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See video previews of shows before you go with TheatreInChicago.com!
We currently have video previews for 31 shows that are now playing or coming soon to the Chicago area.
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| Avenue Q |
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| Cadillac Palace Theatre |
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Avenue Q is the creation of a host of talented young theatre artists and features music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, book by Jeff Whitty, based on an original concept by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; and directed by Jason Moore. Avenue Q features a cast of people and puppets who tell their story in a smart, risqué and downright entertaining way.
Watch a video preview of Avenue Q |
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| The Ballad of Emmett Till |
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| Goodman Theatre |
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The 1955 lynching of 14 year-old Emmett Till served as a shocking catalyst for the infant civil rights movement, and remains one of the most horrifying incidents in a tumultuous era. In this world premiere, Chicago author Ifa Bayeza explores the powerful truths at the heart of the story, creating a work of vibrant theatricality and music, pierced with the poignancy of real life.
Watch a video preview of The Ballad of Emmett Till |
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| Better Late |
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| Northlight Theatre |
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From the Emmy and Tony-award winning author of M.A.S.H. and City of Angels and the playwright behind Northlight’s productions of Grace and Lady: Chicago favorites John Mahoney and Mike Nussbaum star in this brand new romantic comedy! When Julian is forced to move in with his ex-wife and her new husband, the situation quickly spirals out of control. As the laughter builds, the question becomes: how long will Julian have to stay?
Watch a video preview of Better Late |
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| Blue Man Group |
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| Briar Street Theatre |
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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 |
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| Boneyard Prayer |
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| Redmoon Central |
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Redmoon explores struggle, sorrow and salvation, telling a Depression-era tale of one man's fractured life and ultimate redemption using various forms of puppetry and shadow images, plus extraordinary music inspired by the songs of the age.
Watch a video preview of Boneyard Prayer |
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| The Comedy of Errors |
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| Chicago Shakespeare Theater |
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Director Barbara Gaines transports Shakespeare to the golden age of film as an eccentric group of stage and screen actors gather on an English movie set in the midst of the London blitz to film The Comedy of Errors. Backstage antics abound as the onstage story of Antipholus and his servant Dromio unfolds.
Watch a video preview of The Comedy of Errors |
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| Dead Man's Cell Phone |
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| Steppenwolf Theatre |
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Whimsical and imaginative comedy from one of America's leading contemporary playwrights, Sarah Ruhl. Jean starts answering Gordon's phone because he's, well, dead, and can't answer it himself. When the phone won't stop ringing, and she can't stop answering, Jean is forced to look at her connections and find her calling. An insightful, fantastic journey from “one of the leading contemporary American playwrights.”
Watch a video preview of Dead Man's Cell Phone |
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| Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage |
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| Cadillac Palace Theatre |
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Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage is a coming of age love story involving the talented and headstrong dancer Johnny Castle and Frances “Baby” Houseman. During her family’s summer vacation at the popular Kellerman’s resort, Baby, a doctor’s daughter with dreams of joining the Peace Corps, meets Johnny, the guy from the wrong side of the tracks. Against all odds, they fall in love, learning life-changing lessons along the way. Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, follows the highs and lows of their summer romance.
Watch a video preview of Dirty Dancing |
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| Fiorello! |
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| TimeLine Theatre Company |
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Ahead of its time when it premiered in 1959 and often called a neglected masterpiece, Fiorello! is a classic Broadway musical that features heartbreaking ballads (“When Did I Fall in Love”), rousing chorus numbers (“Politics and Poker”) and melodic showstoppers (“Little Tin Box”) to tell the story of one small, honest man’s struggle against corruption in big-city politics. With guts and perseverance, Fiorello H. LaGuardia put a bright, new shine on “The Big Apple” and became one of the most enduring figures of the 20th century. This remount will feature most of the original cast and production staff, including TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers as the title character.
Watch a video preview of Fiorello! |
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| The Giver |
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| Merle Reskin Theatre |
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Based on the Newberry Award-winning book, play takes place in a seemingly perfect world without pain, war, fear or inequality. But when young Jonas is selected as the Receiver of Memories, he begins to learn the difficult truths about his existence.
Watch a video preview of The Giver |
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| Golda's Balcony |
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| Truman College- O'Rourke Theatre |
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Pegasus Players will present William Gibson’s one-woman drama, Golda’s Balcony, which examines the history of Israel through the eyes of one of the 20th century’s most remarkable world leaders, Golda Meir. Actress Janet Ulrich Brooks returns to Pegasus Players to take on the leading role, and Pegasus Players Artistic Director Alex Levy will direct. Pegasus is one of a handful of theaters around the country given the rights to produce this work.
Watch a video preview of Golda's Balcony |
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| I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change |
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| Noble Fool Theater |
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Off-Broadway's longest-running musical and comical celebration of the modern-day suburban mating game. It's everything you have ever secretly thought about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws but were afraid to admit.
Watch a video preview of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change |
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| In a Dark Dark House |
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| Profiles Theatre |
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On the grounds of a private psychiatric facility, two brothers find themselves face-to-face with each other's involvement in their traumatic past. In court-ordered rehab, Drew calls on his brother, Terry, to corroborate his story of abuse. Drew's request releases barely-hidden animosities between the two; is he using these repressed memories to save himself while smearing the name of his brother's friend and mentor? In Neil LaBute's powerful new play, these siblings must struggle to come to grips with their troubled legacy, both inside and outside of their dark family home.
Watch a video preview of In a Dark Dark House |
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| Jersey Boys |
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| Bank of America Theatre (formerly LaSalle Bank Theatre) |
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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 |
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| Kooza - Cirque du Soleil |
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| United Center |
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Kooza is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil that combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.
Watch a video preview of Kooza |
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| Laughter on the 23rd Floor |
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| Raven Theatre |
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Laughter on the 23rd Floor was inspired by Simon’s own early-career experience churning out jokes for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, where he worked alongside Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Woody Allen. Laughter introduces a room full of oddball writers, many based upon actual personalities, including Simon himself. The Sid-Caesar-like character of Max Prince, star of a 1953 variety show, is a booze-guzzling, pill-popping comic genius who goes to any lengths to protect his team in the face of network cutbacks. This hilarious play chronicles the writing room’s outrageous antics and increasing stress levels under the pressures of rising McCarthyism and television executives resistant to sophisticated humor.
Watch a video preview of Laughter on the 23rd Floor |
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| Mary Poppins |
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| Cadillac Palace Theatre |
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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." The show will have a limited engagement beginning March 2009 - Exact dates will be announced soon.
Watch a video preview of Mary Poppins |
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| Nine |
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| Theatre Building Chicago |
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This spectacular winner of the 1982 Tony Award for Best Musical delighted Broadway theatergoers in a hit revival in 2003. Based on Fellini's classic film "8 1/2", Nine is the story of a famous film director and his attempt to come up with a plot for his next film as he is pursued by hordes of beautiful women, all clamoring to be loved by him and him alone. Flashbacks reveal the substance of his life- which will become the material for his next film- a musical version of the Casanova story.
Watch a video preview of Nine |
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| 9 Parts Of Desire |
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| Museum Of Contemporary Art |
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Acclaimed across the country, Heather Raffo’s journey into the lives of nine ordinary Iraqi women is a riveting, explosive mix of docudrama, lyrical language and mesmerizing performance. Raffo plays all nine roles, taking us on a theatrical adventure through desire, loss, and a universal understanding of humanity. Next Theatre Company brings Raffo and the play’s original director to recreate what critics across the country have hailed as one of the most important new plays of the century. Mature audiences only.
Watch a video preview of 9 Parts Of Desire |
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| No Country for Old White Men |
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| Second City |
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As the face of the American Presidency readies for a change, there are no clean getaways. From a YouTube electorate grabbing its 15 minutes of fame to a rare U.S. visit by the British House of Commons, show trades in its Cadillac and country club membership for sweet soul food and a side of girl power.
Watch a video preview of No Country for Old White Men |
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| Old Town |
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| Strawdog Theatre |
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World premiere musical about a family put under the microscope of local politics takes place on election day in the grand ballroom of the hotel where the candidate is staying while awaiting returns. Election night reveals dark secrets that were never supposed to see the light of day.
Watch a video preview of Old Town |
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| Omniscience |
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| Stage Left Theatre |
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In this multimedia paranoid thriller, Warren struggles to finish a war documentary while coping with his troubled wife, a military officer who has just returned from the conflict. Under the pressure of constant corporate and government surveillance, he might be cracking up, or seeing the truth.
Watch a video preview of Omniscience
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| A Passage to India |
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| Theatre Building Chicago |
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Set in India during the Raj. A well-meaning but naive young English woman sets destructive forces in motion when she breaks colonial taboos by associating with a Muslim doctor. Against the advice of her fiance, she tours ancient caves with the beguiling doctor.
Watch a video preview of A Passage to India |
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| Shout! The Mod Musical |
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| Drury Lane- Water Tower Place |
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Shout! is a fast-paced journey through the infectious and soulful pop anthems and ballads that made household names of stars like Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and Lulu. In this Austin Powers-like musical, hits like “To Sir With Love,” “Downtown,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “Son of A Preacher Man,” and “Goldfinger” frame the journey of five women during the liberating days of the 1960s that made England swing!
Watch a video preview of Shout! The Mod Musical |
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| Speech and Debate |
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| American Theatre Company |
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Currently in its second extension at NY's Roundabout Theatre, this quick-witted and timely comedy tells the story of three misfits who team up to expose their teacher's online secrets while forming their high school's first Speech and Debate club. With a script by Columbinus co-writer Stephen Karam, Artistic Director PJ Paparelli makes his Chicago and ATC directorial debut with this hysterical yet touching tale of three teens' quest for fame and free speech.
Watch a video preview of Speech and Debate |
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| A Steady Rain |
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| Royal George Theatre |
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| A Steady Rain chronicles love and rage on the streets of Chicago as a domestic disturbance call sends two Chicago cops, friends since childhood, on a harrowing journey that will test their loyalties and change their lives forever. During a routine day, a pair of seasoned policemen, Denny and Joey, return a panic-stricken boy to his guardian. The two protagonists relate their shared story from very different perspectives, giving a picture of family in all its forms, along with the questionable moral choices made in its name. As their lifelong friendship is put to the ultimate test, both men must deal with honor and loyalty in the face of adversity. After a successful run at Chicago Dramatists the play moved to the current location of Royal George Theatre.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with Keith Huff, the playwright of A Steady Rain 
Stream or Download MP3
Watch a video preview of A Steady Rain |
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| Stones in His Pockets |
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| McAninch Arts Center |
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Marie Jones' award-winning comedy "Stones in His Pockets" tells the story of a Hollywood film being shot in rural Ireland, giving a witty look at hope in the face of despair.
Watch a video preview of Stones in His Pockets |
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| Sweet Charity |
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| Drury Lane- Oakbrook |
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| Sweet Charity tells the story of an optimistic, but unlucky-in-love young woman, Charity, who not only wears her heart on her sleeve, but also has it tattooed to her arm. After several experiences with the ups and downs of love, fate brings Charity together with another unexpected potential Mr. Right.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with Summer Smart, the star of Sweet Charity
Stream or Download MP3
Watch a video preview of Sweet Charity |
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| 10 Virgins |
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| Chicago Dramatists |
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Ten girls live alone in Wabansia swamp, depending on each other for protection and strength. But what lies outside of the mist-shrouded bog? When the oldest of the group goes searching for answers, she comes face-to-face with her family's past and a mysterious witch.
Watch a video preview of 10 Virgins |
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| Wicked |
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| Ford Oriental Theatre |
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Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years.
Watch a video preview of Wicked |
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| The Wizard Of Oz |
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| Drury Lane- Oakbrook |
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The Wizard Of Oz shares the story of young Dorothy Gale who lives in Kansas with her Aunty Em, Uncle Henry and her dog, Toto. When a tornado strikes her farm, Dorothy and Toto are transported over the rainbow and into the magical Land of Oz. There she meets a colorful assortment of Munchkins, the Good Witch Glinda, and the Wicked Witch of the West. As Dorothy sets out for the Emerald City in hopes of meeting the Wizard of Oz and finding her way back home, she is befriended by the Scarecrow who wants a brain, the Tinman who is looking for a heart, and the Cowardly Lion who is seeking courage.
Watch a video preview of The Wizard Of Oz |
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