The Cousin From Nowhere Chicago Folks Operetta, which specializes in producing neglected works from the post-World War I “Silver Age” of European operetta, delivers a winning revival of German composer Eduard Künneke’s 1921 Berlin hit. Translated by Gerald Frantzen and Hersh Glagov from the original text by Fritz Oliven (aka “Rideamus”) and Herman Haller, the libretto is whimsical fluff: 18-year-old heiress Julia (Heather Youngquist) falls in love with a wandering stranger (Nicholas Pulikowski), who she thinks is her long-absent childhood sweetheart, upsetting the scheme of her greedy uncle and aunt (James Judd and Rose Guccione) to arrange a marriage for her so they can control her fortune. Under Elizabeth Margolius’s direction, the romantic farce is performed in modern dress on an abstract white set. The cast of eight skilled singers play the comedy with a touch of mischievous camp while doing full justice to the gorgeous melodies. The lush, tuneful, bouncy score—packed with lively and lyrical waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, foxtrots, and tangos—is played superbly by a 21-piece orchestra under conductor Anthony Barrese. —Albert Williams Through 7/17: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM, Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, 773-327-5252, chicagofolksoperetta.org, $25-$40.
Freakshow & Tell Sideshow entertainer Thom Britton’s solo show is part performance, part demonstration. He eats fire, hammers a nail into his nose, shoves his face into a pile of broken glass, and then unveils the science that keeps him free of harm during each act. Knowing doesn’t make any of the stunts any less amazing—even though Britton explained that our heads are full of nasal passages wide enough to fit a nail, I still cringed and stared in awe as he tapped one into a nostril. Britton is a charismatic performer who appears genuinely thrilled to share how simple his seemingly death-defying acts really are. His explanations are peppered with jokes and carnival flair, making even the dullest details memorable and entertaining. Together with the preshow display of a dead flying frog, a fallout shelter radiation kit, and other odd items from the traveling educational group the College of Curiosity, I may have retained more information about science and history during a single carnival-themed night than in all my years of schooling. —Brianna Wellen Through 7/30: Sat 8 PM, The Lincoln Loft, 3036 N. Lincoln, second floor, 773-362-5324, freakshowtell.com, pay what you can.
Spectacle Spectacular: A Fully Improvised Song and Dance Musical Improvisers the Glitter Island Gang have teamed up with the J. Lindsay Brown Dance Company for this intermittently enjoyable production, in which a brand-new musical is made up on the spot. On the night I saw the show, an audience suggestion of “gooey” inspired a shaggy tale about a town being taken over by sentient slime. As you’d expect from a large cast working without a script or choreography, things can get chaotic and, despite the efforts of directors Brown and Neil Figuracion, the two troupes don’t ever fully coalesce. The dancers in particular seem unsure of what to do with themselves. It falls to the improvisers to scrounge up some laughs and make sense of the plot, though they struggle to maintain focus. —Zac Thompson Through 7/31: Sun 8 PM, MCL Chicago, 3110 N. Sheffield, mclchicago.com, $20.
