Theater Events
OPENING JULY 9
WHAT: “WE THE PEOPLE”
WHEN: 7 p.m. today through Saturday
WHERE: Marengo High School Auditorium, 110 Franks Road, Marengo
ABOUT: Marengo Summer with the Arts will present a patriotic musical, featuring 58 children in grades 4 through 12.
TICKETS: $6. Active military personnel in uniform will be our honored guests at no charge.
INFO: 815-568-5126
OPENING JULY 10
WHAT: “GUYS AND DOLLS”
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and July 16-18
WHERE: Prairie Ridge High School Theater, 6000 Dvorak Drive, Crystal Lake
ABOUT: Northwest Community Music Academy musical comedy presentation. Tale of Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest established permanent floating dice game in New York, who bets fellow gambler Sky Masterson that he can’t make the next girl he sees fall in love with him.
TICKETS: $15 adults, $10 seniors and students 12 and younger
INFO: www.ncmusica.org
WHAT: “KRAZY KAMP”
WHEN: Friday through July 19
WHERE: Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., St. Charles
ABOUT: 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
INFO: www.steelbeamtheatre.com
OPENING JULY 11
WHAT: “BETTER TWO-GETHER”
WHEN: 8 p.m.
WHERE: Village Players Performing Arts Center, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park
ABOUT: Beckie Menzie and Tom Michaels cabaret act.
TICKETS: $25 adults, $22 seniors and students
INFO: www.village-players.org
WHAT: GREENROOM THEATER
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Cosman Cultural Center, 12015 Mill St., Huntley
ABOUT: Improv show
TICKETS: $12 adults, $8 seniors and students at the door.
INFO: www.greenroomtheater.com
THEATER CALENDAR
McHenry County
“MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING”: 7:30 p.m. July 18, Veteran’s Memorial Park, McHenry; 7:30 p.m. July 21-24; 1 & 6 p.m. July 26, Petersen Park, McHenry. Romantic comedy by William Shakespeare. Presented by Riverview Theatre Company. The festival kicks off with a two-hour Elizabethan faire 4 to 6 p.m. July 18. Free admission to the July 18 performance. July 21-26 tickets: $10 adults, $8 seniors and students at 815-354-7796 or www.riverviewtheatre.org.
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. Thursday and Friday, 5 & 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $28, $39 and dinner show packages available at $49, $59 at 630-584-6342 or www.noblefool.org.
“DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN”: July 17-19, Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. By Rob Becker. Noble Fool Theatricals presentation on the misunderstandings of the gender gap in the ways men and women fight, laugh and love. Schedule: 8 p.m. Friday, 5 & 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $39 and dinner show packages available 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.
Regional
“A COUPLA WHITE CHICKS SITTING AROUND TALKING”: through July 26, McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 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: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $25 adults, $23 seniors (Thursday), $33 adults, $31 seniors (Friday, Saturday), $29 adults, $27 seniors (Sunday) at 630-942-4000 or www.atthemac.org.
“DAVID, THE KING”: 8 p.m. July 9-12, 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.
“DEADWOOD DICK, OR THE GAME OF GOLD”: 7 p.m. July 17-19, 3606 Dyer Lake Road, Burlington, Wis. By Tom Taggart. Summer fundraiser outdoor presentation by Creative Outlets and the Seno Woodland Education Center. Play centers around the conniving of the central villain, Black’n Red, and the two heroes’ attempts to thwart him. Tickets: $12 adults, $10 seniors and children 12 and younger at 262-539-3222 or senocenter@senocenter.org.
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. Debbie as she 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
“ALADDIN”: through Aug. 30, Courtyard Theater at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Adaptation of Disney’s film presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Aladdin and his friends must use their wits and three wishes to outsmart the villains and save the kingdom. Recommended for ages 5 and older. Schedule: 11 a.m. Wednesdays; 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Thursdays (except July 2), Fridays (except July 3) and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $23 adults, $18 children ages 12 and younger. Group discounts available. Tickets and information: 312-595-5600 or www.chicagoshakes.com.
“BLACKBIRD”: through Aug. 9, Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. 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: 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 at 773-871-3000 or www.victorygardens.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. Tickets: $30 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students at 773-761-4477 or www.lifelinetheatre.com.
“CLOCLO”: July 16-25, Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green St., Chicago. Comic operetta spin-off of “The Merry Widow” by Franz Lehar. Chicago Folks Operetta will present the operetta about a ravishing Folies Bergere dancer who is the object of an army of suitors who will do anything for her. Schedule: 7:30 p.m. July 16-18 and July 23-25, 2 p.m. July 22. Tickets: $30 adults, $25 seniors at 312-733-6000 or www.chicagofolksoperetta.org.
“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 the 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. Tickets: $15 at 312-742-8497 or www.dcatheater.org.
