Thursday, June 6

The Bard’s Town

1801 Bardstown Road

mavensofmischief.com

$10; 8:30 p.m.

These mavens are back at it to tease and please Louisville. The Mavens of Mischief, a vintage burlesque troupe, will perform a bigger and “more bedazzled” show than ever before. The troupe brings the best in historic costuming, character development and vintage jazz vernacular dances to the Bard’s Town stage. The ladies will perform classic-style burlesque as well as other historic dances like the Charleston, Blues and the Bump and Grind. Narina the Naughty will host the show, featuring CeCe Swingtime, Marvelously Mae, D’arcy Decadence and many more. You can also expect music and variety acts from Simone DeBonBon, the Vendalay Brothers and others. —Charles Bowles 

June 6-8, 13-15

Rudyard Kipling

422 W. Oak St.

coffeecuptheatrecompany.org

$15 ($10 students); 7:30 p.m.

Arguably one of the best plays of all time and inarguably one of my favorites will be at the Rudyard Kipling for two weeks. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll watch a bunch of old Southern hens gossip and basically just go through life together with lacquered nails, big hair and great one-liners at Truvy’s hair salon. Gather up your mother, your sister and your best friends before you head to the play, because this experience is best served with a side of family bonding. The cast includes Victoria Barnes, Jackie Bryant, Kristy Calman, Lydia Kennebrew, Debbie Smith, and Carol Williams. —Sarah Duncan

June 6-23

Actors Theatre

316 W. Main St. • 584-1205

evetheatrecompany.com

$19-$22; various times

Eve Theatre Company is a performing arts group by, for and of the ladies. Still in its inaugural year, the group aims to explore the human experience from a female perspective, making the upcoming production of “Motherhood Out Loud” a logical choice for its repertoire. This collection of 20 theatrical vignettes relays the rollercoaster of emotions that accompany motherhood through scenes that bounce from dramatic to sentimental to humorous. More than a dozen accomplished writers collaborated on the play, including a Pulitzer Prize winner and screenwriters for several popular TV shows. Having previously graced stages in major cities from New York to Los Angeles, the production has garnered much praise, with one critic calling it “unexpected and rewarding” and “a funny, tender view of parenting.” —Sarah Kelley

May 23-25

Bomhard Theater, Kentucky Center

501 W. Main St. • 584-7777

$45+; 8 p.m.

Just like Rihanna, chains and whips excite me. So you would think I would have read E.L. James’ popular “Fifty Shades of Grey” series that made housewives horny from sea to shining sea. It’s on my summer reading list, so don’t get your panties in a wad. Or do. Whatever turns you on. “Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody” is coming to town this weekend to bring naughtiness to the Kentucky Center stage. A parody of the best-selling book, the show mixes musical numbers, sexy striptease performances and lots of spanking in what Chicago Public Radio called “a hilarious satire of practically every trope in popular culture.” Sometimes it just feels good being bad. —Sara Havens

May 23-26

Kentucky Center

501 W. Main St. • 584-7777

kentuckycenter.org

$11-$16; 8 p.m. (2 p.m. on May 26)

Take six sexual deviants looking for a good time and place them in a laboratory for a secret sex study — that’s the basic premise of “Great American Sex Play,” a racy romp that will make you laugh and blush in equal measure. The Louisville Repertory Company first put on this production in 2006 to rave reviews, with LEO Weekly describing the play as “a fascinating study of sexual polarity” and praising director Gil Reyes for challenging the audience “to examine themselves through theater.” For this rendition, Reyes has once again teamed up with playwright Brian Walker to close out LRC’s season with this titillating comedic undertaking, replete with nudity, explicit language and sexual situations. —Sarah Kelley 

May 23-June 9

Vault 1031

1031 S. Sixth St. • 312-316-8158

lilliantix@gmail.com

$15; 7:30 p.m.

Who is Lillian Baxter? If you knew the answer to that, it would defeat the purpose. “An Evening with Lillian Baxter” is a one-man-as-one-woman show about the brief but vivid career of a fictional D-list actress in the early ’60s. Don’t expect too much of the typical drag shtick, though. John Vessels, the Louisville-theater regular who plays the titular character, originally wrote the show for a female actress in Chicago. The drag element was added later. The character, in addition to the mix of well-known and hidden gems from The Great American Songbook, is what’s supposed to shine in this “cabaret memoir” about living on the outskirts of celebrity. If you go, come prepared to ask Lillian something during the interactive Q&A segment. —April Corbin

May 9-12, 16-18

The Bard’s Town

1801 Bardstown Road • 749-5275

thebardstown.com

$15 ($12 students/seniors); 7:30 p.m.

This weekend and next, The Bard’s Town Theatre is putting on Jonathan Marc Sherman’s “Things We Want,” which debuted off-Broadway in 2007 and was directed by Ethan Hawke. Sherman is best known for writing the play “Women and Wallace” as a teenager in 1988 and now has a canon of productions under his belt. “Things We Want” is about three brothers who live together as adults in the apartment they grew up in following their parents’ death. Doug Schutte, The Bard’s Town’s executive artistic director, says he was unfamiliar with the play until recently. “What a wonderfully happy accident to find it,” he says. “Fabulous dialogue, characters with grit, and a story with heart.” —Sara Havens

May 9-19

Henry Clay Theatre

604 S. Third St.

pandoraprods.org

$18; various times

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb had much in common: both were child prodigies from the same wealthy Chicago neighborhood; both started law school at the University of Chicago by the age of 18; and both were obsessed with the prospect of getting away with murder. After months of planning, the duo carried out what they thought was the “perfect crime” — the kidnapping and murder of a 14-year-old boy in the spring of 1924. This chilling true crime and its aftermath is the subject of “Thrill Me,” a musical drama presented by Pandora Productions; the show examines the minds and motives of the killers, as well as their downfall as their plan unraveled. Murder, mayhem and music? Now that’s entertainment. —Sarah Kelley

May 3-5

Alley Theater

1205 E. Washington St.

thealleytheater.org

$12; 7:30 p.m.

Shakespeare can sometimes be a nightmare in the classroom — but it certainly lends itself to comedy, and Bottom’s Up Productions is taking full advantage. Their newest adaptation is based on “Hamlet,” affectionately dubbed “The Tragedy of Omelet: Prince of Denny’s.” Omelet’s alternate, modern reality contains much of Shakespeare’s original script but comes with a plot twist: Claudius isn’t the culprit! Colby Ballowe’s re-imagining of “Hamlet” is complete with bullies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and mischievous, prank-savvy ghosts. Better yet, the cast boasts close ties to U of L’s theater department and consists entirely of “homegrown” Louisville talent. —Natalie French

April 26-27

The Rudyard Kipling

422 W. Oak St.

gsslou.com

$10; 7:30 p.m.

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Louisville was inspired by the Victorian-era stage geniuses W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. They were particularly known for their absurd works, mixing fantasy with reality, akin to Shakespeare’s comedies. GSS was established in an effort to inspire other fans of Gilbert & Sullivan and to share the operas written over the course of the partnership. “Trial by Jury” is a satire revolving around the rules of engagement and marriage; it first premiered in 1875 with excellent reception. It is this same humor and reception that GSS strives to carry over into the modern world, while boasting a cast comprised entirely of Louisville natives. —Natalie French