Theater events: Kokandy stages Chicago-area premiere of 'Bonnie & Clyde'

'Bonnie & Clyde'

A couple of small-town bank robbers become folk heroes during the Great Depression in the 2009 musical "Bonnie & Clyde" by composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Don Black. Kokandy Productions presents the Chicago-area premiere, directed by Spencer Neiman and starring Arlington Heights native Max DeTogne and Desiree Gonzalez as the ill-fated lovers. Previews begin at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 2. $25-$38. (773) 975-8150 or kokandyproductions.com.

Heir to Rickles?

Self-described class clown Claude Stuart headlines St. Charles' Zanies this weekend. An insult comedian in the tradition of the late Don Rickles, Stuart hails from a family of lawyers and "likens his comedy to legal arguments focused upon proving a point." 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 24-25, and 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. $22 plus a two-item food or beverage minimum. (630) 524-0001 or zanies.com.

Peacebook launches

As racial tension rises and homicides increase in Chicago, theater can be a powerful tool to promote empathy, dialogue and ultimately peace, says Collaboraction Theatre Company artistic director Anthony Moseley, who puts the theory into practice with Collaboraction's annual Peacebook festival. Sandra Delgado ("La Havana Madrid"), David Dastmalchian ("Twin Peaks") and GQ (The Q Brothers) are among more than 200 music, theater, dance, spoken word and visual artists performing short works centered on cultivating peace. Peacebook is comprised of 24 different acts, all of which will be performed during the festival's launch Saturday at the Goodman Theatre. Thereafter, the artists perform three programs comprised of eight works at various Chicago parks from Oct. 5 through Nov. 4. Performances of all 24 chapters begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Reservations are required. (312) 226-9633 or collaboraction.org/peacebook2017.

Other theater events

• New Light Theater Project of New York and Chicago Dramatists team up for the world premiere of "Still Dance the Stars." A love story by Jayme McGhan, it's about a couple whose proposal became an internet sensation but whose marriage has begun to sputter, requiring a stuffed hippo to help repair it. Performances run Friday, Aug. 25, through Sept. 16 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. See newlighttheaterproject.com.

• Cards Against Humanity Live, a night of improv comedy inspired by the politically incorrect party game, returns at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, to the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• O Sole Trio perform hits from favorite musicals as part of their Bravissimo Broadway concert Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Covering about 70 years of classic musicals, the revue includes numbers from "Gypsy," "The Sound of Music," "Fiddler on the Roof," "My Fair Lady" and "Guys and Dolls" along with mashups like the one pairing Vesti La Giubba" from "Pagliacci" with "Send in the Clowns" from "A Little Night Music." (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Red Theater Chicago offers access performances of its revival of the Pulitzer Prize finalist "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity," Kristoffer Diaz's comedy about the world of professional wrestling. The theater hosts free captioned performances at 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, and Thursday, Aug. 31, and a touch tour at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, at 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.

• Porchlight Music Theatre launches its 23rd season with a benefit concert at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at Second City's Up Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. Titled "Chicago Sings: Sinatra and the Rat Pack," the event features performers Mark David Kaplan, Heidi Kettenring, Rob Lindley, Hollis Resnik, Stephen Schellhardt and others performing hits made famous by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Tickets cost $75 and include refreshments, drinks and entertainment. (773) 777-9884 or porchlightmusictheatre.org.

• Hamburger Mary's Brew & Grille hosts adults-only HamBingo beginning at 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. The event supports Sideshow Theatre Company. The $15 donation gets you 10 bingo games. (773) 784-6969 or hamburgermarys.com.

• The eighth annual Chicago Fringe Festival opens Wednesday, Aug. 30, at several venues in Chicago's Jefferson Park. Performers hail from around the country and include: Barrel of Monkeys; Chicago magician Danny Dubin; solo performer and Buffalo Grove native Jeremy Schaefer; Wishbone Theatre Collective from South Carolina; science comedian Brian Malow from North Carolina; mentalist Mark Toland; solo performer Kelly Haramis of Chicago; New York writer/performer Sid Ross and others. The festival also features Kids Fringe for kids 5-12. It runs Sept. 3-10. Performance venues include: Weston's, 4872 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago; The Playhouse at Jefferson Park, 4766 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago; The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago; and the Congregational Church of Jefferson Park, 5320 W. Giddings St., Chicago. Most performances are $10 plus the one-time purchase of a $5 button. A four-show pass is $36, a 10-show pass is $80 and an unlimited pass is $175. Tickets and passes are available at each venue. See chicagofringe.org for a schedule.

• Like a choose-your-own-adventure novel, theatergoers choose their own play during (re)discover theatre's "For One," a 50-minute production comprised of five plays in which audience members affect the outcome. Free previews begin Wednesday, Aug. 30, at Gunder Mansion, 6219 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago. The show opens Sept. 7. See rediscovertheatre.com.

• Previews begin Thursday, Aug. 31, for the premiere of "The Civility of Albert Cashier," a musical by Keaton Wooden, Joe Stevens and Jay Paul Deratany about a transgender soldier. It's based on the true story of a heroic Civil War soldier who - some 60 years after the war - was revealed to be female. Dani Shay plays young Albert and Katherine Condit plays old Albert in this co-production between Permoveo Productions and Pride Films & Plays. The show opens Sept. 6 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. See stage773.com or albertcashierthemusical.com.

• The third annual Chicago Theater Bike Ride, created in 2014 in honor of the late actress Molly Glynn, takes place Sept. 9. The event begins with a ceremony at 11 a.m. followed by the 12-mile ride beginning at Foster Beach, 5200 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Suggested donation is $25. Proceeds benefit The Actors Fund, a nationwide organization that assists performing arts professionals. Register at lovehardbikeride.org.

• Curious Theatre Branch is accepting proposals for individual performers, playwrights, directors and ensembles for its 29th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival scheduled for January 2018. Applications are available at rhinofest.com. They're due Oct. 1.

• Speaking of applications, The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival seeks applications from ensembles interested in performing at the festival, which takes place Jan. 11-21, 2018, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The festival typically attracts more than 1,000 artists from around the world. Applications are available at chicagosketchfest.com. They're due Oct. 15.

• Red Tape Theatre - a free, immersive ensemble - announced it will move into its new home, which it will share with artistic partner Theatre Y, in October. The companies will inaugurate the theater at 4546 N. Western Ave., Chicago, with a production of Federico Garcia Lorca's "Yerma," directed by Red Tape artistic director Max Truax and translated by Theatre Y's Hector Alvarez. See redtapetheatre.org.

• BrightSide Theatre announced it will open its 2017-2018 season with the musical "The Bridges of Madison County," by composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown and writer Marsha Norman. Adapted from the book by Robert James Waller about a brief but profoundly impactful affair between a globe-trotting photographer and the Iowa farm wife who introduces him to her county's historic covered bridges. Performances run Nov. 3-19 at the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth Ave., Naperville. (630) 447-8497 or brightsidetheatre.com.

• Chicago Fringe Opera, a company that stages contemporary works in English, announced its season will begin Nov. 16 with "As One," a 2014 coming-of-age story about a transgender woman. Performances take place at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago. That's followed on March 10, 2018, with "The Great God Pan" by Chicago composer Ross Crean. Adapted from a 19th-century novella of the same name, the opera is about a man who sacrifices his wife in order to access a higher spiritual plane. Performances take place at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. CFO also welcomed new executive director Julia Hardin. See chicagofringeopera.com.