Theater events: Paramount, Janus go for ha ha holiday shows

Seasonal sendup

Paramount Theatre invites theatergoers to let off some "seasonal steam" at "The Second City's Nut-Cracking Holiday Revue." Second City's touring ensemble skewers holiday-related traditions from awkward office parties to outrageous family gatherings in this adults-only show, which also features some seasonal improvisations. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at the Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. $36. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

Janus holiday show

Janus Theatre Company regulars unite to perform "That Holiday Show," an adult-themed sendup of all things seasonal. Tara Schuman directs the show, whose proceeds will help fund Janus' 2017 season. 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. $16. janusplays.com.

Lookingglass premiere

Lookingglass Theatre Company premieres "Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth," ensemble member Doug Hara's Neil Gaiman-inspired play about a pair of traveling storytellers. When the Big Bad Wolf dies mysteriously and characters begin disappearing from fairy stories, the couple spring into action to restore order before the famous tales are lost forever. Hara directs the show, which stars Samuel Taylor and Lindsey Noel Whiting as the titular couple. The production also features puppets by Blair Thomas and shadow animations from Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace and Julia Miller of Manual Cinema Studios. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 17. $35-$80. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.

Other theater events

• The Second City's "Twist Your Dickens" - a satirical take on Charles Dickens' beloved tale by "The Colbert Report" writers Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort - returns to The Goodman Theatre for the third year. Performances begin Friday, Dec. 2, and run through Dec. 30 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• The Neo-Futurists perform their favorite mini-plays from 2016's "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" the first two weekends in December. Performances are at 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3, and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, and the same times Dec. 9-11 at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. (773) 275-5255 or neofuturists.org.

• Tom Boi Theatricals and The Cuckoo's Theater Project team up for "A Nutcracker Burlesque" in which an adult Clara receives an odd gift from Herr Drosselmeyer containing a piece of candy that takes her on a hallucinogenic trip to the Land of Sweets. The adults-only performance is at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at the Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway Ave., Chicago. See uptownunderground.net.

• Barrel of Monkeys' holiday-themed "That's Weird, Grandma: The Holiday Special Returns " runs Sunday, Dec. 4, through Jan. 2 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. The show consists of student-penned stories about the holiday traditions, elves and gift exchanges adapted and performed by BOM company members. (773) 506-7140 or barrelofmonkeys.org.

• WildClaw Theatre Company hosts Deathscribe 2016, its ninth annual International Festival of Radio Horror Plays, at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The company chose five horror scripts from more than 100 submissions. Company members will perform the scripts accompanied by Foley artists and musicians. See wildclawtheatre.com.

• The North American tour of the Tony Award-winning drama "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," adapted by Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon's 2003 novel, begins performances Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. The play centers on 15-year-old Christopher, a bright young man on the autism spectrum, who tries to uncover the killer of his neighbor's dog. Performances run through Dec. 24. (800) 775-2000 or broadway inchicago.com or curiousbroadway.com.

• Previews begin Wednesday, Dec. 7, for Writers Theatre's world premiere of "The Hunter and the Bear," a play with music written and performed by PigPen Theatre Co. ("The Old Man and the Old Moon"). The play, which incorporates puppetry, centers around a hunter searching for his lost son, who uncovers an isolated woodland community whose members harbor secrets and confront supernatural threats. The play opens Dec. 14 at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

• Seven teens travel across the country in a Winnebago searching for a town in Canada that proposes to be "the last safe pocket of humanity" in "The Haven Place." A Red Orchid Theatre presents the world premiere of Levi Holloway's drama, which incorporates American Sign Language and features a deaf actress. Steven Wilson directs the play, which is performed by AROT's youth ensemble. Previews begin Thursday, Dec. 8, at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 11. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• Chicago Theater Works' contribution to holiday theater is the adults-only "The Comedy Roast of Mr. Scrooge," in which the characters from Charles Dickens' tale tell Ebenezer Scrooge what they really think of him. Performances begin Thursday, Dec. 8, at 1113 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (312) 391-0404 or chicagotheaterworks.com.

• The League of Chicago Theatres Theatre Thursdays series continues Thursday, Dec. 8, with Hell in a Handbag Productions' "The Rip Nelson Holiday Spectacular," about a newly sober, fading 1970s TV sitcom star who's offered a TV special following the death of his archrival Paul Lynde. The evening begins at 7 p.m. with a preshow reception at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago, followed by the performance and a post-show discussion. See chicagoplays.com.

• The Annoyance Theatre's holiday productions include its annual Christmas pageant consisting of family-friendly adaptations of the animated TV shows "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Performances take place at 8 p.m. Fridays through Dec. 16 and 3 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 18. Also at the Annoyance is the return of "It's Christmas (expletive)" an adults-only show about the dysfunctional James family whose members learn on Christmas Eve that their patriarch has been having an affair and an uncle has been accidentally murdered. The show runs at 10 p.m. Fridays from Dec. 9 to 23 and 8 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 17. The Annoyance is located at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Skokie's Northlight Theatre, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., has extended its world premiere of "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley," Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon's imagined sequel to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." Picking up two years after "Pride and Prejudice" ends, the play centers on bookish middle sister Mary, who finds independence and love during a visit to her sister Elizabeth's home. Performances run through Dec. 24. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.

• Citadel Theatre has added a 7 p.m. Dec. 11 performance of "A Christmas Story, The Musical" inspired by Bob Clark's beloved 1983 film about a young boy's efforts to convince his parents to buy him a BB gun for Christmas. Performances run through Dec. 18 at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. (847) 735-8554 or citadeltheatre.org.

• Porchlight Music Theatre announced the fourth extension of its hit revival of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes' musical "In the Heights," which chronicles the lives of people living in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood. Performances run though Dec. 31 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or porchlightmusictheatre.org.

• The revival of "Tony n' Tina's Wedding," the interactive dinner-theater comedy whose initial Chicago run lasted 16 years, has been extended. Performances of the wedding sendup will run through April 2017 at Resurrection Church, 3309 N. Seminary Ave., Chicago, and Chicago Theater Works, 1113 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. See tonylovestina.com.

• Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake recently received a donation from the energy company Enbridge Inc. to benefit the theater arts education and outreach programs for school-age children.

• Refuge Theatre Project announced its third season will begin Jan. 27 with a remount of the company's inaugural production of "High Fidelity: The Musical" based on the 2000 film about a record store owner's attempt to figure out why his romantic relationships fail. That's followed in summer 2017 with "Things to Ruin: The Songs of Joe Iconis," a tribute to the composer of the 2015 musical "Be More Chill." The season concludes in fall 2017 with a production of Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn's "Lysistrata Jones," a rock musical update of the Greek comedy in which women withhold sex to get their men to cease making war. Venue and ticket information will be available at a later date. See refugetheatre.com.

• Commedia Beauregard, the company responsible for the hugely popular "A Klingon Christmas Carol," announced it will close Dec. 31 after 17 years. Founded in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the company relocated to Chicago in 2000.

• The Chicago Shakespeare Theater's 2012 Q Brothers commission "Othello: The Remix," a hip-hop version of William Shakespeare's tragedy, opened off-Broadway last month to enthusiastic reviews.