Murder in the Cathedral dramatizes the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Becket at the hands of knights loyal to Henry II in 1170. Eliot wrote it on commission to be performed in the sanctuary at Canterbury Cathedral, the room where Becket was murdered; his depiction of the killing draws from the eye-witness account of Edward Grim, a monk who was wounded trying to protect the Archbishop. City Lit’s production will be staged in the sanctuary of Edgewater Presbyterian Church.

Meredith Willson's six-time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy is a family-friendly story to be shared with every generation. Follow fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a band that he vows to organize - despite the fact that he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian. By turns wicked, funny, warm, romantic and touching, THE MUSIC MAN is family entertainment at its best.

Olwen Wymark's splendid dramatization of Zola's Nana is a story of sexual and financial greed in nineteenth-century Parisian society, depicting the rise and tragic downfall of a young courtesan.

Cabaret entertainer, Jefferey Cooke returns to the Venus Cabaret Theater with his new offering: "Objects in the Mirror...", a thoughtful and mostly hilarious look at how our past life experiences create our present-day reality. "Objects in the Mirror..." is not a walk down 'memory lane', but rather a nod and a wink to how we became who we are in the first place. Our past isn't gone, it's always right behind us... closer, and sometimes more hilarious, embarrassing and heartbreaking than we think.

Step into a dimension of kaleidoscopic hilarity with The Second City e.t.c's 47th Revue Oh, The Places You'll Glow! Our incandescent ensemble leads the journey through a luminous wonderland of wit and satire where they weigh the politics of a one-night stand, explore an unconventional school for troubled youth, and find out who REALLY runs hell. A laugh riot spectacle of sound and fury resplendent with color; Oh, The Places You'll Glow! is sure to illuminate your heart.

Panther in the Sky is a new play about four mothers who lost their teenage sons to gun violence on the streets of Chicago and the sons who watch over them, guiding them to take action.

Prepare for an elegant evening of rarely seen magic and illusion. Internationally regarded illusionist and award-winning physician Ricardo Rosenkranz, invites us into his study so that he may share the magical performances he so dearly loves. Along the way we learn about his connection between medicine and magic witnessing mysteries that might unlock the mind and warm the heart.

It's 1979 in dangerous, smoky, glorious New York City. Our story's red-headed protagonist Li'l Orphan Arnie (Dakota Hughes) is fleeing from the guardianship of a sex-starved, meth-cooking madwoman (Sydney Genco*). Out on the streets, they befriend a slinky dancing cat (Matty Bettencourt), who leads them to a magical manhole, transporting them back in time to Paris, France in 1815. Trading in one poverty-plagued lifestyle for another, Arnie gives up the desire to find their parents and joins forces with a gang of pick-pocketing prostitutes, led by the mysterious Fagin (David Cerda*).

At Peter and Rita’s wedding, a mysterious old man insists on kissing the bride. While honeymooning, Peter gradually realizes that the woman by his side is not his wife. The wedding kiss caused Rita’s soul and the Old Man’s to change places. Peter must track down the old man and free his young love’s spirit trapped in an aging and diseased body before it’s too late.

For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home to Illinois with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black radicalism. Rowdy, hilarious and filled with intrigue, Purpose is an epic family drama - a long-awaited world premiere from one of the country's most celebrated voices.

Climb up into the whimsical world of "Rooted" by Deborah Zoe Laufer for its Chicago premiere. When a treehouse dwelling plant enthusiast becomes an overnight viral internet sensation, she's challenged to expand her world beyond her leafy-green friends. A quirky, offbeat comedy, Rooted, delves into the power of nature and the idiosyncrasies of human beings.

In a distant future, the United States has undergone sweeping reform: guns are banned, healthcare is free and numerous tax and economic bills have helped lessen the division of classes and pulled millions out of poverty. Sloane is a young woman who has been tapped by a watchdog intelligence agency called the CRC, led by the odd, yet charming William Hale. As Sloane triumphantly, and a little drunkenly, leaves a warehouse after signing her contract, she is stopped by a mysterious woman who says she has come back in time to stop Sloane from making the biggest mistake of her life.

Since its sell out in London's West End, 'The Simon & Garfunkel Story' is now the World's leading theatre show concerning Simon & Garfunkel featuring a full live band and state of the art video projection and lighting. The show includes all of their hits, including 'Mrs. Robinson', 'Cecilia', 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'Homeward Bound' and many more. With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel's perfect harmonies and songs that poignantly captured the times made them one of the most successful folk-rock duos of all time. Over the years, they won 10 Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1977, their Bridge Over Troubled Water album was nominated at the 1977 Brit Awards for Best International Album. In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the following year saw their "The Sound of Silence" awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Enter a realm where reality and dreams converge; an experience unlike any other! Teatro ZinZanni is a whirlwind of international cirque, comedy and cabaret served with a multi-course feast. Described as the "Kit Kat Klub on acid," the fast-paced action unfolds around, above and alongside you as world-class acrobats, musicians, divas, illusionists, madmen and aerialists fill the intimate Spiegeltent ZaZou, a unique jewel box mirror tent. Teatro ZinZanni's signature blend of Love, Chaos & Dinner has played to sold out audiences in Seattle and San Francisco, and now comes to Chicago's Cambria Hotel with its "feast for the senses." (The New York Times)

Four (very) well-intentioned theatre people walk into an elementary school. The work at hand: a Thanksgiving pageant that won't ruffle any feathers. What could possibly go wrong? In MacArthur Genius Larissa Fasthorse's skewering and satirical comedy, well, just about everything. Rambunctious, thorny and not altogether politically correct, The Thanksgiving Play serves up the hypocrisies of woke America on a big, family-style platter. Come get ya some.

What would a Senior in High School born in 2006 know about the music of the 80's? Derrick Taylor knows absolutely nothing about that decade of music but he is about to find out when his music teacher challenges him to research the music of the 80's and compare it to the musical culture of today. Derrick is forced to go to his eccentric inventor Uncle Mike to help him discover what he calls 'old folks music.' However, with artists like Prince, Sheila E, Madonna, Keith Sweat and many, many more, He quickly learns that the music of the 80's was and is phenomenal. Join Derrick as he enters the portal to the past and discovers what great music is all about!

Fun, intimate, sometimes outrageous, and always hilarious!