Spotlight: First Folio Theatre premieres pandemic-delayed 'Little Women'

'Little Women' premiere

First Folio Theatre premieres artistic associate Heather Chrisler's adaptation of "Little Women," Louisa May Alcott's semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age novel about the March sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy - who live with their mother in Massachusetts while their father serves in the Union Army during the Civil War. The COVID-19-delayed production stars Shelby Lynn Bias, Esther Fishbein, Stephanie Fongheiser and Jamie Herb.

Previews at 3 and 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, and 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st St., Oak Brook. The show opens Saturday, Dec. 17. $29-$59. Proof of vaccination and masks required. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

'White Christmas' revival

Music Theater Works celebrates the season with a revival of "Irving Berlin's White Christmas," adapted from the 1954 film starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye as army buddies turned song-and-dance men who team up with a pair of singing sisters to save the failing Vermont inn owned by their former commanding general. Prospect High School freshman Lea Biwer makes her debut in the musical, which includes the songs "Blue Skies," "Sisters," "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," as well as the titular tune.

Opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. $39-$106. Masks recommended. (847) 673-6300 or musictheaterworks.com.

Seasonal sendup

From family gatherings to gift exchanges to Christmas carols, nothing is off limits in The Second City's seasonal sendup "Jingle Bell Ruckus," running for two weeks at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre.

7:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 19-21, and Dec. 26-31 at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $35, $50 for the New Year's Eve show. Masks encouraged. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

In other news

Check with venues about COVID-19 precautions.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of The Q Brothers popular hip-hop holiday show "Christmas Carol: The Remix" airs at various times from Friday, Dec. 16, through Dec. 25 on WTTW and WTTW Prime. The show re-imagines Charles Dickens' tale, mashing up reggae, dance hall, hip-hop and rock to chronicle Ebenezer Scrooge's journey of rhythm, rhyme and redemption. wttw.com/live.

• Jason Bowen, a veteran of Broadway in Chicago, Light Opera Works and Emerald City, returns to Skokie with his solo show titled "Me! A Narcissitical Musical Cabaret" at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Tickets are $25. Masks recommended. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.

• Otherworld Theatre Company presents "Realm of the Nutcracker King: An Immersive Holiday Fairytale," based on a Christmas fable and incorporating actors, puppets and dance. Performances run Friday, Dec. 16, through Jan. 8 at 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. $45-$65. Also, Otherworld hosts Feast of Fools: A Renaissance Faire New Year's Eve Celebration on Dec. 31. Limited to 50 guests, the party features Renaissance faire-style entertainment, a lottery to be named the Monarch of Fools for the night and a midnight maypole celebration. Ticket are $70 for the cash bar and $90 for the open bar that includes appetizers, a buffet and desserts. See otherworldtheatre.org.

• Comedian Brad Williams ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," "The Tonight Show," "Dave Attell's Comedy Underground") headlines The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Williams performs at 7:15 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16-17. $20-$40. Also at The Den, comedian/author/actor Cameron Esposito ("A Million Little Things") performs at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30 and 8:30 p.m. Dec. 31. Following Esposito's show, the club rings in 2023 with "The Den's New Year's Laughin' Eve" featuring additional comedians, a DJ, a midnight toast and a surprise drag queen. Tickets are $47 and include two drinks and the toast. (773) 697-3830 or thedentheatre.com.

• Ellen Winters plays Ella Fitzgerald and Johnny Rodgers plays Mel Torme in MadKap Productions' "Ella Meets Mel." The duo perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Tickets are $30. Masks recommended. (847) 677-7761 or skokietheatre.org.

• Naperville native Vikram Pandya headlines The Comedy Vault, 18 E. Wilson St., Batavia. A regular at Zanies and the Chicago Improv, Pandya's Dry Bar Comedy Special "No Refunds" is currently streaming and his record "Friends with 409 (k) Benefits" is No. 1 on iTunes comedy chart. He performs at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18. Tickets are $10, plus a two drink/item minimum per person. (630) 454-4174 or comedyvaultbatavia.com.

• Performances for "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" run Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 22-24, at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago. Holiday storybook characters come to life during this 90-minute, family-friendly show that combines circus arts (aerialists, jugglers, acrobats) with a Broadway-style spectacle. Tickets start at $45. (312) 341-2342 or auditoriumtheatre.org.

• Filament Theatre has extended its run of the family-friendly immersive play experience "FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure" through Jan. 22 at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See filamenttheatre.org.

• Lookingglass Theatre will perform a sensory-friendly/relaxed performance of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 5 at Water Tower, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Lookingglass will have an audio-described performance at 7 p.m. Jan. 6 and mask-required performances at 1:30 and 7 p.m. Dec. 20 and 27. lookingglasstheatre.org.

• Tap dancer/choreographer/educator Bril Barrett, founder of M.A.D.D. Rhythms Tap Academy, is among five recipients of an Arts Achievement Award. Sponsored by the Helen Coburn Meier and Tim Meier Charitable Foundation for the Arts, the $40,000 "no strings" award recognizes Chicago-based artists in midcareer who push the artistic envelope. M.A.D.D. was established to provide an alternative for Black and brown youth and includes a successful novice-to-performer program.

• "The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta," a collaboration between Collaboraction Theatre Company and NBC Chicago, received a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievement in human interest - long form. The show is streaming on NBC's Peacock network and is available to stream at nbcchicago.com. Collaboraction will stage the play live from Feb. 9-19 at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago. "Once in a lifetime, if we are lucky, a project like this comes along and all we can do is play our part to serve the greater good of telling an important story and belonging to each other," said artistic director Anthony Moseley in a prepared statement.

• Lifeline Theatre seeks submissions from BIPOC playwrights adapting a literary work to the stage for consideration for the theater's adaptation development workshops. Proposals can be for traditional adaptations or "inspired by" adaptations, where the work serves as a "jumping off point." The source material must be in the public domain. One proposal per writer. Scripts and applications are due by Jan. 1. Chosen writers will receive a $500 stipend, assistance from a director and dramaturge and a reading of their plays, among other benefits. See lifelinetheatre.com/writers-workshop.

• Oak Park Festival Theatre announced that Peter G. Anderson, a veteran of TimeLine, Writers and Yale Repertory theaters, among others, will join the company as its new artistic director. Anderson served as the education manager for Writers Theatre and was the education apprentice and multicultural fellow at Steppenwolf Theatre.

• The League of Chicago Theatres seeks applications from Black theater artists and not-for-profit partner organizations for the 2023 Samuel G. Roberson Jr. Resident Fellowship to support the work of a Black artist in Chicago. The fellowship includes $20,000 for the artist and $7,500 for the partner organization in support of the artist. The application deadline is Jan. 27. See leagueofchicagotheatres.org/samuel-g-roberson-jr-resident-fellowship for eligibility requirements and an application.

• Definition Theatre Company opens its 2023 season with "Alayio" (Feb. 3-26), a play inspired by "A Raisin in the Sun" and about identity, in which a young woman grapples with not being fully African nor fully American. That's followed by "Fairview" (April 27-May 21), a family drama about a woman trying to give her grandmother a perfect birthday party. The season concludes with a streamed production of "Good Years," a short, coming-of-age play on film about a group of young girls whose love of One Direction devolves into fanaticism. Performances take place at The Revival, 1160 E. 55th St., Chicago. See definitiontheatre.org.

• Redtwist Theatre announced its 18th season will begin Jan. 19 with the premiere of "The Great Khan," Michael Gene Sullivan's play about the effect of systemic racism on two Black teens whose lives are upended by the arrival of the 13th-century emperor/warrior Genghis Khan. That's followed by Jacqueline Goldfinger's future-set "Babel" (March 23-April 30), about two couples trying to get pregnant in a world where eugenics is the reality. Next up is a revival of "Agnes of God" (June 1-July 9), John Pielmeier's drama about faith in which a psychiatrist tries get answers as to why a dead newborn was found in a young postulant's room. Performances take place at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. A $75 flex tix pass allows the purchaser three tickets, which can be used at three different shows or in any combination. (773) 728-7529 or redtwisttheatre.org.