Theater spotlight: Black Button Eyes premieres tuneful parody 'Evil Dead the Musical'
Star gazing
At Harvard University's observatory during the early 1900s, scientist Henrietta Swan Leavitt wasn't allowed to touch a telescope. Yet the work this astronomer did, using astronomical photographic plates to map the stars, paved the way for Edwin Hubble to prove his theories about the expanding universe and the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way. Playwright Lauren Gunderson chronicles Leavitt's seminal work in "Silent Sky," in a revival at Steel Beam Theatre. Sean Hargadon, artistic director of Elgin's Janus Theatre, directs.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 11-12, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13. Runs through Feb. 3 at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $22-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.org.
'Splatter zone'
Theatergoers sitting in the first three rows of Black Button Eyes' latest production can expect to get bloodied. Those seats are known as the "splatter zone" for BBE's storefront Chicago premiere of "Evil Dead the Musical." A tuneful parody of Sam Raimi's horror film series, the musical centers on a group of college kids spending spring break at an isolated cabin who "accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them all into demons." Artistic director Ed Rutherford helms the production, which features sets, props and puppets designed by Bensenville native Jeremiah Barr.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 11-12, and Thursday, Jan. 17, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13. Opens Friday, Jan. 18, at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway St., Chicago. $30. See blackbuttoneyes.com.
Rhino Fest returns
The Rhinoceros Theater Festival - the area's longest-running fringe celebration - returns for its 30th year. Hosted by the Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr, the six-week fest showcases local and national artists, including co-founders Beau O'Reilly and Jenny Magnus who open with Full Moon Vaudeville. Ensembles scheduled to perform include: El Bear, Littlebrain Theatre and Curious Theatre, which will stage Caryl Churchill's dark fairy tale "The Striker" and Matt Rieger's comedy "My Dinner With ... Joe." Other participating theater artists include playwright Barrie Cole, Prop Thtr co-founder Scott Vehill, Rob Onorato and Charles Pike among others.
Opens at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, and runs daily except for Tuesdays at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. $15 or pay-what-you-can. See schedule at rhinofest.com.
Lotta shakin' going on
Marriott Theatre heats up winter with a revival of "Million Dollar Quartet," a jukebox tuner inspired by a December 1956 impromptu jam session between Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley at Memphis' Sun Records. Director James Moye's production stars Christopher J. Essex (Cash), Nat Zegree (Lewis), Shaun Whitley (Perkins), Rustin Cole Sailors (Presley) and David Folsom as Sam Philips.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 16-17; 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19; and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20. Opens Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. $50-$60. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.