1. Life as a Dream opened this weekend at Stage 773. It’s billing itself as “one of the most revered plays of the Spanish Golden Age.” Venus Jarris of the Chicago Stage Review says it also “demands a great deal from its audience. It demands that we pay attention to the details. It demands that we listen to rambling monologues of gorgeous words. It expects us to care about the contrived characters and follow the twists and turns of the peculiar story. Miraculously and marvelously, it commands our attention throughout the entire journey by realizing clarity to a script that could easily be lost in the mist of its own density.”

2. Instead of spending your night at The Hangge Uppe around real bachelorettes, go to The Comedy Sportz Club and be entertained by a few at a safe distance in their show Smashed: The Improvised Bachelorette Party. It’s Fridays at midnight, and runs all summer.

3. Jonathan Abarbanel reports on who in the Chicago theater community have taken home Obie Awards (“Off-Broadway’s Highest Honor”).

4. Mortified (“angst written”) pairs up with Bright Pink for their production tonight, to raise money for breast cancer outreach and educational programs. At Fizz at 7pm with The Blue Ribbon Glee Club (“Chicago’s Premier Punk Rock Choir”), Mortified celebrates the stuff we did as children that might have been just a little embarrassing. Mortified is a multi-platform experience; you can go to the performance, read about it in a book, or scroll through it on the web. 

5. Court Theatre began running Porgy and Bess this weekend, which has already been extended through July 3. The Gershwin-penned musical brought to life such jazz classics as “Summertime,” and this production’s music is handled by Doug Peck. Porgy and Bess is directed by Charles Newell; he and Peck previously worked on Caroline or Change together for Court, which was overwhelmingly well-reviewed.

Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.