Performing Arts Search
Enchanted April
Through 5/26: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3PM; additional shows Wed 5/8 and 5/22, 1 PM, Sat 5/4 and 5/18, 1 PM.Theater & Performance
Citadel Theatre presents a romance about a group of women who rediscover themselves during a trip to Italy. $35-$37.50
How To End Poverty in 90 Minutes
Through 5/25: various times, see websiteTheater & Performance
A multidisciplinary performance, including elements of lecture and physical theater, that poses the question: "How do you attack the poverty problem in America?" $10-$25
The Meshuganas
Sat., May 25, 7:30 p.m.Improv/Sketch
Hollie and Steve Himmelman perform. Hollie tells stories about her neuroses—from an early age, she "compulsively" sorted her crayons by color and sharpness—while Steve shares his perspective on everyday events. $22
Falling Man
Through 5/31: Fri 9 PMTheater & Performance
In five monologues by Big Love creator Will Scheffer, gay men recount falling in love, and in each case the love is remarkable for its flammability; fire analogies pervade this production. In "Alien Boy," Glenn Abel portrays a hyperintelligent 13-year-old Jewish boy who hopes the "devastatingly attractive Nazis in the movies" will save him from his sexuality. Eric Frederickson, as a veteran hustler ruminating on the night Tennessee Williams's soul leaped into his body, gave a positively ticklish rendition of the playwright's southern cackle and drawl in "Tennessee and Me." Andrew Hodson, as "Jeffrey Dahmer," could just as well have been "punk Hamlet channeling Christ." Nonetheless, the rest of the cast have enormous success kindling the spark of a queer personality into memorable characters. —Jena Cutie $20
The Odd Couple: Female Version
Through 6/1: Fri-Sat 7 PM; no show Sat 4/27 and 5/25Theater & Performance
In this adaptation of Neil Simon's comedy, the titular couple is reimagined as a pair of women. $20
Holy Bouncing Boobies: A Batman Burlesque
Open run: Sat 9 PMTheater & Performance
"Holy bi-curious moment, Batman!" says the Boy Wonder in this entertaining superhero burlesque from Gorilla Tango Theatre. Clothes are shed early and often as our hero(in)es deal out double entendres along with bams and pows in their battles against the Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin, and other villains. Marie Curieosity is full of silly self-importance and unbridled libido as the Caped Crusader, and Crystal Paradise makes a campy Robin. In fact, the whole cast show sexy confidence and solid comedic timing, creating a Gotham City that's a lot more fun than Christopher Nolan's. If you found The Dark Knight Rises too violent, you'll prefer the fight scene here in which Robin gives the Riddler a titty twister and gets motorboated in return. —Marissa Oberlander $28-$35
Kafein Espresso Bar
Open run: Mon 8:30 PM
847-491-1621Spoken Word/Poetry Slams/Open Mikes
With hosts Chris and Kirill.
The Invasion of Skokie
Wed 5/29, 7 PM, Thurs and Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM and 7 PMTheater & Performance
Rachel Edwards Harvith directs a drama set in the 70s about a Neo-Nazi group planning their demonstration in Skokie and the people affected by it. $10-$28
Stella & Lou
Through 6/9: various times, see websiteTheater & Performance
Rhea Perlman, best known for playing Carla Tortelli on Cheers, takes half the title role alongside local acting luminary Francis Guinan in Bruce Graham's droll black comedy, premiering under director BJ Jones for Northlight Theatre. Lou owns a South Philly dive bar, where the story's set, and remains grief-stricken years after his wife's death. His firecracker regular customer Stella wants more for him, though, and the duo's fitful relationship forms the core of the story. Graham's populist writing style includes plenty of broad hooks that seem calculated to make the work accessible, but a rich emotional depth suffuses the story nonetheless. As Stella, Perlman gets an unholy number of terrific one-liners, and lands every one like a pro. —Keith Griffith $25-$44
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd.
Skokie
847-673-6300Films for the Ear
Through 10/7: Mon 7:30 PMTheater & Performance
In this bimonthly show, Chicago actors and comedians will perform live script readings of classic films. The first installment features Stanley Donen's Bedazzled. $15
Yellow Moon
Through 8/4: Tue-Wed 7:30 PM, Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sat 4 and 8 PM, Sun 2 and 6 PMTheater & Performance
A teenage couple, fleeing a murder rap, head to the Scottish highlands in David Greig's unsettling 2006 drama. Told through a series of high-flown interior monologues mixed with spurts of action, the story gets an intimate, borderline-claustrophobic staging in the Writers' Theatre's shoebox of a space. Director Stuart Carden seems intent on overemphasizing the script's weaknesses, barreling noisily through nonsensical transitions. In occasional respites from the clamor, Carden's four cast members find interesting edges to their characters, though never enough to assemble a full picture. Their motivations are impenetrable in the end, leaving a story with life-or-death stakes feeling wispy and insubstantial. —Keith Griffith $35-$60
