Spotlight: Marriott returns to Oz while Skokie re-visits Avenue Q
Back to 'Avenue Q'
MadKap Productions revives the Tony Award-winning musical "Avenue Q," an R-rated, coming-of-age tale about twentysomethings navigating their private and professional lives. Rooted in young adult angst, this droll tuner tips its hat to PBS' long-running "Sesame Street," but is definitely not for children or sensitive audience members. Ty Perry directs and choreographs.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 8-9, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 10, and through July 31 at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. $38, $45. Masks required. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.
Off to see the Wizard
Campbell Krausen plays adventurous Dorothy in Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences production of "The Wizard of Oz," about a young girl and her pals from the magical land of Oz who set off for the Emerald City in an attempt to convince the Wizard to send her and her dog Toto back to Kansas. Johanna McKenzie Miller directs the production, which features First Folio Theatre artistic associate Kevin McKillip as the titular wizard.
Previews at 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday, July 8-10, and July 13-15 at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. $15. Masks optional. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.
Writer tells her story
Described as an "autobiographical afrogoth musical, "Get Out Alive" chronicles writer/performer Nikki Lynette's experiences confronting grief, abuse, sexual assault and suicide. Lynette tells her story via a hip-hop concert, incorporating music, dance, visuals and a DJ. "When I went into the psyche ward after a suicide attempt, I met all these people with the same issues as me, and they felt alone, too. I told them when I got out, I would use my platform to tell our stories and I'm keeping my word," said Lynette in a prepared statement. Roger Ellis and Lucky Stiff co-direct Haven's production.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 8-9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 10, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, July 13. $36, $46. Proof of vaccination required, masks optional. (773) 697-3830 or havenchi.org.
Inaugural production
Kingsley, an African American man who has lived alone in a forest cabin for 18 years, is forced to provide refuge for an embittered Caucasian Vietnam veteran who intrudes upon him during a 1967 storm in "Ends," a new play by retired Hoffman Estates High School math teacher David Alex. The production marks the debut of the new theatrical production company DavJasFran Entertainment.
Opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July, 14, and runs through July 31 at Dreamers YOLO, 5419 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $25. Proof of vaccination and masks required. See davjasfranentertainment.com.
In other news
• Writer/director/producer Neal Brennan ("The Daily Show With Trevor Noah") brings his solo show, "Neal Brennan: Unacceptable," to The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Performances are at 7:15 Friday, July 8, and 7:15 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.
• Dani Nicole James explores the difference between being along and being lonely in the solo show "You Can Cry When You Get Home" as part of Steppenwolf Theatre's Lookout performance series. James performs Friday and Saturday, July 8-9, at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. That's followed by Walkabout Theater's "Still a Quiet Afternoon," a musical tragicomedy about two people observing apocalyptic events through a window in their apartment. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, July 14-16. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org/lookout.
• Chicago Summer Opera presents "Serse," George Frideric Handel's opera about unrequited love, jilted lovers and other romantic peccadillos, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, and noon Saturday, July 16, at the Prairie Lakes Theater, 515 E. Thacker St., Des Plaines. See chicagosummeropera.com.
• Artemisia Theatre presents staged readings of "The Flower and the Fury," Alexa Juanita Jordan's new play about three women contemplating abortions. The readings take place Thursday through Sunday, July 14-17, at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Admission is free, but there is a $1.50 processing fee to reserve a seat at artemisiatheatre.org.
• Chicago Shakespeare in the Park presents "ShakesFest," a series of pop-up cabaret performances in Chicago parks running from Thursday, July 14, through July 23 and featuring musicians and dancers performing songs inspired by William Shakespeare's words and running the gamut from pop and hip-hop to Broadway and blues. Free admission. For a schedule, see chicagoshakes.com/parks.
• Refracted Theatre Company launches in Chicago with its first event The Refracted Salon featuring performances and light refreshments. It takes place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, July 14, at Guild Row, 3130 N. Rockwell St., Chicago. Admission is free, but reservations are required as is proof of COVID-19 vaccination. See refractedco.com/season-2022/salon.
• "Sex Tips for Straight Women From a Gay Man," an adults-only, interactive comedy, continues in an open run at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or sextipsplay.com.
• Congo Square Theatre announced its 2022-2023 season will commence Sept. 1 with the second season of the radio drama "The Clinic," about a doctor who made a revolutionary medical discovery that could change the world as long as her nemesis doesn't interfere. That's followed by "What to Send Up When It Goes Down" (Sept. 23-Oct. 9 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago) about helping Black people heal from racialized violence. Next up is the new edition of the online sketch comedy series "Hit 'Em on the Blackside: Season Three" (Oct. 28-Feb. 3, 2023). The main stage season concludes March 16, 2023, with the premiere of "How Blood Go" (at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago) about two African American relatives, 50 years apart, who undergo medical experiments without their consent. See congosquaretheatre.org.