Alex Newkirk

WOZ

Singer-pianist Alex Newkirk, a 2011 graduate of the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department‘s BFA Program in Musical Theatre Performance, is performing in WOZ: A Rock Cabaret on Friday, May 22 and June 5, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, in Chicago’s Belmont Theater District. WOZ is a theatrical cabaret event, retelling The Wizard of Oz through rock and pop music of the 1980s and ’90s. It’s like your favorite mix radio station but better. . . because it has witches and munchkins. Newkirk plays the Scarecrow. Showtimes are 10:30 PM for the 75-minute one-act show. Tickets are $30. For reservations, click here or call Stage 773 at 773-327-5252. (Stage 773’s founder and creative director, Brian Posen, is a teacher at the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department as well as a Columbia alumnus.)

Elizabeth Morgan: She’s Folks

Newkirk also performs with singer Elizabeth Morgan in Elizabeth Morgan: She’s Folks! on Monday, June 15, at Davenport’s Piano Bar, 1383 N. Milwaukee, in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. She’s Folks! is a little bit country, a little bit rock & roll, a little bit stand up, and a lot of fun–an irreverent celebration of folk music and some of its incarnations including folk rock, country, gospel, bluegrass, and traditional American tunes. Newkirk is the show’s musical director. Showtime is 8 PM; tickets are $13 plus a two-drink minimum. For reservations, click here or call 773-278-1830.