Pasta Fazool Players to make its debut in Des Plaines
Pasta Fazool Players marks its debut with "Without a Parachute," an original romantic comedy about former spouses who wind up staying at the same Wisconsin lodge. Founding member and resident playwright Laura Toffenetti wrote the play which is directed by her husband, Steve Pringle.
Info: Opens Friday, July 24, at StageOne Theatre, 620 Lee St. Des Plaines. (800) 838-3006 or pastafazoolplayers.com.
Duo returns as dads
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre's executive director Jim Jarvis and resident playwright Scott Woldman reunite as their alter egos Bikerman (Jarvis) and the Jewish Avenger (Woldman) wax poetic on their new roles as fathers in "We Had Babies ... Man Style." The one-night performance is part of Metropolis' comedy series.
Info: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
Boomer salute
Noble Fool salutes the Baby Boomer Generation with its production of "The Wonder Bread Years," a one-man show offering a nostalgic glimpse of the life of a kid growing up in 1960s and 1970s America.
Info: 8 p.m. Friday, July 24, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25, and 2 p.m. Sunday July 26 at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 584-6342 or noblefool.org.
What's new
• Saturday, July 25, marks the opening of Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," about an exiled duke turned powerful sorcerer who uses magic to dominate the natives on his near-deserted island and exact revenge on his enemies. Peter Robel adapts and directs Shakespeare's late romance which has its final preview on Friday, July 24, at 7016 N. Glenwood, Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or bohotheatre.com.
• Silk Road Theatre Project presents Lauren Yee's new comedy "Ching Chong Chinaman," as part of its staged reading series at the Storefront Theatre, 66 E. Randolph St., Chicago. The play centers on a couple of uber-assimilated Chinese American teenagers who come up with a novel way of living up to stereotypical expectations. The readings are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 26. Admission is free but reservations are recommended. (312) 742-8497 or srtp.org.
• Abraham Werewolf, a theater collective comprised of Duke University graduates, presents "Decadence: The Two Faces of Robert LaPage," a Grand Guignol-meets-1970s Hollywood show that alternates between the comedic and the macabre. The adults-only show runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays beginning July 24, at the Post Family Gallery, 1821 W. Hubbard St., Chicago. For information see, abrahamwerewolf.com.
• A male playwright and a female photographer confront their complicated relationship over the course of a month in "One Year in June," by Chris McNulty, who also makes his directorial debut with the production. The show opens Friday, July 24, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, and runs Fridays through Aug. 21. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.
• The family-friendly Emerald City Theatre hosts Cinderella's Ice Cream Ball, an encore performance of its hit musical "Cinderella" including an ice cream buffet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100 or emeraldcitytheatre.com.
• Alexandra Billings salutes Bailiwick Theatre as a part of a benefit concert at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 25, at the Hoover-Leppen Theater at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Billings will be joined by other Chicago performers including Jeff Award winner Jeremy Rill. Tickets are $25 and $30. Proceeds benefit Bailiwick Repertory Theatre. (773) 883-1090 or brownpapertickets.com.
• Eclipse Theatre Company's celebration of the playwrights featured since the inauguration 10 years ago of its one playwright-one season initiative continues. The company showcases John Guare, whose plays it featured during its 2002 season. Guare's "Six Degrees of Separation," about a young black man who ingratiates himself to a wealthy Manhattan couple with claims that he's the son of Sidney Poitier, continues previews through Saturday, July 25, at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The production opens Sunday, July 26. (773) 404-7336 or eclipsetheatre.com.
• redtwist theatre presents Samuel Beckett's iconic absurdist drama "Waiting for Godot," a minimalist examination of the search for meaning in which two homeless and hapless men await the arrival of an enigmatic figure. Mike Nowak, who hosted WGN radio's "Let's Talk Gardening" for 10 years, plays Vladimir to Bob Wilson's Estragon in the production directed by Jimmy McDermott, former associate artistic director of Writers' Theatre. The production opens Monday, July 27, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago. (773) 728-7529 or redtwist.org.
• The Chicago Park District's 57th annual Theatre on the Lake season showcasing some of Chicago's best theater productions from the past year continues Wednesday, July 29, with The Artistic Home's "Juno and the Paycock," the second in Sean O'Casey's "Dublin Trilogy," about a working-class Dublin family trying to survive during Ireland's Civil War of 1922-23. Performances run through Aug. 2, at the theater located at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Theatre on the Lake continues through Aug. 9. (312) 742-7994 or chicagoparkdistrict.com.
• The Neo-Futurists conclude "It Came from the Neo-Futurarium VIII: Legend of the Neo-Futurarium," the company's annual staged readings of truly terrible films on Thursday, July 30, with "Legend," a 1985 fairy-and-fantasy about a boy (Tom Cruise) who tries to stop the Lord of Darkness' attempts to kill all unicorns and marry the lovely princess Lili (Mia Sara). The performance is at the Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. See neofuturists.org for more information.
• Previews begin Thursday, July 30, for The Annoyance Theatre's original comedy, "Hardcore Dad," about a man trying to rebuild a relationship with the son he ignored for 25 years. The production opens Thursday, Aug. 13, and runs Thursdays at 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. (773) 561-4665 or annoyanceproductions.com.