Improv Playhouse offers double dose of laughs
Libertyville's Improv Playhouse hosts its monthly standup show this weekend following the regular Saturday improv performances. Charlie Stone of Vernon Hills headlines a lineup featuring emcee Adam Bellows from Buffalo Grove, Dale Leigh from Elgin, Luai Hodi and Alexandra Tsarpalis.
Info: 7:30 p.m. improv followed by standup at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. (847) 875-8578 or improvplayhouse.com.
A classic kids' taleBernie Yvon stars as Geppetto and Jameson Cooper stars as his greatest creation Pinocchio in Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences' production of Marc Robin's "Pinocchio." Rachel Rockwell (Drury Lane Oak Brook's "Ragtime") directs and choreographs the show about a puppet who yearns to be a real boy.Info: Opens at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 24, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.Piven presents Piven Theatre Workshop presents the Chicago area premiere of Sarah Ruhl's "Late: A Cowboy Song," about a woman searching for true love. The production reunites two-time Pulitzer finalist Ruhl, director Jessica Thebus and actress Polly Noonan who first met years ago as members of Piven's Young People's Company and last collaborated on Ruhl's "Melancholy Play" eight years ago. Info: Previews begin Saturday, July 24, at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. The show opens Monday, July 26. (847) 866-8049 or piventheatre.org.What's newbull; The State Theatre of Chicago concludes its first season with Eric Bogosian's "Talk Radio," chronicling a night in the on-air life of an aggressively acerbic late-night radio host whose show is about to be syndicated nationally. Previews begin Friday, July 23, at the Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens Saturday, July 24. The State puts a new spin on it by encouraging audience members to tweet to the fictional radio show during performances. See statetheatrechicago.com for tickets. bull; UrbanTheater Company performs this weekend as part of Goodman Theatre's Latino Theatre Festival. The company performs "A Lover's Dismantling: Fragments of a Scenic Discourse" by Elena Guiochins in English at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 25, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Call (312) 443-3800 or visit goodmantheatre.org.bull; Teatro Vista presents a staged reading of "Yamaha 300," Mexican playwright Cutberto Lopez Reyes' dark comedy set in the world of narco trafficking, at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 25, at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, as part of its Latino Theatre Festival. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.bull; The Gift Theatre reprises its production of Rinne Groff's "The Ruby Sunrise," about an Indiana farm girl who makes an all-electrical television a reality, as part of the Chicago Park District's Theater on the Lake. The show opens Wednesday, July 28, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 1, at the theater at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. (312) 742-7994m.bull; Waukegan's Clockwise Theatre makes its debut with Tanya Saracho's "Kita y Fernanda," an examination of class, immigration and friendship among Latina women. Shattered Globe ensemble member Doug McDade directs the production, which features a mostly suburban cast. The show opens Thursday, July 29, at 114 S. Genesee, Waukegan. For more information, see clockwisetheatre.org.bull; Lifeline and Live Bait theaters team up to produce the 14th annual Fillet of Solo Festival showcasing performances by solo artists. The festival runs Thursdays through Sundays, July 29 to Aug. 8, at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago and from Aug. 12 to 21, at the Artistic Home, 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.bull; Old school pugilism and innuendo combine in "Fisting," the Annoyance Theatre's latest about love and boxing in 19th century Ireland. The show previews opens Thursday, July 29, at 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. (773) 561-4665 or theannoyance.com. bull; The Artistic Home has extended its production of "The Tallest Man," by Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jim Lynch. The play about an Irish couple eager to emigrate to America, runs through Sunday, Aug. 22, at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or theartistichome.org.bull; Longtime Victory Gardens artistic director Dennis Zaek announced his retirement from the Tony Award-winning theater company he has guided for 34 years. Zaek will remain as artistic director emeritus of the company, which last year premiered the Pulitzer Prize finalist, "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" and presented the hit revival of the Zaek-directed "Blackbird" starring William L. Petersen. bull; "Cirque Shanghai: Cloud 9" and several other attractions at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, offer an all-day package that includes tickets to the show, vouchers for the Ferris wheel and for a Shoreline Sightseeing Skyline lake tour along with discount food coupons for $35.75. Tickets are available by phone (800) 745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com/shanghai.bull; Carol Stream native Eric Petersen, star of the national tour of "Shrek the Musical" and his wife welcomed their first child July 15, in Chicago. The production opens Sunday, July 25, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.