Theater spotlight: Underscore transfers 'Haymarket' to Theater Wit
'Haymarket' transfer
Underscore Theatre Company transfers its hit production of "Haymarket," a musical about Chicago's infamous 1886 riot by writer/lyricist Alex Higgin-Houser and composer David Kornfeld, to Theater Wit for a four-week run. The original, 12-person cast of actor-musicians return for the remount of the folk-inspired musical, which tells the story of a labor protest that turned deadly and resulted in a highly prejudicial trial that resulted in eight convictions and the execution of four defendants. "Haymarket" is a retooled version of Higgin-Houser and Kornfeld's 2016 show "Haymarket: The Anarchist's Songbook." 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. $30-$45. (773) 975-8150 or underscoretheatre.org.
Summer cabaret
Favorite Chicago-area chanteuse Denise Tomasello performs her show "To Chicago With Love" at Drury Lane Theatre as part of its summer cabaret series. A retrospective of her 40-year career, Tomasello's show includes classics from the American songbook along with Broadway favorites. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3, and 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Doors open one hour before showtime. $40, $50 plus a $25 food or beverage minimum per person. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.
New China Festival
Silk Road Rising, a Chicago ensemble founded by Mount Prospect native Jamil Khoury and Malik Gillani, present a series of staged readings of plays by contemporary playwrights from the Chinese-speaking world as part of its New China Festival. Featured plays include Ruoxin Xu's "Speaking as Then" about a young man who returns to China several years after he immigrated to the U.S.; Gao Xingjian's "Dialogue & Rebuttal" about two stranded strangers who have only each other for company; and Stan Lai's "Sand on a Distant Star" about a woman convinced her missing husband, who has been gone 20 years, was abducted by aliens. Staged readings begin at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4-5, at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. The readings run Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 19. $10. (312) 857-1234 or silkroadrising.org.