Spotlight: Hot, hot, hot Kokandy Productions revives tribal love-rock tuner ‘Hair’
(Counter) revolutionary tuner revived
Kokandy Productions, one of Chicago’s hottest off-Loop theaters, launches its 2026 season with “Hair,” the 1967 “tribal love-rock musical” by composer Galt MacDermot and writer/lyricists Gerome Ragni and James Rado. Brennan Urbi directs and choreographs this snapshot of generational and political upheaval that centers around a community of hippies and activists who experiment with drugs and sex until one of their own is drafted to fight in Vietnam.
Previews at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, July 2-4, 9-11 and 16-17, and 5 p.m. Sunday, July 5 and 12, at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. The show opens July 18. $28.52-$65.87. kokandyproductions.com.
Shakespeare in the park
Midsommer Flight stages “As You Like It,” William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy about a deposed duke, devoted cousins, battling brothers (two sets), a clever young woman, a lovesick young man and a flippant fool who stumble into romance and build a community in the bucolic Forest of Arden. Artistic director Beth Wolf directs the free production, which takes place at six Chicago parks this summer.
6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, June 26-28, at Chicago Women’s Park and Garden, 1801 S. Indiana Ave.; July 2-3 and July 5 at Gross (Theodore) Park, 2708 W. Lawrence Ave.; July 10-12 at Nichols Park, 1355 E. 53rd St.; July 17-19 at Kelvyn Park, 4438 W. Wrightwood Ave.; July 24-26 at Winnemac Park, 5100 N. Leavitt St.; and July 31-Aug. 2 at Touhy Park, 7348 N. Paulina Ave. No performance July 4. Free. midsommerflight.com.
An (almost) horror tale
Joseph Jefferson Award-winner Kevin Webb stars as a hard-drinking, self-described hack theater critic in Black Button Eyes Productions’ revival of Conor McPherson’s beguiling one-hander “St. Nicholas.” Webb plays the unnamed critic, whose reviews draw blood, who becomes involved with a gang of vampires in suburban London. BBE producing artistic director Ed Rutherford directs.
Preview at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, at City Lit Theater, Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27. $30. blackbuttoneyes.com.
Backyard comedy
What starts as a property dispute between two neighbors over landscaping preferences turns into a full-blown culture war in Karen Zacarías’ “Native Gardens.” Moisés Díaz directs Theatre EVOLVE’s revival of the 2019 play about two couples: a young, progressive couple of color and a middle-aged, conservative Caucasian couple.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 26-27, and 3 p.m. Sunday, June 28, and through July 18 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Pay-what-you-can. theatreevolve.com.
Four cocktails, one story
As six actors read through an action comedy script, audience members indulge in a selection of craft cocktails, one for each act, as part of iO Theater’s “The Last Word.”
7 p.m. Friday, June 26, at 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. $23.40, $54.92 with drinks. (312) 300-3350 or ioimprov.com.
Classics in repertory
For the first time in its history, the Oak Park Festival Theater presents a pair of classics in repertory this summer. Peter G. Andersen directs William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” about a grieving son determined to avenge his murdered father, and Kathryn Walsh directs Oscar Wilde’s comedy of manners “The Importance of Being Earnest,” which satirizes late Victorian hypocrisy and morality.
“Hamlet” previews at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, July 1 and 3, at Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Ave., Oak Park. The show opens July 5. “The Importance of Being Earnest” previews at 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, June 30 and July 2, also at Austin Gardens. The show opens July 7. $20-$40. oakparkfestival.com.