Bethany Thomas has a Venn diagram of fans in Chicago, and her Monday night residency at the Hideout this month sits at its sweet spot. Theatergoers know Thomas as the Jeff Award–winning actress whose big talent and big voice have bolstered musicals at theaters like Court, Marriott and Drury Lane as well as appearances at Salonathon and the Paper Machete. Music fans have heard that same big voice accompanying the likes of Robbie Fulks, Jon Langford and Syl Johnson at music venues all over town.
At the Hideout, Thomas will focus on a different composer each night. This Monday, April 4, it's standards-bearer Harold Arlen, the man behind the score of The Wizard of Oz and countless popular tunes like "Get Happy," "Stormy Weather," "It's Only a Paper Moon" and "I've Got the World on a String"; she'll be accompanied by local theater types Doug Peck, Patrick Martin, Jake Saleh and John Szymanski. On April 18, Thomas goes full Bowie, performing Young Americans in its entirety backed by Full Fathom Five (consisting of Martin, Sczymanski, Saleh, Liz Filios and Stephen Ptacek). And in the week between, on April 11, Thomas sings Thomas, showing off her originals with "a sound that's somewhere in between Neko Case and Chaka Khan—for better or for worse." All three shows are at 7pm, with tickets ($10) on sale now on the Hideout's website.