Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beeholder In a postapocalyptic world, nothing will grow except honey, and the best and brightest are trained to become beekeepers. That’s the premise of Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beeholder at the Annoyance Theatre & Bar. The nemesis in this screwy tale is a giant mutant hornet that wants to kill scientists offstage with its big stinger. If this sounds hokey, that’s because it is. If you think plotwise it sounds like a recipe for disaster, you’re right. The only thing Beeholder has going for it is some improvisatory banter from Kristen Tallon and Nate Dicken. But even this is odd. I couldn’t figure out if the show had an actual script; my guess is it did and that nobody took the time to memorize it. From the silly title to Dicken and Tallon’s cringeworthy romance, this play makes no sense and probably only exists as a way to sell “bee”-r. —Max Maller
Peacebook I saw Peacebook, Collaboraction’s festival promoting peace through dance, theater, spoken word, and music, on a rainy night in the heart of Englewood. “This rain is about peace,” performer and emcee Ray of Light told the audience. “You know how many shootings are not happening tonight?” Of the seven pieces on the bill that night, some were more polished than others, but I sense that the majority came from worlds where violence is the norm, and where Ray of Light’s statement is nothing but ordinary realism. Peacebook will change its program with each new venue, but judging from what I saw, each will showcase spirited portrayals, less theatrical than documentary, of Chicago’s most dire realities. —Max Maller
