Spotlight: Get 'Cooking With Bubbie' in Skokie
Meet Bubbie
MadKap Productions and Orchard Street Productions present "Cooking With Bubbie," a musical by Jay Kholos featuring quintessential Jewish grandmother and TV personality Bubbie hosting a combination cooking show and variety hour. Jan Slavin and Carla Gordon alternate in the titular role.
Opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Friday and Sunday through Aug. 22. $45, $38 for seniors. COVID-19 precautions limit theater capacity to 50 people. Other precautions may be in place. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.
'My Way' at Metropolis
The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre concludes its outdoor season with "My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra" featuring tunes made famous by the late crooner. Isabella Andrews, Heidi Kurzejka, Michael Metcalf, Austin Nelson Jr. and Jasmine Lacy Young star in the revue, which is recommended for ages 13 and older.
Previews run Thursday through Sunday, July 15-18, under a tent at Evergreen Avenue and Eastman Street, south of North School Park, Arlington Heights. Regular performances run July 22 through Aug. 28. $25 for previews, $40 for regular run. For tickets and showtimes, call (847) 577-5982, ext. 239, email customerservice@metropolisarts.com or see metropolisarts.com.
Magic time
Oak Park Festival Theatre resumes live, in-person performances with "The Tempest" starring Kevin Theis as Prospero. Artistic director Barbara Zahora directs William Shakespeare's tale of romance and magic in an outdoor production in Oak Park's Austin Gardens.
Previews at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 15-16, at 167 Forest Ave., Oak Park. The production opens Saturday, July 17, and runs through Aug. 21. $15 for previews, $35 for regular run. COVID-19 precautions are in place, including physical distancing. Face coverings required when moving about the park. Food and beverages prohibited at this time. (708) 300-9396 or oakparkfestival.com.
Goodman 'Live'
Goodman Theatre's livestreaming series concludes with "I Hate It Here," Ike Holter's play with music about how we navigated 2020 and a "world on the brink of explosion."
Streams live at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 15-16; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 17; and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 18, at goodmantheatre.org/here. $25.
In other news
• Ron Hawking pay tribute to Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin and Billy Joel with his signature show "Ron Hawking: The Men and Their Music" at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 10, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 11, at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Tickets are $55. A preshow, prix fixe dinner or brunch is available. Tickets are available at (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.
• Mercury Theater Chicago celebrates the resumption of live, in-person performances with an open house during the Southport Arts Fest held from 1-10 p.m. Saturday, July 10, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 11. Mercury Theater alums will perform at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. See mercurytheaterchicago.com.
• Cabinet of Curiosity presents "Sea Change," a series of puppet shows written by female playwrights and running from Thursday, July 15, through July 25 outdoors at The Brndhaus Pl-Zen, 1727 W. 21st St., Chicago. Featured plays include: Lindsey Noel Witing's "Whale Song," a musical about a man obsessed with killing a whale; "A Mermaid's Tale (If There's a God)," about a mermaid at the "end of her tail" by Bethany Thomas and Liz Chidester; Kasey Foster's "More," about a shark who gets advice from the moon; and "The Lookout," Seth Bockley's tale of a man kept company by a bird. Performances are at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 2 and 8:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $25. See cocechicago.com.
• Chicago International Puppet Festival holds its annual living room fundraising tour Thursday through Saturday, July 15-17. The tour takes place outdoors at homes in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, Glencoe and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and features food and entertainment including new puppetry works. Tickets are $150 per venue. See chicagopuppetfest.org.
• Broadway in Chicago announced live, in-person performances will resume Oct. 5 with the 25th anniversary farewell tour of "Rent." That's followed by "What the Constitution Means to Me" (Oct. 26-Nov. 21); the pre-Broadway premiere of "Paradise Square" (Nov. 2-Dec. 5); "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical" (Nov. 2-7); "Frozen" (Nov. 19-Jan. 22, 2022); "Pretty Woman - The Musical" (Dec. 14-19); "The Simon & Garfunkel Story" (Feb. 22-27); "Come From Away" (Feb. 22-March 6, 2022); "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" (Feb. 26-April 24, 2022); "Six" (March 29-July 3, 2022); "My Fair Lady" (June 28-July 10, 2022); "Jesus Christ Superstar" (July 19-31, 2022); and the pre-Broadway premiere of "The Devil Wears Prada" (July 19-Aug. 21, 2022). Also included in the season are the special events: "Alton Brown: Live Beyond the Eats!" on Oct. 16 and "Leslie Odom, Jr. The Christmas Tour" on Dec. 4.
Individual tickets are on sale for "Paradise Square" and "Frozen." Tickets for groups of 10 or more are available for all shows at (312) 977-1710 or groupsales@broadwayinchicago.com. For details, see broadwayinchicago.com.
• Chicago Children's Theatre's "Walkie Talkies" podcast - produced in partnership with the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks series - continues with "The Night Heron," a family-friendly, self-guided, audio walking tour of Horner Park in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood. Created by theater artists and bird enthusiasts Shawn Pfautsch and Jessica Ridenour, it's one of several audio tours available for free download from chicagochildrenstheatre.org. The others are a tour of Bronzeville's Ellis Park titled "Sankofa - A Journey of Bronzeville's Poppin' Past" and a walking tour through Humboldt Park, which drops Aug. 1.
• Northlight Theatre's production of "Mr. Dickens' Hat" by Michael Hollinger is among the 28 first-round recipients of the 2021 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. The awards, which total more than $1 million, allow for additional development for the plays in an effort to extend their lives after the initial production. Goodman Theatre's "Good Night, Oscar" by Doug Wright and Steppenwolf Theatre's "Bald Sisters" by Vichet Chum also were among the plays selected.
• The Annoyance Theatre tapped actor/musician Jayson Brooks, a veteran of The Annoyance, Second City and iO Chicago, as the new managing director. "I am so excited to join the Annoyance family. It's the start of a new chapter for both myself and the Annoyance Theater. I'm looking forward to what we are going to build and bring to our audiences," said Brooks in a prepared statement. "As the people of Chicago (and the country at large) work to reclaim some sense of normalcy, they're going to need to laugh and I am lucky to have a hand in facilitating that."
• Lifeline Theatre managing director Allison Cain announced she will step down in the fall from the position she has held for 12 years. "The decision to move on has been a bittersweet one but I am looking forward to finding a successor who will be able to creatively co-lead the organization during these changing times," said Cain in a prepared statement. "Lifeline has been working on change management for some time now and is poised and ready to be a part of a new age of Chicago Theater." The search for Cain's successor will take place over the next few months.