Even within playwright Jose Rivera’s slightly surreal logic, Massacre (Sing to Your Children) is nearly incoherent. Seven Latino conspirators murder Joe, the tyrant of a rural New England town, then leave his corpse on their doorstep while they bicker, make love, and wax poetic about the “revolution” (despite much talk of Joe’s brutal, omnipresent police force, they don’t bother to show up). When suspicions arise that Joe might be just fine–despite multiple stab wounds from seven crazed people–the well-armed crew merely cower while their IQs plummet and the implausibilities mount. For Teatro Vista’s world premiere production director Chuck Smith forces turbocharged, naturalistic acting onto Rivera’s elevated language, making the dialogue stilted and the emotions hyperbolic. –Justin Hayford a Through 4/22: Wed-Thu 7:30 PM, Fri 8 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 7:30 PM, Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, 312-443-3815, $20-$30.
