Theater events: Light Opera Works revives 'My Fair Lady'

LOW's 'My Fair Lady'

Nick Sandys, Remy Bumppo artistic director and First Folio Theatre artistic associate, reprises his role as prickly phonetics professor Henry Higgins in Light Opera Works' revival of "My Fair Lady," the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe musical based on George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion." Marriott Theatre veteran Elizabeth Telford stars as Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower seller whom Higgins transforms into a lady in director Rudy Hogenmiller's production. Opens at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 4, at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., Evanston. $34-$98. (847) 920-5360 or lightoperaworks.com.

Bright side of life

BrightSide Theatre revives "Spamalot," the award-winning musical by Eric Idle and John Du Prez "lovingly ripped off" from the 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." It centers around King Arthur and his Round Table knights who encounter killer rabbits, flying cows, a rude Frenchman and a bevy of showgirls in a search for the Holy Grail. Jeffrey Cass directs. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, June 3, at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville. $22, $25. (630) 447-8497 or brightsidetheatre.com.

Griffin's 'Bat Boy'

The discovery of a half boy/half bat creature in a West Virginia cave changes the lives of a local veterinarian and his family in "Bat Boy: The Musical," a comedy/horror show inspired by a tabloid story and written by composer/lyricist Laurence O'Keefe ("Legally Blonde") and writers Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming. Scott Weinstein directs Griffen Theatre Company's Chicago-area premiere starring Henry McGinniss in the titular role. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 4, at The Den Theatre, 1329 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens June 12. (866) 811-4111 or griffintheatre.com.

Other theater events

• From his death row cell, awaiting execution for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, Bruno Richard Hauptmann tells his story in John Logan's 1986 drama "Hauptman." Terry McCabe directs City Lit Theater's revival starring George Seegebrecht. Previews begin Friday, June 3, at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The show opens Tuesday, June 7. (773) 293-3682or citylit.org.

• Five physical theater companies - including Chicago's Rough House Theater - and solo artists will participate in the third annual Physical Festival Chicago, running Friday, June 3, through June 11 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Physical theater artists incorporate clowning, puppetry, mask, dance-theater, circus, vaudeville and mime to tell stories. In addition to performances, the festival also features master classes. Participating ensembles include Cia de Teatro Manual from Brazil, Laura Simms from New York, Malgosia Skandera/The Bag Lady Theater Company from Poland and Spain and Recent Cutbacks from New York. Festival passes are $45 to $60. Individual tickets are $12 to $18. physicalfestival.com.

• Shattered Glove Theatre hosts its third annual fundraising soiree beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 3, at the Ravenswood Event Center, 4043 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $125 and include entertainment, auction and refreshments. See shatteredglobe.org.

• Hell in a Handbag Productions premieres "The Divine Sister," Charles Busch's parody of Hollywood nun films like "The Song of Bernadette" and "Agnes of God." David Cerda stars as the Mother Superior determined to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent while coping with a visitor from Berlin and a former suitor. Performances begin Saturday, June 4, at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster Ave., Chicago. The show opens June 10. (800) 838-3006 or handbagproductions.org.

• Theatre-Hikes breaks with tradition by forgoing the hike portion of its production of "The Jungle Book," Tracy Power's adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's short stories centered around the "man-cub" Mowgli who is raised by wolves in a jungle in India. Performances take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 4, and Sunday. June 5, and June 25 and 26 at the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle, (630) 725-2066; June 11 and 12 at Pullman State Historic Site, 11057 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago; June 18 at Horner Park, 2741 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago; June 19 at Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen Ave., Chicago; and July 2 and 3 at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Blvd., Chicago. See theatre-hikes.org.

• Previews begin Saturday, June 4, for Black Ensemble Theater's revival of "The Marvin Gaye Story (Don't Talk About My Father Because God is My Friend)" by Jackie Taylor. The 2011 bio-musical examines the contribution of the musician who battled drugs and depression and was shot to death by his father in 1984. Rashawn Thompson stars as Marvin Gaye. The show opens June 12 at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• The Annoyance Theatre, 951 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, announces the return of "(expletive) with opener Lady Gravy" at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 4. The adults-only horror comedy musical centers on two pals with money troubles who receive an offer from a mysterious man that tests the limits of just how open-minded they are. Also at the Annoyance, "Sides" consisting of prologues and epilogues that surround major life happenings, opens Wednesday, June 8. Running Wednesdays through June 22 is Huggable Riot's sketch revue "Astronomical Odds," which examines the myriad outcomes that arise from the choices we make. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Two people in a clinical trial for a drug used to treat mental illness must decide - as the drug takes effect - whether to pursue a future together or their individual fantasies in Johnna Adams' "World Builders." First Floor Theater's Chicago-area premiere begins performances Sunday, June 5, at Collaboraction Theater at the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. firstfloortheater.com.

• Trap Door Theatre hosts its Rock It to Romania benefit beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at Township Bar, 2200 N. California Ave., Chicago. The evening includes pizza, homemade brews, improv and variety acts, a silent auction and a raffle. Admission is $10. Proceeds help fund the company's spring 2017 Romania tour. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

• "A Storm of Limbs," a new sketch show by brothers Mark and Scott Piebenga, opens Monday, June 6, at iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. Also at iO, "The Untold, Untrue Love Story of Bill and Hillary Clinton," a new sketch comedy show that imagines the political couple as young law school students during the early 1970s, opens Wednesday, June 8. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• Broadway in Chicago presents the world premiere of the Broadway-bound "The SpongeBob Musical," inspired by the Nickelodeon animated series. Performances begin Tuesday, June 7, at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayoinchicago.com or thespongebobmusical.com.

• Performances begin Tuesday, June 7, for the touring production of "The Sound of Music," the Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein musical. Performances run through June 19 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Porchlight Music Theatre launches a new series titled "New Faces Sing Broadway," an homage to the revues that ran from 1934 to 1968. The 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, performance at the Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway St., Chicago, showcases the year 1949. The show features selections from "Kiss Me Kate," "South Pacific," "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and others. uptownunderground.net.

• Barrel of Monkeys hosts its annual free Celebration of Authors event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, at the University of Chicago's Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., Chicago. Members of the ensemble perform stories written by students from each of its partner Chicago schools. (773) 506-7140 or barrelofmonkeys.org.

• A top NSA agent falls in love with the bumbling whistle-blower she's supposed to spy on in "Tapped: A Treasonous Musical Comedy" by Jed Levine and Brad Kemp. Director Molly Todd's production marks the inaugural show from Forth Story Productions. Performances begin Thursday, June 9, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 975-8150 or tappedthemusical.com.

• Short Story Theater hosts an evening of storytelling beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at Miramar Bistro, 301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood. Among the featured storytellers is Rebecca Adler, of Gurnee, who recounts how she escaped her college dormitory and found a better place to live in "Transient." Tickets are $10. shortstorytheatre.com.

• American Blues Theater has extended its production of "Little Shop of Horrors," the musical about a nebbishy florist's assistant who unwittingly cultivates a man-eating plant. Performances run through July 31 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or americanbluestheater.com.

• Drury Lane Theatre announced it will open its 2017-2018 season with a revival of the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical "Chicago," about Roxie Hart, an aspiring vaudeville starlet who murders her lover. While awaiting trial in Cook County Jail, she meets her idol, nightclub star and double-murderess Velma Kelly with whom she vies for media attention. Performances begin March 30, 2017, at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. (630) 530-8300 or drurylanetheatre.com.

• Red Tape Theatre has named experimental theater artist Max Truax as its new artistic director. The award-winning Truax served as artistic director for Oracle Productions from 2011 through 2016. redtapetheatre.org.

• The finalists for the 2016 National High School Musical Theater Awards include the following suburban residents: Schaumburg High School senior Melissa Wickland; York Community High School's Tatum Langley, Emily Landreth and Erik Martenson; Clare McLaughlin and JT Snyder from Barrington High School; Kaitlin Feeley and Jordan Radis of Adlai E. Stevenson High School; Katie Snyder of Glenbrook North High School; Haley Gustafson, Corey Barlow and Kelsey Krigas of Cary Grove High School; Jack Cahill-Lemme of Maine South High School; Justin Smusz of Benet Academy; and Zachary Keller of Lake Zurich High School. The finals take place Monday, June 6, in Chicago.

• Condolences to the friends and family of veteran Chicago-area actor Dennis Kelly who passed away from cancer. Kelly's credits included Northlight Theatre's "Grey Gardens" and Chicago Shakespeare Theater's "Cymbeline," "Follies" and "As You Like It" among others.