Theater

Spotlight: Zanies Rosemont hosts all-Spanish show and debuts weekly Roast Battle

Posted July 21, 2026 12:06 pm

Barbara Vitello

Comedian Led Varela headlines an all-Spanish show this weekend at Zanies in Rosemont.

A weekend at Zanies

• Venezuelan-Uruguayan comedian, writer and actor Led Varela headlines a Spanish-language-only matinee at Zanies.

3 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at Zanies Comedy Night Club, 5437 Park Place, Rosemont. $43.75, plus a two-item minimum. (847) 813-0484 or rosemont.zanies.com.

Comedian and musician Jonnie W. performs Sunday at Zanies in Rosemont. Courtesy of Jeffrey Holland

• Comedian/musician and Nashville resident Jonnie W. headlines an early show at Zanies this weekend.

5 p.m. Sunday, July 26, at Zanies Comedy Night Club in Rosemont. $37.95, plus a two-item minimum. (847) 813-0484 or rosemont.zanies.com.

• This weekend marks the debut of Roast Battle Rosemont, a weekly insult comedy show during which two comedians square off in a battle of jokes.

8:30 p.m. Sunday, July 25, and Sundays through Nov. 29 at Zanies Comedy Night Club in Rosemont. $32.25, $43.75, plus a two-item minimum. (847) 813-0484 or rosemont.zanies.com.

Tuesdai B. Perry, left, and Jewell Redman star in Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's revival of “In the Continuum,” a drama about African and African American women who learn they have HIV.

Two women, parallel stories

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre revives “In the Continuum,” Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter’s two-hander that tells the parallel stories of two women — a Los Angeles teen pregnant by her basketball-star boyfriend and a Zimbabwe newscaster — who discover they have HIV. Jewell Redman plays teenage Nia and Tuesdai B. Perry plays Abigail, the married reporter infected by her husband, in director Tim Rhoze’s production.

Preview at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. The show opens Sunday, July 26. $33. (847) 866-5914 or fjtheatre.com.

The national tour of “The Notebook,” by composer/lyricist Ingrid Michaelson and writer Bekah Brunstetter, returns to Chicago for a brief run. Courtesy of Roger Mastroianni

Looking ahead

• “The Notebook,” the musical adapted from the hit 2004 film that premiered at Chicago Shakespeare Theater four years ago, returns to the city as part of its national tour. The musical by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and writer Bekah Brunstetter chronicles the lifelong love affair between Allie and Noah, who battle class prejudice, parental disapproval and dementia.

Preview at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. The show opens Aug. 5. $37-$127. BroadwayInChicago.com.

• Also returning to Chicago for a brief run is the national tour of the Tony Award-winning tuner “The Outsiders.” Adapted from the beloved S.E. Hinton novel and Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film, the musical is about Greaser teen Ponyboy Curtis and best friend Johnny Cade, who are in constant conflict with their affluent rivals, the Socs, in 1967 Oklahoma. Adam Rapp and Justin Levine wrote the book. The music and lyrics are by Jonathan Clay, Zach Chance and Levine.

Preview at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. The show opens Aug. 5. $49-$160. BroadwayInChicago.com.