Now that the tryptophan from Thanksgiving has worn off, maybe you’re in the mood to celebrate the season by getting out to a show. There is no shortage of options, from traditional to naughty, to keep you entertained. And a live performance outing can also make a nice present (and maybe create some cool memories!) for someone on your gift list. Here are a few holiday shows to consider in the weeks ahead.
TRADITIONAL THEATER
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens didn’t exactly invent Christmas as we celebrate it today, as some have claimed. But his 1843 story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge finding his soul and his connection to his “fellow passengers to the grave” with the help of four ghosts certainly helped revive and define the holiday. Stage versions pop up everywhere this time of year, so if you’re in the mood for a little “God bless us, everyone,” you should have no problem finding a production near you.
Goodman Theatre (reviewed by Kerry Reid), through 12/30, goodmantheatre.org
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre (Arlington Heights), through 12/23, metropolisarts.com
Oil Lamp Theater (Glenview; live radio-play version), through 12/30, oillamptheater.org
Overshadowed Theatrical Productions (Medinah), through 12/21, overshadowedproductions.com
Riverfront Playhouse (Aurora; musical version); 12/13-12/22, riverfrontplayhouse.com
For slightly less traditional takes on Dickens, we suggest:
Charles Dickens Begrudgingly Performs ‘A Christmas Carol’ Again (created and performed by Blake Montgomery), through 12/22, Den Theatre, thedentheatre.com
Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol (reviewed by Josh Flanders), through 12/22, Lifeline Theatre, lifelinetheatre.com
Manual Cinema’s A Christmas Carol (reviewed last year by Kimzyn Campbell), 12/13-12/29, Studebaker Theater, fineartsbuilding.com/events/christmas-carol/
It’s a Wonderful Life
Live radio-play versions of the beloved 1946 Frank Capra film are almost as ubiquitous as Scrooges this time of year—and since the story of George Bailey is also about a man who needs to learn the meaning of his own life with the help of an otherworldly spirit, that makes sense.
American Blues Theater (reviewed last year by Kerry Reid), through 12/22, americanbluestheater.com
Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, 12/13-12/29, athenaeumcenter.org
Rialto Square Theatre (Joliet), 12/12, rialtosquare.com
White Christmas (stage musical version of classic holiday movie; reviewed by Jack Helbig), through 12/29, Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire, marriotttheatre.com
SHOWS FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party, through 12/29, Chicago Children’s Theatre, chicagochildrenstheatre.org
A Christmas Carol (young audiences version), through 12/28, Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace, drurylanetheatre.com
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (reviewed last year by Matt Simonette), 12/14-1/5, Strawdog Theatre at Writers Theatre, Glencoe, strawdog.org
Mrs. Claus! A Holiday Musical, through 12/23, Beverly Arts Center; also 12/5-12/30, Apollo Theater, chicagokidscompany.com
Rudolph Runs Wild, 12/7-12/29, UP Comedy Club at Second City, secondcity.com
That’s Weird, Grandma: A Holiday Spectacular, 12/12-12/15, Playmakers Laboratory at the Neo-Futurist Theater, playmakerslab.org
Wheel Thru the Season, Cirques Experience, 12/14, Broadway Armory, cirquesexperience.org
THEATER (nontraditional)
From Ayn Rand to Jane Austen, sketch comedy to world-premiere musicals, there’s a sleighful of shows that take fresh (if not irreverent or downright bawdy) takes on holiday themes.
Ayn Rand’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” as Performed by the Conspirators Under the Direction of President Biden NO WAIT, Liz Cheney (RAND/CHENEY), 12/20-12/22, Otherworld Theatre, conspirewithus.org
A Chanukah Carol, 12/13-12/21, Jewish Comedy Project at iO Theater, ioimprov.com
Christmas Karen 3, through 12/26, Annoyance Theater, theannoyance.com
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Sweater (holiday-themed sketch comedy from Second City), through 12/23, Paramount Copley Theatre, Aurora, paramountaurora.com
Holidays From Hell, 12/7-12/26, iO Theater, ioimprov.com
The House Without a Christmas Tree (reviewed by Marissa Oberlander), through 12/29, Bramble Arts Loft, griffintheatre.com
An Improvised Hollymark Movie, 12/6-12/20, iO Theater, ioimprov.com
Jack Frost Roasting on an Open Fire, 12/5-12/28, UP Comedy Club at Second City, secondcity.com
A Judy Christmas, 12/20-12/122, Famous in the Future at Den Theatre, famousinthefuture.com
The Long Christmas Dinner (reviewed by Irene Hsiao), through 12/29, Bramble Arts Loft, tutatheatre.org
Miracle at Century High School, through 12/18, Annoyance Theater, theannoyance.com
OY! A Jewish Holiday Show for Everyone, 12/7-12/28, Annoyance Theater, theannoyance.com
Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer, 12/13-1/5, Center on Halsted, handbagproductions.org
The Sleighover, through 12/27, Annoyance Theater, theannoyance.com
Throbbin Wood (reviewed by Emily McClanathan), through 12/15, Pride Arts Center, pridearts.org
A Very Steamworks Christmas, through 12/28, Annoyance Theater, theannoyance.com
Who’s Holiday (reviewed by Layla Brown-Clark), through 12/29, Theater Wit, theaterwit.org
The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, through 12/15, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, btechicago.com
Yippee Ki Yay (solo verse version of Die Hard), through 12/15, Broadway Playhouse, broadwayinchicago.com
DANCE
Though no character known as the Cash Cow has ever appeared (at least as far as I know) onstage in The Nutcracker, the truth is that dance companies rely heavily on this beloved ballet featuring the famous score by Tchaikovsky in order to stay balanced on their fiscal toes. In 2018, Dance/USA, the national service organization for dance companies, surveyed their members and found that ticket sales from The Nutcracker represented 48 percent of overall revenues in their season. With the overall drop in audiences following the COVID shutdown, having that reliable favorite onstage every year is probably even more important for dance companies of all sizes.
You won’t have any problem satisfying your taste for sugar plums this year. The Joffrey returns to the Lyric with their version (created by Christopher Wheeldon) that’s set in Chicago just before the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Many other companies throughout the city and suburbs also offer their own take (Music Institute of Chicago’s Duke It Out Nutcracker blends Tchaikovsky with the jazz version created by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn).
Art Deco Nutcracker, A&A Ballet, 12/7, Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, aacenterfordance.org
Ballet Chicago, 12/20-12/22, Harris Theater, harristheaterchicago.org
Beyond the Nutcracker, School of Ballet 5:8, 12/21-12/22, Lincoln-Way East High School, Frankfort, school.ballet58.org
Duke It Out Nutcracker, Music Institute of Chicago, 12/7, Nichols Concert Hall, Evanston, musicinst.org
The Hip Hop Nutcracker, 12/10-12/15, CiBC Theatre, broadwayinchicago.com
Joffrey Ballet, 12/6-12/28, Lyric Opera House, joffrey.org
The Peanut Cracker, North Shore School of Dance and Time to Dance (featuring dancers ages 3 to 80), 12/8, Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, northshoredance.com
Ruth Page’s The Nutcracker 12/7-12/8, Northeastern Illinois University; also 12/21-12/22, James Lumber Center for the Arts, College of Lake County, Grayslake; ruthpage.org
Salt Creek Ballet, 12/6-12/7, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, saltcreekballet.org
There are also jazz, tap, and contemporary companies providing seasonal showstoppers.
Holiday Rhythms, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, 12/9 and 12/16, Jazz Showcase, chicagotap.org
Mary, a Holiday Dansical!, Black Girls Dance (inspired by the story of the Black Nativity, originally created by Langston Hughes), 12/15, Logan Center for the Arts, blackgirlsdance.org and logancenter.uchicago.edu/programs
Winter Wonderland, Chicago Tap Allstars, 12/14, M.A.D.D. Rhythms and Chicago Tap Theatre, Harold Washington Cultural Center, onthestage.tickets/chicago-tap-theatre
CABARET AND VARIETY
From Jane Lynch of Glee (and to old-school Chicago theater fans, of Annoyance’s The Real Live Brady Bunch) to Raks Inferno’s blend of circus arts and bellydance, there are several holiday show options that offer something with offbeat flavor and flair.
Bill and Chad’s Belated Christmas Carol (featuring local puppet raconteur Chad the Bird and Bill Larkin, most recently seen in The Comedians), 12/28, Davenport’s, davenportspianobar.com
A Christmas Cabaret Thee Ricky Harris Way, 12/7-12/8, Venus Cabaret at Mercury Theater Chicago, mercurytheaterchicago.com
Jane Lynch’s A Swingin’ Little Christmas, 12/12-12/15, Steppenwolf Theatre, steppenwolf.org
The Naughty Little Madrigal, 12/5-12/8, Newport Theater, newporttheater.com
Raks Inferno: A Holiday Circus Cabaret, 12/13, Newport Theater, raksinferno.com and newporttheater.com
Weird, Practical Theater Company, 12/20-12/22, Studio5, Evanston, studio5.dance
Wrigleyville Holiday Cavalcade!, 12/12-12/24, Newport Theater, newporttheater.com
Reader Recommends: THEATER & DANCE
Reader reviews of Chicago theater, dance, comedy, and performance arts.
Who’s Holiday again brings the laughs and the grit to Theater Wit.
TUTA’s The Long Christmas Dinner takes one family through 90 years.
Lifeline’s Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol is a cunning twist on the classic.
Griffin’s The House Without a Christmas Tree is a heartwarming musical dramedy.
A gender-neutral bathroom at a queer dance club provides the setting for a series of heartrending revelations.
Macbeth by the Sea puts Mackers and his wife in a cheesy resort.