After the Dance This 1939 drawing-room drama by British writer Terence Rattigan (The Winslow Boy, The Browning Version, Separate Tables) concerns dissolute middle-aged socialites David and Joan Scott-Fowler, whose marriage seems to be a model of fashionable frivolity until David falls in love with his young cousin’s fiancee, with tragic results. Not one of Rattigan’s best works, the play is nonetheless an effective period piece—a portrait of carefree “bright young things” of the 1920s as they ungracefully age while their world slips inexorably toward another world war. Runcible Theatre Company’s intimate staging (apparently the script’s Chicago premiere) features strong performances under Andrew Root’s direction. With his quick, nervous smile, Layne Manzer is especially compelling as the conflicted David, a weak, shallow, privileged alcoholic torn between his loyalty to his wife and the new sense of purpose he finds in his romance with a younger woman. —Albert Williams
Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead It’s hard to overstate just how angsty Bert V. Royal’s 2004 unauthorized Peanuts parody really is. For a start, consider that Blink-182’s “Adam’s Song” is in the preshow song rotation for this Eclectic Theatre production. Charlie Brown (here “CB”) mourns his dead rabies-infected dog and ponders mortality; the Lucy character is in prison for homicidal arson, while “Beethoven” (i.e., Schroeder) is a sex-abuse victim and the target of the self-loathingly closeted Matt (i.e., Pig-Pen). Royal’s script is so preoccupied with young-adult themes—eating disorders, depression, drug use, homophobia, self-harm—that it feels sophomoric itself, lacking the self-awareness required to make much out of the dark comedy. There is, however, palpable energy to this unevenly cast ensemble of young actors directed by David Belew; Kirk Osgood in particular creates some undeniably emotion-packed moments as CB. —Dan Jakes
The Nutcracker The House Theatre’s playful and irreverent version of E.T.A. Hoffman’s famous story begins with the news of tragedy; from there, Christmas is nearly canceled, but it’s the very threat of loss that imbues the holiday with meaning. Kids and grown-ups will be charmed by Clara (Ariana Burks) and her talking toys as they defeat the Rat King—a symbolic defeat of fear and death’s obliterating spell—rekindling the season’s celebratory spirit. With puppetry and other effects, this singular production is perfectly set in Chopin’s small, circular space, and while the songs feel a bit ancillary, the onstage orchestra is impressive. It’s a smart, layered, and very modern take on a classic tale. —Suzanne Scanlon
