COMMAND PERFORMANCE
Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the beloved Rogers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I,” opening April 30 and running through May 22 at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker. The production stars Broadway veterans Kate Baldwin as Anna and Paolo Montalban as the King of Siam, and features such iconic songs as “Getting to Know You,” “Shall We Dance” and “Whistle a Happy Tune.” Tickets are available at lyricopera.org/king
GREAT SKATES!
Figure skating and ice dancing fans can catch some of the sports’ biggest stars and Olympic and world championship medal-winners when the 30th anniversary of “Stars on Ice” rolls into the Allstate Arena on April 29. Among the troupe: Meryl Davis & Charlie White, Polina Edmunds, Adam Rippon, Gracie Gold, Madison Chock & Evan Bates, Maia & Alex Shibutani, and Jeremy Abbott and Ryan Bradley. Show time is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com.
LAST CALL
Mark Roberts’ “New Country” closes out its Chicago run on Saturday at the Den Theatre, 1329 N. Milwaukee. Written by the veteran television scribe behind the hit series “Mike and Molly” and “Two and a Half Men,” (Roberts also stars as the bearded Uncle Jim in the production) the comedy tells the tale of a country music star about to tie the knot and the bachelor party soiree in a Nashville hotel that gets rowdy to say the least. Tickets, $45. Visit www.newcountrytheplay.com. (And yes, Roberts’ beard is the real deal.)
To each his Owen
When he’s not telling jokes on the road, Owen Benjamin is dissecting jokes on his podcast “Why Didn’t They Laugh.” The comedian has appeared on the late-night talk shows, on the sitcom “Sullivan & Son” and in his own Comedy Central special. Benjamin’s next stop is the Improv at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, where he’ll perform Thursday through Saturday. Tickets, $17-$19, may be had at chicago.improv.com.
Laugh for Limbs
Kay Cannon, the writer of both “Pitch Perfect” movies and a seasoned improv performer, is the host of “Laugh for Limbs Chicago,” a night of comedy raising funds to help amputees. Among the local luminaries improvising will be “Saturday Night Live” writer Katie Rich, Susan Messing, T.J. Jagodowski, Beth Melewski and many more. The fun starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at the iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury. For tickets, $25, go to ioimprov.com/chicago.