Roads on Southland Stages Lead to Dublin, San Jose and the Old Ball Game

Chicago (South Side)

Mr. Blotto heads to Beverly Arts Center with its distinct blend of every kind of rock music imaginable, from hard rock to country, to blues-rock to good old rock 'n' roll.

When: 8 p.m. Friday, April 8
Where: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th Street
Cost: $12, $10 members
Information: 773-445-3838 and beverlyartcenter.org

Chicago Heights

It’s fun. It’s tragic. It’s cheaper than cheap. The Drama Group presents a free and informal play reading of George Bernard Shaw’s .

“Written between 1916 and 1917, Heartbreak House is a telling indictment of the generation responsible for the First World War," states the theater troupe’s information notes. "With its bold combination of high farce and bitter tragedy, Shaw’s work remains an uncannily prophetic depiction of a society on the threshold of an abrupt awakening."

When: 7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9
Where: Drama Group Studio Theatre, 220 W. 202nd Street
Cost: Free
Information: 708-755-3434 and dramagroup.org

Flossmoor

Seven rising stars are ready to burst through daylight to shine in Flossmoor. No, not the Pleiades or Seven Sisters in the celestial night sky but rather seven talented young musicians, some perhaps on the path to fame.

On April 17, the Friends of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra present the third Annual Rising Star Showcase, this year in Flossmoor.

This is an opportunity for extraordinary young adult musicians to showcase their skills before they … well, who knows where their talents will take them.

When: 4 p.m. Saturday, April 17
Where: , 2218 Hutchison Dr.
Cost: $10
Information: 708-481-7774 and ipomusic.org

Frankfort

Heavenly Voice, the April Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) concert, features acclaimed lyric soprano NaGuanda Nobles who will perform three pieces with the IPO, including the final movement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major.

Maestro Carmon DeLeone, who steps down as IPO music director after the May concert, will conduct the entire concert.

The program includes Johann Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Ah se in ciel, benigne stele, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise and all four movements of the Mahler symphony.

How does the title Heavenly Voice connect the program pieces? Read and find out.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 9. A free pre-concert discussion will be at 7:15 p.m.
Where: , 19900 S. Harlem Ave.
Cost: $30-$50, $15 for students
Information: 708-481-7774 and ipomusic.org

Joliet

A veteran of more than 45 glorious years in show business, the legendary Dionne Warwick heads to the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet for one concert only.

Songs, including "Message to Michael," "I’ll Never Fall in Love Again," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and many more—all chart-toppers—spotlight Warwick’s ability to touch hearts of all ages.

In 1985, Warwick joined with Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder and Elton John to record "That’s What Friends Are For," a song that raised millions of dollars for AIDS research.

Back in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, every top 40 station played Warwick’s records. Today her recordings still hit the airwaves via “turntables” on oldies stations, and she continues to thrill audiences on her tours.

When: 8 p.m. Friday, April 8
Where: Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N. Chicago St.
Cost: $39-$59
Information: 815-726-6600, rialtosquare.com and Ticketmaster outlets.

Oak Forest

Acclaimed Dublin playwright Jimmy Murphy’s tale of a show band’s hopes to reunite and perform for the president of the United States touched a chord with Gaelic Park Players, and they pegged it for the spring play.

The community theater’s production of Murphy’s The Castlecomer Jukebox under the direction of Larry Coughlin continues.

“It’s been years since they dusted off their instruments and took the house down,” the press release states. Alas, “crooked politicians and greedy dealings” could derail the Dublin musicians’ dream.

Will they be able to smooth the rugged path ahead or will outsiders destroy the band’s dream of entertaining the president of the United States on his visit to Ireland?

When: 8 p.m. ; and 3 p.m.
Where: Chicago Gaelic Park, 6119 147th Street
Cost: $12 theater only, two-for-one opening night only; Sunday dinner theater package $25
Information: 708-687-9323

Oak Lawn

Time to take out those polka outfits! Eddie Korosa Jr. and the Boys from Illinois, polka stars of stage, screen and TV, bring their music and more to the Polka Party at the .

Eddie told SouthScene the afternoon “is a concert polka party with sing-along and old-time songs from the 1930s and '40s.”

When: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10
Where: Oak Lawn Public Library, 9427 S. Raymond Ave.
Cost: Free
Information: 708-422-4990 and lib.oak-lawn.il.us

Orland Park

They’re baaacckk! Well, they will be anyway. Orland Park’s Comedy Improv Group returns to the stage soon with springtime skit comedy and, of course, improvisational laughs. No guarantee this will be on the program, but recent local elections certainly provide some new fodder for the local talent company!

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 15
Where: , 14413 Beacon Ave.
Cost: $6
Information: 708-403-7275 and orland-park.il.us

Palos Hills

It’s an all-new world of tap, and the takes the dance form to the extreme, 21st-century style, at Dorothy Menker Theater.

“Chicago Tap Theatre is a young and vibrant dance company with story-based productions packed with dance and touching emotions, the CTT Web site says.

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9
Where: Dorothy Menker Theater, Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy.
Cost: $20, $15 for seniors and $10 for students
Information: 708-974-5500 and morainevalley.edu/FPAC

Palos Hills

The with the Moraine Valley Jazz Ensemble, trumpeter Randy Brecker and the Northern Illinois Jazz Ensemble will be an evening of great music touching all forms of jazz.

 When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15
Where: Dorothy Menker Theater, Moraine Valley Fine and Performing Arts Center, 9000 W. College Pkwy.
Cost: $12, $10 for seniors and students
Information: 708-974-5500 and morainevalley.edu/FPAC

Park Forest

Billed as a “tour de force,” contemporary piano virtuoso Mac Frampton (no relation to 1980s rock idol Peter Frampton) performs at Freedom Hall with a program that will take his keyboard from "Rhapsody in Blue" to "Blue Suede Shoes," the proverbial something for everyone.

When: 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 12
Where: Nathan Manilow Theatre, Freedom Hall, 410 Lakewood Blvd.
Cost: $11
Information: 708-747-0580 and freedomhall.org

Park Forest

Longtime Chicago favorite Bonnie Koloc will perform at Freedom Hall with her band, including Don Stille on piano, John Bany on standup bass and Elliot DeIman on guitar. Koloc’s repertoire goes back more than 40 years, and fans can count on Koloc delighting all with a musical set that covers her amazing career.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday April 9
Where: Nathan Manilow Theatre, Freedom Hall, 410 Lakewood Blvd.
Cost: $23
Tickets and information: 708-747-0580 and freedomhall.org

Tinley Park

Well, there’s the good news and the bad. First, the good: Peter Oprisko returns to the with a special tribute to American legends, including George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter and many others.

Bad news is that tickets at press time were virtually gone. A suggestion for those who want to attend: Call first and see if any seats have opened up. Oprisko’s shows “sell out” (actually, they are free) really fast, a library spokesperson said. So next time, reserve yours early. Good luck for those aching to see the talented Oprisko!

When: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., April 10
Where: , 7851 Timber Dr.
Cost: Free, but registration required.
Information: 708-532-0160 and tplibrary.org

Tinley Park

Take me out to the … . Under the direction of local thespian and Second City alum Daniel DeWalt, the Tinley Park players head into the spring show, Bleacher Bummz. A parody of the original Bleacher Bums, the DeWalt script features its own dialogue and a lot of baseball fans cheering on their favorite team, in spite of its many losses (sound familiar?).

“The bleachers have a lot of different characters,” DeWalt said. “There’s some guys who will gamble on the game, on anything for that matter. And there’s a husband and wife who challenge each other about his gambling.”

But more than gambling goes on in the bleachers.

And about those folks in the audience—they are “treated as if they’re part of the bleacher crowd,” DeWalt continued.

Out on the field, a lot of contention surfaces between the two teams, but it’s all seen through the eyes of those in the stands. Sounds like tons of good old springtime fun.

“If you like baseball (or community theater), come on out,” DeWalt said.

When: 7 p.m. April 9 and 16; 3 p.m. April 10 and 17
Where: Tinley Park Performing Arts Center, 16801 S. 80th Ave.
Cost: $12, $10 for children and seniors
Tickets: At the door or in advance at , 8125 W. 171st Street, and Tinley Park Fitness Center, 17500 Duvan Dr.

University Park

Nostalgia and theater come together on the Center for Performing Arts stage as it brings the treasured songs of the 1940s back to the future with the musical revue, In the Mood: A 1940s Musical. The production is billed as a showcase for “the big band favorites and the ballads that willed our nation through World War II.”

The show features the great sounds of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Harry James, the Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra and many more, all woven into a show that reveal the fabric of entertainment during the 1940s.

When: 4 p.m. Sunday, April 10
Where: Center for Performing Arts, Governors State University, 1 University Pkwy.
Cost: $15 to $40 with dinner packages available at additional cost
Information: 708-235-2222 and centertickets.net