Theater spotlight: Joey Fatone leads national tour of jukebox tuner ‘& Juliet’

Juliet, after Romeo (with Joey Fatone)

Joey Fatone, a founding member *NSYNC, plays Lance in the national tour of “& Juliet,” the jukebox tuner that flips the script on William Shakespeare’s tragic lovers to ponder what might happen if Juliet hadn’t killed herself after she discovered Romeo’s lifeless body. The show, which returns to Chicago for a brief run, includes the pop hits “Since U Been Gone‚” “Roar,” “Baby One More Time,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” and others.

7 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, and Friday, July 24; 1 and 7 p.m. Thursday, July 23; 2 and 7:30 p.m. July 25; 1 and 6:30 p.m. July 26; and through Aug. 2, at The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago. $49-$175. BroadwayInChicago.com.

‘Little Mermaid’ makes a splash

Director/choreographer Tor Campbell is one busy man. Fresh off his revival of “The Wizard of Oz” for the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Campbell helms Uptown Music Theater’s revival of “Disney’s The Little Mermaid.” Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale and Disney’s 1989 hit film, the effervescent musical is the coming-of-age tale of teenage Ariel, a plucky mermaid who falls in love with a prince and trades her voice for legs in an attempt to win his love.

2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19 and 25-26 and Aug. 1-2, and 7:30 p.m. July 24 and Aug. 1 at the Performing Arts Center at Deerfield High School, 1959 Waukegan Road, Deerfield. Tickets start at $15 for kids, $27 for seniors, $30 for adults. uptownhp.org.

A classical tale

Lewis Rawlinson shares his journey through queerness, addiction and mental health in “Nervous Breakdown in G Minor,” his solo show about growing up Mormon and training as a classical cellist. The show is part of Steppenwolf Theatre’s LookOut Series showcasing experimental theater.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 17-18, and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 19, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. $30. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Working-class drama

4 Chairs Theatre revives “Good People,” David Lindsay-Abaire’s dramedy about working-class single mom Margie who, after losing her latest low-paying job, seeks out her former high school boyfriend, now a successful doctor, for help finding a job. 4 Chairs founder Lauren Berman directs.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 17-18, and Thursday, July 23; 3 p.m. Sunday, July 19, and through Aug. 23, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. $38-$60. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org.

Family-friendly Shakespeare

Woodstock Shakespeare Players celebrate William Shakespeare’s heroines in “A Bit O’ The Bard: Fair And Foul,” a show by company co-founder and artistic director Angie Kells that also ponders who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays. The audience will “experience a veritable smorgasbord of Shakespearean scenes, all woven together with humor, pop culture references and audience interaction,” said Kells in a prepared statement. “We don’t just introduce audiences to a variety of the Bard’s greatest works, we make them accessible, relatable and fun.”

5 p.m. Saturdays, July 18 and 25 and Aug. 1, at the Woodstock Square Historic District, 123 E. Van Buren St., Woodstock. Free. facebook.com/woodstockshakespeareplayers.

Babes With Blades premiere

Babes With Blades celebrates “queer pirate joy” in “yo. ho.” a new historical fantasy from SMJ inspired by 18th-century female pirates of the Caribbean: Anne Bonny and Mary Read. JD Caudill directs the premiere starring Sierra Buffum as Mary Read and Stephanie Fongheiser as Anne Bonny.

Previews at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 19, and 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 23-24, at The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago. The show opens July 25. $28, $35. babeswithblades.org/.

New ensemble stages Chicago premiere

Chicago-area newcomer The Heart of Gold Theatre stages the Chicago premiere of “An Intervention,” British playwright Mike Bartlett’s 2014 two-hander about two pals whose friendship fractures over politics and war. Amanda Egle and Taylor Adams star in director Aaron Henrickson’s production.

The preview is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at Pierce Hall in the Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. The show opens July 25. Tickets start at $19.99. eventbrite.com/e/an-intervention-by-mike-bartlett-tickets-1991580937195.