On stage: 'Little Shop of Horrors' takes over Paramount stage while Drury Lane celebrates Johnny Cash

Posted August 23, 2023 6:00 am

Jack Ball plays Seymour and Teressa LaGamba plays his beloved (with her plant namesake on the left) in Paramount Theatre's 12th Broadway Series opener "Little Shop of Horrors." Courtesy of Amy Nelson

BET salutes soul music

Black Ensemble Theater pays tribute to soul music and such seminal artists as Al Green, Gladys Knight, Barry White, and Ashford and Simpson, among others, as part of its latest revue, "A Taste of Soul," written and directed by Daryl D. Brooks.

Previews at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26-27, and 8 p.m. Sept. 1-2 at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 3. $50-$65. (773) 769-4451 or blackensembletheater.org.

Seymour (Jack Ball) and Audrey (Teressa LaGamba) get more than they bargained for when Seymour's exotic plant turns murderous in "Little Shop of Horrors," playing Aurora's Paramount Theatre from Aug. 30 to Oct. 15. Courtesy of Amy Nelson

Feed me, Seymour

Paramount Theatre opens its 12th main stage season with "Little Shop of Horrors," Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's musical based on Roger Corman's 1960 cult film "The Little Shop of Horrors," about Seymour, a nebbishy flower shop clerk in love with co-worker Audrey, who cultivates an exotic plant that has an appetite for human blood. Landree Fleming directs the revival, which stars Jack Ball as Seymour and Teressa LaGamba as his beloved Audrey.

Previews at 1:30 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 and Sept. 6; 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 and Sept. 7; 8 p.m. Sept. 1; 3 and 8 p.m. Sept. 2; and 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sept. 3 at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. The show opens Sept. 8. $28-$79. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

Ron E. Rains plays the titular character in Drury Lane Theatre's revival of "Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash."

Celebrating Johnny Cash

Ron E. Rains stars as the titular man in black opposite Aja Wiltshire as June Carter Cash in Drury Lane Theatre's revival of "Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash." The jukebox tuner tells Cash's story through some of his best loved songs, including "The Man in Black," "I Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire," among others. Director Scott Weinstein and music director Chuck Mead helm the production.

Previews at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 and Sept. 6; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31; 7 p.m. Sept. 1; 3 and 8 p.m. Sept. 2; and 2 and 6 p.m. Sept. 3 at 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens Sept. 7. $85.75-$96.25. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.

Lifeline's 'Cat's Cradle'

Sixty years after the publication of "Cat's Cradle," Lifeline Theatre revives ensemble member John Hildreth's adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's tale satirizing scientific research (of the nuclear sort), religion (of the fabricated sort) and politics (of the banana republic sort). Ensemble member Heather Currie directs a cast that includes former Naperville resident Shelby Lynn Bias.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-2 and 8-9 and 3 p.m. Sept. 3 at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 10. $15-$45. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

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