Theater events: Laugh Out Loud parodies politics; Otherworld parodies Tolkien this week in Chicago

• Marquee Mainstage Productions presents "Newsies The Musical!" based on the 1992 film about the 1899 newsboy strike in New York City. Performances take place Friday, Aug. 9, through Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. See marqueemainstage.org.

• Previews begin Saturday, Aug. 10, for the Chicago premiere of "Trump in Space," a sci-fi absurdist musical about the Starship California's rebellion against the still-in-power Trump regime, which is led by Donald's descendant Natasha Trump. The show opens Aug. 24 at Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 3851 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 857-6000 or laughoutloudtheater.com.

• Goodman Theatre presents a sensory-friendly performance of "The Music Man" at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Designed for audience members who have autism or other social, cognitive or physical challenges, the performance includes dimmed house lights, a designated quiet area in the lobby, space in the theater for standing and movement, limited crowds and other amenities. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org/access.

• Pride Films and Plays presents the 1993 AIDS-themed musical "All That He Was," which chronicles a man's struggle with AIDS and the impact of his death on his family and friends. Previews begin Saturday, Aug. 10, at 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago. The show, directed by Larry Todd Cousineau, opens Monday, Aug. 12. See pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Broadway in Chicago presents its annual free summer concert featuring music from "Come From Away," "Dear Evan Hansen," "Hamilton," "Frozen," "Mean Girls" and other shows. It takes place at 6:15 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago.

• Theater residencies at Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago, continue Tuesday, Aug. 13, Wednesday, Aug. 14, and Saturday, Aug. 17, with Aguijon Theater Company's "La gran tirana: Descarga teatral (The Grand Tyrant: A Theatrical Discharge," an examination of the life and art of Cuban singer Lupe Victoria Yoli Raymond, better known as La Lupe. Performances take place in the park's Wrigley Square. Admission is free. See millenniumpark.org.

• Otherworld Theatre presents a "Taste of Man-Flesh: A Fellowship of the Ring Parody," based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Performances run Thursday, Aug. 15, through Saturday, Aug. 24, at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. See otherworldtheatre.org.

• Collaboraction launches its fourth Peacebook Festival on Thursday, Aug. 15, at Kennedy-King College, 740 W. 63rd St., Chicago. Peacebook consists of the world premieres of 21 short performance pieces about peace and peacemaking in Chicago by writers including Bril Barrett, J. Nicole Brooks, Nambi E. Kelley and Sir Taylor. The festival will subsequently "tour" neighborhood parks on the following days: Sept. 13 and 14, LaFollette Park, 1333 N. Laramie Ave.; Sept. 20 and 21, Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Ave.; and Sept. 28 and 29, Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St. (312) 226-9633 or collaboraction.org.

• Actor/comedian Patton Oswalt ("Ratatouille," "King of Queens," "The Goldbergs") brings his stand-up tour to The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Patton performs at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, and at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• "Throwing Shade," Eclectic Full Contact Theatre's 1930s-style radio show parodying the classic radio program "The Shadow," runs at 9 p.m. Sundays on WCGO 1590 AM/95.9 FM. The program follows the adventures of Chicago reporter Theodore Rockwell, whose alter-ego The Shade is an inept masked avenger who creates more problems than he resolves. Fortunately, a typist named Wednesday Morning also has a secret masked vigilante identity as The Vamp, who is much more successful at solving crimes. See eclectic-theatre.com.

• Akvavit Theatre, a company devoted to productions of contemporary Nordic works, announced its 2019 season will begin Sept. 24 with Family Drama, 2 Norwegian Plays. The double bill consists of "Goliath" and "The Returning." The former, by Maria Tryti Vennerod, is the biblical story re-imagined as a family drama with the heroic little brother David outshining his dominant older brother Goliath. "The Returning," by Fredrik Brattberg, is about parents who finally return to their lives after the loss of their son, until a knock at the door upsets their peace. Performances are at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. Akvavit's season also includes a staged reading on Sept. 13, of Danish playwright Rhea Leman's "Making Waves," a work that draws parallels between Scandinavian immigrants during the 1800s and immigrants attempting to enter the U.S. today. See chicagonordic.org.