Spotlight: Show off your improv skills, 'MJ The Musical' opens in Chicago
'Friday night frenzy'
Seasoned improvisers and newcomers are invited to Improv Playhouse's monthly improv jam, which unfolds under the guidance of the theater's professional improvisers. The event is designed to nurture individual skills, foster community and "provide a safe space for creativity to thrive."
7:30 p.m. Friday, July 28, and the last Friday of the month through Dec. 29 at 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. $5. Masks optional. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.
'MJ' arrives
The Tony Award-winning "MJ The Musical," the tuner chronicling Michael Jackson's preparations for his 1992 world tour, launches its national tour in Chicago next week. Created by director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, with a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, the production stars Broadway veteran Roman Banks in the titular role.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug 1, through Friday, Aug. 4 and Aug. 8; 2 and 8 p.m. Aug. 5; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. The show opens Aug. 9. $52.50-$132.50. Masks optional. See broadwayinchicago.com.
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Oil Lamp Theater presents "Collected Stories," David Margulies' 1996 drama about Ruth, an esteemed short story writer and teacher whose protégé Lisa writes a novel based on Ruth's affair with a famous poet. Lisa's novel subsequently sparks a moral conundrum over whether the events of one person's life can be fodder for someone else's creativity. Elizabeth Mazur Levin directs.
7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 3 at 1723 Glenview Road, Glenview. $45. Masks optional. (847) 834-0738 or oillamptheater.org.
A Rockefeller tale
Five performers tell the life story of John D. Rockefeller, business magnate, Standard Oil Company founder and onetime richest American, in Corn Productions' "The Rockefeller Special," written by Ryan Stevens and codirected by Stevens and Justin Oliver Lance.
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, through Aug. 12, at The Cornservatory, 4210 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $15 (advance purchase recommended). Masks optional. See cornservatory.org.
New leaders at CST
Theater, television and film director Edward Hall succeeds Chicago Shakespeare Theater founder Barbara Gaines as the theater's new artistic director. The appointment marks a homecoming for Hall, who maintained close ties with the company since he directed CST's Rose Rage trilogy of "Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3" in 2003. The production went on to play off-Broadway, marking Chicago Shakespeare's New York City debut. Next February Hall directs "Richard III." Kimberley Motes, former managing director of the Tony Award-winning Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, takes over as executive director. She replaces Criss Henderson, who stepped down last year.