-dressing Will Von Vogt as the faces of ghetto economy. MSB
Kinky Boots, Oriental Theatre, through Sept. 4. Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein’s Tony-winning musical adaptation of the 2005 film carries a great message of changing hearts and minds by finding self acceptance. SCM
The Promise of a Rose Garden, Babes With Blades Theater Company at City Lit, through Sept. 10. It was less than a year ago that the U.S. military okayed women for combat duty, and already we have this action-packed underdogs-in-uniform drama of females pioneering the grueling USMC advanced infantry officer training course. MSB
Rose, Greenhouse Theater Center, through Sept. 25. The biographical details are well-known, but this solo impression of Rose Kennedy at 79 has deep feeling and great style. Steve Scott’s tasteful direction is perfectly paced. JA
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan