Start of 2024-25 season brings suspense, comedy, chills and more to audiences
Drury Lane's "The Audience" (clockwise from top left), "The Mousetrap" at Theatre of Western Springs and "The Outsider" at COD's McAninch Arts Center are among the 2024-25 season-opening productions to check out at local playhouses. (photos provided)
Summer's sunset doesn't have to darken the mood, since the lights are about shine on stages nearby.
Area theaters are getting ready to open their new seasons of productions, and there's something for everyone in the offerings.
• "Is it possible to be both a symbol and a person? A postage stamp and a grandmother? And if it is, does that duality take a toll?"
Those are questions posed by Jessica Fisch, director of "The Audience," which hits the Drury Lane Theatre stage Wednesday, Aug. 28. The play, written by Peter Morgan, is an exploration behind the closed doors of Buckingham Palace and of Queen Elizabeth II as she holds her private audiences with her prime ministers.
Witness the delicate balance of power and unspoken rules of engagement that underscore these confidential meetings.
"We will never know what really happened behind the closed doors of the audience room, between the sovereign and her prime ministers, but it has been a delight to imagine," Fisch said.
Drury Lane Theatre is located at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show runs through Sunday, Oct. 20, at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets start at $67.95. Visit http://www.drurylanetheatre.com or call (630) 530-0111.
• Can you name the longest running play in the world? If you said Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap," you may have just the kind of mind needed to solve this classic murder mystery.
"The Mousetrap" opens Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Theatre of Western Springs, In this beloved whodunit, young couple Mollie and Giles Ralston, who have opened a new hotel in the renovated Monkswell Manor, find themselves snowed in with four guests and another traveler who ran his car into a snowdrift. Det. Sgt. Trotter arrives on skis to inform the group he believes a murderer is on his way to the hotel. When one of the guests is found dead, they realize the murderer.
Director Jim LaPietra said the show illustrates why the Queen of Crime's popularity has been so enduring.
"Even if you already know the plot twists of the play, the journey to get to the solution is more than half of the fun," he said.
The Theatre of Western Springs is located at 4384 Hampton Ave. The show runs through Sunday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays; an American Sign Language-interpreted performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14.
Tickets are $28 for adults and $15 for children and students. Visit http://www.theatreofwesternsprings.com or call (708) 246-3380.
• Ned Newley is the worst candidate to ever run for office, with no political instincts and a fear of public speaking.
In an already stranger-than-fiction presidential election year, the hilarious comedy "The Outsider" that opens Thursday, Sept. 5, at College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center seems well-timed for the current zeitgeist.
While Ned seems destined to fail, his political consultant sees things differently in this Buffalo Theatre Ensemble production that skewers politics and celebrates democracy.
A pre-show discussion with the director and designers will be held at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5. A post-show discussion with the director, cast and crew will held Friday, Sept. 13.
The McAninch Arts Center is located at 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn. The show runs through Sunday, Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. An ASL performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26.
Tickets are $44 for adults and $42 for seniors. Visit http://www.atthemac.org or call (630) 942-4000.
• If open-air entertainment is your thing, Morton Arboretum has the perfect venue with its Walking Plays, in which the action happens at several natural backdrop locations along a one- to two-mile
hiking route.
Final performances of the family-friendly "House on Pooh Corner" (90 minutes) are at 6 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24 and 15. The second half of the series starts Saturday, Sept. 28, with "The Grimmest of Tales" revealing the darker side of the Brothers Grimm's stories, including an encounter with a mysterious enchantress (it's recommended for ages 10 and up due to scary content and mentions of death and gore). Guests should bring water, a portable chair or blanket and bug spray.
The Morton Arboretum is located at 4100 Route 53, Lisle. The show runs on weekends through Sunday, Oct. 27 with performances running from 4 to about 6 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for ages 2-17 and free for ages 2 and younger. Visit http://www.mortonarb.org or call (630) 968-0074.
