Theater Spotlight
Black Ensemble Theater continues its 40th-anniversary season of “greatest hits” by reviving Jackie Taylor’s I Am Who I Am (The Story of Teddy Pendergrass), from the company’s 2006-07 season. The musical charts the tragic life of its title soul singer who is best known for numerous 1970s hits like “Turn Off the Lights,” “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and “Wake Up Everybody.” Daryl D. Brooks directs the revival, which stars RaShawn Thompson and Deverin Deonte as older and younger versions of Pendergrass. I Am Who I Am (The Story of Teddy Pendergrass) continues through Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark St. Tickets are $55-$65; call 773-769-4451 or visit BlackEnsemble.org.
Critics’ Picks
Amour, Black Button Eyes Productions at Athenaeum Theatre, through Oct. 8. There are some glaring plot holes in this tale of a mild-mannered clerk who discovers he has the power to walk through walls—but composer Michel LeGrand’s score is certainly something to savor in this production. SCM
A Comedical Tragedy for Mister Punch, House Theatre of Chicago at Chopin Theatre, through Oct. 23. Fans of the House’s tradition-breaking Nutcracker will recognize in this Victorian-styled spectacle a fable of discovering that our parents are human, with all the contradictions inherent therein. MSB
Grizzly Mama, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, through Oct. 15. Don’t be fooled by the initial buffoonery—George Brant’s satire takes no prisoners in his skewering of both left and right-wing extremism. MSB
Wonderful Town, Goodman Theatre, extended through Oct. 23. I’ve serious bones to pick with this production, but when might we see this 1950s musical rarity again? The dazzling score by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, is magnificently played and sung. JA
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan