Theater events: 'Heartbreak Hotel' debuts, 'Mind Reader' gets extension

• Previews begin Friday, June 29, for The Factory Theater's premiere of "The Adventures of Spirit Force Five," Jill Oliver's comedy about a cheerleading squad that rescues a parallel universe called Lej. Spenser Davis directs the production, which opens July 6 at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or thefactorytheater.com.

• Broadway in Chicago presents the new tuner "Heartbreak Hotel" about Elvis Presley's early career at Sun Records, creating music that helped define rock 'n' roll. Eddie Clendening stars in the docu-musical described as a prequel to the acclaimed "Million Dollar Quartet." Performances begin Saturday, June 30, at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. The show opens July 15. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Pride Films and Plays presents a 10th anniversary revival of Joe DiPietro's drama "(Expletive) Men," beginning previews Sunday, July 1, at 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. An updated version of "La Ronde," Arthur Schnitzler's controversial 1897 play about sex and class, "(Expletive) Men" is about the interpersonal connections between 10 men, a group that includes a soldier, students, a businessman, hustler, movie star and others. The play, directed by Joseph Jefferson Award winner David Zak, opens July 8. (773) 857-0222 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Red Theater Chicago premieres "Sickle," a new play by Abbey Fenbert about five women struggling through Josef Stalin's man-made famine that killed millions of Ukrainians between 1932 and 1933. The production, directed by Elizabeth Lovelady, opens Sunday, July 1, at Strawdog Theater Company, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.

• The national tour of the Tony Award-nominated "Waitress" - a musical by composer/lyricist Sara Bareilles and writer Jessie Nelson inspired by the 2007 film of the same name - begins its three-week, Chicago run on Tuesday, July 3. Performances run through July 22 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• The League of Chicago Theatres' next Theatre Thursday event takes place Thursday, July 5, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Sideshow Theatre Company stages Kristiana Rae Colon's fantasy tale "Tilikum," about the king of the oceans who is imprisoned in a marine amusement park. Tickets are $15 for the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m. with a preshow reception with the cast and creative team members and is followed by a post-show discussion with the playwright after the 8 p.m. performance. See chicagoplays.com.

• Mark Toland announced another extension of his one-man show "Mind Reader," during which he reveals audience members' thoughts. Tickets are on sale through October for this open-run performance at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336, greenhousetheater.org or marktoland.com.

• Teatro Vista's 2018-2019 season includes a world premiere, a local premiere and the remount of Sandra Delgado's popular "La Havana Madrid." The season begins Oct. 18 with the Chicago premiere of "American Jornalero," Ed Cardona Jr.'s examination of compromised American dreams that centers on the clash between immigrant laborers and citizen vigilantes. Tickets for this production are available on the Chicago Latino International Theatre Festival website at clata.org. The production is followed by "The Abuelas" (Feb. 9-March 17, 2019), a play by Stephanie Alison Walker about the impact of a military dictatorship on Argentina from 1976 to 1983. It centers on an Argentine concert cellist living in Chicago with her husband and new baby whose life is upended by two strangers from her homeland. The season concludes with a remount of "La Havana Madrid" (April 4-May 12, 2019, at a venue to be determined). Produced in collaboration with Collaboraction, the play with music chronicles the real life stories of Cuban, Puerto Rican and Colombian immigrants in Chicago. The first two productions take place at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Tickets for "The Abuelas" go on sale Jan. 6, 2019. (773) 871-3000 or teatrovista.org.

• BoHo Theatre announced its 15th season, the first under artistic director Stephen Schellhardt and its first as a resident company at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Centered on the theme of the search for human connections, the season commences in spring 2019 with "Bright Star," a musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell set in the American South during the 1920s through the 1940s. It's about a World War II veteran and struggling writer, and the editor who takes a chance on him. The Chicago-area premiere of "The River," Jez Butterworth's combination thriller and ghost tale, follows in summer 2019. It's about a man who brings his new girlfriend to his family's remote cabin where he has been fly fishing since he was a child. The season concludes in fall 2019 with composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa and writer John August's father-son musical "Big Fish," based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the film by Tim Burton. It's the larger-than-life tale of Edward Bloom, who regales his son with extravagant tales of his extraordinary life, which his son doesn't entirely believe. An individual season membership is $80 for three tickets. A couples season membership is $150 and includes six tickets. (866) 811-4111 or bohotheatre.com.