'Dysfunctional Holiday Revue' at Noble Fool
Overwhelmed by seasonal sweetness? Noble Fool (which re-christens itself Fox Valley Repertory next year) offers an antidote in “Dysfunctional Holiday Revue,” a Second City adults-only sendup.
Opens Friday, Dec. 10, and runs through Friday, Dec. 31, at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 584-6342 or noblefool.org.
‘Life' 1940s style
The Improv Playhouse stages Frank Capra's “It's a Wonderful Life” as a 1940s radio broadcast, complete with sound effects and era-specific commercials. Artistic director David Brian Stuart plays George Bailey in the production, which features Mount Prospect's Debbie Schreiner as Mary and Libertyville's Egon Schein as Mr. Potter and Clarence.
Friday, Dec. 10, to Sunday, Dec. 12, at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center, 2007 Civic Center Way, Round Lake Beach; Dec. 18 and 19 at the theater at 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.
Seasonal cheer
Two former soldiers turned song-and-dance men team up with singing sisters to perform a Christmas show at a failing Vermont inn owned by their former Army commander in “Irving Berlin's White Christmas,” inspired by the 1954 film musical starring Bing Crosby. Broadway in Chicago brings the touring production to the Bank of America Theatre for a three-week run.
The preview is Wednesday, Dec. 15. The show opens Thursday, Dec. 16, at 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.
What's new
• The Neo-Futurists marks their 22nd anniversary with a series of shows running Friday, Dec. 10, to Sunday, Dec. 19, featuring the best of its long-running, adults-only revue, “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind.” Performances are at the company's home at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. The Neo-Futurists host a New Year's Eve party with nonalcoholic beverages, hors d'oeuvres and a performance of “Too Much Light” beginning at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31. (773) 275-5255 or neofuturists.org.
• Speaking of The Neo-Futurists, ensemble members bring their long-running, adults-only comedy show “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” in which the company performs 30 plays in 60 minutes, to the Elgin Community College SecondSpace Theatre. Show time is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at the ECC Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. (847) 622-0300.
• The preview for On The Spot Theatre Company's “What Holds The Heart,” a collection of one-act plays and scenes chronicling relationships, is on Wednesday, Dec. 15, at 3933 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. The show opens Thursday, Dec. 16, and runs through Dec. 19. (773) 639-5316.
• Bohemian Theatre Ensemble serves up a holiday alternative with “Striking Twelve,” a cross between a rock concert and a musical by Rachel Sheinkin (who wrote “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) and the trio GrooveLily. The story unfolds on New Year's Eve and centers around a grumpy singleton who's inspired by a chance encounter with a light bulb salesgirl to revisit Hans Christian Andersen's “The Little Match Girl.” The show opens Thursday, Dec. 16, at the Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or bohotheatre.com.
• Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, has extended its holiday show “A Civil War Christmas,” by Paula Vogel, through Sunday, Dec. 26. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.
• Emerald City Theatre has added performances to its family-friendly musical “Pinkalicious,” about a girl who turns pink after eating too many cupcakes. Additional performances at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20; 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31; and 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 3, at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100 or emeraldcitytheatre.com.
• Lookingglass Theatre has extended once again its original production “Peter Pan (A Play),” adapted from J.M. Barrie by Amanda Dehnert, who also directs. Performances continue through Sunday, Jan. 23, at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.