Theater events: Adult holiday fare opens this week on Chicago-area stages

Posted December 14, 2018 9:30 am

Nancy Hays, left, plays Judy Garland and Alexa Castelvecchi plays Liza Minnelli in "Once in a Lifetime: Judy and Liza" Sunday at Club Arcada in St. Charles. Courtesy of Tyler Core

• Previews begin Friday, Dec. 14, for Pride Films and Plays' fourth production of "Barney the Elf," an adults-only tweaking of a holiday tale. Morale at the North Pole crumbles after Santa's wicked son takes over, forcing Barney to leave home. He winds up in a Chicago drag bar but finds he can't really abandon Christmas entirely. The musical by Bryan Renaud and Emily Schmidt opens Sunday, Dec. 16, at 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Santa attempts to reclaim Christmas from seasonal impostors in Factory Theater's new holiday offering, "The Xmas War: A Christmas Play." The production runs at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14 and 21, and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 and 22, at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. See thefactorytheater.com.

• Singer/actors Nancy Hays and Alexa Castelvecchi channel Judy Garland and daughter Liza Minnelli in their show "Once in a Lifetime: Judy and Liza," a re-creation of the duo's 1964 London Palladium concert. Hays (Garland) and Castelvecchi (Minnelli) perform along with music director Robert Ollis at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at Club Arcada, the speak-easy located in the Arcada Theatre at 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 962-7000 or clubarcada.com or judylizatribute.com.

• Buffalo Theatre Ensemble hosts a Give Stories Life fundraiser from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. The event - which celebrates longtime BTE supporter Donald G. Westlake, former senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory - includes light refreshments, beverages and a ceremonial ribbon cutting marking BTE's inaugural year with the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce. Guests will also get a backstage tour and look at the in-progress set for BTE's upcoming production of John Patrick Shanley's "Defiance." RSVP at ab@btechicago.com.

Rebecca Ridenour and David Lind star in the adults-only "Tender Napalm" by Philip Ridley. Courtesy of Quick + Dirty Productions

• Portland-based production company Quick + Dirty introduces "Tender Napalm," an adults-only two-hander by London playwright Philip Ridley about the relationship between a man and a woman. The play includes sexual situations. The preview is Saturday, Dec. 15, at Nox Arca Theatre, 4001 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago. The play, directed by Jen Row, opens Sunday, Dec. 16. See quickanddirty.art.

• Members of PigPen Theatre Company, the company that co-produced "The Hunter and the Bear" and "The Old Man and the Old Moon" with Writers Theatre, return to Glencoe for two concerts. An Evening with PigPen Theatre takes place at 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Dec. 16-17, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. "We are thrilled to be returning to Chicago for a holiday visit with our extended theatrical family," said PigPen members in a prepared statement. "We'll provide the songs and merriment as long as you all provide the backup vocals." (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

• Pride Films and Plays hosts LezFest, a "celebration of queer female and nonbinary performance artists," at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. Tickets for the interdisciplinary performance are $11. Proceeds benefit programs by, for and about the LGBTQ community. (866) 811-4111 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• The Tony Award-nominated revival of the beloved musical "Fiddler on the Roof" returns to Chicago Tuesday, Dec. 18, as part of its national tour. The Jerry Bock-Sheldon Harnick-Joseph Stein musical is about a Jewish milkman confronting a changing world in early 20th-century Russia. Performances run through Jan. 6 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

Victory Gardens Theater has extended the world premiere of "Rightlynd," starring Monica Orozco and Sasha Smith. Courtesy of Liz Lauren

• Victory Gardens Theater has extended the world premiere of "Rightlynd," a work by playwright Ike Holter commissioned as part of VGT's Chicago Play Cycle. The play is set in a rundown Chicago neighborhood, the site of a proposed real estate development project that is opposed by a single alderwoman determined to save the neighborhood she loves. Performances run through Dec. 30 at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

Improvised Jane Austen performs through Jan. 29 at iO Theater. Courtesy of Richard Mobley

• Improvised Jane Austen, an ensemble that improvises in the style of 18th-century writer Jane Austen, has extended its run at iO Theater. Performances run Tuesdays through Jan. 29 at 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. No show Dec. 25. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com or improvisedjaneausten.com.

• Remy Bumppo Theatre Company recently announced the addition of associate artists to the ensemble. They include lighting designer and A Red Orchid Theatre ensemble member Mike Durst; set designer Yeaji Kim; composer/sound designer Christopher Kriz, a First Folio Theatre ensemble member; set designer and technical director Joe Schermoly; and production manager and Inconvenience company member Ellen Willett.

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