Theater events: Special offer on 'Aladdin' 4-pack of tickets
Special offer
If you haven't seen the glittering, enormously entertaining “Aladdin” at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre, here's your chance. Broadway in Chicago is offering a 25 percent discount to theatergoers who purchase four or more tickets for select dates. The discount is available for 7:30 p.m. performances Tuesday through Friday, 2 p.m. performances Wednesday and 6:30 p.m. performances Sunday from July 5 through Aug. 6. Purchase tickets by Aug. 6 to take advantage of the offer, which applies to select seating locations. Use the code DAILY4 when ordering tickets at broadwayinchicago.com. Performances run through Sept. 10 at 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. $44-$153. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.
So bad it's good?
Arlington Heights native Stephanie Shaw directs a staged reading of the 1977 Italian horror film “Suspira” as part of the Neo-Futurists' adults-only “It Came From ... The Neo-Futurarium XII: Dawn of the Neo-Futurarium!” An annual showcase of the worst film scripts of all time, the mini-fest takes place over four weekends during which ensemble members and guests perform scripts from the 1950s women-in-prison drama “Caged,” 1997's face-swapping action film “Face/Off” and 1975's made-for-TV film “Someone I Touched” about a husband who contracts a sexually transmitted disease after cheating on his pregnant wife. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at the Neo Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. $12, $15, $50 for an all-festival pass. (773) 275-5255 or neofuturists.org.
'Hir' opens here
Ensemble members Amy Morton and Francis Guinan return to Steppenwolf Theatre for the Chicago-area premiere of Taylor Mac's dysfunctional family dramedy “Hir.” In an interview on Steppenwolf's website, the playwright describes it as an examination of homogeneity and heterogeneity in which “a prodigal son comes home from the war and everything he knew home to be is now different.” That includes his sister, who's transitioning to a man. Hallie Gordon helms the production. Join me and fellow Daily Herald readers Thursday, June 29, for the first preview of “Hir.” A limited number of tickets are available for $20. See http://events.dailyherald.com/an-evening-at-steppenwolf-theatre-with-barbara-vitello. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 29, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens July 8. $20-$89. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
Other theater events
MadKap Productions presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” in a limited run beginning Friday, June 23, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. The musical by writer Rachel Sheinkin and composer/lyricist William Finn follows six preteen spelling champions as they compete to determine who will represent their county at the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Wayne Mell directs the production, which opens MadKap's 2017-2018 season. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.
Peter Sagal, host of NPR's “Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me,” and Max Temkin co-host “Cards Against Humanity,” an evening of improv-inspired comedy based on the politically incorrect party game. The performance is at 10 p.m. Friday, June 23, at The Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Proceeds from the $10 ticket sales benefit the ACLU. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.
The LGBTQ sketch comedy troupe GayCo presents its adults-only improvised show “Gaywatch!” Friday and Saturday, June 23-24, at The Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (773) 871-3793 or gayco.com.
Broadway veteran Clifton Oliver and Martina Sykes, who appeared in the “Motown the Musical” national tour, will join the ensemble Project Two Music, comprised of Huntley High School graduates, for a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at Huntley High School, 13719 Harmony Road, Huntley. The concert includes selections from “Jersey Boys,” “Motown the Musical” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” among others. See projecttwomusic.com.
Chicago Folks Operetta stages the Chicago-area premiere of Kurt Weill's “Johnny Johnson,” an anti-war opera about an American tombstone cutter persuaded to enlist in World War I but who is so horrified by its violence and absurdity such that he fools the Allied generals into calling a cease-fire. Performances begin Saturday, June 24, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The production, which features a 15-member orchestra and singers from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony and Grant Park choruses, is helmed by director George Cederquist and music director Anthony Barrese. See chicagofolksoperetta.org.
Mercy Street Theatre concludes its season with the world premiere of “Luz Estrada,” adapted by Dusty Wilson from Aristophanes' “Lysistrata.” Artistic director Julia Rohed directs this updated version, which centers on a young Mexican woman who takes over as sheriff after a cartel leader orders the execution of her family. Performances begin Sunday, June 25, at The Frontier Theater, 1106 W. Thorndale, Chicago. See mercystreettheatre.org/luzestrada.
Joseph Jefferson Award-winning actress and brain cancer survivor Donica Lynn - a veteran of Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook - headlines “Today's a Good Day - Walk With Me,” a benefit concert featuring Doug Pawlik, Doug Peck, Kimberly Lawson, Jess Godwin, Aaron Mitchell Reese and others. It takes place at 8 p.m. Monday, June 26, at The Mercury Theatre Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Tickets cost $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Proceeds from ticket sales, donations and a raffle will benefit the American Cancer Society and the American Brain Tumor Association. (312) 325-1700 or mercurytheaterchicago.com.
Sideshow Theatre Company's Freshness Initiative continues Monday, June 26, with a free play reading of Selina Fillinger's “Something Clean.” The reading is at 7:30 p.m. at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. RSVP to tickets@sideshowtheatre.org.
Genesis Theatrical Productions presents a staged reading of Louis Philips' “Arbuckle's Rape,” about silent film star Fatty Arbuckle, whose career was ruined after he was charged with (and subsequently acquitted of) the death of a starlet. The reading takes place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, at the Pride Arts Center, 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago. See genesistheatricals.com.
Pride Films and Plays presents Douglas Carter Beane's Tony Award-winning play “The Nance” about a burlesque performer who must conceal his homosexuality while exploiting gay stereotypes on stage. Previews begin Thursday, June 29, at 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. The show opens July 6. (800) 737-0984 or pridefilmsandplays.com.
Previews begin Wednesday, June 28, for The Artistic Home's production of “The School for Lies,” adapted by David Ives from Moliere's comedy about a witty misanthrope and a satirical, young widow. The show, directed by artistic director Kathy Scambiattera, opens July 2 at 1376 W. Grand Ave., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or theartistichome.org.
Broken Nose Theatre remounts its production of “At the Table,” Spenser Davis' comedy about longtime friends on their annual weekend getaway who reveal more about themselves than they intend. Performances begin Thursday, June 29, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Admission is pay-what-you-can. Tickets are available at brokennosetheatre.com.
Stage Left Theatre marks its 36th season with a move to the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The season, which addresses the questions “where are we going, where have we been and where are we now?,” begins Sept. 21 with the Chicago-area premiere of “Building the Wall,” Robert Schenkkan's drama about campaign rhetoric that morphs into actual policies. That's followed by the Chicago-area premiere of Robert O'Hara's “Insurrection: Holding History” (Jan. 11-Feb. 11, 2018) a drama about identity and sexuality in which an African-American graduate student travels back in time with his grandfather to meet Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in 1831 Virginia. The season concludes with the rolling world premiere of Meredith Friedman's “The Luckiest People” (March 26-April 29, 2018), the first of a trilogy about the Hoffman family, whose elderly, prickly patriarch comes to live with his son and his son's husband. Also part of Stage Left's season is its annual new play development festival LeapFest XV, scheduled for summer 2018. Subscriptions cost $50. They're available at (773) 883-8830 or stagelefttheatre.com.
Interrobang Theatre Project examines the definition of truth during its eighth season, which begins Sept. 28 with Dawn King's “Foxfinder,” which is set in a future where economies have failed and food is scarce. That's followed by Lee Blessing's “For the Loyal” (winter 2018), inspired by the Penn State sexual abuse scandal. The season concludes with Craig Wright's “Grace” (May 3-June 3, 2018) about a couple planning to open a chain of evangelical-themed motels in Florida, whose dreams are derailed after they meet their recently widowed neighbor. Performances take place at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Tickets are available at interrobangtheatreproject.org.
Theater Wit grapples with questions of identity and the value we place on our culture during its 2017-2018 season, which begins Nov. 24 with Mitchell Fain's “This Way Outta Santaland (and Other Xmas Miracles),” inspired by his long-running stint as Crumpet in Theater Wit's “The Santaland Diaries.” The world premiere of Eric John Meyer's “The Antelope Party,” an adult comedy centered on the My Little Pony cult begins Jan. 5, 2018. The season concludes with Sheila Callaghan's “Women Laughing Alone With Salad” (March 9-April 9, 2018), a satire about friendships, relationships, sex, pharmaceuticals and salad. Performances take place at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. A $29 monthly, Netflix-inspired membership option allows theatergoers to see as many plays as they like in any of the theater's three performance spaces. This includes production by itinerant companies other than Theater Wit. Single tickets go on sale 10 weeks before performances begin. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org.
AstonRep Theatre Company kicks off its 2017-18 season with an adaptation of “1984,” George's Orwell's chilling tale of a totalitarian world. It runs Sept. 14 to Oct. 8 at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The company's ninth annual Writers Series showcasing in-development plays takes place this fall at a venue to be determined. The season continues in winter 2018 with a Festival of One Acts by Tennessee Williams at a venue to be determined. The season concludes with a revival of “The Laramie Project” (June 7-July 8, 2018, at Raven Theatre), Moises Kaufman and Tectonic Theatre Project's examination of the response of Laramie, Wyoming, residents to the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. Tickets will go on sale at a later date. See astonrep.com.
Pivot Arts received a $12,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to fund a site-specific performance in Chicago's Uptown this fall that tells the stories of the neighborhood's diverse residents. The NEA awarded 52 Art Works grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to Illinois arts organizations.