Spotlight: Marriott and Chicago Shakespeare theaters stage family-friendly tuners

Posted July 11, 2023 2:00 pm

Aubrey Hare and Jason Michael Evans play the titular characters in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's 75-minute version of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast." Courtesy of Jeff Sciortino

Elephant & Piggie

Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences presents the family-friendly musical "Elephant & Piggie's We Are in a Play," adapted from Mo Willems' books about best friends Piggie (played by Lillian Castillo) and Elephant (Lorenzo Rush Jr.). Johanna McKenzie Miller directs the one-hour musical in which the pals attend a party hosted by three singing squirrels.

Previews at 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday, July 14-16, and Thursday and Friday, July 20-21, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens July 22. $15.75. Masks optional. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

Kid-friendly 'Beauty'

Aurora native Audrey Hare plays Belle and Jason Michael Evans plays the Beast in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's 75-minute version of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast." The production, directed and choreographed by Amber Mak, marks the return of CST's summer family musical.

11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 14-15, and Thursday, July 20; 2 p.m. Sunday, July 16; 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 19, and through Aug. 20, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. $26 kids, $42 adults. Masks optional. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

Kayla Marie Shipman plays an aspiring actress and David Moreland plays her budding rock star boyfriend in Mercury Theater Chicago's revival of the jukebox tuner "Rock of Ages." Courtesy of Brandon Dalquist

Long live rock

An aspiring musician from Detroit falls in love with an aspiring actress from Kansas in 1980s Los Angeles in the jukebox tuner "Rock of Ages." Chicago's Mercury Theater revives the 2009 show, which is an affectionate sendup of 1980s hair metal bands and the fans who love them.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 14; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15; 3 p.m. Sunday, July 16; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, July 19-20, at 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The show opens July 21. $39-$85. Masks encouraged. mercurytheaterchicago.com.

Artist showcase

Goodman Theatre partners with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian for "Sweetest Season: A Gathering of Indigenous Creativity," a three-day celebration of Indigenous artists featuring spoken-word performances, staged reading workshops and a community gathering featuring Native food.

6 p.m. Friday, July 14; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 15-16, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. $15. Masks optional. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

Shakespeare outdoors

Oak Park Festival Theatre stages "A Midsummer Night's Dream," William Shakespeare's bucolic comedy about mischievous faeries who bedevil young lovers and aspiring thespians over the course of an evening spent in the woods. Artistic director Peter Andersen directs.

Preview at 8 p.m. Friday, July 14, at Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Ave., Oak Park. The show opens Saturday, July 15. $38. Masks optional. (708) 300-9396, ext. 1, or oakparkfestival.com.

Nat Zegree brings his "History of Rock 'n Roll" show to the Marriott Theatre.

Rock 'n roll review

Nat Zegree, who co-starred in Marriott Theatre's "Million Dollar Quartet," returns to the theater for "The History of Rock 'n Roll," a concert event that also features the vintage rock trio Oh Boys.

7:30 p.m. Monday, July 17, and 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. $60. Masks optional. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

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