Every December, the residents of Deer Run Lane, a tiny cul de sac in Elk Woods Village, get together for their annual holiday party. The games, refreshments, and carols are all the same but this year the neighborhood party goes awry. This hilarious tale touches that place in all of us that both loves and fears holiday gatherings. Chemically Imbalanced Comedy's Ensemble brings you an original Holiday Comedy to ease the taste of bad nog and the smell of roasted chestnuts in our 4th annual Seasonal Disorder series "The Annual Deer Run Lane Holiday Party"
On his Vision Quest, Waabanong Anung is challenged by mysterious creatures of nature, yet finds comfort in his Grandfather’s tribal wisdom. A multicultural tale of spiritual maturation, combining live action with puppetry in a unique holiday vision of courage, generosity and sacredness beyond the boundaries of Western World tradition.
Join A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company as they try to survive the Christmas ‘horribles’ with hilarious humor. ARFTCo has a stocking full of dazzling new holiday scripts to delight you. Come once, come twice, come as often as a Christmas catalog!
A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly old man, who receives a Christmas Eve visit from the ghost of his partner, Jacob Marley, warning him to mend his selfish ways. During the night three spirits appear before Scrooge, showing him visions of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future, finally revealing the possible results of his unloving, uncaring life. He promises to change as he's not the man he was. This all time favorite play with music is a holiday treat for the whole family.
The 31st season of this timeless holiday tradition at the Goodman celebrates the yuletide season by infusing Charles Dickens' classic tale with a little bit of magic, as only the Goodman can. From flying ghosts to a quiet little boy and his crutch, A Christmas Carol is filled with enough singing, dancing and enchantment to rejuvenate even the most disheartened of spirits.
Holiday season brings with it the joyous Christmas classic. Watch curmudgeonly Scrooge slowly see the error of his ways with the help of the love, warmth and cheer of Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and the spirit of Christmas itself. Spectacular costumes, and enchanting music, singing and dancing.
Show is packed with laughter, pageantry and gorgeous costumes. Every memorable detail of Dickens' classic novel springs to life, from spine-chilling ghosts to heartfelt renditions of traditional British carols. Charles Dicken's enchanting story is a treasured holiday event. Show sells out every year.
Artistic Director Michael Halberstam gives another solo tour-de-force performance of the greatest ghost story ever written. Available for a limited engagement, our 13th annual reading of Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey over the course of one magical Christmas Eve has become a holiday tradition.
Thanksgiving and Christmas mean something different to everyone. For seven-year-old Buddy, it means a new home and a new family. When his parents drop him off with distant relatives in a town with no other children his age, Buddy becomes close with an older, simple woman named Sook. Before long, the two find themselves on one amazing adventure after another, proving that friendship is the greatest gift of all.
The much-beloved musical returns by popular demand to the Bailiwick Mainstage with new orchestrations and designs. This humorous, poignant musical was inspired by the historical story of the German and Swiss immigrants who sailed on ships like the Rouse Simmons, "The Christmas Tree Ship", which crossed Lake Michigan to Chicago to deliver fir Christmas trees for many years before it sank it an icy storm on November 22, 1912.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview podcast with Julie Shannon, the lyricist and composer of The Christmas Schooner. Download MP3
Ralphie wants one thing for Christmas: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-Shot, Range Model Air Rifle. Meanwhile, the Old Man wins an unsightly major award, a tongue gets stuck to a pole and the "mother of all words" is uttered in this 1940s all-American Christmas tale.
The true spirit of the holidays is brought to life in three short plays in The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t. The hustle and bustle and near disasters of the Christmas season are brought to life during “Dinky the Dancing Reindeer”, “How Santa Got Well” and “Santa and the Witch”. Dancing reindeer, medical mix-ups and a spell casting witch are all involved in these delightful tales of narrowly averted Christmas disasters. Join Santa and friends for a behind-the-scenes peek at the entertaining Christmas preparations at the North Pole.
A Beautiful Christmas Love Story as only the dark minds of Dream Theatre can present it. Loneliness, disappointment, prescription drugs and lots and lots of eggnog. Two miserable people, who are always alone on Christmas, somehow find one another and fall in love.
Starring the character of David Bowie, this one of kind variety show spectacular snatched from the archives of 1977 brings the kind of star power that only ‘Ziggy Stardust’ could command. Featuring character appearances by Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, Iggy Pop, Marianne Faithfull, Nipsey Russell, Charo, and more, plus a special appearance by the Ghost of Freddy Mercury, audience members will be taken on an exciting journey of song and dance reminding us all of the joys of brotherhood and giving that the holiday season brings. But when the mysterious Bizarro Bowie appears to reveal his scattered past, it’s a race for time to save the holidays from the ultimate universal implosion.
Deck the walls with 99 bottles of beer and raise your glasses to Drinking & Writing Vol. IV: The 12 Steps of Xmas, Chicago's most intoxicating late-night holiday show, back by popular demand for the 2008 holiday season at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater. Star and creator Steve Mosqueda returns to his barstool with a new co-host - fellow drinker, writer, and Neo-Futurist Phil Ridarelli - for a second round of exploring that addictive holiday called Christmas.
John, a man whose life was nearly destroyed by drinking, now holds down a steady job at a Dublin undertaker’s office. When his estranged daughter appears on Christmas Eve with disturbing news, it sets off a series of painful confessions that ultimately offer John a chance to escape the burdens of his past.
Three Clowns welcome the audience into a musical celebration of action-based performance and improvisation that would make Fezziwig proud, complete with a holiday toast, gift-giving and original live music written by John Fournier. A three-piece band cranks out Fournier’s songs of family, commercialism and peace on earth, while the Clowns clamor through their holiday party in search of the meaning of Christmas.
The Annoyance Theatre presents Frostbite, an original collection of holiday stories. A misunderstood snowman who brings a town together by inciting their distrust, a journey of two children to visit Santa, and finally the dark, twisted origins of some of the familiar stories of the season, including why we find fruitcake so unappetizing.
O. Henry's great American classic comes to our stage for the holiday season. This charming play, set in the early 1900s, follows the story of newlyweds Jim and Della Young who fell in love at the University of Virginia and moved to New York so Jim could pursue a law career. When they fall on hard times, they give up their most prized possessions in a selfless act of true love and devotion that speaks to the very nature of holiday giving.
This Christmas, Chicago's own Flaming Dames Torch Cabaret will keep audiences warm on those cold winter nights as they present A Very Sexy Christmas. This non-reveal show keeps a few of their gifts under wraps, but you won't miss a thing as you become mesmerized by their renditions of the season's greatest songs, from classics to contemporary favorites.
The Hipmas Carol is a hip, unique and wholly original reinterpretation of the Dickens classic that was inspired, in part, by Sir Lord Buckley. This hour long, sometimes funny, and at times striking and dramatic tribute to "A Christmas Carol", is presented in a refreshingly different and non flashy style that manages to remain warm and wry while never losing its distinctly urban edge. Infused with elements of beat poetry, spoken word and storytelling, the performers deliver a barrage of rhyming couplets over a colorful and ever-present live guitar score laced with jazz and blues. Pat and Tyler narrate the piece and effortlessly invoke every character effectively while never changing costume or leaving the stage; creating a playful pattern and rich rhythm for audiences’ ears.
Created by the actors and performed each night with help from the audience, this fast paced Improvisation based show is sure to delight the whole family.
An unscripted story erupts from a single audience suggestion and an ensemble of improvisational storytellers. Using only wooden sticks and
colored pieces of cloth, the highly talented ensemble of theatre artists
create a story from multiple narrations and sub-stories. Holiday Storybox
for Young Audiences, uses the Storybox technique with multicultural holiday themes aimed at a younger audience.
Chicago holiday tradition is back. The classic story based on the Frank Capra masterpiece is lovingly performed as a period radio play complete with commercial breaks and live Foley sound effects. ATC's celebrated ensemble brings the town of Bedford Falls to life, with free milk and cookies after every performance.
“Marley was dead, to begin with…” – and what happens to Ebenezer Scrooge’s
mean, sour, pruney old business partner after that? Chained and shackled,
Marley is condemned to a hellish eternity. He’s even given his own private
tormentor: a malicious little hell-sprite who thoroughly enjoys his work.
Desperate, Marley accepts his one chance to free himself: To escape his
own chains, he must first redeem Scrooge. So begins a journey, of laughter
and terror, redemption and renewal, during which Scrooge’s heart, indeed,
is opened; but not before Marley – in this irreverent, funny and deeply
moving story – discovers his own. Chicago’s famed Organic Theater Company
takes you on this unusual voyage through a familiar tale. You will never
think of Scrooge and Marley the same way again.
Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol is the award-winning real story behind Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” - the story of Marley’s heroic behind-the-scenes efforts to save old Scrooge’s soul returns starring its original creator, Tom Mula. This irreverent, funny, and deeply moving solo show retells the perennial holiday favorite with warmth and infection zest.
Travel back to the turn of the 20th century. The World's Fair is coming and so are changes for the Smith family. While the two older sisters dream of happily-ever-after with their beaus, the two younger girls dream up mischief. Memorable songs include "The Boy Next Door" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
My Three Angels is the most unlikely of Christmas stories, as it features three inmates of Devil's Island as the comic leads. Despite their questionable backgrounds (two are murderers and one is a celebrated forger and swindler), these three are in fact the "angels" who end up protecting a naive shopkeeper and his family on Christmas Eve from some particularly nasty and unscrupulous relatives.
The nation’s housing crisis has spread to the great white north, and the foreclosure of Santa’s workshop creates a trickle down effect for us all this holiday season. Jolly Old Saint Nick is banking on nostalgia of Christmas Past to provide an escape from our current credit epidemic and hopes that Obama Claus can save the day…and Christmas…and the economy…and the mortgage market…and the credit markets…and restore the value of the dollar…and buy me a bike.
A grand holiday tradition! The beloved story of Clara and the Nutcracker, all wrapped up in Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable music. Lavish costumes and Oliver Smith’s sets straight out of a child’s dream add to the magic!
The basic libretto of the Nutcracker has as many interpretations as there are staged versions. The characters' names often change and plot twists are added. The only constant is the music. Tchaikovsky's musical genius created one of the most recognizable and enduring scores ever written.
An enchanting holiday tradition for many families. Salt Creek Ballet returns with sugarplum fairies, nutcrackers and dancers who will dazzle you in this classic dream tale. Holiday favorite features spectacular costuming and sets, plus a cast of 65 local dancers as well as world-class guest artists.
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular entertained Chicago audiences last year with its latest production and now the Rockettes are back for another fabulous holiday season.
A collection of sketch comedy and improvisation from Second City and iO actors, “Santa’s Great American Depression Holiday Show! America.” is a hilarious hour where the holidays bring out the worst (and best) in a wide array of characters, where Batman comes to terms with economics, a bomb is loose in an American city, Santa gets no rest, and Thomas Jefferson rediscovers what it means to be an American. For mature audiences only.
Humorist David Sedaris’ sardonic tale “The Santaland Diaries” returns to Chicago for its sixth season. Solo actor Mitchell Fain plays the struggling young writer who takes a job as a Christmas elf at Macy’s in New York, trying to enter into the holiday spirit as he is forced to deal with the humiliation of elf training, abusive customers, and badly cast Santas. Fain returns for his second year as the beleaguered elf, a role he first played in 2007.
Therapists recommend the best way to deal with your insane family, and the crazy pace of the holiday season, is to become crazy. Learn from The Second City. Revue is irreverent, insightful and always hysterically funny. Contains adult language and content. Not recommended for children or young teens.
A twisted take on two classic tales. Silent Night of the Lambs mixes one part thriller (The Silence of the Lambs) and one part holiday TV special (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer) to create a twisted recipe. Rudolph's daughter Clarice is all grown-up. She's an FBI agent on the biggest case of her life. To enter the mind of a serial killer she must challenge the mind of a madman- fat, jolly, bowl-full of jelly madman. Can she find The Skinner before he kills again without losing her sanity?
Warm storytelling, amazing puppetry and Michael Smith's magical score combine for a wild ride into Hans Christian Andersen's beloved winter tale. Returning are Tony-winning director Frank Galati, master puppeteer Blair Thomas & Co., choreographer Jim Corti, as well as veteran cast and band members. A delight for kids eight and up, Smith's wickedly funny lyrics and sophisticated songs of the heart equally engage adults of all ages.
Taking care of your baby sister is a drag, especially at holiday time. That's why Tim Snow is in a bad mood. But when his sister gets lost in a confusing not-world, Tim's only holidy wish is to have her back before Mom gets home. Return of original Lifeline hit by Christana Calvit.
Back by popular demand, the WNEP Theater DADAs take on the most wonderful time of the year. Utilizing the tools of chaos, anarchy, and a wicked sense of humor, DADA sets out to destroy and rebuild Christmas. With the willing assistance of their audience, the largest Soireé Dada cast in thirteen years will create a spectacle unlike any seen on these shores. There will be a tree and presents, too.
An anonymous company of merry children gather on a cold winter night to rejoice in telling the story of Scientology founder and hero L. Ron Hubbard. Rejoicing in songs such as "Hey! It's a Happy Day!," this satirical musical about Scientology explores the magic of Dianetics, the fascinating E-meter, the immortal Thetans, and the entrancing story of Xenu with the straightest of faces. The show was originally presented in 2003 in New York City by Les Freres Corbusier and won a 2004 Obie Award.
An alternative holiday show and environmental experience taking place throughout The Neo-Futurarium, A Very Neo-Futurist Christmas Carol is a re-telling of Dickens’ famous tale, with various chapters and themes represented as short vignettes. Created by the performing ensemble and hosted by the Grim Reaper, this show is equal parts deconstruction of the Dickens story, new and political takes on the original, and gripping personal tales that relate to its themes.
This family oriented event presents a dreamlike journey of wild and whimsical individuals who come together in rejuvenation, inviting the audience to join them in the show's celebratory conclusion.
Frank Capra's film classic has been brought to vibrant theatrical life through the collaboration of Sheldon Harnick and Joe Raposo. The story of George Bailey and his wonderful life in Bedford Falls is a timeless fable of dreams, disillusionment and the power of love.
