Theater spotlight: Comedian Rajiv Satyal skewers politicians in new stand-up show in Naperville
'Man in the Middle'
Comedian Rajiv Satyal, a self-described "funny Indian" and the first generation son of parents who immigrated from India, skewers Democrats, Independents, Republicans and every other political persuasion as part of his stand-up show "The Man in the Middle," co-written with actor/writer Pat Hazell ("Seinfeld," "Friday Night Lights"). "We are caught between people in power who push us back and forth like pawns on a chess board," Satyal said in a prepared statement. "I'm pushing back with humor. I'm not really aiming to change people's minds, just open them."
7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 21, at Center State Theater, 1665 Quincy Ave. #131, Naperville. $35-$40. See seerajiv.com.
Shakespeare Project
Janus Theatre Company marks the second year of its Elgin Shakespeare Project with a production of William Shakespeare's effervescent tale "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in which a faerie king and queen toy with four lovesick mortals. The production is part of Janus Theatre's ongoing examination of original practices that Shakespeare and his contemporaries employed, meaning actors will not have read or rehearsed the play in advance and will perform with scrolls in hand.
7 p.m. Saturday, June 22, and 6 p.m. Sunday, June 23, at Elgin Artspace Lofts, 51 S. Spring St., Elgin. Free. See janusplays.com.
Quest for justice
The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts presents "Wiesenthal - The True Story of Nazi-Hunter Simon Wiesenthal," a solo play about the Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor who after the war devoted his life to tracking down war criminals. Actor-writer Tom Dugan plays the titular character, credited with bringing more than 1,000 Nazi war criminals to justice. The North Shore Center and the Simon Wiesenthal Center will host talkbacks following the performances with Dugan, Wiesenthal Center representatives and human rights advocates Alison Pure-Slovin and Sean Tenner, of Naperville, and Wiesenthal Center board member Reverend Mitchell Johnson.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, June 26-27; 8 p.m. Friday, June 28; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, June 29; and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 30, at 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. $40-$60. (847) 673-6300 or northshorecenter.org.