The Hourglass and the Poisoned Pen photo by Josh Hawkins

Hourglass Action Figure

Take that, Dark Knight. Chicago Tap Theatre presents a superheroine with sass and mad tap-dance skills in The Hourglass and the Poisoned Pen. Co-created by CTT artistic director Mark Yonally and comic book artist Andrew Pepoy, whose work includes inking the likes of Batman and X-Men, the show blends opera and tap in a new installment of wondergal Hourglass’s exploits (with a quick refresher on CTT’s first installment, 2007’s The Hourglass in the Stop-Time Chronicles). The show opens 8 p.m. Friday, June 27th in Studio 3 of the Athenaeum Theatre (2936 N. Southport Ave.; 773-935-6860). Tickets run $18 to $30.

Best Bets for Things to Do This Week

See
Hot on the heels of August: Osage County, Theater Oobleck’s The Strangerer is about to make the jump to New York. Catch the acclaimed, absurdist spin on the 2004 Bush/Kerry debate—as seen through the filter of Albert Camus’s The Stranger—before it quits town. Performances run through Sunday the 29th at Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division St.; 773-347-1041). Tickets are $10, or pay what you can.

Hear
Broadway, meanwhile, hasn’t returned the favor: We haven’t seen the much-ballyhooed Spring Awakening in Chicago just yet, but musical lovers can catch an excerpt of it, and the coming-soon Dirty Dancing, plus Wicked, Jersey Boys, and Legally Blonde, in the alfresco production Broadway in Chicago. Part of Taste, the free concert starts at 6 p.m. Monday, June 30th in the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park (Jackson Boulevard and Columbus Drive; tasteofchicago.us).

Boogie
Blondes still have more fun—and Debbie Harry’s still got it. Hear Blondie perform Friday, June 27th at Jammin’ at the Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo, 2200 N. Cannon Dr.); opening band Pedestrian takes the stage at 7 p.m., and Blondie goes on at 9 p.m. Tickets are $23 to $28 at lpzoo.org.

Relive
Everybody dance now. It’s hard to believe we’re supposed to feel nostalgic for the 1990s already, but put on the music, and feet start to tap. Cans Music Fest welcomes back the big guns with live concerts from Vanilla Ice (8 p.m. Friday, June 27th) and C&C Music Factory (8 p.m. Saturday, June 28th). The party runs 4 to midnight Friday and 2 to midnight Saturday next door to Cans Bar (1640 N. Damen Ave.; 773-227-2277), at the intersection of Damen Avenue and Concord Place. Entry is $5.

Dip
Sure, SummerDance sessions come with an hour of tips from pros, but some folks need a little more help—and a little less exposure—before shaking it in public. Get a lesson in salsa and tango, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 3rd, at The Silver Room in Wicker Park (1442 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-278-7130). Unlike most dance classes, it’s a one-off commitment, and preregistration isn’t necessary. Fee is $10.

Look
You’ll be tempted, but don’t touch the art—keep your hands in your pockets if you have to. In Sugarcraft, the new exhibition opening 6 p.m. Friday, June 27th at Kasia Kay Art Projects (1044 W. Fulton Market; 312-492-8828), artists from around the world comment on consumption via artwork made of, yes, candy. No licking, either.