Priority list includes a great Irish play, Jim Belushi, more

This week, I've got a great Irish play, some Chicago improvisers, a celebration of a country legend, and pieces of American history on my priority list. I hope these prospects and more, below, help shape your week.

“The Cripple of Inishmaan”

Martin McDonagh’s masterful play—recently revived on Broadway—gets a local production from the Phoenix, which has a long history of staging the playwright’s works. This hilarious, moving play concerns the impact of a visiting Hollywood film crew on a remote Irish village. The cast includes Gayle Steigerwald, Rob Johansen, Ryan O’Shea, and Deb Sargent. You can find my review of the recent Broadway production of the play here.

Feb. 5-March 1 Phoenix Theatre  Details here.

Jim Belushi & The Board of Comedy

How will the intimate art of improvisational comedy translate to the scale of the Palladium? We’ll see when Jim Belushi brings a gang of Second City-trained performers here. For most shows, Belushi’s crew, The Board of Comedy, includes both his son, Robert, and his “According to Jim” co-star Larry Joe Campbell.   

Feb. 8  Palladium  Details here.

Buckaroo Bash

Not only did Buck Owens help popularize country music through his co-hosting of the TV series "Hee-Haw," he also was a justly praised musician in his own right. One of the talents who developed the California-based Bakersfield sound, Owens influenced generations of musicians, including those paying tribute to him at this concert. The lineup includes Whipstitch Sallies, Burning Mules, and the Jon Strahl Band. 

Feb. 6  Radio Radio  Details here.

“So Costly a Sacrifice: Lincoln and Loss”

The Indiana State Museum continues to make use of its extensive collection of Lincoln materials in this exhibit  featuring more than 100 artifacts that, taken together, explore how we deal with loss, mourning and memory. Included are such artifacts as a Civil War field surgeon’s kit and pieces of Lincoln’s funeral bier.

Feb. 6-July 5     Indiana State Museum    Details here.

Also this week

First Friday gallery hopping opportunities about downtown, along Mass Ave. and in Fountain Square Feb. 6.

Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre stages the comedy “Moon Over Buffalo,’ Feb. 6-21 at the Tarkington.

The 26^th annual Gospelfest comes to Clowes Hall Feb. 7.

The fledgling Khaos Company Theatre offers Eugene O’Neill’s “Thirst” on a rotating schedule with Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde” Feb. 6-March 7 at 3125 E. 10^th St.

John Mellencamp plays IU Auditorium Feb. 3-4.

America performs at French Lick Resort Feb. 6.