Theater events: Agency remounts Chicago holiday dramedy “Hellcab”

• The Agency Theater remounts its production of Will Kern's classic Chicago holiday dramedy "Hellcab," about a cabdriver working a long shift on a brutally cold Christmas Eve. Previews begin Friday, Nov. 30, at The Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. Director Cordie Nelson's production opens Thursday, Dec. 6. Regina Linn stars. Performances are pay-what-you-can, with a suggested $20 donation. (773) 680-4596 or wearetheagency.org.

• Silk Road Rising and First United Methodist Church present "Christmas Mubarak," a celebration of the birth, life and the ascension of Jesus that pairs Muslim stories with Christmas music. Silk Road theater artists and First United Methodist choristers participate in the production, which runs Friday, Nov. 30, through Dec. 11 at the Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. (312) 857-1234 or silkroadrising.org.

• Performances begin at 11:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, for The Neo-Futurists' adults-only "Best of the Infinite Wrench 2018," a show comprised of the company's best short plays from 2018. Additionally, The Neo-Futurists celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special "best of" performance and party beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. (773) 878-4557 or neofuturists.org.

• Vero Voce Theater, 951 State Ave., St. Charles, presents "Seasonal Bows," comprised of six short, original plays about Christmas and other winter holidays. It opens Friday, Nov. 30, and runs weekends through Dec. 9. (63) 584-0139 or wtproductions2.weebly.com.

• Thompson Street Opera Company, in collaboration with Pride Films and Plays, stages the Chicago-area premiere of "When Adonis Calls," an opera by composer Clint Borzoni and librettist John De Los Santos about the evolving relationships between an accomplished writer and his young fan turned muse. Performances begin Friday, Nov. 30, at 4139 N. Broadway Ave., Chicago. The production stars Jonathan Wilson as the Poet and Nathan James Kistler as the Muse. See thompsonstreetopera.org.

• Returning for the eighth year to the Annoyance Theatre is the company's adults-only satire "It's Christmas (expletive)" about how a dysfunctional family, whose members are involved in extramarital affairs and an accidental murder, celebrates the holiday. The show opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Also at the Annoyance, Huggable Riot presents "Noel-O-L," comprised of sketches sending up holiday traditions. It runs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• Steppenwolf Theatre's Lookout Series continues Friday through Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, with "Scarecrow," a theater piece performed by the Chicago-based performance group Every house has a door. It takes place at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Yippee Productions, a new partnership between Drury Lane Theatre's Drew DeSantis, Jim Jensen (Drury Lane and Royal George theaters) and Mark Michelson, presents a revised version of "Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas: A Die Hard Musical Parody." Based on the 1988 action thriller starring Bruce Willis, the story centers on a grizzled NYPD cop Bruce McClane whose attempted Christmas Eve reconciliation with his estranged wife goes awry when her company is attacked by German terrorist Hans Olo forcing Bruce to save the day. Previews begin Saturday, Dec. 1, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by Tiffani Moore Swalley, opens Wednesday, Dec. 5. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com or yippeethemusical.com.

• Windy City Performs, home to Windy City Theatre Company, presents a weekend of benefit performances of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" featuring resident artists and teachers. Performances are at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at Eden Church, 5051 W. Gunnison St., Chicago, and at noon, 3 and 6 p.m. at 4766 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The company also hosts a fundraiser party from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at Eden Church. Tickets are $25 for the performance only and $40 for the Dec. 1 performance and after-party. See windycityperforms.org/support/fundraiser-2018.

• AstonRep Theatre Company presents its 10th Writers Series of three staged readings of new works by local writers. It takes place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Vagabond School of the Arts, 4001 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago. Featured writers include: Siena Marilyn Ledger, Jenny Seidelman and Levi Shrader. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. (773) 828-9129 or astonrep.com.

• 16th Street Theater invites theatergoers to its season kickoff party at its new home at 1529 S. Harlem Ave., Chicago. The celebration begins at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, and includes music, excerpts from upcoming productions, tours and a cash bar. See 16thstreettheater.org.

• In honor of its popular "Golden Girls" series, Hell in a Handbag Productions titled its annual benefit The Sophia Petrillo Italian Dinner & Talent Show. It takes place from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at the Ebenezer Lutheran Church 1650 W. Foster Ave., Chicago. The premise is the roommates are coordinating a fundraiser for Sophia's church, Our Lady of Eternal Guilt. Tickets are $75 in advance, $85 at the door, and include dinner. Proceeds benefit the company. (800) 838-3006 or handbagproductions.org.

• Truck driver turned comedian Rocky LaPorte hosts "An Evening with Rocky LaPorte and Friends Mike Preston and Brian Hicks" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3, at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Tickets are $30 and $35. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• WildClaw Theatre, a company specializing in horror and suspense theater, hosts DeathScribe HELLeven, the 11th Annual International Festival of Radio Horror Plays beginning at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3, at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Actors, musicians and sound effects artists will perform five new plays selected from more than 100 entries. The event is for theatergoers 18 and older. See wildclawtheatre.com.

• Performances begin Tuesday, Dec. 4, for the national tour of "The Play That Goes Wrong," a comedy by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields about a fictitious theater company whose opening-night performance of a murder-mystery turns out to be a disaster. The production opens Wednesday, Dec. 5, at The Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• "Stomp!" the exuberant, percussive dance phenom that began as a street performance, returns to Chicago on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Performances run through Dec. 30 at the Broadway Playhouse, Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Rock, blues and 1950s doo-wop provide the soundscape for Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," starring Broadway veteran T.R. Knight of "Grey's Anatomy" fame as Bottom, the aspiring actor transformed into a donkey by an angry faerie. The tale centers on lovestruck young couples who wander into an enchanted forest. Previews begin Thursday, Dec. 6, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. The show is directed by Joe Dowling. It opens Dec. 14. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Previews begin Thursday, Dec. 6, for Otherworld Theatre's premiere of "The Winter Wolf," Joseph Zettelmaier's fantasy about a young girl named Cora, whose grandfather tells her the story of the Winter Wolf, who stalks people in the winter of their lives. When the wolf comes for her beloved grandfather, Cora manages to trap it and embarks upon a journey through time. Shariba Rivers plays the titular role in the production, which opens Dec. 8 at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. See otherworldtheatre.org.

• The SAG/AFTRA Senior Radio Players present a double bill of radio classics at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., Chicago. In "John's Operation," from "The Bickersons" series, John Bickerson has an operation to stop his snoring. In a selection from The Easy Aces series, written and performed by Jane and Goodman Ace, Jane goes into the Christmas card business. Admission is free. See the ensemble's home page at facebook.com.

• Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, has extended its production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Performances run through Dec. 30. (847) 735-8554, ext. 1, or citadeltheatre.org.

• TUTA Theatre Chicago announced an extension of its U.S. premiere of Belorussian writer/artist Maxim Dosko's "Radio Culture," which chronicles a day in his life. Performances run through Dec. 16 at 4670 N. Manor Ave., Chicago. See tutatheatre.org.

• The Magic Parlour, showcasing the talent of magician and House Theatre of Chicago member Dennis Watkins, has added additional shows on Dec. 9, 16, 19, 21, 23 and 26 to accommodate holiday theatergoers. Performances take place at The Palmer House Hilton Hotel, 17 E. Monroe St., Chicago. (773) 769-3832 or themagicparlourchicago.com.