|
See video previews of shows before you go with TheatreInChicago.com!
We currently have video previews for 27 shows that are now playing or coming soon to the Chicago area.
|
| The Addams Family |
|
|
Ford Oriental Theatre
|
 |
| |
In a prolific career spanning six decades, Charles Addams created several thousand cartoons, sketches and drawings, many of which were famously published in The New Yorker. But it was his creation of characters that came to be known as The Addams Family that brought Addams his greatest acclaim. Now The Addams Family comes to life in a new musical which will make it's world premiere in Chicago in November 2009.
Watch a video preview of The Addams Family |
|
| |
|
| |
|
 |
| Altar Boyz |
|
|
Noble Fool Theater
|
 |
| |
Broadway's smash hit musical returns to Chicago! With angelic voices and divine dance moves, five small-town boys believe they're destined by God to speak the Holy Spirit through hip-hop. This charming Christian boy-band (with one nice Jewish boy) will alter your mind and raise your spirits as they look for their big break in New York while saving souls along the way. Destined to rock the masses of all denominations!
Watch a video preview of Altar Boyz |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| America: All Better! |
|
|
Second City
|
 |
| |
Its official – the United States is moving forward. We have a new President taking office, sweeping international economic crisis, and the effects of global warming all around us. It’s time to fire up the Rahminator and transplant a little Midwestern charm to Washington making America: All Better!
Watch a video preview of America: All Better! |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| The Arabian Nights |
|
|
Lookingglass Theatre
|
 |
| |
Tony Award-winning Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman returns to the Water Tower Water Works, following the successful run and three city tour of Argonautika, with her Lookingglass Original adaptation of one of the world's most enduring works of literature. When he discovers his wife in the arms of another man, King Shahrayar vows to ruthlessly murder every virgin in the kingdom. His brutality is interrupted only when he encounters the cunning maiden Scheherezade, whose captivating stories may just save her life. This boldly re-imagined visual feast celebrates the redemptive power of story telling.
Watch a video preview of The Arabian Nights |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Blue Man Group |
|
|
Briar Street Theatre
|
 |
| |
Blue Man Group is best known for its award-winning theatrical productions which critics have described as "ground-breaking," "hilarious," "visually stunning" and "musically powerful." These performances feature three enigmatic bald and blue characters who take the audience through a multi-sensory experience that combines theatre, percussive music, art, science and vaudeville into a form of entertainment that is like nothing else.
Watch a video preview of Blue Man Group |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Boleros for the Disenchanted |
|
|
Goodman Theatre
|
 |
| |
When Flora’s fiancé breaks her heart, she vows never to fall for an unfaithful man again. Then she meets Eusebio, who sweeps her off her feet and off to America—away from her family and her familiar life in Puerto Rico. Thirty-nine years later, an angel visits Eusebio with a mysterious message that stirs up old secrets and causes Flora to question the life she has tirelessly built in a foreign land. Boleros for the Disenchanted is a bittersweet and ultimately uplifting story about the everyday reality of marriage and the often undignified struggle to hold on to love in the face of life’s unexpected challenges.
Watch a video preview of Boleros for the Disenchanted |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Cavalia |
|
|
White Big Top
|
 |
| |
Cavalia is a show unlike any other, a lavish orchestration blending multimedia theatrical spectacle with equestrian and performing arts. Acrobats, aerialists, dancers, musicians and riders are showcased on an enormous, 160-foot-wide stage; a space so expansive that it allows the horses sufficient space to gallop and cavort, at times completely unbridled. Recognized for their expertise in the realm of multimedia, Cavalia’s creators have used cutting-edge technology to create dream-like fantasy world. Large, panoramic images are projected on to a 210-foot-wide curved screen, while stunning special and lighting effects illuminate the action on the stage and in the air. Original live music and vocals accompany this feast for the senses.
Watch a video preview of Cavalia |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Cirque Shanghai: Bright Spirit |
|
|
Navy Pier Skyline Stage
|
 |
| |
After three smash seasons at Navy Pier, Cirque Shanghai returns with an all-new full-scale theatrical production, “Cirque Shanghai: Bright Spirit.” Embraced by Chicagoans and tourists alike as “Chicago’s Summer Circus” this dazzling showcase of strength, agility and grace is meticulously choreographed to a specially produced musical score and performed with ingenious stagecraft, offering audiences a full-scale theatrical experience.
Watch a video preview of Cirque Shanghai: Bright Spirit |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| The Color Purple |
|
|
Arie Crown Theater
|
 |
| |
The Color Purple is an inspiring family saga that tells the unforgettable story of a woman who – through love – finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world. Set to a joyous score featuring jazz, ragtime, gospel and blues, The Color Purple is a story of hope, a testament to the healing power of love and a celebration of life.
Watch a video preview of The Color Purple |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Graceland |
|
|
Profiles Theatre
|
 |
| |
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.
Watch a video preview of Graceland |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Hedda Gabler |
|
|
Raven Theatre
|
 |
| |
Ibsen’s masterpiece depicts a woman’s inevitable road to tragedy. Hedda has recently married a kind and reliable yet unexciting scholar. She is visited by two old acquaintances: a female schoolmate and another scholar. The former has saved the latter from an unsavory lifestyle, helping him find success as a writer; Hedda is resentful both of his talent and her schoolmate’s influence on it. Out of jealousy and boredom, she proceeds to destroy each of the people around her, and finally herself. Is Hedda a heroine, a villain, a victim… or all of the above?
Watch a video preview of Hedda Gabler |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| The History Boys |
|
|
TimeLine Theatre Company
|
 |
| |
| The recipient of more than 30 major awards, including Tony and Olivier awards for Best New Play, The History Boys follows a rambunctious group of clever young men as they pursue higher learning, games, sexual identity and a place at university under the guidance of three wildly different teachers and a headmaster obsessed with results. Set during the 1980s in northern England, it is a hilarious and provocative play about the anarchy of adolescence and the purpose of education - specifically, how history should be taught.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with director Nick Bowling, actors Will Allan and Donald Brearley, and dialect coach Eva Beneman about their work on The History Boys.
 Listen
Watch a video preview of The History Boys |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Jersey Boys |
|
|
Bank of America Theatre (formerly LaSalle Bank Theatre)
|
 |
| |
This is the story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide – all before they were thirty! JERSEY BOYS features their hit songs “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Oh What a Night” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
Watch a video preview of Jersey Boys |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Juno and the Paycock |
|
|
Theater On The Lake
|
 |
| |
This rich and moving story centers on the lives of the Boyle family eeking out a living in the tenements of 1920s Dublin. Juno supports her family, while roustabout husband Captain Boyle searches for ways to avoid work. Sometimes hilarious, and at other times tragic, this relevant play weaves a tale of war, hard times and family.
Watch a video preview of Juno and the Paycock |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| The K of D: An Urban Legend |
|
|
A Red Orchid Theatre
|
 |
| |
An entire small town in western Ohio is vividly brought to life in this riveting fable. After a reckless driver kills her twin brother, Charlotte McGraw becomes a supernatural wonder to others when it appears she has received an eerie power from his dying kiss. A poignant summertime ghost story, this quirky and touching play offers the unexpected perspective of a child on the big questions of life, death and redemption.
Watch a video preview of The K of D: An Urban Legend |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Mary Poppins |
|
|
Cadillac Palace Theatre
|
 |
| |
Combining the best of the original stories by P. L. Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film, the Tony Award-winning Mary Poppins is everything you'd hope for in a Broadway musical—and like nothing you'd ever expect. Produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, the show includes such wonderful songs as "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Let’s Go Fly a Kite," and, of course, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."
Watch a video preview of Mary Poppins |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Million Dollar Quartet |
|
|
Apollo Theater
|
 |
| |
| On December 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought together Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. The place was Sun Records’ storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was the “Father of Rock-n-Roll,” Sam Phillips, who discovered them all. The four legends-to-be united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording session that embodied the birth of rock ‘n’ roll and has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with actor Brian McCaskill, one of the stars of Million Dollar Quartet
Stream or Download MP3
Watch a video preview of Million Dollar Quartet |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| A Minister's Wife |
|
|
Writers' Theatre
|
 |
| |
| Reverend James Morell and his wife, Candida, are happily married—at least so they think. But when Eugene Marchbanks, a romantic young poet aims to rescue Candida from the “tedium” of her domestic routine, everyone’s world is turned upside down. Sharp, witty and tender, A Minister’s Wife explores the fires burning beneath the surface of an ordinary marriage and discovers a secret in the heart.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with composer Joshua Schmidt and lyricist Jan Tranen. They join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about their collaboration on A Minister's Wife.
Listen
Watch a video preview of A Minister's Wife |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Plaza Suite |
|
|
Theater On The Lake
|
 |
| |
One of Neil Simon's most popular and celebrated plays, Plaza Suite details the misadventures of three very different couples as they face crucial moments in their respective lives all in the same hotel room in the world famous Plaza Hotel. Plaza Suite showcases Simon at his best -- witty, clever and relentlessly funny. Goodman Theatre Associate Producer and long-time Eclipse ensemble member, Steve Scott, directs Simon's rip-roaring comedy.
Watch a video preview of Plaza Suite |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Rod Blagojevich Superstar! |
|
|
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
|
 |
| |
Politics and parody take center stage Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare with the Second City’s rollicking musical parody of the rise and fall of ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich. Following a sold out run at Second City e.t.c., the limited engagement on Navy Pier will feature new music and frequent updates—incorporating Blagojevich’s brother, his $100,000 book deal and Roland Burris’s son—as the Illinois political saga continues to unfold. After each performance, the cast will improvise a 20-minute political comedy set based on audience suggestions.
Watch a video preview of Rod Blagojevich Superstar! |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Shrek The Musical |
|
|
Ford Oriental Theatre
|
 |
| |
Shrek The Musical tells the story of a swamp-dwelling ogre who goes on a life-changing adventure to reclaim the deed to his land. Joined by a wise-cracking donkey, this unlikely hero fights a fearsome dragon, rescues a feisty princess and learns that real friendship and true love aren't only found in fairy tales.
Shrek The Musical will play for a limited engagement beginning in June 2010. Specific dates will be announced soon.
Watch a video preview of Shrek The Musical |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| A Song for Coretta |
|
|
The Greenhouse Theater Center
|
 |
| |
Inspired by the long line of mourners who came by Ebenezer Baptist Church to pay their respects to Coretta Scott King, A Song for Coretta introduces five fictional African-American women, aged 17 to 57, waiting in the rain to say their final good-byes. Cleage shows the impact that Mrs. King had on the lives of these women, and the connections that they build with one another through her memory and legacy.
Watch a video preview of A Song for Coretta |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Spring Awakening |
|
|
Ford Oriental Theatre
|
 |
| |
Set against the backdrop of a repressive and provincial late 19th-century Germany, Spring Awakening tells the timeless story of teenage self-discovery and budding sexuality as seen through the eyes of three teenagers. Haunting and provocative, Spring Awakening celebrates an unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, a poignancy and a passion you will never forget.
Watch a video preview of Spring Awakening |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Tommy |
|
|
Circle Theatre
|
 |
| |
After witnessing a brutal crime, young Tommy is so traumatized that he is rendered mute. As his life meanders on in post World War II England, he suffers abuse from sadistic relatives and neighbors. Tommy’s life is saved, however, when he falls in love with pinball and achieves super stardom as a pinball wizard!
Watch a video preview of Tommy |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee |
|
|
Marriott Theatre In Lincolnshire
|
 |
| |
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a fun and endearing new Tony Award-winning musical, follows the story of six kids in the throes of puberty who are overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves. A hilarious tale of overachievers’ angst, the production chronicles the experience of adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. This quirky yet charming show even includes audience spellers, guaranteeing a different show every time. Hot off the Broadway stage, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will now make its premiere at the Marriott Theatre - can you spell i-r-r-e-s-i-s-t-i-b-l-e?
Watch a video preview of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Up |
|
|
Steppenwolf Theatre
|
 |
| |
On the best day of his life, Walter built a flying machine that reached the clouds. Ever since, he’s tried to invent new ways to fly while his wife keeps the family afloat. Up is a quirky, bittersweet tale about escaping the boundaries of the everyday and how we dream ourselves into a future.
Watch a video preview of Up |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Young Frankenstein |
|
|
Cadillac Palace Theatre
|
 |
| |
The classic Mel Brooks movie is ALIVE! The sensational cast delivers favorite moments from the classic film, plus brand-new numbers for the stage. This inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein as he attempts to create a monster—but not without scary and hilarious complications. The brains behind the laughter is mad genius and three-time Tony Award-winner Mel Brooks who wrote the music and lyrics and co-wrote the book—along with his record-breaking team from The Producers.
Watch a video preview of Young Frankenstein |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
