Drury Lane to present 'Pump Boys and Dinettes'
Drury Lane Oakbrook presents "Pump Boys and Dinettes," the roots rock, bluegrass and country western revue in which a quartet of likable grease monkeys and a pair of sassy waitresses extol the virtues of small-town America and roadside living.
Facts: Previews begin 2 and 8 p.m. Thursday, May 28, at 100 Drury Lane Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens Thursday, June 4. (630) 530-0111 or drurylaneoakbrook.com.
Adults only
Ventriloquist Otto (one of Showtime's "dirtiest dozen") and his dummy George bring their politically incorrect show to Zanies Comedy Clubs as part of an X-rated double bill that includes Dr. Dirty (AKA John Valby) performing his off-color tunes.
Facts: Otto and George (8 p.m.), Dr. Dirty (10 p.m.) Friday, May, 22, at Pheasant Run Resort & Spa, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 584-6342. Otto and George (8 p.m.), Dr. Dirty (10:30 p.m.) on Saturday, May 23, at 230 Hawthorn Village Commons, Vernon Hills. (847) 549-6030 or zanies.com
Musical Shaw
"A Minister's Wife," Austin Pendleton's adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's "Candida" - about a young poet who tries to rescue a clergyman's wife from her life - has its world premiere at Writers' Theatre. Conceived and directed by Michael Halberstam, the musical features a score by Josh Schmidt ("The Adding Machine") and lyrics by Jan Tranen.
Facts: Previews continue through Wednesday, June 3. "A Minister's Wife" opens Thursday, June 4, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.
What's new
• Bohemian Theatre Ensemble presents "La Cage Aux Folles," the Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein musical about Georges and Albion - partners in business and in life - whose lives are upended when Georges' son announces that he's engaged to the daughter of a right-wing politician opposed to their business and their lifestyle. The show previews Friday, May 22, at the Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. It opens Saturday, May 23. (773) 327-5252 or bohotheatre.com.
• Chicago's oldest cemetery provides the setting for "Graceland," Ellen Fairey's comic drama about estranged siblings Sam and Sara trying to make sense of their father's suicide, and confronted by Sara's former lover and his teenage son. Previews for Profiles Theatre's world premiere open Friday, May 22, at 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago. The production, directed by Matt Miller, opens Thursday, May 28. (773) 549-1815 or profilestheatre.org.
• Babes With Blades will donate half of its proceeds from its Friday, May 22, all-female performance of "Macbeth" to the Dream Theatre. The company donates half the proceeds from its Friday, May 29, performance to actor Will Schutz, a veteran of city and suburban stages who is battling pancreatic cancer. Performances take place at La Costa Theatre, 3931 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. (773) 880-0016 or babeswithblades.org.
• A friendly Fourth of July barbecue between three Chicago couples degenerates into confrontation over procreation in Rebecca Gilman's "The Crowd You're In With." Frequent Gilman collaborator Wendy C. Goldberg directs the play's Chicago premiere at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Previews begin Saturday, May 23. Opening night is Monday, June 1. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.
• TUTA Theatre remounts its 2008 production of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," translated by Steppenwolf Theatre's Yasen Peyankov and Peter Christensen and directed by TUTA's artistic director Zeljko Djukic. The production, featuring live musical accompaniment, concludes the company's Russian theater festival. The show opens Saturday, May 23, at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. For ticket information, see tutato.com.