Spotlight: Shuttered Zanies Rosemont reopens this weekend with Larry Reeb shows

Zanies reopens in Rosemont

Laughs return to Rosemont this weekend when Zanies reopens. Larry Reeb, known as "Uncle Lar" whose wry "tips" have made him a Chicago-area favorite, headlines the limited-capacity performances. Zanies will be observing COVID-19 precautions, including requiring patrons and staff members submit to temperature checks and wear face coverings.

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, and 7 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Parkway Bank Park, 5437 Park Place, Rosemont. $30 plus a two-item food or beverage minimum. All transactions are cashless. (847) 813-0484 or zanies.com.

'Get Happy'

Artists Lounge Live and theaters around the country (including Lincolnshire's Marriott Theatre), will stream award-winning actress/chanteuse Angela Ingersoll's acclaimed PBS show "Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland" live from Chicago. Ingersoll's salute to Garland includes such hits as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Get Happy," "Come Rain or Come Shine" and others.

6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at marriotttheatrelive.com. $35 per household, with proceeds going to help support participating theaters.

'It Can't Happen Here'

Northlight Theatre will participate in a livestream of the radio play version of Sinclair Lewis' 1935 political novel "It Can't Happen Here," about a populist and demagogue who wins the presidency and subsequently imposes a totalitarian rule. David Strathairn stars in Berkeley Repertory Theatre's 2016 stage adaptation.

"Northlight Theatre is pleased to join with Berkeley Rep and theater companies across the country to present this radio play and post-show discussion," said executive director Timothy J. Evans in a prepared statement. "In addition to providing a source of entertainment, the added intent of the project is to encourage dialogue and motivate citizens to exercise their civic duty and vote."

7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, on YouTube. See northlight.org.

Silent Theatre performance

Silent Theatre Company presents "Corona dell'Arte," a free outdoor performance consisting of clowning, music videos, vaudeville bits, acrobatics and dance. Performers (dubbed Traveling Masketeers) will wear custom face coverings and the show will be performed live outdoors and streamed live on Facebook.

7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave., Chicago. See silenttheatre.com.

'War of the Worlds' live

Theatre in the Dark presents its original, audio adaptation of "A War of the Worlds," H.G. Wells' 1897 science-fiction novel about a Martian invasion of earth. Co-authors Corey Bradberry and Mack Gordon have set the action in present-day Illinois and centered it on a science reporter named H.G. Wells (Gordon). The cast includes actors from Chicago, New Orleans and Vancouver, Canada.

"We had initially planned 'A War of the Worlds' to be performed in a completely dark theater space," said Bradberry in a prepared statement. "Fortunately for us, our company aesthetic of audio-only drama lent itself to the online medium of Zoom-enabled performance and we began to plan the production for an online presentation, with actors and Foley artists performing via Zoom from their home studios."

Live performances online begin at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, and continue through Nov. 21. $20-$25 suggested donation. See theatreinthedark.com.

In other news

• Playmakers Laboratory puts a seasonal spin in its "That's Weird, Grandma" series showcasing stage adaptations of stories by Chicago public school students. Online performances run Monday, Oct. 12, through Nov. 30. "Best of" versions run Oct. 12 and Nov. 9, 16 and 30. A Halloween Spectacular parts I and II run Oct. 19 and 26. A "Rock the Vote" version runs Nov. 2 and a "Thoughtful Thanksgiving" performance runs Nov. 23. Subscriptions range from $2 to $4 and are available at playmakerslab.org.

• Silk Road Rising collaborates with the International Voices Project for a pair of online staged readings of plays by Egyptian playwrights. The 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, reading is Sameh Mahran's satire "The Boatman," about a couple unable to marry because they can't afford an apartment. The 7 p.m. Oct. 21 reading is Kareem Fahmy's "A Distinct Society," about a family at the U.S.-Canadian border who has been separated by the Muslim ban. Readings take place live on YouTube. See ivpchicago.org/attend2020.

• Court Theatre's ongoing Theatre and Thought series, in which University of Chicago scholars provide audiences with insights and context about classical works, continues with a discussion of Euripides' tragedy "The Bacchae" online at 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Oct. 14, 21 and 28. $85 enrollment. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.

• Goodman Theatre, in partnership with Chicago Dramatists, announced Chicago-based writers Eliza Bent, Marisa Carr, Terry Guest and Exal Iraheta have been named to the 2020-2021 playwrights unit. The one-year residency assists emerging playwrights in developing new works.