In this comedy-turned-thriller that took off-Broadway by storm, a rowdy, hot-tempered Russian family living in Brooklyn is on a quest to achieve the American dream. But things are turned a bit topsy-turvy when Uncle Boris arrives from the old country, embroiling them in his mysterious business venture and forcing them to decide just how far they’re willing to go for success. With writing so slick as to seem like sleight-of-hand, Russian Transport morphs from a funny comedy and a heated family drama into a pulse-pounding thriller.  Get 50% off tickets on Goldstar for Steppenwolf Upstairs performances of Russian Transport through early-March.

See Gerry Grossman, the Human Jukebox, for less with this Goldstar promo.  Tickets for 8 performances in February and March are available with comp tickets – the rest are 50% off at $9; you pay a service fee, which depends on the ticket price.  Rock out to classic rock hits and crack up to hilarious musical comedy while you try to stump the “Human Jukebox,” Gerry Grossman. This entertainer has boasted that he knows the A-side of any rock ‘n’ roll single nationally released between 1955 and 1970, so it’s up to you the audience to help shape the show from his repertoire of thousands of songs. Shout out the name of a favorite tune and marvel as Grossman weaves requests into a medley of all-time great songs. The comedian-singer has been entertaining audiences for over 35 years, sharing the stage with everyone from The Byrds and Cheap Trick to John Denver and The Temptations, plus comedians like Richard Lewis and Albert Brooks. Sounds like a blast!

Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling pays tribute to the fabled Brill Building, the New York locale where some of the most popular tunes ever were written. From the big-band era through the early 1970s, Brill composers produced timeless hit after timeless hit, with such diverse artists as Bobby Darin, Burt Bacharach, Neil Diamond, Marvin Hamlisch, Paul Simon, Phil Spector, Leiber and Stoller, and Carole King among its roster of greats. Having topped the DownBeat Critics Poll for the last 13 years, no one can croon a standard like Kurt Elling. So sit back and take in an evening of some of the best songs ever written, sung as no one but Elling can.  Tickets for the February 16 performance at McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage start at $15 (full price is $44).