Spotlight: Metropolis ushers in holiday season with ‘A Christmas Carol’
Holiday happenings
• Steve Connell reprises the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s annual production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Adapted by Jacqueline Goldfinger and directed by Joseph Jefferson Award winner Lorenzo Rush Jr., the production features Gabriel Fries as Bob Cratchit and Christian Lucas as Tiny Tim. Previews at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 26-27; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29; and 2 p.m. Nov. 30 at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30. $30, $49. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
• Griffin Theatre Company premieres its musical adaptation of “The House Without a Christmas Tree,” based on Gail Rock’s young-adult novel about a 14-year-old girl’s relationship with her widower father who refuses to have a Christmas tree in their home. The book is by Griffin artistic director and Algonquin native William Massolia and the score is by composer/lyricist George Howe. Lifeline Theatre’s Dorothy Milne directs. Previews at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25, and Nov. 30 at the Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 1. $28-$43. (872) 529-0657 or griffintheatre.com.
• TUTA Theatre stages Thornton Wilder’s 1931 drama “The Long Christmas Dinner,” which chronicles the lives of several generations of a family through the holiday dinners the members celebrated over 90 years. Co-artistic director Jacqueline Stone directs. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Nov. 29 at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 30, a TUTA fundraiser. $20-$60, plus a $3 ticket fee. Opening-night tickets: $60-$100. tutatheatre.org.
Just for kids
• The Young People’s Theatre of Chicago launches its season with a musical version of “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” Mo Willems’ children’s tale about an irrepressible Pigeon eager to realize his dream of taking over the bus route. Willems adapted the story for the family-friendly show, which features songs by Deborah Wicks La Puma and puppets designed and built by Rick Lyon. The preview is 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23. Performances at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 22. $21.50-$30.50, plus a convenience fee. (773) 404-7336 or yptchi.org.
• Chicago Children’s Theatre remounts “The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party,” its family-friendly trunk and puppet show in which actor/puppeteers retell “The Tale of Tom Kitten,” “The Tailor of Gloucester,” “The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher” and “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” After the performances, kids and their families can play with the puppets, take photos with the cast, and enjoy Beatrix Potter-inspired crafts and holiday refreshments. 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23-24, and through Dec. 29 at 100 S. Racine, Chicago. $45.25. (312) 374-8835 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.
In other theater news
• Neo-Futurist Theater associate artistic director Annie Share and co-creator Sivan Spector remount their February 2024 production of “Switchboard” at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago, as part of its LookOut series. The show incorporates puppets to tell the story of the Eastland disaster. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22 through Dec. 14. $15-$25. steppenwolf.org.
• “Mean Girls,” the musical adapted from Tina Fey’s 2004 satire about high school queen bees and the wannabes who empower them, returns to Chicago for a brief run. Performances run Tuesday, Nov. 26, through Dec. 1 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago. $49-$199. broadwayinchicago.com.
• A drag queen and a junkie are among the characters who meet in the restroom of a gay bar in “Flush,” an examination of queer visibility by Juwon Tyrel Perry. Campfire Repertory Theater’s premiere runs at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 8 at Chicago Dramatists Theater, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. $15-$45. campfirerep.org.