Theater events: Olympic scandal 'Tonya and Nancy' comes to the stage

Tonya & Nancy redux

Underscore Theatre Company revisits an Olympic scandal involving skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan in "Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera." Set during the months before 1994's Winter Olympics, the musical by writer/lyricist Elizabeth Searle and composer Michael Teoli examines the rivalry between blue-collar Tonya and affluent Nancy and the lengths Tonya's husband will go to ensure his wife's shot at figure skating gold. Amanda Horvath and Courtney Mack play the rival divas. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Tuesday, Nov. 29. $10, $25. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org.

'Wonderful life'

The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre presents "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play," adapted from the Frank Capra film as a 1940s radio broadcast complete with Foley effects. Kevin Wiczer directs the classic tale of the upstanding, ever-loyal George Bailey, who sacrifices his dreams for those he loves and then wonders if it was worth it. On Christmas Eve, a guardian angel offers him a glimpse of how his loved ones would have fared had he never been born. Opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $15, $30. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

Seasonal sendup

Steel Beam Theatre celebrates the season with "The Ultimate Christmas Carol, by E. Scrooge, Esq. As Told to C. Dickens." A contemporary comedic take on a holiday favorite, the show features song parodies by Douglas Orlyk. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. $23-$28. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

Other theater events

• For eight years, Mitchell Fain played Crumpet the Elf in Theater Wit's production of David Sedaris' "The Santaland Diaries." This year, Fain takes the stage to recount his experiences in his solo show, "This Way Outta Santaland (and other Christmas miracles)." Previews begin Friday, Nov. 25, at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 3. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org.

• Vicki Quade, co-creator of "Late Nite Catechism," returns with the interactive comedy "Christmas Bingo: It's a Ho-Ho-Holy Night," in which audience members play bingo while answering questions about Christmas traditions. Performances begin Friday, Nov. 25, at the Royal George Theater, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.

• Previews begin Friday, Nov. 25, for "The Rosenkranz Mysteries," a magic show created by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine professor Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, who has long incorporated illusions in his lectures. The show opens Dec. 4 at the Royal George Theatre Cabaret, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.

• Williams Street Repertory offers tips on navigating the holidays with "A Christmas Survival Guide," a revue by James Hindman and Ray Roderick that celebrates and satirizes the most wonderful time of the year. The show features tunes like "Everybody's Waitin' for the Man With the Bag" and "Reindeer Boogie." It opens Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. (815) 356-9212 or wsrep.org.

• ShawChicago's season-long examination of comically dysfunctional families continues with "Jeeves Intervenes," Margaret Raether's adaptation of P.G. Wodehouse's stories about hapless aristocrat Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, his ingenious manservant who routinely extricates him from assorted quandaries. In this case, Bertie tries to wiggle out of a marriage his imperious aunt has arranged for him. Performances begin Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 587-7390 or shawchicago.org.

• Broadway and Chicago theater veteran Gene Weygandt stars in "Uncle Philip's Coat," the latest in the Greenhouse Theater Center's Solo Celebration! series. Matty Selman's one-man show is about a young actor who inherits his recently deceased uncle's coat, which sparks self-discovery. Previews begin Sunday, Nov. 27, at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 2. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• Performances begin Wednesday, Nov. 30, for Metropolis Performing Arts Centre's new adaptation of "A Christmas Carol," about a miser who's visited by three ghosts who demonstrate to him the meaning of the season. Performances run through Dec. 22 at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Andrew Pond, who adapted the tale, plays Scrooge and Cole Simon plays Bob Cratchit. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• "The Christmas Schooner" sets sale for its sixth year at Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 30. Set during the early 20th century, the musical by Julie Shannon and John Reeger is inspired by the true story of the ship that transported trees from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Chicago's German immigrants for their holiday celebrations. L. Walter directs the show, which runs through Dec. 31. (773) 325-1700 or mercurytheaterchicago.com.

• The Other Theatre Company remounts "Barney the Elf," an adults-only parody of "Elf" in which Santa's wicked son takes over the North Pole forcing Barney to set off for the big city. Previews of the musical with "a queer twist" begin Wednesday, Nov. 30, at The Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Dec. 1. See theothertheatrecompany.com.

• ComedySportz Theater Chicago opens its show "Home for Hanukkah With Bubbe" at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 929 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 549-8080 or cszchicago.com.

• After 20 years, the pastor of a megachurch begins preaching a new way to salvation, which causes a schism among his flock, in "The Christians" by Lucas Hnath. Steppenwolf Theatre's Chicago premiere begins previews Thursday, Dec. 1, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Ensemble member K. Todd Freeman directs the production, which features ensemble members Tom Irwin and Robert Breuler and a choir under the direction of Jaret London. The show opens Dec. 10. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Silk Road Rising presents the world premiere "Christmas at Christine's," its first holiday show written and performed by actor/writer Christine Bunuan who shares her holiday experiences as a Filipino-American. Performances of the cabaret-style show begin Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. (312) 857-1234, ext. 201, or silkroadchristmas.org.

• Midsommer Flight remounts its 2015 production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," a comedy about love, deception, misunderstanding and disguise in which a woman disguised as a man falls in love with a duke who is in love with a countess who falls for the woman who is disguised as a man. Free performances run Thursday, Dec. 1, through Dec. 18 at the Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2391 N. Stockton Drive, Chicago. midsommerflight.com.

• Hobo Junction Productions, Right Brian Project, Stage 773 and several other Chicago theater companies collaborate on Stage 773's adults-only One Act Festival: Yuletide Genocide. The companies will put a "naughty and not so nice" spin on some familiar tales. They include "Oh Gawd," which picks up where "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" left off, and "It's a Holiday, Charlie Braun," in which the titular character tries to balance the Left's push for inclusiveness and the Right's desire to save Christmas. Performances begin Thursday, Dec. 1, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• Oneofus brings its explicit, adults-only adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" to the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, for two weekends. The adaptation incorporates music, dance, puppetry and nudity and tells a tale of dominance and submission. Oneofus is an ensemble founded by burlesque performer Julie Atlas Muz and her husband, British actor Mat Fraser ("American Horror Story: Freak Show"), who was born with phocomelia, which causes malformed limbs. Performances run Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 1-4, and Dec. 8-11. (312) 280-2660 or mcachicago.org.

• VAMP Chicago debuts a seasonal version of its adults-only, improvised drinking show. "Unwrapped: A Holiday Drinking Show" runs Thursday, Dec. 1, through Jan. 12 at MCL Chicago, 3110 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago. See vampchicago.com.

• Performances continue through Jan. 5, 2017, for The Annoyance Theatre's "Purity the Musical," an adults-only musical about a devout Christian named Isabel who tries to figure out if losing your virginity before marriage makes you a "broken garbage woman." The Annoyance is located at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Irish Theatre of Chicago opens its 2016-17 season Dec. 15 with "The Weir," Conor McPherson's ghost tale about the locals at a small tavern in Ireland who try to impress a female newcomer with stories of the supernatural. That's followed on Feb. 9 by The New Irish Voices Festival consisting of staged readings of three new plays by Irish playwrights. The season concludes with the Midwest premiere of "Little Thing, Big Thing" (May 17-June 25), Donal O'Kelly's two-hander caper comedy involving a nun, an ex-convict and a stolen Virgin Mary statue. "The Weir" and "Little Thing, Big Thing" take place at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The New Irish Voices Festival takes place at Chief O'Neill's Pub & Restaurant, 3471 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. (773) 878-3727 or irishtheatreofchicago.org.