Theater Events
OPENING JULY 2
WHAT: “GOIN’ BUGGY”
WHEN: 6 p.m.
WHERE: Veteran’s Memorial Park Gazebo, 3400 Pearl St., McHenry
ABOUT: Children’s Musical Theater production featuring children in grades 2-6. Sponsor: McHenry Parks and Recreation Department.
TICKETS: Free
INFO: 815-363-2160
OPENING JULY 3
WHAT: “A COUPLA WHITE CHICKS SITTING AROUND TALKING”
WHEN: Friday through July 26
WHERE: McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn
ABOUT: By John Ford Noonan. Buffalo Theatre Ensemble comedy presentation. Maude, a prim suburban housewife, has her quiet, organized life usurped by Hannah Mae, a raucous transplant from Texas.
SCHEDULE: Preview: 8 p.m. July 2. Preview tickets: $25 adults, $23 seniors. Performance schedule: July 3 to July 26.
TICKETS: $25 adults, $23 seniors (Thursday), $33 adults, $31 seniors (Friday, Saturday), $29 adults, $27 seniors (Sunday)
INFO: 630-942-4000 or www.atthemac.org
WHAT: “BLACKBIRD”
WHEN: Friday through Aug. 9
WHERE: Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
ABOUT: British playwright David Harrower’s searing two-person drama about the destructive cycle of desire and illicit love. Starring Mattie Hawkinson and William L. Petersen.
SCHEDULE: Previews: 7:30 p.m. July 2-12, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Preview tickets: $30-$48. Performance Schedule: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday starting July 15, 8 p.m. Friday, 5 & 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. No evening performance July 14 or July 28. Added matinees: 2 p.m. July 29 and Aug. 5.
TICKETS: $37-$58
773-871-3000 or www.victorygardens.org
THEATER CALENDAR
Kane County
“THE ALTAR BOYZ”: through July 12, Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. Noble Fool Theatricals presentation. Musical comedy about five small-town boys who believe they’re destined by God to speak the Holy Spirit through hip-hop. Schedule: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 5 & 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $28, $39 and dinner show packages available at $49, $59 at 630-584-6342 or www.noblefool.org.
“GREASE”: July 17-26, Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Join the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies for an evening of 1950s fun presented by Elgin Summer Theatre and the City of Elgin. Schedule: 8 p.m. July 17-18, 24-25; 3 p.m. July 19 & 26. Tickets: $15 at 847-931-5900 or www.hemmens.org.
“HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2”: July 18 through Aug. 8, Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. Disney’s favorite characters are back on stage in this Noble Fool Theatricals Youth Ensemble presentation about a summer adventure working at the Lava Springs Country Club. Schedule: 10:30 a.m. July 18 and Aug. 8; 1 p.m. July 25; 7 p.m. July 19 & 26. Tickets: $15 at 630-584-6342 or www.noblefool.org.
“KRAZY KAMP”: July 10-19, Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. Steel Beam Children’s Theatre musical presentation. A comical story about trouble at a boys camp that forces them to spend the week at the girls Camp Pocohontas, where gangsters and pranksters run rampant. Schedule: 7:30 p.m. July 10-11, 17-18; 3 p.m. July 12 & 19. Tickets: $12 adults, $10 children younger than 16 at 630-587-8521 or www.steelbeamtheatre.com.
Regional
“BETTER TWO-GETHER”: 8 p.m. July 11, Village Players Performing Arts Center, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park. Beckie Menzie and Tom Michaels cabaret act. Tickets: $25 adults, $22 seniors and students at 866-764-1010 or www.village-players.org.
“DAVID, THE KING”: 8 p.m. July 8-12, Starlight Theatre at Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford. The great King of all Israel is in his waning years. A young woman, Abishag, is sent to care for him as he prepares to die. Their friendship grows as King David explains the events that have led him and his people to this point in his life. Tickets: $17 adults, $16 seniors and students at 815-921-2160 or www.rvcstarlight.com.
DEBBIE REYNOLDS: 2:30 p.m. Aug. 6-7; 1:30 & 5 p.m. Aug. 8; 1:30 p.m. Aug. 9, Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Reynolds takes center stage for her annual concert to celebrate her life, music and greatest triumphs on and off the stage and screen. Tickets: $33. Meal/show packages available from $47.75. Tickets and information: 630-530-0111; all Ticketmaster locations or www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.
“EVERYTHING’S GOING MY WAY”: 3 p.m. July 12, Village Players Performing Arts Center, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park. One-man autobiographical musical show featuring David Edelfelt. Tickets: $25 at 866-764-1010 or www.village-players.org.
“EVITA”: 8 p.m. July 15-19, Starlight Theatre at Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford. Story of an illegitimate child who escapes her poor existence through her ambition and charisma to become Argentina’s First Lady. Tickets: $17 adults, $16 seniors and students at 815-921-2160 or www.rvcstarlight.com.
“THE KING & I”: 8 p.m. July 22-26, Starlight Theatre at Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford. Based on “Anna and the King of Siam” by Margaret Landon. An English widow arrives at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, having been summoned by the King to serve as tutor to his many children and wives. He is largely considered to be a barbarian by those in the West and he seeks Anna’s assistance in changing his image, if not his ways. Tickets: $17 adults, $16 seniors and students at 815-921-2160 or www.rvcstarlight.com.
“THE PRODUCERS”: 8 p.m. July 29 through Aug. 2, Starlight Theatre at Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford. Musical adapted from the film by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan. The story of a theatrical producer and an accountant who attempt to cheat their investors by deliberately producing a flop show on Broadway. Adult theme, not suitable for children. Tickets: $17 adults, $16 seniors and students at 815-921-2160 or www.rvcstarlight.com.
“PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES”: through Aug. 2, Drury Lane Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. By John Foley. Broadway musical about four pump boys who sell high-octane fuel on North Carolina’s Highway 57 and the dinettes who run the Double Cupp diner next door. Schedule: 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 1:30 & 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Fridays, 5 & 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 & 6 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $29-$35. Dinner theater packages: $43.75 to $57. Tickets and information: 630-530-0111; all Ticketmaster outlets; www.ticketmaster.com or www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.
Chicago
“BOMBS AWAY!”: through July 18, Mary’s Attic, 540 N. Clark St., Chicago. By Sally Deering and Larry Bortniker. Bailiwick Repertory presentation. A comic depiction of Dr. Barry Mishkin, America’s foremost Broadway musicologist who has amassed an amazing collection of scenes and numbers cut from Broadway’s classic musicals. Schedule: 7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets: $15 at 773-883-1090 or www.bailiwick.org.
“BUSMAN’S HONEYMOON”: through July 26, Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. By Dorothy L. Sayers. Wedding bells have finally rung for amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey and novelist Harriet Vane. But their quiet, country honeymoon becomes a farce full of eccentric locals, exploding chimneys and even a body found in the wine cellar. Schedule: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 & 8 p.m. Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays. No show July 4. Tickets: $30 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students at 773-761-4477 or www.lifelinetheatre.com.
“JERSEY BOYS”: open run, LaSalle Bank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. Story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, a group of blue-collar boys who became one of the biggest American pop music sensations. Schedule: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 2 & 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 & 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $30-$110 at 312-902-1400; any Ticketmaster outlet or www.ticketmaster.com.
“MARY POPPINS”: through July 12, Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. Based on the classic Disney film, “Mary Poppins” is the story of a nanny who brings a bit of magic into the lives of the children she visits. Original Broadway stars Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee will reprise their roles to launch the musical’s national tour. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays & Thursdays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays & Saturdays, 8 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays, 1 & 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $23-$150 at 312-902-1400; all Ticketmaster outlets or www.ticketmaster.com.
“ROD BLAGOJEVICH SUPERSTAR”: through Aug. 9, Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Musical presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Second City that follows the rise and fall of Rod Blagojevich with a ’70s rock opera-like soundtrack and a story taken straight from the headlines and also stars all the key supporting players in the scandal. Schedule: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 3, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $25, $20 groups of 10 or more at 312-595-5600 or www.chicagoshakes.com.
“SPRING AWAKENING”: tickets on sale for the Aug. 4-16 performances, Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. Tony Award-winning Broadway musical based on the 1891 Frank Wedekind play. Set against the backdrop of a repressive and provincial late 19th century Germany, the play tells the timeless story of teenage self-discovery and budding sexuality as seen through the eyes of three teenagers. Schedule: 8 p.m. Aug. 4; 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5-6; 8 p.m. Aug. 7; 2 & 8 p.m. Aug. 8; 2 & 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9; 7:30 p.m. Aug. 11; 2 & 7:30 p.m. Aug. 12; 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13; 8 p.m. Aug. 14; 2 & 8 p.m. Aug. 15; 2 p.m. Aug. 16. Tickets: $25-$95 at 312-902-1400; any Ticketmaster outlet or www.broadwayinchicago.
“STRAUSS AT MIDNIGHT”: through July 19, DCA Theater’s Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph St., Chicago. By Jeff Dorchen. Presented by Theater Oobleck in association with Chicago DCA Theater. Play visits Oscar Madison’s apartment in order to explore such “Odd Couples” as liberty and tyranny, love and hate, man and superman. When a time-traveling tourist on a prehistoric safari accidentally kills a butterfly, Oscar and Felix’s poker table becomes the battleground for human civilization. Schedule: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. No performance July 3-4. Tickets: $15 at 312-742-8497 or www.dcatheater.org.