Who says you can’t relive your youth? Regardless of the decade in which you came of age, these three gloriously nostalgic shows will remind you of the time you first learned to shake your hips, swing your hair and balance in the air like the star you are.
Dirty Dancing
Say it with us: Nobody puts Baby in a corner. Whether the dream is to dance like Patrick Swayze or find freedom alongside Jennifer Grey, Chicagoans will get their chance to head to the Catskills (or at least the Cadillac Palace) for one week only. Join Johnny, Baby and the gang for a summer of rebellion where the music is hot, the dancing is hotter and, of course, the time of your life can be had. (Watermelon-carrying totally optional.)
May 29-June 3 Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago
The Cher Show
One of the original queens of reinvention, no ones does it quite like Cher. Whether you know and love her best as the other half of “Sonny and,” the Oscar-winning star of “Moonstruck ” or any of the daring, image-busting incarnations in between, they’re all onstage with the help of a Tony Award-studded creative team—and Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere Bono Allman, a muse with the ability to “turn back time.”
June 12-July 15 Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago
Heartbreak Hotel
Lace up those blue suede shoes because you won’t be sitting still for this one. Think you know the story of Elvis Presley’s formative years, from Sam Phillips to “Colonel” Tom Parker, and all of the love and life in between? This brand new musical—with the spotlight on the King from early on in his career to his stratospheric rise—might just surprise you. Plus, the blend of hit songs from Elvis’ canon as well as the legends who inspired him will definitely move you.
June 30-Sept. 9 Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago
