Theater events: Get 'Holidazed' in Aurora courtesy of Second City

'Holidazed' in Aurora

The Second City National Touring Company returns to Aurora's intimate Copley Theatre with the "Holidazed and Confused Revue," a sendup of all things Christmas, from office partying to family gatherings to gift giving. The cast includes Pat Ivansek, Shantira Jackson, Dewayne Perkins, Emma Pope, Tanner Tananbaum and Kimberly Michelle Vaughn. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. $36. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

LOL's holiday fare

Laugh Out Loud in Schaumburg devotes Friday and Saturday nights in December to holiday-inspired shows that include improvised carols and seasonal games. The early show is family-friendly. The late show is for adults only. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Dec 4-26, at Streets of Woodfield, 601 N. Martingale Road, Schaumburg. $12, $19. (847) 240-0386 or laughoutloudtheater.com.

Holiday mystery

For the fifth year, Raven Theatre remounts its original production, "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose." Adapted by co-artistic director Michael Menendian and John Weagly from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tale, "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle," the story follows the detective's investigation into the disappearance of a priceless gem and its reappearance in a cooked holiday goose. Jeff Meyer stars as Sherlock and Darren Hill plays his compatriot Dr. Watson in director Rachel Edwards Harvith's production. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 11. $19, $24. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

Other theater events

• Francis Guinan reprises his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre and Second City production "Twist Your Dickens," a seasonal satire written by former "Colbert Report" writers Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort. Previews begin Friday, Dec. 4, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 10. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• On what is believed to be the eve of the apocalypse, Jules, a marine biology graduate student, and Jo, a journalism student, meet in an underground laboratory where Jo proceeds to seduce Jules in order to repopulate the earth in "Boom," by Peter Sinn Nachtries. Honest Theatre's production opens Friday, Dec. 4, at Collaboraction, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See honesttheatre.com.

• Gorilla Tango Theatre presents Robert Frosty Theatre Company's holiday alternative "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas," a satirical, sketch-comedy show combining "carnage and bad puns" running at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4-5, at 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or robertfrosty.com.

• Redtwist Theatre in association with Poetry Is Productions presents the world premiere of "Bernarda Alba and Her House," adapted and translated by Robert Eric Shoemaker from Federico Garcia Lorca's 1945 play "The House of Bernarda Alba." Shoemaker's adaptation centers on a Louisiana matriarch whose all-encompassing influence over her daughters is waning. The arrival of a single man into the family home exacerbates the contentious relationships. The show opens Saturday, Dec. 5, at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. (773) 728-7529 or redtwist.org.

• Idle Muse Theatre Company hosts its Athena Festival showcasing plays written and directed by women as a way of giving female theater artists a greater voice and wider representation in the city. Performances run Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4-5, at Jackalope Theatre Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave., Chicago. Featured works include Mora V. Harris' "Space Girl" about a 16-year-old alien and lesbian trying to fit in. Hallie Palladino's "Missed Connections" centers on an introverted grammarian who gets the courage to pursue love, and Barbara Lhota's "Girl Found" is about a girl who goes missing at 14 and turns up several years later with no memory of where she's been. (773) 340-9438 or idlemuse.org.

• Filament Theatre hosts its fourth annual holiday concert at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Filament's acting company and the Slap Happy Jazz Trio perform favorites from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" along with other holiday tunes. Tickets are $12 to $15. See filamenttheatre.org.

• Bailiwick Chicago theater artists perform songs from "The Wiz," "Wicked" and "The Wizard of Oz" during the company's Ease on Down concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $40, $20 for industry professionals. See bailiwick chicago.com.

• Singer/actress Angela Ingersoll brings her show "The 12 Dames of Christmas" to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, as part of its Artists Lounge Live Series showcasing musical theater artists in a concert setting. Ingersoll's show includes impressions of such iconic singers as Judy Garland, Eartha Kitt, Julie Andrews, Brenda Lee and others. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• The horror theater ensemble WildClaw Theatre Company presents "Deathscribe 2015," its eighth annual International Festival of Radio Horror Plays beginning at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, at Mayne Stage Theatre, 1328 W. Morse Ave., Chicago. Among the plays showcased is Axel Arth's "Too Many Teeth" about a tent revival physician who promises to kill all his patients' ills; Joseph Zettelmaier's "Earwigs," about two girls who discover their cabin is infested with vermin; and Tim Griffin's "Imaginary Friend" about bible-belt style retribution. Also featured is Travis Williams' "Back in Baby's Arms" about what happens to a couple who kidnap a baby unlike any other infant, and Eric Marlin's "Bad Things Happen Here" about two dogmen menacing two women. (773) 381-4554 or wildclawtheatre.com.

• Pride Films & Plays hosts Winter Memories: A Holiday Cabaret at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, at Twisted Vine, 3530 N. Clark St., Chicago. Tickets are $25. The company also hosts a fundraiser for its LezPlay program showcasing plays written and/or performed by women and featuring lesbian characters or themes at 7 p.m. Dec. 15, at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. (800) 737-0984 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Previews begin Wednesday, Dec. 9, for Akvavit Theatre's U.S. premiere of Okko Leo's "The Orchestra," about a has-been rock band reduced to playing weddings whose members get one final shot at fame. The show opens Dec. 11 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. See akvavittheatre.org.

• (re) discover theatre's holiday double-feature "Moot Pulk" and "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Menopause" runs through Dec. 23 at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. In "Moot Pulk," a music box ballerina creates a clown from her imagination. In "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Menopause," Maureen SanDiego combines original arrangements of holiday tunes with bawdy seasonal stories. See rediscovertheatre.com.

• Huggable Riot's adults-only sketch comedy revue "The Naughty List" - which takes "a warped look" at the trials of the season - runs Wednesdays through Dec. 30 at The Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Also at The Annoyance is "House Party 1923: Obsession," an immersive comedy about four lovers who confront infatuation and desire at a mysterious millionaire's house party. It begins previews Friday, Dec. 4. Scott Piebenga's autobiographical solo show, "Age Appropriate: Tales of an Adult Skateboarder," opens Tuesday, Dec. 8. "Ask Your Doctor," a new musical that sends up the pharmaceutical industry, runs Thursdays through Feb. 11. A new absurdist sketch comedy show combining music, dance, video and the German language and titled "Blaspheme: Zirkus der Sonne" runs Thursdays through Jan. 21. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Red Theater and Oracle Productions have extended their co-production "R & J: The Vineyard," an adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" performed in American Sign and spoken word. The show's second extension runs Jan. 22 through Feb. 26 at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.

• The Second City reported it raised more than $200,000 for needy Chicago families resulting from its 24-hour marathon performance showcase. Donations will be accepted through Dec. 24 at letterstosantachicago.com.