Flavia Pallozzi, Nate Santana and Sofia Tew in a promotional image for Halcyon Theatre’s “The River Bride”/Photo: Tony Adams
Monday
“Chris’ Birthday Beltfest” at Uptown Underground. With his “near-encyclopedic knowledge of musicals,” Jeff Award-nominee Christopher Pazdernik brings back his annual birthday benefit concert. For tickets and more information visit uptownunderground.net
Tuesday
“Ideation” at Jackalope Theatre. Aaron Loeb brings a dark comic edge to this psychological suspense thriller, in which a group of corporate consultants work together on a mysterious and ethically ambiguous project. Through June 27. For tickets and more information visit jackalopetheatre.org
Wednesday
“Boys in the Band” at Pride Films and Plays. A staged reading celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of this seminal gay play. For tickets and more information visit pridefilmsandplays.com
“Live Talk: May Day!” at Pivot Arts. Short celebratory performances and interviews with a focus on mindful living. For tickets and more information visit pivotarts.org
Thursday
“The River Bride” at Halcyon Theatre. Three days before a local wedding, a mysterious stranger is pulled out of the river—a man with no past who offers two sisters an alluring, possibly dangerous future. Through June 18. For tickets and more information visit halcyontheatre.org
“St. Jude” at Victory Gardens Theater. A personal and powerful journey from playwright Luis Alfaro as he learns of his father’s stroke and is summoned home to the California Central Valley of his childhood. Through June 4. For tickets and more information visit victorygardens.org
“The Radiant” at Genesis Theatrical Productions. Set one-hundred years ago in Paris, this Chicago premiere centers on the true, tempestuous and love-torn life of Madame Marie Sklodowska Curie. Through June 11. For tickets and more information visit genesistheatricals.com
“Musical Therapy” at Death & Pretzels. A young, vivacious and very single couples’ therapist can’t seem to find a guy for herself. But when Mr. Wonderful moves in next-door, it’s obsession at first sight and no obstacle (or girlfriend) is getting in her way. Through June 10. For tickets and more information visit deathandpretzels.com
Mike Nussbaum as Albert Einstein in “Relativity” at Northlight Theatre/Photo: Northlight Theatre
Friday
“Relativity” at Northlight Theatre. In 1902 Albert and Mileva Einstein had a baby daughter. After 1904 she was never seen or spoken of again. Forty years later, a reporter interviews Einstein about this mysterious piece of his past, revealing shocking secrets about his family and his personal life. Through June 18. For tickets and more information visit northlight.org
“The My Way Residential” at Irish Theatre of Chicago. A touching and uplifting story about the choices we make, the hearts we touch and how it’s never too late to live your life. Through June 25. For tickets and more information visit irishtheatreofchicago.org
“The Rogue Aviator” at Otherworld Theatre. The floating city of Olympus has been constructed among the clouds of America. Sold as the epitome of the American Dream, many yearn to be a citizen of the jeweled metropolis. However, once admitted into its iron embrace, citizens find themselves living as prisoners in what they once hoped would be their promised land. Through June 11. For tickets and more information visit otherworldtheatre.org
“A Prayer for Sandinistas” at Subtext Theater Company. Long-buried family stories emerge and current geopolitics erupt in a combination that surprisingly help a mother and son face longstanding guilt and fears. Through June 11. For tickets and more information visit subtextnfp.org
“Mrs. Phu’s Cleansing Juices (And Also Salads)” at The Theatre School at DePaul University. Entering Mrs. Phu’s means crossing a gauntlet of steadfast Reaganites and pro-lifers. Just on the other side of the trenches lies a world where a waiter wrangles eccentric customers, a hippie lady floats aimlessly and three very different women gather to receive abortions under the constraints of stringent federal mandates. Through May 27. For tickets and more information visit theatre.depaul.edu
“Token” at The Second City. In her new one-woman show, Kaye Winks shares her hilarious and often cringe-worthy adventures in being that lone black person in a world of white. Through June 9. For tickets and more information visit secondcity.com
Kaye Winks in “Token” at The Second City/Photo: Joel Maisonet
Saturday
“Great Expectations” at Silk Road Rising and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. Dickens’ beloved tale of aspiration, intrigue and romance is thrillingly transplanted to a colonized India by award-winning British Bengali playwright Tanika Gupta. Through July 2. For tickets and more information visit greatexpectationsplay.org
“Three Days of Rain” at BoHo Theatre. Full of sharp language, arresting images and complex characters, this Pulitzer Prize-finalist challenges us to consider our own biases and blind spots. Through June 25. For tickets and more information visit bohotheatre.com
“11th Annual Beerfly Alleyfight” at Drinking & Writing Theater. A “pairing” of home-brewed beer, home-cooked food and homegrown art. For tickets and more information visit drinkingandwriting.com
Sunday
“Johnny 10 Beers” at Something Marvelous. Sharing the personal and public struggles created by war. Through June 18. For tickets and more information visit somethingmarvelous.org
“The Arrow Takes a Leap” at The Neo-Futurists. In which five writers-performers bravely take on: goodness, rightness, risk, worms, tricks, foxes, birds, protest, parents, permanent marks, chickens, competition, decay, hope, the word “I,” the word “hold,” and the word “you.” Through June 11. For tickets and more information visit neofuturists.org
“An Evening of Sizzling Mambo” at Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s LookOut Series. Legendary dancer and teacher Saladeen Alamin will lead a free evening of Latin dance that will begin with a brief instructional session. For tickets and more information visit steppenwolf.org
Randy Steinmeyer and Arti Ishak in “Johnny 10 Beers” at Something Marvelous/Photo: Laura Nash
