Theater spotlight
The Kinsey Sicks are so serious about being "America's Favorite Dragapella® Beautyshop Quartet" that they've gone so far as to register the word "Dragapella®" with the national trademark office. So see what these amazing a cappella artists have cooked up for their latest revue, Chicks with Shticks, that promises to feature a bit of Carole King, lots of pop hits and even some Gershwin classics. The Kinsey Sicks in Chicks with Shticks plays at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at the Mayne Stage, 1330 W. Morse Ave. Tickets are $25 to $35; call 773-381-4554 or visit www.maynestage.com or www.kinseysicks.com .
Critics' Picks
American Idiot, The Hypocrites through Oct. 25. A silly and thin story of angst-riddled young adults has been cobbled around the really fine songs of Green Day, butwowie-zowie!do these kids ever put on a show! There are kick-ass vitality and talent under director Steven Wilson and music director Andra Velis Simon. JA
How the World Began, Rivendell Theatre, through Oct. 10. Don't be distracted by easy issues like the clueless adults in Catharine Trieschmann's un-caricatured portrait of Middle America, or this smart new playwright will pull the rug out from under you, too. MSB
Oklahoma!, Paramount Theatre, Aurora, through Oct. 18. Despite Scott Davis' puzzlingly abstracted set designs, this rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein's groundbreaking 1943 Broadway musical is smartly cast and expertly performed. SCM
Samantha and Her Acro-Cats, Vittum Theatre, Oct. 1-4. Eat your heart out, Andrew Lloyd Webber! Samantha Martin's amazing trained kitties and their nationally renowned stunt-show are the real furry-pawed deal. MSB
By Abarbanel, Barnidge and Morgan