With such puppet-characters as Dr. Vanderplastercaster (a paleontologist), inspector Joe Kafootsie and dinosaurs Boris Anklosaurus and Big Bad Baby Rex, you wouldn’t expect much seriousness in “The Great Dinosaur Mystery,” coming to the Paramount Arts Center in Aurora at 7:30 p.m. Friday. But the show uses music, dance, magic, puppetry and comedy to educate youngsters about dinosaurs, volcanoes and the environment.
The show is presented by Dinorock Productions, which began in 1977 when Valeri and Bob Devlin wrote “The Dinosaur Song” for a children’s album. They went on to record a collection of songs about prehistoric times called “Dinosaur Rock,” which was eventually adapted for the stage and renamed “The Great Dinosaur Mystery.”
Tickets are $10, $8 for children 12 and under. The Paramount Arts Centre is at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Call the box office at 708-896-6666 or Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500.
– Neil Simon’s “Rumors” is the third subscription series production of the Theatre of Western Springs. The show opens at 8:15 p.m. Thursday and continues through Feb. 6. Performances are at 8:15 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays.
The show is billed as a everything-goes-wrong farce about a web of rumors following the shooting of New York’s deputy mayor and the disappearance of his wife.
The cast includes Sandy Buller, Bill Busch, Randy DeLordo, William FitzGerald, Bonnie Hilton, Dennis Hudson, Ann Marie Hultgren, Harry Hultgren, Carolyn Mlakar and Paulette Sarussi.
Tickets are $10 and $12. The Theatre of Western Springs is at 4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs. Call the box office at 708-246-3380.
– Ballet Chicago, which is known for its large dance repertoire, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Opera House of Sandwich, 140 E. Railroad St., Sandwich.
The program is suitable for the whole family and geared to introduce young people to dance.
Tickets are $12, $10 for senior citizens, $6 for students. Call 815-786-2555 to reserve tickets.
– “A Chorus Line” runs through June 26 at Pheasant Run Dinner Theatre in St. Charles.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4:45 and 9 p.m. Saturdays and 1:45 and 6 p.m. Sundays. Tickets range from $37 to $44 and include show, dinner, tax and gratuity.
Also at Pheasant Run, AlphaBet Soup Productions Inc., will present a revised version of a children’s classic fairy tale, “Hansel and Gretel Go Cajun.” The show opens Sunday and continues through March 39. Performances are at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The revised version features a swamp instead of a dark forest. The show is a musical and reqires audience participation.
Tickets are $5 in advance, $6 at the door for the Wednesday and Thursday performances. Tickets for the Sunday performance, which include brunch after the show, are $10 in advance, $11 at the door.
Pheasant Run is on North Avenue, 3 miles west of Illinois Highway 59, in St. Charles. Call the box office at 708-584-6342 for tickets to “A Chorus Line” or “Hansel and Gretel Go Cajun.”
– At the College of Du Page this weekend, Lowen & Navarro, who have written songs for musicians such as David Lee Roth, will perform their own harmony and acoustic arrangements at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Performing with Lowen & Navarro will be Bert Cattoni and The Edge, who blend contemporary music with country music.
Tickets for Saturday’s concert are $10, $8 for students and senior citizens. The concert will be presented in Building K, near 22nd Street and Lambert Road, Glen Ellyn. Call 708-858-2800, ext. 2241.
– The Bensenville Community Theatre will present the musical comedy “Nunsense” Friday and through Feb. 5. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays (plus a 2 p.m. show on Saturday) at Blackhawk Middle School, 250 S. Church Rd., Bensenville.
Tickets at the door are $7, $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets purchased in advance at the Bensenville Library, 200 S. Church Rd., are $1 less. Feb. 3 is “Actor’s Night,” where a $1 discount is offered to aspiring actors who bring a picture and/or resume. For more information, call 708-350-2275 or 708-766-2165.
– At the Two Way Street Coffee House, Beggar’s Alley, a trio that performs acoustic folk music from Canada, Scotland, Ireland, England and the U.S., performs at 8:45 p.m. Friday.
Admission is $2. Two Way Street Coffee House is at 1047 Curtiss St., Downers Grove. Call 708-969-9720 for more information. Call FolkPhone at 708-844-3655 for complete Chicago-area folk music listings.
