Red Rex, Steep Theatre, through March 30. The sixth installment in Ike Holter’s seven-part play cycle exploring the urban woes of Chicago’s (fictional) 51st Ward doesn’t spare the clueless artists whose invasions only hasten the displacement of the indigenous population. MSB
The Man Who Was Thursday, Lifeline Theatre, through April 7. G.K. Chesterton’s satirical tale of government agents chasing their tails while purporting to protect society from wrongdoers has lost none of its caustic humor or ironic relevance over the hundred years since its first publication. MSB
Doubt: A Parable, Gift Theatre at the Steppenwolf 1700, through March 31. John Gawlik’s direction ramps up the urgency in this examination of moral compasses led astray by moral certainty buttressed by casuistic power.MSB
Requiem for a Heavyweight, The Artistic Home, through March 31. Not a single punch actually lands in Rod Serling’s tough-tender tragedy, but never has boxing been more brutal than in this production featuring Mark Pracht in a star-making performance as a down-on-his-luck prizefighter. MSB
—By Mary Shen Barnidge