America: All Better! *** 1/2
The frightening, funny revue on the Second City mainstage is called “America: All Better!” — but that doesn’t stop the cast from delivering a darkly comic show about these yin-and-yang times. Targets of Matt Hovde’s stellar revue include Rahm Emanuel — here described as a “really scary Precious Moments figurine.” Open run at Second City, 1616 N. Wells St.; $20-$25 at 312-337-3992.
The Arabian Nights ****
At the start of Mary Zimmerman’s thrilling Middle Eastern show, the brutal King Shahryar has a knife at a young woman’s throat. She frantically begins telling stories — 1,001 nights of sad, funny, moral, silly, satirical and ultimately redemptive yarns of Baghdad. The memory of this extraordinary piece of Chicago theater has stayed with me since its seminal first production in 1992. “Arabian Nights” is not what it was on that heart-stopping night. It’s better. The multi-ethnic actors — some from that same cast, some new — are more mature and probe deeper. And the new production, which deserves to end up on Broadway, is sharper, faster and even more exciting. Through Aug. 30 at Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan Ave.; $30-$66 at 312-337-0665.
Cavalia ***
This touring spectacle in the West Loop is, most assuredly, a show dedicated to the horse. Horses gallop. Horses dance. Their smiling handlers parade them around, hold loving whispered conversations with them and seem to laugh, not rage, when their charges do the unexpected. Of course, any multimedia performance that also involves human acrobats, dancers, bungee-chord fliers and live music has to be tightly controlled, but “Cavalia” is a potent illusion of inter-species unity. There are no clowns, few jaw-dropping tricks and, for a long and very pricey show, what some will consider limited bang for the buck. But “Cavalia” is true to itself, its purpose and, above all, its equine cast. Through Sunday at the White Big Top at Racine and Jackson Streets; $45.50-$209.50 at 866-999-8111.
Cirque Shanghai: Bright Spirit ***
When Cirque Shanghai started four summers ago, it felt like you were trapped in Beijing’s Chaoyang Theatre for tourists, circa 1975. Not anymore. The theatrical values and choreography have improved each year, and this year’s “Bright Spirit” is a quite beguiling, sophisticated and contemporary 75-minute show, replete with bravura acrobatics and fabric-strewn visuals. And even though there is more dance, better costumes and stronger showmanship, this show, directed by Dwight Jordan, retains a certain stylistic naivete, which helps you focus on the young performers. Through Sept. 7 at the Skyline Stage on Navy Pier; $12.50-$29.50 at Ticketmaster outlets.
Graceland ****
Ellen Fairey’s beautiful, haunting play takes place in the eponymous cemetery on Chicago’s North Side. It’s the Air and Water Show weekend, which unsettles Fairey’s likable but lost characters, all trying to cope with their troubled lives even as fighter jets roar overhead. “Graceland,” in a world premiere at Profiles Theatre under the deeply sensitive direction of Matthew Miller, centers on a sister (Cheryl Graeff) and brother (honestly played by Eric Burgher). “Graceland” is about the stresses of life, the consequences of lousy choices, and the difficulty of making connections in a big city. And, ultimately, this simple, brief and unpretentious little play is about finding bits of happiness where you can. It touched me greatly. I think it would do the same for you. Through Sept. 21 at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway ; $25-$35 at 773-549-1815.
The History Boys *** 1/2
Alan Bennett’s powerful and sophisticated play about Northern English teenagers studying for admittance to Oxford and Cambridge Universities is one of the best plays ever written about education. In Nick Bowling’s Chicago premiere for the 90-seat TimeLine Theatre, Donald Brearley and Andrew Carter are both excellent as the teachers. But “The History Boys” is all about the boys and Bowling has found a vivacious, empathetic, yearning pack. Through Sept. 27 at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave.; $25-$42 at 773-281-8463.
Light in the Piazza ***
Adam Guettel’s soaring score and poetic lyrics turn Elizabeth Spencer’s 1960 story about an American woman vacationing in Tuscany with her mysterious, childlike daughter into a loving, musical meditation on the demands of parenting and the redemptive possibilities of love. At once melodic, wise, romantic and intensely emotional, “Piazza” is one of the most beautiful shows ever created for the American stage. Despite a few staging missteps, this new Marriott Theatre production is beautifully sung and performed. And in the case of Summer Smart’s pitch-perfect turn as Clara, the young woman trying to reconcile romance and insecurity, it is exquisitely sung and performed. Through Sept. 20 at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive , Lincolnshire; $45 at 847-634-0200.
Jersey Boys ****
As the music of the Four Seasons and their rise from Newark to the top of the pop-music charts, “Jersey Boys” delivers a smash-hit adult night out on the town. The Chicago production is still running strong — albeit with a little less buzz from the audience — with several new Seasons, including Dominic Scaglione Jr. as a terrific Frankie Valli, one of the best I’ve seen. Open run at the Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.; $30-$110 at 312-902-1400.
Million Dollar Quartet *** 1/2
Great balls of fire! Here’s a hit. This commercial musical has the kind of jaw-dropping performances that lift your feet from the floor. It’s based on an actual night in 1956 when Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash showed up at Sam Phillips’ Sun Studios for a jam session. Open run at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25-$64.50 at 773 -935-6100.
Rod Blagojevich Superstar ***
The former governor of Illinois just keeps on giving. When Second City’s gonzo “Superstar” opened in February as a quickly conceived spoof, we all thought a musical jog through the fates of the disgraced pol would be short-lived. But Blagojevich had other plans. Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare, you can down Blagotinis and lap up this hour-long amusement penned by Ed Furman and T.J. Shanoff, two of the Midwest’s best comedy writers. Through Sept. 6 Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier; $25 at 312-595-5600.
Studs Terkel’s Not Working ***1/2
The city of Chicago surely is a perennially amusing beast — and nobody meat-packs the local laughs like Second City. There are two reasons that director Matt Hovde’s shrewd new e.t.c. revue is the best since the days of Jack McBrayer. Since the show celebrates Studs Terkel’s urban poetry, the writing is much richer and thicker than usual. And in a well-timed, 90-degree turn from Obamarama and Blagomania, this is a hilarious show composed almost exclusively of Chicago material about ordinary people. Open run at Second City e.t.c. Theatre, 1608 N. Wells St.; $20-$25 at 312-337-3992.
Up ***
The hero of “Up,” the kind and wise little play by Bridget Carpenter, is a guy who once found a little fame by attaching balloons to his lawn chair. Even though he now has a hardworking wife and needy son, Ian Barford’s Walter spends his time fiddling in his basement trying to re-create one moment of nirvana. Carpenter has forged a sweet, moving play that taps into both the way life can push us into sad submission, as well as the complexities of being married to someone who wants to pack up his life and pursue the kind of esoteric quest that does not come with health insurance. Through Sunday by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 N. Halsted St.; $20-$70 at 312-335-1650.
HOTTEST TICKET
My Fair Lady ***
Most people think this beloved musical is about the transformation of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, whose life is transformed after she learns to elongate her vowels in “The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plain.” In fact, class mobility comes naturally and easily to Eliza. Like George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” the play that inspired Broadway’s Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, “My Fair Lady” is really about the transformation of Henry Higgins, Eliza’s initially cruel mentor. Some productions of “My Fair Lady” get that right. Some don’t. Thanks to a couple of very smart, honest and engaging lead performances from Nick Sandys and Natalie Ford, Rudy Hogenmiller’s warm-hearted new show at Evanston’s Light Opera Works falls cheerfully into the former category. Finally — and, boy, it took a while — this company seems to have realized the importance of stellar performances atop its shows, performed, as always, with a full orchestra in the pit.
Through Aug. 30 at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., Evanston; $30-$88 at 847-869-6300
