Performing Arts
-
Spotlight: Practical Theatre Company toasts 2025 in annual revueDec 15, 2025 10:25 am - Close out 2025 with some laughs courtesy of Practical Theatre Company and Chris O’Connor headlining Chicago Improv in Schaumburg and Steve Rannazzisi playing Zanies in Rosemont.
-
Things to do Dec. 19-25: Light shows, ‘The Nutcracker,’ Christmas concerts, holiday events and moreDec 15, 2025 9:42 am - Make plans for multiple productions of “The Nutcracker,” Christmas concerts throughout the suburbs, holiday light shows, markets and craft fairs and more.
-
Things to do Dec. 12-18: ‘Nutcracker’ variations, Tom Arnold, Handel’s ‘Messiah,’ Santa events and moreDec 11, 2025 6:55 am - Make plans for variations of “The Nutcracker,” Tom Arnold at American Place Casino, Under the Streetlamp’s “Hip to the Holidays,” the International Gem and Jewelry Show in Rosemont, dining with Santa, Handel’s “Messiah” and more.
-
A classic for a reason: At Northlight Theatre, new ‘Gaslight’ adaptation still thrillsDec 10, 2025 3:42 pm - Tense and briskly paced with a shot of well-placed humor, Northlight Theatre’s revival of “Gaslight” — adapted by Steven Dietz from Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play — is a first-rate take on a classic thriller.
-
Monarch Academy’s ‘The Nutcracker: City Lights’ offers modern twist on holiday classicDec 10, 2025 11:29 am - Monarch Academy of Dance will perform "The Nutcracker: City Lights", a jazz-infused rendition of the classic holiday tale, on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Batavia Fine Arts Centre.
-
Muddy, Buddy and Oprah: Harper library exhibit celebrates decades of campus performancesDec 10, 2025 10:59 am - A Harper College library exhibit spotlights campus appearances by legendary performers, highlighting the college’s rich history of music, culture and community engagement.
-
Spotlight: ‘Annie’ opens at Music Theater Works and Second City comes to the MetropolisDec 09, 2025 9:10 am - Music Theater Works revives “Annie,” Metropolis Performing Arts Centre hosts Second City’s “Jack Frost Roasting on an Open Fire,” and Manual Cinema stages its unique interpretation of “A Christmas Carol” at Chicago’s Studebaker Theater.
-
Best bets: Elgin Symphony brings ‘Holiday Spectacular’ to Raue Center, HemmensDec 08, 2025 1:28 pm - The Elgin Symphony Orchestra performs its “Holiday Spectacular” at Crystal Lake’s Raue Center and Elgin’s Hemmens, Naperville comedian Chris Ryan returns for a show at North Central, and the Ruth Page dancers perform their namesake’s “Nutcracker” in the city and suburbs.
-
Things to do Dec. 5-11: Tree lightings, Dickens in Dundee, Jingle Bell Jubilee and moreDec 05, 2025 12:51 pm - Make plans for Dickens in Dundee, tree lightings, Warrenville Holly Days, Jingle Bell Jubilee, Mundelein Winter Tree Lighting Festival, West Chicago Frosty Fest and more.
-
‘Nutcracker’ takes center stage with classic and jazz-style productions across the suburbsDec 03, 2025 10:30 pm - Enjoy twists on the classic ballet, such as “Nutcracker All Jazzed Up” featuring a modern, up-tempo score, and “Duke It Out! Nutcracker,” pitting classical and jazz versions against each other.