Tickets start at $12 with performance dates added into August.  In their all-new show at Navy Pier, Cirque Shanghai: Warriors combines the impressive acrobatics the troupe is famous for with the martial-arts prowess of Chinese kung fu and wu shu masters. The result is a powerful display of athleticism and mastery of the disciplines that’ve formed the backbone of ancient Chinese military might for thousands of years. This production also brings an extraordinary lineup of thrilling acts to the stage, including The Kinetic Poles, the powerful Water Meteor and the heart-pounding Pageant of Arms. Returning to the production from last year is the fate-tempting Wheel of Destiny and China’s finest daredevil steel-globe motorcycle troupe, Imperial Thunder. Plus, on selected dates, you can catch the fireworks display on the pier after the show.

PITA and DH went to see UP at COD while I was in NYC and had a blast.  This is the first year that COD is holding these outdoor movie screenings – lots of space to relax and enjoy popcorn and movies.  The tickets are FREE, but you get a popcorn with this $2 package…since popcorn is $3, you’ve already saved a buck!  See The Blue Brothers tomorrow (Thursday) starting  at 8:30 pm at Lakeside Pavilion at McAninch Arts Center, Located on the College of DuPage campus. (425 Fawell Blvd. Glen Ellyn, IL 60137)

See one of Chicago’s most beloved movie comedies under the stars at the brand-spanking new Lakeside Pavilion, boasting gorgeous views of the water, and enjoy reserved seating and popcorn (while supplies last). The Starlight Summer Series screens The Blues Brothers, the 1980 classic that was filmed in the Windy City and somehow successfully mixed the deadpan humor of Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi with amazing R&B music and unbelievable car chases, turning it into an enduring favorite. The Saturday Night Live duo star as Jake and Elwood, who’re on “a mission from God” to raise funds to save the Catholic orphanage where they grew up by playing a show with their former R&B band. Bring a picnic and blanket and check out the show.

Next week’s show is Ghostbuster!  we’ll be there, too!

Though they’re all about dodging social obligations or commitment of any kind, two wily young bachelors attempt to come across as very earnest — while masquerading as guys named Ernest — as they set out to win their well-dowried ladies’ hearts. Of course, their plan goes hilariously awry. Oscar Wilde’s enduring 1895 satire is a wittily sly romp through Victorian society, filled with one-liners and double entendres that still pack a mighty comic punch today. Revived numerous times on Broadway — most recently in 2011 — Earnest was also adapted into a 2002 film starring Oscar winners Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth. Bring a picnic dinner and enjoy the show from the pastoral Austin Gardens, beneath the summer evening sky.

Tickets start at $8 on Goldstar for performances through August of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Life Out There is a mind-blowing musical and visual tour of the cosmos that combines live world-beat music, “cool nerd” science and a breathtaking journey through the stars. Join renowned astrobiologist and musician David Grinspoon and the seven-piece House Band of the Universe as they play live African-inspired jazz and funk that explores the question of life beyond Earth. Throughout the 90-minute concert experience, both the band and the audience will be immersed in a planetarium full of jaw-dropping cosmic visualizations that’ll stretch across the 70-foot dome of the Adler’s Grainger Sky Theater. The result is an unforgettable combination of sight, sound and science at America’s most historic planetarium.

Enjoy all things lobster with this August 16 and 17 festival on Navy Pier.  This celebration of the world’s tastiest crustacean combines all of the best parts of summer into one fun-filled — and delicious — outdoor festival. The first of its kind to hit Chicago, The Great American Lobster Fest features an amazing selection of fresh seafood and cold beers for purchase, plus tribute and original bands performing on two stages, an end-of-pier viewing party for the overhead Chicago Air & Water Show and even an evening fireworks display (Saturday night only). Lobster lovers will be in crustacean heaven with the seemingly endless array of lobster rolls, lobster tacos, lobster mac ‘n’ cheese and steamed lobster feasts — all made from lobsta that’s flown in fresh daily from New England Seafood Company’s harbor in Boston. There’s also fish and chips, fried calamari and grilled shrimp, plus plenty of non-seafood items, sweets and vegetarian entrees to enjoy. Bands include local heroes Local H, tributes to Pink Floyd, Weezer and Kiss, and dozens more.

Tickets for this Friday and Saturday 7:30 performance are comps – you only pay the $5.50 service fee.  Full-price performance tickets ($9) are available through weekends in August.  Adapted from both Tim Burton’s celebrated film and the Daniel Wallace novel of the same name, the musical Big Fish is the dreamy, touching story of a tall-tale-teller and his son, who wants to know who his father really is. Following a lifetime of spinning made-up yarns of epic adventures, Edward Bloom has entered his final chapter, compelling his son Will to embark on an adventure of his own — to unravel his real dad from the myths he has created. With music and lyrics by Tony nominee Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family) and a book by acclaimed screenwriter John August (Go, Charlie’s Angels), this rollicking fantasy set in the American South is a tribute to the power of dreaming big.

Tickets start at $12 with performance dates through the end of July.  In their all-new show at Navy Pier, Cirque Shanghai: Warriors combines the impressive acrobatics the troupe is famous for with the martial-arts prowess of Chinese kung fu and wu shu masters. The result is a powerful display of athleticism and mastery of the disciplines that’ve formed the backbone of ancient Chinese military might for thousands of years. This production also brings an extraordinary lineup of thrilling acts to the stage, including The Kinetic Poles, the powerful Water Meteor and the heart-pounding Pageant of Arms. Returning to the production from last year is the fate-tempting Wheel of Destiny and China’s finest daredevil steel-globe motorcycle troupe, Imperial Thunder. Plus, on selected dates, you can catch the fireworks display on the pier after the show.

Wacky, irreverent and as entertaining today as it was when Broadway was brand new, The Pirates of Penzance spins a hilarious farce of sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, dim witted young lovers, dewy-eyed daughters and an eccentric Major-General, all morally bound to the often ridiculous dictates of honor and duty. The score features many of Gilbert and Sullivan’s wittiest and most hummable tunes, including the crowd-pleasing favorite “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General.” This new 90-minute adaptation features a modern sensibility, hilarious gags and thrilling fight choreography.  Get tickets starting at $5 for this production through Goldstar – performances through August.

You know it’s going to be an epic concert when Slash, one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll guitarists ever, is your opening act. Only Aerosmith, the best-selling rock band of all time, could top the excitement generated by the legendary Guns N’ Roses axman jamming with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. From “Dream On” to “Janie’s Got a Gun” to “Love in an Elevator,” vocalist Steven Tyler will keep the crowds cheering (and scarves fluttering) as he belts out hit after hit with Joe Perry on lead guitar. Don’t miss the soon-to-be legendary Let Rock Rule tour when these music gods transform First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre into a rock ‘n’ roll Valhalla.  And you can get tickets for only $25 through Goldstar (service fees are an additional $8.75)!  Full ticket price is $53.35 (plus fees).