‘Montgomery’s Barbershop’ on stage Saturday at Schaumburg Prairie Center

Powerhouse Productions will present, “Montgomery’s Barbershop,” an original production that is both a play and a variety show, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

The story is based on the old Strand Barbershop, in its day the largest barbershop on Chicago’s South Side, at 63rd and Cottage Grove.

Owned by Booker T. Montgomery, who died in 2006, the Strand, with its seven chairs, jukebox and two manicurists who sat in the front window, was “the” place for black performers to get haircuts and processes before appearing at the Tivoli and the Regal. Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, The Temptations, Miracles, Muhammad Ali and others all passed through.

“Montgomery’s Barbershop” recreates those days, with customers sitting onstage waiting for their turn. The chatter is about current events, politics and sports, and they introduce the entertainers that come on the stage — Aretha Franklin, Bobby Brown and others. The youth of Powerhouse Productions are the stars of the show, singing, dancing and rapping; and they are joined onstage by a 30-voice choir with gospel selections both new and old.

“Montgomery’s Barbershop” is the 13th black history production put on by Powerhouse Productions. Tickets can be purchased online at schaumburgprairiecenter.org.