| Dooby Dooby Moo |
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Lifeline Theatre |
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| The County Fair is coming, and the grand prize in the talent competition is a trampoline! Duck wants that prize, but with Farmer Brown watching around every corner, how will he hold singing rehearsals for Cow and Sheep, or dancing practice for Pig? Hop aboard Farmer Brown’s truck and travel to the fair with this new musical about sharing your talents and reaching for your dreams, by the same team that brought you "Click, Clack, Moo." |
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| Dr. Harlon's Keys To Better Living |
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ComedyChicago Productions at
Royal George Theatre |
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| In a series of monologues, interspersed with video segments that illuminate those “Keys to Better Living,” the audience is introduced first to Dr. Harlon Stewart, and then to ten people who subscribe to the image-conscious behavior that he's espousing - people like Greg Woodside, a father determined to get the perfect Christmas card picture of his infant son; Irving Cloyd, an elderly booking agent fighting obsolescence; Trey Oliver, a socialite and international traveler; Bobby Velour, a take-no-prisoners nightclub entertainer; and Ken Liederman, a down-on-his-luck mattress salesman. |
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| End Days |
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Next Theatre Company |
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| When Elvis knocks, will you be ready? The Stein's are having an identity crisis: Mom has been "born again" and spends all day chatting with Jesus in the kitchen; Dad hasn't gotten out of his pajamas in weeks and is starting to smell; and 16 year old Rachel is coping by going "goth." Who will save this family? Jesus? Stephen Hawking? Or Rachel's awkward new classmate who shows up at their door in his Elvis jumpsuit? To everyone's surprise, the invasion of his big heart and blind optimism might be their best hope for a new beginning. |
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Watch a video preview of End Days
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| Ernani |
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Lyric Opera |
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| Sumptuous sets reflecting moorish Spain at its most magnificent! More than 250 fabulous costumes! A rip-roaring Victor Hugo story! And the power of Verdi and full throttle! If you love rousing choruses that pulse with patriotism, full-blooded arias that pin you to the back of your seat, and big stars who create the kind of performance you never forget — then Ernani's a must-see for you. |
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| Fat Bitch! |
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Chicago Center For Performing Arts |
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| Erica Watson – “big, bold and beautiful" actor, comedian, director and commentator for the Oxygen Network and BET – returns to her hometown Chicago with the solo show “Fat Bitch!” This five-night only run is a funny yet thought-provoking look at how society’s obsession with weight, race and class have formed the way the world views her shape, and includes her interactions with men, from the boardroom to the bedroom. Written and performed by Watson as a hybrid of theatre and stand-up, “Fat Bitch!” explores how black women and their bodies have always been subjected to admiration and ridicule, and shares images of “Mammy” and “Hottentot Venus.” |
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| 1512 West Studebaker Place |
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Brain Surgeon Theater at
Prop Theatre |
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| Travel back in time to The Great Depression where eleven desperate tenants refuse to leave their house on Studebaker for fear of being locked out for good. This original production will bring a smile to your face as it uietly
breaks your heart. |
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| The Glorious Ones |
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Bohemian Theatre Ensemble at
BoHo Theatre @ Heartland Studio |
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| A jolly group of itinerant actors sing of themselves in The Glorious Ones, a new musical about the roistering life of the clowns who paved the streets of 16th-century Italy with sight gags and sex jokes. Based on the novel by Francine Prose, the musical tells how the troupe came to be and how it captured the public's adoration with its bawdy comedy, before changing artistic fashion altered its life.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with music director Nick Sula and cast members Dana Tretta and Danni Smith from Boho Theatre's production of The Glorious Ones.
 Listen
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| Gossamer |
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Adventure Stage Chicago |
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| This fanciful and poignant play based on Lois Lowry's novel explores the power of dreams and the magical creatures that create them. An eager new Dream-Giver known only as Littlest One struggles to heal the hearts of an angry young boy, his grieving caregiver and his estranged mother before the haunting memories each of them carry become more than they can bear. But are the dreams Littlest One weaves strong enough to fortify and protect the fragile humans in her care? Beautifully staged using colorful masks and enchanting puppetry, GOSSAMER is recommended for ages 8 and older. |
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| Graceland |
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Profiles Theatre at
National Pastime Theater |
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| Chicago's oldest cemetery is the backdrop for Graceland, the story of four lonely Chicagoans whose lives collide one August weekend while the Blue Angels airshow is in town. As fighter jets buzz the skies from dusk till dawn, estranged brother and sister Sam and Sara try to make sense of their father's recent suicide. Sara's one night stand with Joe, an aging lothario, brings further trouble in the form of Joe's mercurial teenage son, Miles. Graceland is a World premiere comedic drama about the loneliness of family, the tenderness of strangers and the unexpected benefits of bad decisions. |
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Watch a video preview of Graceland
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| Hairspray |
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Marriott Theatre In Lincolnshire |
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| From the tip-top of its super teased coif, to the bottom of its dynamic dancing toes, “You Can’t Stop the Beat” of this Broadway musical comedy phenomenon that inspired a major motion picture and won eight Tony awards, including Best Musical. Set in Baltimore in 1962, Hairspray is the story of the pleasantly plump teen, Tracy Turnblad, who will do whatever it takes to appear on the popular Corny Collins show and win the heart of Link Larkin, all without denting her ‘do. Direct from Broadway where it’s played for over 2,300 performances, Hairspray brings its hipness and hilarity to the Marriott stage. |
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Watch a video preview of Hairspray
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| Handel's Messiah Rocks |
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Auditorium Theatre |
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| Handel's Messiah Rocks is a groundbreaking musical event that blends classical music with classic rock in a fresh new interpretation of George Fredrick Handel’s celebrated oratorio. The revolutionary musical event features stunning visual effects, thrilling songs, an orchestra, rock band, adult and children’s choirs and some of the most powerful voices in stage and screen. All of these elements combine to create a new genre of music that effortlessly embraces all generations and reinvigorates one of the most beloved musical compositions of all time. |
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| The Happy Family Series |
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The Magpies at
The Viaduct |
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| Showcasing more than 30 artists over three weeks, The Happy Family Series is a brimming collection of big-hearted demonstrations exploring “harmonic antagonisms,” the awkward equilibriums, true or false, that we forge with our loved ones/enemies. With performative lectures, scroll storytellings, multi-media monologues, live music ranging from cabaret to country, one-act plays, videos, puppetry, improvisational bits and more, the series is a veritable vaudeville of delivery systems coming together to tackle a common theme: P.T. Barnum’s famous American Museum exhibit, “The Happy Family.” |
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| He Who Gets Slapped |
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Columbia College Chicago |
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| When life gets difficult, Paul Beaumont responds to betrayal and despair by slamming the door on a life of culture and science and running away….to join the circus! In a provincial French town in the early 19th century, Beaumont is re-incarnated as HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, a clown who can endure 100 slaps in the face, and have the audiences begging for more. However, Paul’s sad past comes back to haunt him, and new entanglements bring tragedy to the family of “artistes” that have made him one of their own among the aerialists, lion tamers and stunt people of this mesmerizing one-ring circus. |
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| Heroes |
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Remy Bumppo Theatre at
The Greenhouse Theater Center |
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| Tom Stoppard's translation of Gerald Sibleyras' play won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. It's 1959 and Philippe, Gustave and Henri, three veterans from WWI keep each other company on the back terrace of a retired soldiers' home. Through a series of witty scenes, the men goad one another into new adventures. The men's cantankerous camaraderie becomes strained as they plot an expedition to Indochina, or at least as far as the poplar trees on the distant hill.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with Mike Nussbaum, one of the stars of Heroes.
Listen
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Watch a video preview of Heroes
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| High Holidays |
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Goodman Theatre |
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| This darkly comic and boisterous look at growing up in the Chicago suburbs during the early sixties is the story of 13-year old Billy Roman and the rollicking, anxiety-riddled preparations for his Bar Mitzvah. When Billy’s rebellious older brother returns from college during the Jewish high holidays, his family—the little Roman Empire—begins to wobble and crack as it is forced to examine some hard truths about coming of age in America. |
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Watch a video preview of High Holidays
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| Holes |
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The Theatre School at DePaul University at
Merle Reskin Theatre |
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| Fourteen year-old Stanley Yelnats’ bad luck lands him in Camp Green Lake where every day he is forced to dig holes under the hot Texas sun. Adapted from the book, which won the National Book Award and Newbery Medal, Holes is full of Stanley’s unexpected discoveries; local history, buried treasure, tall tales and true friendship. Recommended for ages 9 and up. |
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Watch a video preview of Holes
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| Holy $#!%, it's Christmas! Where did Jesus Go? |
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Piper's Alley |
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| Relieve the stress of the holiday season with the misfit characters of "Holy $#!%, it's Christmas! Where did Jesus Go? In the fourth installment of this hit sketch comedy revue, Jack Frost pitches his own reality show, Mrs. Claus plans a sexy night for Santa, and Tiny Tim pledges a fraternity. You'll forgive yourself for not making it to church, you'll never forgive yourself for missing Holy $#!%, it's Christmas! |
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