'Grey Gardens' in fearsome bloom
Hedy Weiss: It is inspired by a true story --the sad descent of a pair of mother-and-daughter relatives of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, who plummeted from New York socialite glory to a half-demented, penniless existence and were the focus of a 1973 documentary film by the Maysles brothers. Yet the 2006 Broadway musical version of "Grey Gardens," which is very much its own ingenious creation, might easily be mistaken for a modern-day Grimm Brothers fairy tale that hauntingly unspools in reverse.

Musical family secrets cultivate 'Grey Gardens'
Hedy Weiss: It wasn't exactly a Camelot world for everyone in the Kennedy family orbit. Just consider the case of Edith "Big Edie" Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale, the aunt and first cousin respectively of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and her sister, Lee Radziwill.

Circle Theatre's 'Blondes' will leave you breathless

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," the musical comedy set to a flapper era beat that is receiving a rare, breathlessly vivacious revival at Circle Theatre, is every bit the pure fluff that its title suggests. But sometimes (and right now might just be the ideal moment) fluff can be absolutely essential to maintaining sanity. So let's hear it for those energetic, social-climbing girls from Little Rock, Ark. -- Lorelei Lee, the gold-digging bottle-platinum, and her best friend, Dorothy Shaw, the brunet with a zesty appetite for life and men.

Familiarity breeds love for 'Porgy'
Hedy Weiss: As with any work performed at Lyric Opera of Chicago, the titles of the arias in "Porgy and Bess" are printed as part of the synopsis in the program. But unlike most operas, even the most familiar works of Puccini and Mozart, this is one case where the audience can easily sing along.

Collaboraction's 'Jon' has finger on pulse of our robotic, materialistic society

"Jon" is a quirky little quasi-futuristic fable about consumerism, media saturation, sex, true love, "virtual" existence and an awakening sense of freedom. It also just happens to speak to our economically chaotic times with a particular urgency.

Two Chicago legends get rousing sendoffs
Hedy Weiss: The circle will, indeed, be unbroken. That was the message at two emotion-packed memorials held here Monday. One was for Studs Terkel, the writer, actor, oral historian and maestro of the radio waves who spent most of his 96 years as the man who listened to Chicago. The other paid homage to choreographer Gerald Arpino, co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, who died last month at 85.

Congo war's atrocities hit home with 'Ruined'
Hedy Weiss: If you wish to be among the first to see the play that in every way, shape and form deserves to become the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, head directly to the Goodman's Owen Theatre, where Lynn Nottage's "Ruined" is now in its explosive world premiere. A brash, heart-of-darkness story, "Ruined" is a 21st century African variation on Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children."

Hellman's 'Garden' doesn't bring out the best in characters, story

"THE AUTUMN GARDEN"

Examining an aging drunk's DNA
Hedy Weiss: Whether set in a rural pub, a vintage urban office or a dimly lit traditional bungalow, the plays of Conor McPherson ("The Weir," "Shining City" and "The Seafarer" among them) share certain unmistakable qualities.

Baring the heart, soul of 'Gatsby'
Hedy Weiss: Among the many things you might well find yourself thinking about if you are lucky enough to catch Sunday's final Chicago performance of "Gatz" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Theatre is that no matter how lucid the book might be, no high school student assigned to read it should ever be expected to comprehend it.

From 'CSI' to Steppenwolf, William Petersen's journey
Hedy Weiss: William L. Petersen is in the process of getting his theater groove back. The actor’s final episode of the longrunning CBS series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” already has been shot and is set to air in January. And though ratings for the show are sky high (the season premiere attracted an audience of 23.5 million), the man who plays Gil Grissom — that brainy forensic entomologist and night-shift supervisor at the Clark County, Nev., crime lab — is walking into the sunset. Almost.

The play's the thing

William L. Petersen is in the process of getting his theater groove back. The actor's final episode of the longrunning CBS series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" already has been shot and is set to air in January. And though ratings for the show are sky high (the season premiere attracted an audience of 23.5 million), the man who plays Gil Grissom -- that brainy forensic entomologist and night-shift supervisor at the Clark County, Nev., crime lab -- is walking into the sunset. Almost.

Life’s not a beach for in-demand Morton

There will be no rest for the truly driven. And though actress-director Amy Morton does not look any worse for wear — her cornsilk hair, slim figure and loping walk have barely changed, despite decades of work in Chicago theaters and a couple of years that would test the mettle of a marathon runner — she confesses she would just like to “lie down on a warm beach somewhere and eat really good food” for about three months. This is not in her immediate future.

Black conservative struggles in Gibbons' latest racial play

Against the backdrop of the election of the first African-American president of the United States, Thomas Gibbons' 2007 play "A House Without Walls" -- the third installment in his trilogy about matters of race in this country -- takes on even more significance.

Kalember psyched for comedic 'Dinner' role

On the morning I chatted with actress Patricia Kalember -- best known for her roles on such television series as "Sisters," "thirtysomething" and "Kay O'Brien" -- she was heading off to a Latin class after spending the previous evening at the Barack Obama rally in Grant Park. In town for rehearsals of "Don't Dress for Dinner" (directed by John Tillinger), the classic farce by Swiss-French playwright Marc Camoletti (whose "Boeing-Boeing" is now a hit in its Broadway revival), she explained why she continues to be lured back to the stage.

Company loves misery in Chekhov's stories

It was singer Bobby McFerrin who told us: "Don't worry, be happy." But as much as we might like to chant that copacetic phrase, we continue to be bedeviled by the little disturbances of man (and woman), particularly those resulting from the uneasy relationship between the sexes.

'Radio Macbeth' an intriguing stage potion

To be sure, the New York-based SITI Company's production of "Radio Macbeth" is not a starter kit for Shakespeare's tale about a bloody quest for power, the guilt and destruction that can result from unbridled ambition, and the poisonous dynamics of a marriage.

Artistic Home finds 'Angel' on shoulder
The Artistic Home theater company finally has a house worthy of its exuberant spirit. After years of producing fine work in a cramped storefront, it has taken up permanent residence in the larger but still-intimate confines of the former Live Bait Theater. The venue has a spacious, brightly painted lobby, both a mainstage and studio space, restrooms the actors no longer have to share with their audience, and a stage large enough for a play requiring a cast of 18 and a richly three-dimensional set.

'Morning' dawns on failing marriages
Hedy Weiss: A cleverly worded statistic gets the biggest laugh in "Tomorrow Morning," British-bred Laurence Mark Wythe's new musical about that whole messy chain of human endeavor summed up by those three little words -- love, marriage and divorce. The statistic goes like this: "100 percent of divorces begin with a marriage."

Dance Chicago offers a smorgasbord in many guises
Hedy Weiss: Talk about a smorgasbord of dance. The weekend's opening program of Dance Chicago 2008 -- the three-week festival at the Athenaeum Theatre that showcases dance in all its many guises -- dished out so many different "tastes" of the art form that it was difficult to keep track of them all. Along the way, the spirit of invention and eclecticism not only kept the audience more than sated, but turned this whole starter meal into an alluring suggestion of the many things to come.

For those who know the tale, 'Radio Macbeth' a potent potion

To be sure, the New York-based SITI Company production of "Radio Macbeth" is not a starter kit for Shakespeare's tale about a bloody quest for power, the guilt and destruction that can result from unbridled ambition, and the poisonous dynamics of a marriage.

New 'Rob Roy' musical to play Arie Crown

The big houses in the Loop's Theater District tend to be solidly booked these days, so once again there is an attempt to resuscitate the Arie Crown as a viable stage for big musicals.

A 'Gatsby' greater than sum of its parts
Hedy Weiss: These days, as a major recession looms, there might be no more perfect American classic to turn to than F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. True, it is set in New York at the height of the Jazz Age, when money seemed to multiply exponentially. But this was the prologue to the 1929 stock market crash that ushered in the Great Depression. And it's always advisable to recall what led to the deluge.

'Tomorrow Morning' examines fine art of marriage and divorce

Not surprisingly, aside from self-reflective tales of show biz life, the theme that tends to dominate musicals is that of love and marriage. (Divorce? Well, that's part of the equation, too.) Just think, for example, of such big shows as "Show Boat," "Kiss Me, Kate," "Carousel," "She Loves Me," "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," and "Company." And think, too, of more modestly-scaled shows like "I Do! I Do!", or Jason Robert Brown's "The Last Five Years," or even "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change."

'Jew Grows' on memory lane for those with similar backgrounds

Call it matzo ball soup for the soul. Call it preaching to the (temple) choir. Call it nostalgic memoir, heartfelt homage and New World Jewish roots vaudeville. Or maybe just settle for homemade schmaltz with a slice of wry (rye, too). Or Billy Crystal light.

With legacy secure, Pegasus founder Crewdson steps down as director

Arlene Crewdson, the advocate and educator who founded Pegasus Players 30 years ago and served as its executive director ever since, has announced she will step down from her position in early 2009.

'Yasser' turns up the heat on frightened actor
Hedy Weiss: It's a classic scenario with a fairly predictable political twist. Abdelkader Benali's hourlong "Yasser," one of the two solo shows now on view as part of I-Fest, Chopin Theatre's showcase of international productions, uses the time-tested notion of an actor in the throes of a panic attack shortly before he must make his entrance onstage.

'Seven Days' obstacles are too Steep

First, the good news: Steep Theatre, the company that staged a hugely memorable and successful production of Bertolt Brecht's "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" in 2007, has moved from its cramped, traffic-ridden storefront home in Wrigleyville to a new, expanded, handsomely retrofitted ground-floor operation in Edgewater. Some tweaking is still in order: The ventilation system is noisy, and the height and placement of the seats in relation to the stage is far from ideal. But the theater is smack in the middle of a neighborhood on the rise, the lobby is welcoming and the seating capacity (80) is ideal.

Stage notes: Joffrey school sets Jan. 5 launch date

JOFFREY SCHOOL:The Academy of Dance, the Joffrey Ballet's newly established "official school," has set Jan. 5 as its launch date. Classes will be held in the state-of-the-art studios of the Exelon Education Center, housed in the company's newly opened home in the Joffrey Tower at 10 E. Randolph. Appointed as artistic directors of the school are Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik. Other faculty members will include Pierre Lockett (the Joffrey's director of education and community engagement) and ballet master Chartel Arthur. Call (312) 739-0120.

Chat arts today at 12:30 p.m. with Hedy Weiss
Can't get enough of the arts? Chat live with Sun-Times theater critic Hedy Weiss. Hedy will answer your questions about anything you ever wanted to know relating to the Chicago theater scene and about upcoming shows in the area.

A take-no-prisoners approach to 'Celebrity'
Hedy Weiss: For years I've imagined a play in which three fabled literary hermits -- Samuel Beckett, J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon -- met in some remote roadside diner to enjoy a long, revealing (and no doubt blackly comic) lunch. In "Celebrity Row" playwright Itamar Moses has pushed this relatively benign setup a giant step further.

A black conservative struggles in Gibbons' latest racial play

As you read this, you might be preparing to vote for or against the first African-American nominee for president of the United States. This fact alone should make Thomas Gibbons' 2007 play "A House With No Walls" -- the third installment in his trilogy about matters of race in this country -- one of the more intriguing little experiments in audience reaction.

Studs Terkel's greatest character -- himself
Hedy Weiss: On a frosty Monday evening in March 2004 -- when he was still a gadabout closing in on his 92nd birthday -- Studs Terkel gave one of the finest performances of his long career. Dressed in a suit, with his signature red-and-white-checked shirt, red tie and red socks, and his white hair just a bit electric with what you could sense was his inner excitement, he strode determinedly onto the stage of Steppenwolf Theatre for a remarkable one-night stand -- a rousing performance of "Trumbo" that, sadly, was not videotaped. It will, however, live in the memory of all who saw it.

If there's an office below, 'Thugs' knows it

It's Alfred Hitchcock meets Harold Pinter by way of the popular television series, "The Office." And for anyone who has served time as a temporary office worker, or toiled at tedious clerical tasks in a law firm, there will be a sense of instant, blackly comic recognition in the circle of interpersonal hell depicted in "The Thugs," Adam Bock's quirky little play about the fear and loathing and terror found in the contemporary workplace (and beyond).

Dance Chicago opens a window to the world

Transporting dance and theater companies across the globe is an expensive proposition, even in the best of economic times, so given the worldwide financial situation at the moment, it is downright amazing that such cultural trade still can take place.

Timely 'Tortuga' takes terror into boardroom

It's always intriguing to see how certain plays can take on new subtext depending on the real-life events that unfold around a given production. As case in point: "Men of Tortuga," Chicago-based playwright Jason Wells' hard-driving, blackly comic, relentlessly macho boardroom assassination drama.

Joffrey Ballet co-founder Gerald Arpino dies at 85
Hedy Weiss: Gerald Arpino, a dancer, choreographer and, with Robert Joffrey, the co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet — one of the most influential and distinctly American ballet companies — died Monday at his Chicago home after a long illness. He was 85, and had actively overseen the company to which he had devoted his life until July 2007, when he was named artistic director emeritus.

An altogether ooky opening is bound for Ford Center
Hedy Weiss: Make way for Gomez, Morticia, Fester, Wednesday, Pugsley and all the rest. "The Addams Family" -- a new musical inspired by cartoonist Charles Addams' droll, goth-style, decidedly macabre version of the American family -- is set for its pre-Broadway world premiere at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/ Oriental Theatre, running Nov. 13, 2009-Jan. 10, 2010.

Steppenwolf series makes intriguing changes
The best way to see one of Steppenwolf Theatre’s Young Adults productions is on a weekday morning in an audience packed with the high school students for which the shows have been designed.

Cut-down 'Karamazov' keeps big ideas intact
Hedy Weiss: In "The Brothers Karamazov" -- director Heidi Stillman's spare, sinewy Lookingglass Theatre stage adaptation of the great 19th century Russian novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- two early sound cues signal the major themes of the story. From within a shabby house come screams suggesting a drunken brawl or some sort of bloody domestic violence. They are quickly followed by the redemptive beauty and calm of church chimes.