Theater

Spotlight: Ring in the New Year at Batavia’s Comedy Vault

Posted December 29, 2025 8:52 am

Enter 2026 laughing

Comedian and Indiana native Michael Palascak, a “Last Comic Standing” finalist who also appeared on Comedy Central, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “Conan” and “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” among others, headlines the Comedy Vault.

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31 ($41); 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2; and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at 18 E. Wilson St., Batavia. $31, plus a two-item minimum. (630) 454-4174 or comedyvaultbatavia.com.

Theater artist and Chicago fringe theater veteran Beau O’Reilly premieres his latest “That Ugly Thing You Might Do … A Play for Voices.” Courtesy of Jeffrey Bivens

A play for voices

“That Ugly Thing You Might Do … A Play for Voices” is the latest by theater artist and Curious Theatre Branch co-founder Beau O’Reilly. The cast includes O’Reilly, Stephen Lehman, Stefan Brün, Sarah Puls, Shawn Rosten, Bri O’Reilly and Jayita Bhattacharya, with sound design by Ralph Loza.

8 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 3 through 24, at The Labyrinth Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Road, Chicago. $15-$25. (773) 508-0666 or tickettailor.com/events/beautowncabaret.

Momentary Theatre premiere

Momentary Theatre examines immigration policy and parent-child separation in its world premiere of “The Unknown Variable” by Nahal Navidar. Living in a strange land apart from her Iranian father, a young girl contacts the U.S. President, Santa Claus and God to determine the unknown variable: when the United States will grant her father a Green Card so they can reunite.

7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 8-10; 2 p.m. Jan. 11 and 7 p.m. Jan. 12 and through Feb. 1 at The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago. $15, $30. thisismomentary.com.

Maury Yeston’s ‘Phantom’ in concert

BrightSide Theatre commences 2026 with a concert performance of composer Maury Yeston and book writer Arthur Kopit’s “Phantom,” based on Gaston Laroux’s 1909 novel “The Phantom of the Opera.” Note: This is not a performance of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “The Phantom of the Opera,” although it tells the same story about a brilliant, albeit tortured and disfigured, opera artist who becomes obsessed with a young soprano. BrightSide artistic director Jeffrey Cass directs the production, which stars Caden Cole as the titular Phantom and Emily Lewis as his beloved protégé Christine.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 9-10 and 16-17; 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11 and 18; and 2 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Madden Theatre at North Central College, 171 Chicago Ave., Naperville. $32, $37. (630) 447-8497 or brightsidetheatre.com.