Bloody Bess: A Tale of Piracy and Revenge, BackStage Theatre at the Storefront, through July 20. Swaggering pirates, feisty belles sabreurs, government hypocrisy, outlaw justice, thrilling swordplay, sex and violence. Haaargh, matey—what’s not to like? MSB
Hay Fever, Circle Theatre, through Aug. 24. With Noel Coward’s silly, if slight, 1920s comedy about a weekend in the country, Circle Theatre has whipped up another gorgeously designed British comedy confection. SCM
Kooza, Cirque du Soleil, through Aug. 10. Equal parts rainbow wonderland and shivery nightmare, Kooza boasts scythe-bearing skeletons, scurrying rats, death-defying aerialists, hilarious clowns and—of course—impossibly twisty human rubber bands. Magnifique! CS
Much Ado About Nothing, First Folio Shakespeare, Oakbrook, through Aug. 17. Talent will tell as top Chicago actors Melissa Carlson, Patrick Clear, John Reeger and Nick Sandys tackle Shakespeare’s romantic comedy in a beautiful garden setting. JA
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge, Morgan and Sullivan