Spotlight: Rosemont Zanies delivers laughs while Oil Lamp Theater celebrates love
Zanies Rosemont reopens
Zanies Comedy Club in Rosemont reopens this weekend for live performances with limited capacity, physical distancing, and face coverings required for employees and patrons. Chicago-area favorite Larry Reeb headlines along with rising star Brian Hicks. In addition, Zanies in Chicago livestreams its Valentine's Day "Cupid Edition" hosted by Calvin Evans and starring Pat Tomasulo, Carly Kane, Joe Kilgallon and T-Murph.
Larry Reeb: 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, and 7 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13. Brian Hicks: 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. At Parkway Bank Park, 5437 Park Place, Rosemont. $30 plus a two-item food or beverage minimum. The Valentine's Day livestream is $10, $25 for the VIP Zoom room, which allows you to interact with the comedians before and after the show. See zanies.com.
'With heart'
Just in time for Valentine's Day, artists from Glenview's Oil Lamp Theater weave their personal romance tales together with famous poems and songs from Broadway and pop artists as part of "With Heart: A Celebration of Love."
Livestreams at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, and on demand Saturday through Monday, Feb. 13-15, at oillamptheater.org. Pay-what-you can starting at $25.
'Macbeth' sendup
A never-before-seen final episode of Lady Marcia Macbeth's 1969 TV talk show - which finds the host on the verge of a nervous breakdown with blood-covered arms - is unearthed in "Out, Darn Spot!" It's Hell in a Handbag Productions' parody of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Tyler Anthony Smith wrote the sendup and stars as Marcia, a hostess on the verge who welcomes guests novelist Jacqueline Susann (David Cerda) and singer Lesley Gore (Caitlin Jackson) among others.
Streams at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays from Friday, Feb. 12, through March 2 at handbagproductions.org. $17.
In other news
• Victory Gardens Theater hosts an online reading of new 10-minute plays. New Plays for a New Year consists of works by writers McKenzie Chinn, Preston Choi and York Walker directed by Brian Balcom, Lili-Anne Brown and Devon de Mayo. The livestreaming begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12. Admission is free, but reservations are required at victorygardens.org/events/new-plays-for-a-new-year-festival.
• Skokie Theatricals delivers L.O.V.E.! A Virtual Musical Valentine featuring performances by Kevin Wood, Carla Gordon, Cindy Firing, Alex Magno and Boomer Babes Pam Peterson and Jan Slavin. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 12-14. Tickets are $15 per household. See skokietheatre.org to register.
• The Annoyance Theatre's streamed adult offerings include the sketch comedy show "Cupid's Big Day" at 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. That's followed at 9 p.m. by the musical sketch show "Little Piggy Valentines." See theannoyance.com.
• PrideArts introduces Lesbian Shorts, an evening comprised of live, online readings of five short lesbian-themed plays. Amber Mandley directs five two-handers, which examine friendship, love, homophobia, racism and intimacy in settings that range from a doctor's office to a church to a pizza parlor. Readings take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16. Tickets are $10 per reading. See pridearts.org or call (773) 857-0222.
• The performance art company Stop Motion Plant presents Window Plays, a series of socially distanced performances examining living in isolation and performed in storefront windows in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. The walking tour-style production consists of six ensemble members performing two- to five-minute plays on a loop for one hour. Admission is free, but donations are accepted with 20% of the donation benefiting Brave Space Alliance, an organization that supports and advances LGBTQ voices. Face coverings and physical distancing required. Window Plays takes place at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 and 20 and 6 p.m. Feb. 21. See facebook.com/stopmotionplant.
• Northwestern University's Imagine U Storytime series consisting of 15-minute videos of family-friendly stories performed by NU faculty, alumni and students continues Sunday, Feb. 14, with a reading of Jamie Lee Curtis' book "Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day." That's followed on Feb. 21 by "Choose Your Own Tale of Peter Rabbit," inspired by Beatrix Potter's children's tale. The Feb. 28 performance consists of "Wayside School vs. Ms. Gorf," adapted from Louis Sachar's short stories. Free performances stream at 6 p.m. Sundays. Search the Wirtz Center on YouTube.com.
• Amplify, Definition Theatre's new work showcase featuring scenes from eight semifinalist plays, takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 24-25, online. Filmed in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, each evening's offering includes a scene as well as an interview with the playwright finalists. The Feb. 24 program features playwrights Luna Dragon Mac-Williams, Paul Michael Thomson, Nora Carroll and Ada Alozie. The Feb. 25 program features playwrights Omer Abbas Salem, Rachel Lynett, Ireon Roach and Erica Faye Watson. Performances are pay-what-you-can. See definitiontheatre.org.
• Raven Theatre announced writer/actress Tyla Abercrumbie ("Relentless," "Who's Afraid of Deepak Chopra," "Asylum (aka Life)") is the inaugural recipient of a $25,000 play development commission, which will support up to three commissions over the next three years. "We hope to weave incredible new plays into the fabric of the American theater through this exciting new initiative," said artistic director Cody Estle in a prepared statement. "It wouldn't be possible without board member Stephen Johnson's generous gift, for which the theater and I are extremely grateful."
• Collaboraction Theatre Company new staff members include marketing manager James Anthony, associate producer Crystal Barnes, development associate Deann Gonzalez and production manager Nikolaj Sorensen.