White Rooster is a darkly funny tale of love, loss and the strange things we inherit. After a family tragedy, Min is pulled into a world of restless spirits, old curses and mysterious traditions. Her fiancé won’t stay dead, her sister won’t stay buried and a rooster won’t be ignored. Blending spooky folklore with offbeat humor, White Rooster is a haunting tale of grief, family and the messiness of moving on.

Candlelight: Featuring Mozart, Bach, and Timeless Composers is an immersive classical concert that pairs the warmth of candlelight with live chamber music, as a string quartet performs a curated journey through some of Western music’s most beloved works—from Baroque brilliance to Romantic drama and luminous Impressionist favorites. The program spotlights instantly recognizable passages like selections from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 and Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik and the achingly beautiful “Lacrimosa” from his Requiem, then builds to the iconic drive of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, the sweeping emotion of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, and the dreamy shimmer of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” rounded out with a vibrant movement from Ravel’s String Quartet—a timeless setlist designed to feel both elegant and deeply moving in an intimate, candlelit atmosphere.

Escape into the glitz and glamour of ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’, the (fictitious) 1928 musical comedy brought to life in Theo’s intimate cabaret space. As a die-hard musical fan drops the needle on his favorite cast album, the show bursts into hilarious chaos—complete with showgirls, gangsters, mistaken identities, and one very tipsy chaperone.

Originally premiering at Black Ensemble Theater in 2000, this outstanding production began a highly successful national tour in 2002, including a record-breaking run at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York. In 2012, The Jackie Wilson Story made history once again by opening the new Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center.

Award-winning performer, charming socialite, and cocktail enthusiast Lucy Darling continues her vivacious vagabond voyages with You’re Welcome — a touring variety show featuring her razor-sharp wit, unquestionable advice, skillful magic, and delightful friends.

Candlelight: Tribute to TOOL brings the band’s dark, hypnotic catalog into an intimate, candlelit setting, where the music is reimagined in rich, cinematic arrangements for strings for a powerful, multi-sensory concert experience. Performed by the Metropolis String Quartet, the program highlights fan-favorite tracks like “Vicarious,” “Stinkfist,” “Forty Six & 2,” “Schism,” “Sober,” “Disposition,” “The Pot,” and “Pneuma,” letting TOOL’s shifting rhythms, tension-and-release builds, and haunting melodies unfold with fresh nuance—at once atmospheric, intense, and unexpectedly elegant.

Max Amini is a world-renowned comedian, producer, director, and podcaster who has redefined stand-up comedy in the digital age. As the founder and CEO of Abstraction Media, he has built a comedy empire from the ground up. With over 25.7 million followers and 5.8 billion views in 2025 alone, he is currently the most-watched comedian on Instagram globally. His YouTube channel ranks as the #1 fastest-growing comedy channel in the US, with audiences tuning in from every country in the world.

In this original dark comedy, 36-year-old actress Nina Sallinen, portrays a 90 year-old Grande Dame (also named Nina Sallinen) of the Scandinavian Theater. The old actress has brazenly chosen Shakespeare’s King Lear as the material for her final artistic farewell performance. She has a special interest in the theme as she believes her own two daughters to be just as greedy and neglectful as King Lear’s. The performance, which she stages in her own apartment, unintentionally highlights the artist’s own life story, as she gradually becomes cognizant of the deeper parallels between her life and that of King Lear’s. Instead of shaking up her own daughters with her performance, the old diva shakes up herself. Her priorities and past choices come into question.

Fully Committed is a fast-paced, hilarious one-person comedy that takes audiences behind the scenes of New York's hottest restaurant. One actor brings to life nearly 40 characters-from desperate celebrities and ruthless socialites to frazzled staff and at the center of it all, one very overworked reservationist. It's a razor-sharp satire of status, ambition, and customer service madness. This is the first time FULLY COMMITTED has been seen in Chicago in more than 25 years.

In this Original TATL adaptation by Michael Dalberg (Grimm, The Blood Countess, The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde) Cyrano cannot share her love to the multi-courted Roxanne. Thus, she speaks her truth through dim witted Christian, Roxanne's true desire. In a romantically comical retelling of the classic, body image, self-doubt and misogyny are central themes. With some food fights along the way you'll see that sometimes love is right in front of your nose!

In London. It's plague time again. When a wealthy gentleman flees to the country, his trusted servant opens his house to a pair of con artists and sets up a den of criminal capitalism. Claiming alchemical powers, the quick-witted trio swindle an array of greedy neighbors with their unique ability to improvise as things quickly spin out of control. A contemporary comedy about the past, this satire for our current situation will be the first production at the New Elgin Art Showcase.

Meet Cio-Cio-San - known as Madama Butterfly - a faithful but doomed geisha in love with B.F. Pinkerton. Everyone but Butterfly knows the Navy lieutenant will break her heart and ruin her life. Opera newcomers will be swept away by the familiar melodies, gorgeous costuming, and colorful sets - and seasoned opera fans will thrill at this beautiful, thoughtful production from Lyric Opera's own Matthew Ozawa that brings new dimension to an age-old story. Conducted by Domingo Hindoyan and starring Karah Son, one of the leading interpreters of Butterfly in our time, Puccini's soaring and often heartbreaking melodies unite with captivating stagecraft for a singular experience.

Peppa Pig, along with Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig, George and new baby sister Evie, are coming to SKOKIE for PEPPA PIG: MY FIRST CONCERT - a fun, interactive introduction to a live orchestra for ages 18 months and older. Join Peppa and George to learn all about the different sounds that instruments make together! Enjoy some of your favorite music from the show played by a live orchestra and discover some other exciting orchestral pieces perfect for children. Plus, some little piggies can join Peppa and her family to make music of their own!

Get into the good vibes as Broadway's Michael Mahler celebrates pop music's premier poet, Paul Simon. In a virtuosic performance, award-winning composer/lyricist and actor Mahler (Broadway's MISS SAIGON, DIARY OFA WIMPY KID) leads a folk-rock fantasia, exploring Simon's musical masterpieces and famous relationships with harmony, humor, and heart. Featuring a sublime band, hit songs include "The Sound of Silence," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," "Late in the Evening," "You Can Call Me Al," and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard."

Part philosophical farce, part surreal fever dream—Witkiewicz’s The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview is a razor-sharp satire of art under pressure. In a world where creativity is consumed by control and individuality is crushed beneath the weight of conformity, an artist spirals into crisis—torn between integrity and survival, freedom and obedience. Witkiewicz exposes the seductive dance between artist and authority, where every act of creation risks becoming an act of submission. Decades ahead of its time, this anarchic comedy lays bare the modern artist’s impossible choice: stay true to your vision, or surrender it for comfort and applause.

On the Day of the Dead, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo crosses over from the underworld for 24 short hours with Diego Rivera, who remains in the living world, alone and grieving her loss. Lyric Opera of Chicago presents El último sueño de Frida y Diego, which had its critically acclaimed world premiere in 2022 and brings the legendary marriage — and revolutionary art — of Frida and Diego to the stage with vivid colors, surrealist touches, and lush, evocative music sung in Spanish and inspired by Mexican folk music traditions.

Candlelight: Anime Soundtracks brings a glowing, multi-sensory concert experience to life as the Metropolis String Quartet performs iconic themes from beloved anime by candlelight, transforming familiar melodies into rich, cinematic string arrangements that move from adrenaline and drama to tenderness and nostalgia. The program draws from major hits across genres and eras—featuring music from Demon Slayer (“Gurenge”), Jujutsu Kaisen (“Kaikai Kitan”), BEASTARS (“Monster”), Detective Conan (the “Case Closed Theme”), ONE PIECE (“New Genesis” and “The Peak”), Yuri!!! On Ice (“In Regards to Love – Eros”), and Neon Genesis Evangelion (“A Cruel Angel’s Thesis”), alongside lyrical selections tied to celebrated animated films such as Your Name. (“Sparkle”) and multiple Studio Ghibli favorites—creating a fan-forward night that’s as transporting for longtime anime lovers as it is welcoming for newcomers who simply want to hear stunning themes played live.