Theater events: Flying Elephant revives 'Book of Merman' parody

• "Christmas Bingo: It's a Ho-Ho-Holy Night," the second installment of Vicki Quade's bingo series, returns Friday, Nov. 23, to the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. In the interactive show, Quade ("Late Nite Catechism") presides over a game during which audience members answer questions about the origins of St. Nicholas and biblical miracles. Performances run through Dec. 30. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.

• Flying Elephant Productions revive "The Book of Merman," a musical parody by Leo Schwartz and DC Cathro that premiered in 2015 at Pride Films and Plays. Michael Idalski and Sam Massey star as Mormon missionaries who ring the doorbell of Ethel Merman (Nicole Frydman) and try to convert her. Previews begin Saturday, Nov. 24, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 1. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• Hannah Starr performs "BOOMBOX: a (sort of) solo show" to The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave., Chicago, on Monday, Nov. 26 and Dec. 1. In the show, Starr examines the life of a working theater artist through a series of sketches set to a prerecorded cassette tape. See brownpaperbox.org.

• Akvavit Theatre, a company that showcases plays by Nordic writers, presents Rising Temperatures. The showcase consists of four short plays by Danish writers about humans coping with the end of the world staged promenade-style at various locations in Chicago's Andersonville. Doctors struggle to save themselves in Rhea Leman's "Bleeding Heart." Jens Kløft's "Solar Storm" centers on a couple expecting their first child during a dangerous solar flair. Joan Rang Christensen's "It's Getting Warmer" is about a mixed-race couple living in a Denmark that is increasingly hostile to people of color. In Kristian Halken's "Escape," four friends struggle to escape a flooding Denmark. The tour begins at 5153 N. Clark St., Chicago; travels to the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., and concludes at the Andersonville Galleria, 5247 N. Clark St., Chicago. Tickets are $15. They're available at chicagonordic.org.

• The national tour of "Menopause the Musical" plays the Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N. Chicago St., Joliet, for one night only. Comprised of parodies of pop songs from the 1960s through the 1980s, "Menopause the Musical" is about women of a certain age who meet at a department store lingerie sale and bond over the changes they're enduring. The performance is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27. (800) 745-3000 or rialtosquare.com.

• Oil Lamp Theater celebrates the season with "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play," adapted from the 1946 film about a man who gets the chance to see how his life impacted those around him. Keith Gerth directs the play, which opens Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 1723 Glenview Road, Glenview, and is accompanied by sound effects. (847) 834-0738 oe oillamptheater.org.

• Huggable Riot debuts its latest holiday show "Noel-O-L," which satirizes the various roles people play in seasonal celebrations. The show opens Wednesday, Nov. 28, at The Annoyance Theatre, 852 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Also at The Annoyance, the return of "Bite Size Broadway," described as a "manic-paced evening of miniature musicals." It opens Thursday, Nov. 29, at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• The preview is Thursday, Nov. 29, for Midsomer Flight's production of "Twelfth Night, or What You Will." Directed by Ian Damont Martin with original music by Elizabeth Rentfro and Alex Mauney, the play centers on a shipwrecked young woman named Viola who disguises herself as a man named Cesario to serve Duke Orsino with whom she falls in love. The problem is, he's in love with the grieving Olivia who falls in love with newcomer Cesario. The action unfolds in the Show House Room at the Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2391 Stockton Drive, Chicago. The show opens Nov. 30. See midsommerflight.com.

• "El Stories: Holiday Train," The Waltzing Mechanics annual docu-theater production adapted from the real-life experiences of Chicago's mass transit users, returns to the Greenhouse Theater Center after a two-year hiatus. This incarnation recalls stories from Holiday Train riders. Performances run from Thursday, Nov. 29, to Dec. 22 at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $25 and are available at the door or online at greenhousetheater.org/holidaytrain. See waltzingmechanics.org.

• The Chicago Magic Lounge, 5050 N. Clark St., Chicago, presents Spotlight: Women in Magic featuring top female magicians. The Incredible Jan Rose hosts Spotlight, which stars Lucy Darling (aka Carisa Hendrix), close-up magician Alba and headliner Jade, the first woman to win the International Brotherhood of Magicians' Gold Medal of Magic. Performances take place Thursday, Nov. 29, through Dec. 1. Performing table magic are Chicago Magic Lounge house magicians Jeanette Andrews, Paige Thompson, Nancy Anderson and Emily Hosman. (312) 366-4500 or chicagomagiclounge.com.

• Short Story Theatre presents an evening of true stories about quitting smoking, taking a cab ride through Kurdistan, uncovering family secrets and being stranded in a lake at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, at Miramar Bistro, 301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood. Elizabeth Brown, Terry Moritz, Edward Zifkin and Rebecca Adler are the featured storytellers. (847) 433-1078 or shortstorytheatre.com.

• TimeLine Theatre Company announced a final extension for its production of "A Shayna Maidel," Barbara Lebow's family drama about two sisters separated during the Holocaust who reunite in New York City decades later. Performances run through Dec. 16 at 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. (773) 281-8463, ext. 6, or timelinetheatre.com.

• Theater news: Victory Gardens Theater will collaborate with the Actors Theatre of Louisville for the premiere of Lily Padilla's "How to Defend Yourself," about students who take a self-defense class after a sorority sister is raped. Libertyville native Marti Lyons directs the production, which begins March 21, 2019, at the Humana Festival of New American Plays and will run as part of Victory Gardens' season beginning Jan. 24, 2020.

• Chicago's Community Development Commission approved a $75 million rehabilitation of the long vacant Uptown Theatre, 4816 N. Broadway, Chicago. Reportedly the largest theater when it opened in 1925, the Uptown hosted stage shows, movies and special events until the 1970s when it became a music venue primarily. The last concert took place Dec. 19, 1981, and the theater closed two years later. The money will go toward repairing the building's masonry, improving its marquees, installing new elevators, concessions and building systems.