Bloody Bess: A Tale of Piracy and Revenge, BackStage ( sic ) Theatre at the Storefront Theater, through July 20. A wronged woman goes to the dark side in this history-based swashbuckler of female buccaneers by William J. Norris. Better than an action movie! JA
Golda's Balcony, Pegasus Players, through June 29. A blazing, one-woman tour de force by Janet Ulrich Brooks as Golda Meier makes you sweat through every potentially tragic, taut moment of Israel's 1967 war as the apocalypse looms in William Gibson's drama. CS
The Mark Of Zorro, Lifeline Theatre, through July 20. Katie McLean's adaptation of this classic swashbuckler doesn't skimp on the smarts or the action, and the intimate space puts us right in the middle of both. You wont' sleep but you'll still get your 'Z's'. MSB
War Garden, Walkabout Theater and Neighbor Space at Grant Park and other Chicago gardens; through July 27. A roving comedy that promises singing, slapstick, history and gardening all in a fun family-friendly outdoor show with a very green message. SCM
—By Abarbanel, Barnidge, Morgan
and Sullivan