Natasha Leggero
When author Christopher Hitchens died last month, career retrospectives yanked his infamous 2007 Vanity Fair essay "Why Women Aren't Funny" back into public consciousness. No disrespect, Hitch, but you were dead wrong. Nowhere is that more evident than in comic/actress Natasha Leggero. Born in Rockford, Ill., and based out of L.A., the knockout standup projects an air of Old Hollywood elegance but isn't afraid to touch anything. From reaming celebs to "toilet babies," her cuttingly sarcastic bits rarely miss. Leggero, 37, is a regular on E!'s "Chelsea Lately"; she released her debut standup album, "Coke Money," last year and hosts her own podcast, "The Lavender Hour." --Jay Boller
'Dirty Girls Come Clean: The Return'
Since the dawn of "The Vagina Monologues," the "dirty girl" has long been a popular idiom in chick lit and theater. The subject is as popular as ever, as evidenced by Freshwater Theatre's returning "Dirty Girls Come Clean" revue. Alternately raw, funny and introspective, the fest features original work by local female writers and performers, spanning the autobiographical to the biblical. Audience members will also be given the chance to anonymously share a short "dirty" story or secret of their own, which will be posted on the theater's website following the show. --Jahna Peloquin
'Flesh and the Desert'
The latest production from Workhaus Collective takes a Hunter S. Thompson-esque jaunt into Sin City. The unconventional production offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of Las Vegas, full of showgirls, gangsters, Siegfried & Roy, Elvis, Liberace, nuclear testing and Orson Welles, as experienced through the intertwined stories of three couples. This original work by Carson Kreitzer is being directed by Ben McGovern, his first project since resigning as associate director of studio programming at the Guthrie Theater last week. It's hard to think of a more esteemed group of local playwrights for McGovern to partner with than the nationally recognized Workhaus ensemble, which also features 2011 Ivey Award winner Anna Sundberg. --Jahna Peloquin
