Chicago Street Theatre and the Genesius Guild are celebrating the opening of the new Edith B. Wood Studio Theatre upstairs at CST with “A Picasso,” an intriguing little one act play about a dark time in history. It never happened, but it could have, which is what makes it really gripping.

For their spring production, The Drama Group selected “The Wiz,” an ambitious re-telling of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” “The Wiz” can’t help being over the top – I mean, really, the original book was about witches, wizards, munchkins, and a green city!

Valparaiso Theatrical Company chose “Almost Maine” for their spring production. “Almost, Maine” is a series of vignettes (almost short plays) about the residents of a remote, almost mythical place somewhere in northern Maine.

Photo: the cast & crew of "Almost, Maine"

The Towle Theater’s latest production, “Jewtopia,” fits right into their mantra – it's a new, kind of edgy play, with a small cast, and it's very, very funny.

AstonRep is another new (to me) theater company. Although I’ve been meaning to try to take in one of their productions, the dates just never worked out. Their new play, “Next Fall,” is running through May 25th at Boho Theatre’s Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood. My friend and I like Rogers Park, so we decided to take a chance.

I can only give “Next Fall” 2 Spotlights. It’s an interesting play, but for a variety of reasons, this production just didn’t work.

An exuberant production of “Gypsy” runs through Sunday at Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. Everyone knows the story (which is mostly true) about Mama Rose, the pushiest stage mother of all time.

Get on over to Chicago Street Theatre and see their production of “The Graduate,” it’s a must-see. Congrats to co-directors, Mary Bird and Martin Weisenbacher, who have put an excellent cast together.

“The Emperor’s New Threads: A Fashion Statement” is enchanting, colorful and fun. The new production in Lifeline Theatre’s KidSeries brings the folktale about the Emperor’s New Clothes firmly into the psychedelic sixties.

If you’re looking for a romantic evening out with your sweetie, Towle Theater’s “Tomorrow Morning” is the show for you. For their first non-Equity professional production (that means the actors are paid), Jeff Casey and Kevin Bellamy have chosen a winner.

When it comes to choosing plays for Hammond Community Theatre, Director C. Dale Kelley has always had a wry - or maybe I should say twisted - sense of humor. HCT’s latest choice, a Christopher Durang comedy, “Why Torture Is Wrong and the People Who Love Them,” definitely fits into the twisted humor category.