Walkabout in Elgin

Janus Theatre presents a William Shakespeare-inspired lineup for its eighth annual Walkabout: Theater on Your Feet mini-festival weekend. Tour guides will lead audiences to various downtown Elgin locations — among them Al’s Cafe and Blue Box Cafe — where they will see scenes from “The Taming of the Shrew,” “The Merchant of Venice” and “Two Gentlemen of Verona.”

Tours begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 6-7, at the Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago St., Elgin. $16. See janusplays.com.

Hot ticket

The Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration continues with the Shakespeare’s Globe’s acclaimed touring production of “The Merchant of Venice.” Jonathan Pryce (“Game of Thrones”) stars as Shylock, opposite his daughter Phoebe Pryce, who plays Shylock’s daughter Jessica, in one of the summer’s hottest tickets. Performances are sold out, but Chicago Shakespeare Theater has established a waitlist online.

Performances continue at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com .

‘Odyssey’ hike

Theatre-Hikes brings “The Iliad and the Odyssey and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less” to the Morton Arboretum. Jay Hopkins and John Hunter wrote the family-friendly show, which includes moderate walking through the arboretum grounds.

Opens at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at 4100 Route 53, Lisle. $20 adults, $10 kids. (630) 725-2066 or mortonarb.org/events.

— Barbara Vitello