Spotlight: Drury Lane veteran tackles rocker Hedwig in Theo Ubique revival
Hedwig returns
Drury Lane Theatre veteran Will Lidke ("Little Shop of Horrors," "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown") stars as the titular character in Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's revival of the rock musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." An examination of gender identity by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, "Hedwig" centers on a transgender East German rock singer reeling from a botched sex-change operation whose story is dramatized in rock concert form.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 14-15, and 7 p.m. Sunday, June 16, at 721 Howard St., Evanston. The show opens Monday, June 17. $25-$54. (773) 347-1109 or theo-u.com.
Aftermath
Sideshow Theatre Company and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble collaborate on "Something Clean" by Northwestern University graduate Selina Fillinger. Commissioned by Sideshow as part of its Freshness Initiative, it tells the story of a woman with a son incarcerated for sexual assault who attempts to reconcile her guilt over his crime by working at a sexual assault crisis center. Lauren Shouse directs the Midwest premiere, which comes on the heels of Roundabout Theatre Company's world premiere currently running off-Broadway.
Previews at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 16, and 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, June 20. $20-$30. (733) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org, sideshowtheatre.org or rivendelltheatre.org.
Summer blockbuster
In the spirit of the season, Laugh Out Loud Theater presents "Summer Blockbuster," an improvised version of a big-budget film from the writing to the premiere to the sequel. Best of all, there's popcorn.
7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20 and 27, at Streets of Woodfield, 601 N. Martingale Road, Schaumburg. $12. (847) 240-0386 or laughoutloudtheater.com/schaumburg.