| It's A Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! Nov 12 - Jan 2, 2021 |
|
|
American Blues Theater at
Stage 773
|
 |
| |
| Chicago's second-longest holiday play! For 19 years, the American Blues ensemble has treated Chicago audiences to a live 1940s radio broadcast of holiday favorite It's a Wonderful Life. The incredible cast recreates the entire town of Bedford Falls with Foley sound effects, an original score and holiday carols. The Bedford Falls "residents" extend their hospitality after every performance when audiences are treated to milk and cookies served by the cast. |
| |
| |
|
 |
| Elf, The Musical Nov 12 - Dec 20, 2020 |
|
|
Theatre At The Center
|
 |
| |
| Elf ,The Musical, with book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin with music by Matthew Sklar and Lyrics by Chad Begueline, is a hilarious and charming musical based on the 2003 movie. Raised by Santa's elves, Buddy the Elf is unaware he is actually human until his enormous size and poor toy-making ability makes it impossible to ignore. He embarks on a journey to New York City to find his father and discover his true identity. This modern day Christmas favorite will have both kids and adults lighting up with laughter, embracing their inner Elf, and rediscovering what it means to be a family. |
| |
| |
|
|
| You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Nov 18 - Dec 27, 2020 |
|
|
Citadel Theatre Company
|
 |
| |
| Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Mr. Dickens' Hat Nov 19 - Dec 27, 2020 |
|
|
Northlight Theatre
|
 |
| |
| In a cozy Victorian shop sits the hat of Charles Dickens, who once used it to carry water to the victims of a train wreck (that's true!). When a pair of bumbling thieves plots to steal it (that's imaginary!), young Kit sets out to foil their plan, save the hat, and free her father from debtors' prison. Filled with a host of colorful characters, constables, and carolers, this warm winter's tale with original music brings to life the universal lesson: "Beneath our hats, we are all the same." |
| |
| |
|
|
| Six Nov 24 - Mar 21, 2021 |
|
|
Broadway Playhouse
|
 |
| |
| 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. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Christmas Dearest Nov 27 - Dec 27, 2020 |
|
|
Hell in a Handbag Productions at
Stage 773
|
 |
| |
| T'was the night before Christmas and MGM's biggest star, Miss Joan Crawford, is filming the title role in "Oh Mary," a splashy new musical biography about The Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Poor Joan needs a drink. And a REWRITE! Jesus has all the best lines, the costumes aren't sexy at all, and the guy playing Joseph is a big clumsy oaf! If they will just do it Joan's way maybe she can salvage the picture. Join Handbag as Joan visits her shady past, her appalling present and her eye-popping future - in a tale of glamorous redemption set to music. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Christmas Dearest Nov 27 - Dec 27, 2020 |
|
|
Hell in a Handbag Productions at
Stage 773
|
 |
| |
| Handbag is getting to ready to deck the halls with all things JOAN. In this Handbag adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Joan Crawford (David Cerda) is starring in an MGM musical adaptation of the life of the Virgin Mary, 'Oh, Mary!', and she desperately needs a hit to revitalize her stalled career. Ever the perfectionist, she demands the same of those she works with including her daughter Christina. Joan's outlandish behavior even tests her loyal maid and secretary, Carol Ann (Ed Jones). After cancelling rehearsal and demanding the cast and crew work on Christmas Day, Joan is visited by three spirits (besides Smirnoff), and is forced to face herself! Christmas Dearest originally premiered in 2013 and turned into a Handbag favorite for those who prefer a little more in their stocking for the holidays. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Moulin Rouge! The Musical Dec 17 - Feb 21, 2021 |
|
|
Nederlander Theatre
|
 |
| |
| Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular...Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Mamma Mia! Dec 26 - Jan 3, 2021 |
|
|
Music Theater Works at
Cahn Auditorium
|
 |
| |
| Set on a remote Greek island, bride-to-be, Sophie, is on the quest to discover who of three men may be her father so he can walk her down the aisle. Add in an unsuspecting mother, her two best friends, and the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs, you will be propelled into this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship. The score features ABBA classics like "Dancing Queen", "Super Trouper", "Waterloo", and of course , "Mamma Mia!". This smash hit musical is sure to have you dancing in the aisles! |
| |
| |
|
|
| The Playboy of the Western World Jan 15 - Feb 28, 2021 |
|
|
City Lit Theater
|
 |
| |
| Christy Mahon comes into Flaherty's tavern on the west coast of Ireland and claims to have killed his father with a shovel. The locals are charmed by his boldness and daring, and he becomes a local hero--until the old man shows up. The play's world premiere triggered three nights of riots in Dublin, and fistfights in the aisles when it transferred to New York. City Lit's audience is much better behaved. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Fireflies Jan 21 - Feb 27, 2021 |
|
|
Northlight Theatre
|
|
| |
| The Civil Rights Movement has ignited the South, and the charismatic Rev. Charles Grace needs a new speech to galvanize the people. But it is Olivia, his pregnant wife, who writes those fiery speeches, and her tolerance for playing the supporting role to her husband is wearing thin. As the growing weight of secrets threatens her marriage, and a nation's hatred threatens her child's future, Olivia must rediscover the place that love has in her world. |
| |
| |
|
|
| The Humans Jan 28 - Feb 28, 2021 |
|
|
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at
McAninch Arts Center
|
 |
| |
| Breaking with tradition, Erik Blake brings his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter's lower Manhattan apartment. As darkness falls outside the dilapidated pre-war duplex, spooky things go bump in the night and the family's deepest fears and greatest idiosyncrasies become revealed. Part thriller and part kitchen-sink drama, this finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the 2016 Tony for Best Play creates what the Chicago Sun-Times calls a "delirious tragic-comedy." |
| |
| |
|
|
| Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery Jan 28 - Mar 13, 2021 |
|
|
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre
|
 |
| |
| The play's afoot! The award-winning comedic mastermind Ken Ludwig transforms Arthur Conan Doyle's classic The Hound of the Baskervilles into a murderously funny adventure. Equal parts comedy and thriller, the world's favorite detective, Sherlock Holmes, is on the case. The heirs of the Baskerville line are being eliminated one by one. To find their ingenious killer, Holmes and faithful companion Dr. Watson reluctantly travel to Devonshire where they are forced to brave its desolate moors. The duo must unravel a web of murky clues before this family curse dooms its newest heir. The investigators attempt to escape peril and deceit, as a small group of actors portrays over forty characters with wit, silly accents, and clever disguises. Join the fun and see how far from elementary the truth can be. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Alma Jan 29 - Mar 13, 2021 |
|
|
American Blues Theater at
Stage 773
|
|
| |
| Winner of 2019 Blue Ink Playwriting Award. Working mom Alma has single-handedly raised her daughter, Angel, on tough love, home-cooked comida, and lots of prayers. But on the eve of the all-important SAT, Alma discovers her daughter isn't at home studying. A sacrifice from Alma's past weighs heavy on their present; now, Alma fears her worst nightmare may soon be their reality. Will the American Dream cost them a life together? |
| |
| |
|
|
| Exit Strategy Jan 29 - Feb 28, 2021 |
|
|
Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph
|
 |
| |
| Tumbldn High School is your typical Chicago Public School: underfunded, understaffed, and underperforming. And at the end of the year, it will close. But it's home for its teachers and students, who decide to fight back to save their school. The vice principal leads the charge, but with tensions at a breaking point, his efforts may be too little-or too futile-to change Tumbldn's fate. The second story in Ike Holter's Rightlynd Saga, Exit Strategy is loaded with humor and overflowing with fury, asking what we owe to our communities. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Trouble in Mind Feb 3 - Mar 28, 2021 |
|
|
TimeLine Theatre Company
|
 |
| |
| On stage at a Broadway theater in New York City in the mid-1950s, a group of actors has gathered for their first day rehearsing a new play called Chaos in Belleville, an anti-lynching Southern drama. But as the cast rehearses, tensions flair between Wiletta, the Black actress in the starring role, and her white director about his interpretation of the play. The result is an explosive conversation about equality, power, and how race is portrayed in the American theatre. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912) Feb 4 - Mar 7, 2021 |
|
|
Court Theatre
|
 |
| |
| The sinking of the RMS Titanic has long been studied for its historical significance and unmistakable hubris. A survivors' story fraught with intrigue, Owen McCafferty's Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912) tells the story using verbatim testimonies from witnesses of the wreck. What emerges is a startling portrait of class, chaos, and moral ambiguity. Vanessa Stalling (Jeff Award-winning director of Photograph 51 and United Flight 232) brings her singular artistry to McCafferty's text. Leveraging audio technology, she and her team will create an expansive soundscape that allows the testimonies of each individual to resonate with audiences through a heightened, visceral experience that pushes the boundaries of design and theatrical performance. |
| |
| |
|
|
