Spotlight: Renegade couple journeys across the Midwest in Lookingglass' 'Honeymoon'

Dream man

When she was 13, actress/writer Victoria Montalbano discovered her ideal man, "Star Wars" hero Han Solo, and she's been looking for his real-life counterpart ever since. She shares the results of those efforts at Steel Beam Theatre in her solo show, "The Princess Strikes Back: One Woman's Search for the Space Cowboy of Her Dreams."

7:30 p.m. Friday, May 19, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $22-$28. Masks recommended. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

World premiere

Lookingglass Theatre premieres a new country- and folk-infused musical, "Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon," by artistic associate Matthew C. Yee. Yee and Aurora Adachi-Winter play the titular characters, who are described as an atypical couple of first generation Asian American renegades on a journey across the Midwest.

Previews at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 and 31; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, May 25 and June 1; 7 p.m. Friday, May 26 and June 2; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 27; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 28, at 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The show opens June 3. $35-$50. Masks optional. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.

In other news

• The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, celebrates the 10th anniversary of its combination improvised thriller and drinking game "Hitch Cocktails." Performances begin Friday, May 19. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Previews begin Saturday, May 20, for Black Ensemble Theater's new show, "The Real Housewives of Motown," about the lives of the wives of R&B superstars. The show opens May 28 at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• Comedians McKenzie Goodwin and Rachel Scanlon host "Two Dykes and a Mic," an adults-only podcast described as a "raunchy and hilarious queer show" at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show is at 7:15 p.m. Friday, May 19. Also at the Den, comedian Jacqueline Novak performs her solo show, "Get On Your Knees," at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, May 20. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• Chicago-area dancers unite for an evening of "high heels and high camp" as part of Dance Divas 2023, a fundraiser benefiting The Dancers' Fund, which provides short-term financial assistance to Chicago dance industry professionals for preventive health care and critical medical needs. The evening kicks off at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 20, with a VIP champagne reception at the Baton Show Lounge, 4713 N. Broadway, Chicago. Performers include members of the Joffrey Ballet, Giordano Dance Chicago, Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater and Chicago Tap Theater, among others. Performances are at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 20, and 4:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday, May 21. dancedivaschicago.com.

• Refracted Theatre Company presents a workshop production of Mathilde Dratwa's dark comedy "A Play About David Mamet Writing a Play About Harvey Weinstein." An examination of art, ethics and power, the play is about a woman who's writing a play about Mamet while confronting her complicity of the institutional misogyny that plagues the world of theater. Performances take place Sunday, May 21, through May 31 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. theaterwit.org.

• Company members from "Disney's Aladdin" North American tour perform in "Agrabah After Dark: A Cabaret Event," a live, cabaret-style concert at 7 p.m. Monday, May 22, at Sidetrack Video Bar, 3349 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Proceeds from the show benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which assists theater artists facing health challenges and personal crises. sidetrackchicago.com.

• "The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody" takes place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago. See theempirestrikesback.com/chicago.

• In honor of the 30th anniversary of the hit interactive show "Late Nite Catechism," four $8 tickets (which was the original price) will be available for each performance through the end of the month at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. To get that rate, use the code LNC30 when ordering tickets at (773) 404-7336 or nuns4fun.com or greenhousetheater.org.

• Rivendell Theatre Ensemble has extended its premiere of "Motherhouse," Tuckie White's darkly comic play about a young woman who enlists her aunts to help her write her late mother's eulogy. Performances run through June 25 at 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.org.

• A Red Orchid Theatre has extended its Chicago premiere of "Is God Is," Aleshea Harris' drama about twins who receive a letter from the mother they thought was dead asking them to avenge her in an especially violent way. Performances run through June 4 at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. Masks recommended. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• Applications are due June 30 for one of two Jeff Impact Fellowship Grants of $10,000 for early to midcareer theater artists of color in the Chicago area who have been involved in local theater for at least one year. See jeffawards.org.

• Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's 2023-2024 season commences Nov. 16 with the holiday show "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley," Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon's sequel to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" about the bookish Mary Bennet, who finds romance over the holidays. That's followed by a revival of Bruce Graham's drama "The Outgoing Tide" (Feb. 1-March 3, 2024), about a man suffering from Alzheimer's disease who tries to make amends with and secure a future for his wife and estranged son. The season concludes with the premiere of "Into the Earth with You" (May 2-June 2, 2024), Brian Watkins' drama about three granddaughters who make a discovery about their deceased grandfather. Performances take place at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Season subscriptions are available at a 25% discount through May 31. The subscriptions start at $99. See btechicago.com.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater's 2023-2024 season opens Oct. 25 with William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" about Viola, who's separated from her twin brother following a shipwreck and washed ashore, where she dresses as a boy and finds herself involved in a love triangle. "Islander," a new musical folk tale from Scotland runs Nov. 29 to Dec. 17. That's followed by "Illinois" (Jan. 12-24, 2024), a new musical theater trip through America's heartland based on Sufjan Stevens' concept album, with a story by Tony Award winner Justin Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury. Next up is "Richard III" (Feb. 2-March 3, 2024), starring Paralympian Katy Sullivan as the ambitious, would-be king. Emmy Award-winner Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld") makes his Chicago debut in the world premiere "Judgment Day" (April 23-May 26, 2024), Rob Ulin's comedy about a morally bankrupt lawyer who seeks counsel from a priest on how to avoid eternal damnation. The season concludes with "The Enigmatist" (May 29-June 30, 2024), written and performed by magician and New York Times crossword constructor David Kwong. Performances take place at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Six-play subscription packages range from $288-$470; four-play subscriptions range from $192-$320. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.