In a world obsessed with beauty and power, what happens when someone is given the chance to remain perfect-forever? This modern interpretation dives headfirst into vanity, desire, and the danger of refusing to age, illuminating the darkest corners of our obsession with self-image and fame. DORIAN fuses gothic horror, biting satire, and cabaret flair into an unforgettable night of theater.

Share silliness this holiday season with Rudolph Runs Wild... a jolly extravaganza for kids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and reindeer of all ages! Featuring a fun and festive blend of family-friendly songs and sketches from The Second City's rich comedy archives, fresh new material written specifically for young audiences, and - of course - the ridiculous improv hijinks The Second City is world famous for. Brighten your winter with this one-of-a-kind interactive theatrical experience offering audience members, young and old, the chance to enjoy the comedy fun both from their seats and by joining The Second City performers onstage! Make hilarious holiday memories with The Second City's Rudolph Runs Wild...

Come dashing through the snow to the best elfing holiday experience this side of the North Pole! Explore a winter wonderland with eight immersive installations in search of Santa's vintage speakeasy (shh, don't tell Mrs Claus). Along the way, you'll find everything from naughty gingerbread girls and rugged lumberjacks to living snow globes. Then, once you stumble into Santa's speakeasy, enjoy Christmas cocktails, delicious food and a live band. The night concludes with an eye-popping variety show with a mix of ballet, burlesque and unique, jaw-dropping acts in which all of Santa's wildest secrets are revealed! You'll be laughing, singing along, and getting your buzz on.

Frog and Toad share seasons of adventures in a jazzy, upbeat, Tony-nominated musical. Get ready for some hopping good holiday fun when Arnold Lobel's beloved amphibians jump from page to stage in a family holiday show the NY Times called "bright, bouncy and altogether lovable!" Whether baking cookies, planting a garden, flying kites or celebrating the holidays in style, Frog and Toad discover that life is more fun when it's shared with a friend!

TRUNK by Riley Samuel Merritt is an interactive one-man show that narrates the trials of a young artist navigating his imminent demise. Presenting poetry, music, and years of cumulative writing, Merritt grapples with the nebulous nature of ambition, love, and identity through the eyes of a flawed everyman.

THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER - nine decades long in just one 75-minute act - showcases the lives of several generations of the Bayard family. Wilder breaks the boundaries of time as we measure it, and invites us to partake in "one long, happy Christmas dinner" - past, present and future. As generations appear, have children, wither, and depart, only the audience sees what changes and what remains the same. Join TUTA for this lively and musical holiday production, and reflect on life, death, and the family traditions we celebrate and endure with TUTA's ensemble.

ELF THE MUSICAL, inspired by the hit film, is the hilarious and heartwarming tale of Buddy, a young orphan child whose life is changed forever when he mistakenly crawls into Santa's sack of toys one Christmas Eve. When he discovers he is human, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and, in turn, helps the Big Apple rediscover the true meaning of Christmas. This all-new tour, based on the acclaimed 2024 Broadway production, was hailed by The New York Times, which said, "The show has CRACKED THE CODE OF ALL-AGES COMEDY, the kind that will leave children and grown-ups equally helpless with laughter," and celebrated in The New Yorker, "It's enough to MAKE YOU BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS." This modern-day holiday classic, says The Daily Beast, "is a gift for kids and adults, and a very 'sparklejollytwinklejingley' night out!"

In SIX, the queens of Henry VIII take the mic to reclaim their identities out of the shadow of their infamous spouse-remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of twenty-first-century girl power. The all-woman cast, backed by an all-woman band known as the "Ladies in Waiting," traverses the spectrum of modern-day pop with a soundtrack that has stormed up the UK charts.

It's almost Christmas, and Santa's list is missing! Join Mrs. Claus and the Elf Class of 2025 as they try to find it in time to save Christmas. Who stole the list? How will they get it back? Will Mrs. Claus save the day? Chicago Kids Company's biggest and most colorful show will put you in the Holiday Spirit in no time!

Though best known today for his supposed rivalry with Mozart, Antonio Salieri was a prolific and successful composer in his own right. COT honors the 200th Anniversary of Salieri's death in 1825 with the Chicago premiere of his sparkling comedy, Falstaff, ossia Le tre burle (Falstaff, or The Three Tricks). Librettist Carlo Prospero Defranceschi based his work on the charming anti-hero, Sir John Falstaff, from multiple Shakespeare plays. Premiered in 1799 and inspired by the plot of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff follows the misadventures of the arrogant and bumbling knight as he schemes to seduce two married women - only to be hilariously outwitted by their clever tricks. This comedic tale of human folly, deception, and the triumph of wit over arrogance remains as fresh and funny as ever.

Prepare to be captivated by the incomparable John C. Reilly in Mister Romantic, a vaudeville show that has already garnered critical acclaim and captured the public’s imagination. Backed by a cracker jack band of multi Grammy winners Davíd Garza, Charles De Castro, David Piltch and Gabe Witcher, the New York Times calls the show "wryly funny, sometimes tender and sad, but always sincere" and Vanity Fair describes it as “fiercely funny” and says "John C. Reilly is one hell of a singer." Mister Romantic asks you to open your heart to the love all around you and marks a new chapter in Reilly’s acclaimed career.

1941. In Occupied Paris, Pablo Picasso is summoned to a storage vault by a brilliant Nazi "cultural attache" to confirm the authenticity of three "confiscated" Picasso paintings before they are exhibited. But when he discovers the true purpose of the exhibition, a cat-and-mouse negotiation ensues - with life and death stakes. Art, politics, sex, power and truth collide in this fast-paced, witty drama with echoes of our world today. Does Picasso have the power to save his paintings - and himself?

The all-star cast of Airotic Soiree is back in Chicago this December with a brand-new holiday spectacular: Naughty Noel. Sip on festive cocktails, choose from the restaurant's exceptional menu, and surrender to the season's most seductive celebration, where world-class acrobats, dazzling dancers, and sensual spirits take you on a holiday adventure filled with daring stunts, mesmerizing beauty, and a hint of mischief.

Witness the magical 1893 Chicago World's Fair with young Marie and her Nutcracker Prince in two-time Tony Award winning choreographer Wheeldon's holiday masterpiece. It's a celebratory Christmas Eve, and thanks to a surprise visit from the enchanting Great Impresario, Marie embarks on a spellbinding adventure into a realm of spectacle and wonder. Experience our holiday magic in this must-see tradition boldly reimagined for a new generation.

Salt Creek Ballet's The Nutcracker marches back onto the North Shore Center stage with an affordable full-length holiday production performed in the grand tradition by a professional company with exceptional guest soloists! For a holiday production that first delighted audiences way back in 1892, Salt Creek Ballet's The Nutcracker demonstrates how to make this historic ballet and holiday tradition just as accessible and relevant today. The Nutcracker is the perfect way to introduce young children to the power and beauty of classical dance.

Now over 200 years old, Charles Dickens finds himself once again booked to perform his overly familiar Christmas tale just as he has every December since 1853. Dickens, however, has other ideas. Perhaps he'll get his wish of simply hosting a festive holiday party. Or, perhaps, the Spirits of Christmas might intervene to give him what he really needs: a chance to rediscover the beauty in his work - and the joy of sharing it with an audience - one more time.

That's Weird, Grandma features adaptations of stories written during PML's creative writing residencies in Chicago elementary schools. PML's ensemble of professional actors, comedians and musicians bring the young authors' stories to life as raucous sketches, songs and movement pieces, performing first for students in their schools and then for the public. These stories - from hilarious dialogues between unlikely characters to poignant pleas for social change, along with holiday-inspired stories - resonate with adults while celebrating the imaginations of young people.