The title notwithstanding, there’s little that’s ordinary about “THE ORDINARY YEARNING OF MIRIAM BUDDWING,” a world premiere by Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros that, commissioned by Steppenwolf Theatre, opens Saturday at the theater’s studio theater. It’s the title character’s birthday, a rich opportunity for her to dream of escaping her family, and for good reason: Her eldest son is a poet hiding in the woods, her youngest son is a cop with an itchy trigger-finger, her teenage daughter wants to become a lounge singer and her husband is simply not dying fast enough. Add to these an Ecuadorian nurse who has seen the Virgin Mary and a reluctant estate lawyer. Anna D. Shapiro directs the multiplying complications.
“The Ordinary Yearning of Miriam Buddwing” runs through Feb. 11 at Steppenwolf Studio, 1650 N. Halsted St.; 312-335-1650.
Other theater openings to fill the week:
“Vagabond,” City Lit Theater Company, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.; 773-293-3682: Opening Friday and replete with eccentric showbiz types, this early feminist novel by Colette (author of “Gigi” and “Cheri”) evokes the color and music of Parisian music halls circa 1912. Kelly Nespor’s adaptation and Ann Shanahan’s staging will re-create “la belle epoque.” The sexy and cynical Renee Nere, who has cultivated a carefree bohemian life as an actress-dancer, suddenly receives an unexpected offer of marriage from a rich admirer. Will she choose security over independence?
“Before It Hits Home,” Congo Square Theatre Company at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-633-0549: Opening Sunday as the second production by this new African-American theater (“The Piano Lesson” opened in October), the Chicago premiere of Cheryl West’s drama depicts a family in flux. Their sense of reality is threatened when their son, a jazz musician, reveals that he is bisexual and has AIDS. The play, directed by Anthony Amiri Edwards, confronts the black community’s alleged denial of the disease.
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“Night Coil,” Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland Ave.; 773-384-0494: Michael S. Pieper directs Jeffrey M. Jones’ journey into one man’s nightmare as he struggles for possession of his subconscious. It opens Friday with a cast of nine.
“Big River,” Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire; 847-634-0200: A very popular musical (it was most recently revived in November by Apple Tree Theatre and, many years ago, by Marriott Theatre, Roger Miller’s country-western version of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” opens Wednesday with television star Jeff (“Step by Step”) Juday as Huck Finn and Derek Alexander as his raft mate, Jim. Marc Robin directs and choreographs this downhome foot-stomper.
“Bash: Latterday Plays,” About Face Theatre, 3212 N. Broadway; 773-549-3290: An early version of one of the installments in Neil LaBute’s “Bash,” debuted at Chicago’s now-closed Cafe Voltaire in 1993. In it LaBute, who went on to direct such controversial films as “In the Company of Men,” “Your Friends and Neighbors” and “Nurse Betty,” revealed his flair for showing how people give themselves away in a hundred unwilled ways and how character is defined by crisis. These one-acts, expanded in 1999 for an off-Broadway run and opening Sunday in a Midwest premiere, depict the aftermath of a hate crime, a white-collar scam effort and a sexual uncoupling. Eric Rosen directs Kyle Hall, Louise Lamson, Armando Riesco and Lisa Velten.
“Disney’s Jungle Adventures on Ice,” Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Rd., Rosemont; 312-559-1212: Beginning Wednesday and then moving to the United Center on Jan. 30, this high-energy ice spectacle combines “The Jungle Book,” “Tarzan” and “The Lion King,” giving these Disney animations a third dimension, a common theme and a swing beat.
“Eurydice,” Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-633-0630: Continuing the theater’s series of Saturday staged readings and discussions of plays-in-progress, Sarah Ruhl’s lyrical drama reimagines the myth of Orpheus from Eurydice’s point of view. The play follows the abducted lady to the underworld, exploring language, memory and Eurydice’s ultimate choice of whether to follow Orpheus back to the world of the living. Ann Filmer directs.
The Capitol Steps, Centre East at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 N. Skokie Blvd., Skokie; 847-673-6300: Playing Friday and Saturday, this three-person musical comedy troupe promises to inaugurate our new president with an abundance of improvisational satire.