Spotlight: Second City sends up the holidays at the McAninch
BrightSide's 'Miracle'
BrightSide Theatre presents "Miracle on 34th Street," a musical radio play adaptation of the 1947 film performed live and in-person under artistic director Jeffrey Cass and music director Rex Meyer. The play is about a man filling in as Santa Claus in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade who insists that he is the real Kriss Kringle.
Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 19. $28, $33. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (630) 447-8497 or brightsidetheatre.com.
'Wonderful Life'
Improv Playhouse remounts its radio play adaptation of Frank Capra's beloved film "It's a Wonderful Life," about a man who learns from his guardian angel about the impact he has had on his friends and family. Artistic director David Brian Stuart directs and stars as George Bailey.
8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10 and 17; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 and 18; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12 and 19, at 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. $20, $10. COVID-19 precautions: Masks required. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.
Seasonal sendup
The Second City returns to the McAninch Arts Center with its seasonal show "It's a Wild, Wacky Wonderful Life," comprised of classic sketches and songs sending up the holiday season. The performance also includes an improv session.
4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. $30-$38. COVID-19 precautions: Masking required. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org.
Elvis remembered
Brandon Bennett ("Million Dollar Quartet") returns to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre with his tribute to Elvis Presley, "Elvis My Way." Presented in cooperation with Artists Lounge Live, the concert retrospective includes such hits as "Blue Suede Shoes," "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "That's All Right Mama," among others.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $45, $50. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test and masking required. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
Backstage comedy
"The Play That Goes Wrong," the hit comedy that has played London's West End for eight years, returns to Chicago after three years for a limited run. By Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, "The Play That Goes Wrong" centers on members of the Cornley University Drama Society, whose accident-prone members are staging a 1920s murder mystery where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. The cast includes Colton Adams from Highland Park and Matt Mueller from Evanston.
Previews at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 14-16, at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. The show opens Dec. 17. Tickets start at $30. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.
In other news
Check with venues regarding COVID-19 precautions.
• Performances continue for the Young People's Theatre of Chicago's inaugural production of "Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical" by writer Mo Willems and composer Michael Silversher about a flustered dad who leaves his child's favorite stuffed animal at the laundromat. Performances run through Dec. 19 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking mandatory. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.
• PlayMakers Laboratory celebrates the season with a new version of its long-running show "That's Weird, Grandma: Comes Home for the Holidays," featuring adaptations of holiday-themed songs and stories penned by Chicago schoolchildren. Performances run Friday, Dec. 10, through Dec. 19 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID test and masking required. (773) 506-7140 or playmakerslab.org.
• American tenor Martin Bakari plays Prince Claus in Chicago Opera Theater's Chicago-area premiere of the family-friendly opera "Becoming Santa Claus" by Mark Adamo. Bakari plays a bratty prince who learns the meaning of love, family and what gift-giving really means. Performances take place Saturday, Dec. 11; Friday, Dec. 17; and Sunday, Dec. 19, at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. See chicagooperatheater.org/season/santa.
• Broadway in Chicago presents "Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: Time Bubble Tour" at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at the CIBC Theater, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. Host Emily Connor (Emily Marsh) joins robots Tom Servo (Conor McGiffin), Crow (Nate Begle) and GPC (Yvonne Freese) in a discussion of the film "Making Contact." Proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masking is mandatory. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.
• The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, presents comedian Kurt Braunohler performing a standup set beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11. Following his set, Braunohler joins Scotty Landes for a live taping of their "Bananas" podcast, showcasing strange news from around the world. Tickets cost $18-$45. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.
• Veteran improvisers from the Chicago area, including a team from the South suburbs, perform holiday-themed improv shows at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at the 4th Street Theater, 125 N. 4th St., Chesterton, Indiana. Tickets are $12. See 4thstreetncca.org or improductionsllc.com.
• "Keillor & Company - A Prairie Home Holiday" comes to the Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N. Chicago St., Joliet, at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11. Organizers promise an evening of holiday cheer, stories and songs about love and family and news from Lake Wobegon. Tickets are $32-$49. See rialtosquare.com.
• First Folio Theatre's holiday auction runs online through Sunday, Dec. 12. Available items include artwork, jewelry, food, collectibles and other offerings. Patrons can also support First Folio by using AmazonSmile and naming First Folio as a beneficiary. For that, the Oak Brook theater receives .5% of the applicable purchase. See firstfolio.org.
• Chicago-area favorite Heidi Kettenring channels one of pop music's great singers of the 1970s in her show "Merry Christmas Darling, Heidi Kettenring Sings Karen Carpenter" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, and 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Tickets are $55. (847) 634-0200 or artistsloungelive.com.
• "Pretty Woman: The Musical" returns to Chicago for the first time since it premiered here for a pre-Broadway tryout in 2018. Performances begin Tuesday, Dec. 14, at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago, and run through Dec. 19. Proof of vaccination and masking is required. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.
• The Gift Theatre recently announced that co-founder and artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton will step down after helming the company for two decades. He will be succeeded by three co-artistic directors, including ensemble members Brittany Burch, Jennifer Glasse and associate artistic director and casting director Emjoy Gavino. The company also announced it will leave its current home and launch a capital campaign to acquire a new home in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood. For its 2022 season, which will be announced soon, The Gift will perform at different Chicago venues. "For two decades, I have been given the tremendous gift of faith to serve as The Gift's artistic director," said Thornton in a prepared statement. "It has been the role and responsibility of a lifetime: thrilling, surreal, humbling and joyous. I marvel at what we've accomplished together, and cannot wait to see The Gift grow for another 20 years. The time has finally and excitingly come to hand The Gift off to its next generation of leadership. This artistic succession plan has been in the works for years, and I am so excited to personally prioritize the active campaign to open The Gift's new theatrical home."
• The Oak Park Festival Theatre announced a recent fire at the theater's 1034 Lake Street office in Oak Park resulted in a total loss, including sound equipment, costumes, props, lighting, computers and nearly 50 years of OPFT artifacts and records. The company and its board members are still determining what impact this loss will have on the upcoming seasons. For information on supporting the theater's financial recovery, see oakpartfestivaltheatre.com.
• Babes With Blades announced its new season will begin Jan. 22 with "Plaid as Hell" by Cat McKay. The winner of the BWB's 2019-2020 Joining Sword and Pen competition, the play is about three women on a camping trip who confront a serial killer. The performances will take place at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. That's followed by William Shakespeare's tragedy "Richard III," produced in cooperation with the University of Illinois Chicago's Disability Cultural Center, to tell the story of Richard's murderous rise to power. Performances are at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway Ave., Chicago. See babeswithblades.org.