Spooks or spoofs? Chicago and suburban theaters bring plenty of both to the stage for Halloween. Some shows aim to terrify. Others scare up laughs thanks to campy bloodshed and cartoonish violence. Here are 13 suggestions of shows playing this month...

Get charmed at Troubadourium 2016 Troubadours of old traveled the countryside, composing songs and entertaining the masses with poetry of love and adventure. Modern-day troubadours get their time in the spotlight when Mackey's Hideout presents the f...

The horror! Get ready to be frightened when the interactive horror event Disturbia: Screams in the Park returns for another season starting Friday at MB Financial Park, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont. New theme areas this year include Dark Swamp and Sewe...

In 1977, a bunch of young Chicago actors led by Joe Mantegna and Dennis Franz wrote and starred in a play about Cubs fans in Wrigley Field called “Bleacher Bums.” David Zak, an English and theater teacher then at Benet Academy in Lisle, thought it w...

Proudly blue collar Famed “blue collar” comedian Bill Engvall (CMT's “Country Fried Videos,” “Lingo”) performs an evening of standup Thursday at the Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan. $40.50-$53.50. (847) 263-6300 or geneseetheatre....

Arlington goes the distance Mount Prospect's "American Idol" Lee DeWyze comes back home to headline Arlington International Racecourse's Furlong Fest. The weekend festival - which benefits the Autism Society of Illinois - features food, horse racing...

Country tour Country star Josh Turner ("Your Man," "Why Don't We Just Dance") performs this weekend at two suburban locations: first at the Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Waukegan Road, Waukegan. $33-$53. (847) 263-6300 or geneseetheatre.com; then at North...

Metal man Take what innuendo you will from the title of the rocking concert "Spend the Night With Alice Cooper." The famed metal music provocateur performs Thursday at the Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan. $43-$83. (847) 263-6300 or gen...

Stage and screen legend Plenty of songs and scintillating old Hollywood anecdotes are promised in "An Afternoon with Rita Moreno." Moreno, whose career stretches back to the 1940s, is one of the few entertainers to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar an...

Full of soul The Grammy Award-winning Aaron Neville Duo makes a special concert appearance on Saturday at the Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg. $65; $63 seniors and students. (847) 895-3600 or prairiecenter.org. 7:3...