OnStage: Good shows running

And they're off.

A flurry of new productions have opened for the fall theater season, from revues and musicals to riveting dramas and intimate send-ups of society. Here's a survey of some critical favorites.

On the surface, this Caryl Churchill drama is a period piece about witch-hunts in 17th-century England. But in director Wendy Knox's production, we get a vivid and brutally engaging show that sketches a society governed by a welter of superstitions, a place where self-righteous accusations are perceived as facts and where there's no escape from fear. (Ends Oct. 5. Frank Theatre at the Ritz. 612-724-3760) R.P.

In a two-hander about a burned-out American pianist and an older Viennese voice teacher, Raye Birk is thoroughly remarkable as Josef Mashkan, the teacher. Birk's Mashkan visibly struggles to hold himself together as existence overwhelms him, emotion defeats mere vocabulary and music releases his pain. A lesser actor might assess this set of circumstances and settle for simple contradiction. Birk attacks with a fervent honesty that ripples through every muscle, making this one of the transcendent performances of the year -- absolutely must-see. (Ends Oct. 5. Theater Latté Da at Guthrie Studio. 612-377-2224.) G.R.

Two one-acts, Sun Mee Chomet's "Asiamnesia" and May Lee Yang's "Sia(b)," present funny, moving stories about Asian women in America. Chomet's work, staged by Randy Reyes, takes a smart, funny eye to the harsh history of exploitation experienced by Asian-American screen stars, including Anna May Wong. The show climaxes with a ritual slaying of Asian-American stereotypes, including the alluring geisha and the stalking murderer. Director Robert Karimi stages "Sia(b)," which means heart or liver in Hmong, with even more attitude as the show toys with notions of ethnographic exploration. (Ends Oct. 5, Mu Performing Arts at the Playwrights' Center. 612-824-4804.) R.P.

Sisters are doing it for themselves at the former Guthrie Lab. Singing siblings Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele are joined by longtime Guthrie actor Isabel Monk O'Connor in this revue that cheers, toasts, upbraids and celebrates women. With sassy showmanship and huge commitment, the performers deliver standards, jokes and poems that leave a sweet feeling in the spirit. (Ends Oct. 5. Ruby's at the Lab. 651-209-6799.) R.P.

This is a superb production of Wendy Wassertein's rich meditation on life, love, regret and desire, directed with a keen eye by Mary Finnerty. Reunited in London for the 54th birthday of Sara Goode (Charity Jones) are her sisters Gorgeous (Angela Timberman) and Pfeni (Carolyn Pool). Undergirding the loose talk over cocktails and dinner are Wasserstein's persistent explorations of identity. What does it mean to be Jewish, to be a woman? Timberman hits every beat of this plum role delicately but firmly. And in her grand moment of emotion, she strikes with immediate and fierce passion. (Ends Oct. 5. Park Square Theatre. 651-291-7005.) G.R.

James A. Williams blows through Penumbra Theatre's 300-seat auditorium like a hurricane. As combustible, if charming, baseball-player-turned-garbageman Troy, Williams fills the room in Lou Bellamy's riveting production of August Wilson's masterwork. The production also boasts standout performances by Elayn Taylor as Troy's wife, Rose, James Alfred as Troy's dreamy son and James Craven as Troy's brother, who was wounded in war. On Monday, Williams won an Ivey Award for his performance in a show that has been extended. (Ends Oct. 19. Penumbra Theatre. 651-224-3180.) R.P.

The membrane between performance and real life seems thin as Jungle founder Bain Boehlke delivers the valedictory of an old stage actor, Robert, to a younger one. In David Mamet's slim homage to actors and their craft, Robin Everson plays the young actor, John, whose star is rising as Robert's wanes. John initially savors Robert's ruminations on theater, feeding the old man's natural ken for self-importance. Slowly, an edge creeps into their relationship, and John wearies of the pompous marginalia that Robert passes along with the occasional nugget of wisdom. See performance excerpts and hear Boehlke talk about the play at startribune.com/onstage. (Ends Oct. 26. Jungle Theater. 612-822-7063.) G.R.

Gifted actor John Carroll Lynch plays Eddie Carbone, the problematic center of Ethan McSweeny's stunning operatic production of Arthur Miller's psychosexual classic. There is more than a touch of the ancient Greek in this tragedy about a longshoreman's growing obsession with his teenage niece. When two brothers, illegal immigrants from Italy, move into the Carbones' Brooklyn house, they end up on a collision course with Eddie. In this grand production, all of the elements -- set, music, lighting, acting and directing -- cohere powerfully. By the end, Miller has searched his characters, turning out their pockets to reveal all their longings, hurts and dreams. (Ends Nov. 8. Guthrie Theater thrust stage. 612-377-2224.) R.P.

Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390 Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299