Haymarket, Underscore Theatre @ Theater Wit, through Sept. 16. Sounds like folk music, but it’s a sophisticated score that offers a wives’ view of Chicago’s 1886 Haymarket Martyrs. Twelve gifted singer-actors also play many instruments. JA

Chicago Magic Lounge, open run. David Parr, aka the magician who stumped Penn and Teller, headlines every Wednesday night, but while you’re settling into the swanky cocktail room, Benjamin Barnes and his fellow card sharps will prestigitate right up close and cozy at your table. MSB

Buddy—The Buddy Holly Story, American Blues Theater at Stage 773, through Sept. 15. The Pro room on Belmont Avenue is a smaller barn than usually houses this high-spirited rock-and-roll biodrama, but the intimacy generated thereby only ramps up the excitement more. MSB

—By Abarbanel and Barnidge