Spotlight: Steppenwolf co-founder directs world premiere of relationship drama 'Another Marriage'
Steppenwolf premiere
Steppenwolf Theatre co-founder Terry Kinney returns to Chicago to helm the premiere of “Another Marriage” by fellow ensemble member and first-time playwright Kate Arrington. This portrait of a marriage features ensemble members Ian Barford and Caroline Neff, along with Judy Greer and Nicole Scimeca in their Steppenwolf debuts.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 16 and 23; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 17 and 24; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 18; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, June 21-22, at 1646 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens June 25. $20-$86. Masks optional, required at certain performances. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
Judy and Liza in concert
Actress Nancy Hays plays Judy Garland and her real-life daughter Mary Heffernan plays Liza Minnelli in Skokie Theatre's “Judy and Liza - At the London Palladium.” A re-creation of the mother-daughter duo's famed 1964 concert, the show includes such favorites as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Chicago,” “Get Happy/Happy Days” and others.
7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. $30, $25. Masks recommended. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.
Hail, hail Buddy Holly
Marriott Theatre celebrates rock 'n' roll's golden era with the jukebox bio-musical “Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story,” about the singer/guitarist/songwriter who helped introduce rock music to the masses. Kieran McCabe plays Holly, whose meteoric rise and chart-topping success ended in 1959 when a plane crash claimed his life and the lives of singers Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) and pilot Roger Peterson. Amber Mak directs and choreographs.
Previews at 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 21; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 22; 8 p.m. June 23; 4 and 8 p.m. June 24; and 1 and 5 p.m. June 25 at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens June 28. Tickets start at $55. Masks optional. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.
Hitchcock-inspired farce
Broadway veteran and Tony Award-nominee Gavin Lee stars in Drury Lane Theatre's revival of the farcical whodunit “The 39 Steps.” Adapted by Patrick Barlow from John Buchan's 1915 novel and Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film, the play is about a lonely bachelor (Lee) who meets a mysterious woman who winds up dead, leaving him as the prime suspect. Johanna McKenzie Miller directs.
Previews at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 21; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, June 22; 7 p.m. June 23; 3 and 8 p.m. June 24; and 2 and 6 p.m. June 25 at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens June 29. $85-$95. Masks optional. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.
In other news
Check with venues about COVID-19 policies.
Arlington Heights comedian and celebrity impressionist Nicky Smigs headlines the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 16. Masks recommended. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
Evanston resident and writer/performer Jimmy Carrane - whose solo shows include “I'm 27, I Still Live at Home, and I Sell Office Supplies,” “Since We Last Talked” and “Dog Tales” - performs this weekend at The Laughing Academy, 3220 Glenview Road, Glenview. His latest show, “World's Greatest Dad(?),” examines his relationship with his own father and his discovery that you don't have to be the “greatest” to be a good dad. Carrane performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 16, and 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday, June 17. $25. (847) 724-2787 or jimmycarrane.com.
Kayla Boyle brings “Call Me Elizabeth,” her one-woman show examining Elizabeth Taylor's early life and career, to Mercury Theater Chicago's Venus Cabaret Theater, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Boyle performs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 16-17, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 18. $35. (773) 360-7365 or mercurytheaterchicago.com/call-me-elizabeth.
Jackalope Theatre premieres the romantic comedy “Pretty Shahid,” which begins previews Friday, June 16, at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway, Chicago. Written by company member Omer Abbas Salem, the play is about Iraqi immigrants whose attempts to assimilate are upended by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Sophiyaa Nayar directs. (773) 340-2543 or jackalopetheatre.com.
The Fighting Words Festival, Babes With Blades' annual new works showcase, begins Saturday, June 17, at The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago. Featured plays include “Rich B*tch,” Rachel Lynett's play about a woman who spends a weekend with her rich friends; “Sin Agua,” Desi Moreno-Penson's play about a mushroom chef and her struggles to open her restaurant; and “The Gatekeepers,” ensemble member Jillian Leff's future-set play about a woman who works for an intelligence agency in a United States where guns are banned, health care is free and legislation has pulled people out of poverty. Admission is free, but reservations are required. See babeswithblades.org.
Citadel Theatre hosts “Guffaws for the Cause,” a fundraiser featuring standup comedians Rick Young, Colleen Brennan, Chris Murray and Soli Santos that takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. $25. (847) 735-8554, ext. 1, or citadeltheatre.org.
In anticipation of its August production of “Head Over Heels,” a jukebox musical set to tunes by the Go-Gos, Steel Beam Theatre hosts a speed-dating event from 7-9 p.m. Monday, June 19, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. It's open to people born between 1975 and 1995. $30. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.
“Hadestown,” Anaïs Mitchell's electrifying retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth that is essentially a love story for people who love stories, returns to Chicago for one week only. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday, June 20-25, at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. See broadwayinchicago.com.
Comedians Anthony Fuentes, Calvin Evans and Patti Vasquez headline the Stand Up for Kids Comedy Night on Thursday, June 22, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $75 and the proceeds benefit participants in the programs offered by Kids Above All, an organization that offers city and suburban families childhood learning programs, foster care, housing and counseling services. See kidsaboveall.org/stand-up.
The hugely entertaining Cabaret ZaZou - the cabaret/Cirque du Soleil/dinner-theater hybrid that commenced its Chicago run in 2019 as Teatro ZinZanni - will close next month. Broadway in Chicago recently announced the show's run at the Cambria Hotel, 32 W. Randolph St., Chicago, concludes July 2. See broadwayinchicago.com.