Performing Arts Search
The Addams Family
Previews through 12/8. Opens 12/9. Through 1/10: Tue-Sun, check with theater for showtimes,
312-902-1400Theater & Performance
Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth star in the musical based on New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams. $28-$105
Alice in Wonderland
Through 11/25: selected weekdays at 10:30 AM and/or noon; check with theater for schedule 773-205-9600Theater & Performance
Chicago Kids Company adaptation of the Lewis Carroll tale. $10
All the Fame of Lofty Deeds
Through 12/20: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 7 PM, 773-251-2195Theater & Performance
Jon Langford's music and art are the sources for this House Theatre of Chicago show about an aging, hallucinating country star. $15-$29
Ambrose Bierce: Tales & Times
Through 11/22: Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 6 PM, no 3 PM show 11/21, 773-275-9735Theater & Performance
Rather than adapt one of Ambrose Bierce's wry tales for the stage, this Lincoln Square Theatre production disgorges nine and fails to do any of them justice. Bierce's plot twists come across as paltry gimmicks without the rich swaddling of his writing, which director Kristina Schramm unravels. Jae Renfrow comes closest to preserving the cornpone imperiousness of Bierce's pen in his powerfully delivered monologues, but distractions abound. The stage bustles with cartoon cutouts, tree characters, and other grade-school favorites, dealing the stories a violent blow. Possibly suitable for children of a morbid upbringing. --Keith Griffith $5-$15
America: All Better!
Open run: Tue-Thu 8 PM, Fri-Sat 8 and 11 PM, Sun 7 PM, 312-337-3992Improv/Sketch
See Albert Williams's in-depth review.
$20-$25
American Buffalo
Previews: 12/3-12/12, 7:30 PM. Opens 12/13, 6 PM. Through 2/7: Check with theater for information, 312-335-1650Theater & Performance
In this emotionally charged work by David Mamet, three small-time crooks plot to steal a valuable Buffalo nickel-but as the heist unravels, the men's frustration and paranoia intensify. Directed by Tony Award nominee Amy Morton. $20-$77
The Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience and Hootenanny
Open run: Mon 8:30 PM 773-880-0199Improv/Sketch
A monologist tells personal stories that inspire the improv. $12
The Audacity of Nope, or How I Fell for a Pansy Scheme
Through 12/5: Thu-Sat 8 PM, 800-838-3006Improv/Sketch
Despite its title, GayCo's latest LGBT-themed sketch comedy revue never really takes President Obama to task for dillydallying on gay rights. But then, Sean Cusick's production isn't strong on topical material in general. The bit about giving a pair of pigs swine flu is too obvious, for example, and Vincent Kracht's impression of the perpetually unhinged Glenn Beck is entirely too hinged. The show is at its best when it sticks to the everyday 'mo on the street: a gay guy who can't stomach details of his lesbian roommate's love life, two grooms in Iowa finding surprising levels of tolerance at a church potluck. Even when the material misses, though, an appealing cast manages to salvage a chuckle or two. Standouts are Kathy Betts and Jim Bennett--zany and brainy, respectively. --Zac Thompson $20
Auditions for "Speakeasy or Die Hard"
Sun., Dec. 13, 1 p.m.Theater & Performance
GreenMan will hold auditions for Speakeasy or Die Hard at the First United Methodist Church in Elmhurst on Sunday, December 13 at 1 p.m., Monday, December 14 at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, December 15 at 7 p.m. The church is located at 232 S. York in Elmhurst.
Speakeasy or Die Hard takes place in a Prohibition Era speakeasy. Spies and assassins are everywhere, as murder, intrigue and confusion reign. The guests try to help a hapless detective solve a mysterious mob killing. The production will also feature songs from the 1920’s and ‘30’s. There are roles for at least four women and four men. Actors wishing to audition for a singing role are encouraged to bring a prepared song. Appointments for auditions are not required. Rehearsals for the show begin early in January. There is no pay. For more information about auditions or volunteer positions, call 630-464-2646, or visit http://www.greenmantheatre.com.
Aunt Dan and Lemon
Through 12/20: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM, 773-278-1500Theater & Performance
Wallace Shawn's "complex meditation on the persuasive powers of intimacy," produced by the BackStage Theatre Company. $18-$20
Baby Wants Candy: The Rock Musical
Open run: Fri 10:30 PM, 773-935-6100Improv/Sketch
Baby Wants Candy--a tight troupe now famous for its improvised musicals--began in 1997 as one of the dozens of ImprovOlympic teams formed every year. Somehow they've avoided the usual dissolution of such groups. More impressive, they've never experienced the artistic conservatism that paralyzes improvisers eager to "do it right"--and reap the reward, presumably, of a career in NYC or LA. Instead the troupe has become the very model of smart, physical, quick-thinking, and just plain silly long-form improvisers; they still play well together and manage to entertain. Inspired by the improbable suggestion "So this is it" at the show I saw, nine actors (backed by the five-member Yes Band) improvised a complicated, hilarious, tongue-in-cheek tale of three partnerships on the rocks--two marriages and a professional relationship--and the narrator who helps bring the couples back together. --Jack Helbig $5-$15
Banana Shpeel
Previews 11/19-11/29. Opens 12/2, 7 PM. Through 1/3: Tue-Sun: check with theater for showtimes, 800-745-3000Theater & Performance
Cirque du Soleil ventures into vaudeville-style variety. $23-$98
Bear Down!
Through 12/16: Wed 8 PM, 773-904-8777Theater & Performance
An unhappy young Chicago bar owner lands a chance to play for the Bears in this Pub Theater comedy. The show is billed as being "by Bears fans, for Bears fans," and establishes its bona fides with esoteric name-dropping and drunken exasperation on game day ("Vasher, you're killing me!"). But implausibilities made it hard for me to identify with this brand of fandom even before things turned completely surreal with an appearance by a Phantom of the Opera-esque Rex Grossman. Still, supporting actors Austin Campion and Eric Pedersen score big laughs with over-the-top takes on Grossman, Mike Ditka, Jay Cutler ("You'll hear me in every child's laughter"), and a dorky everyman with a homoerotic, pathological devotion to the team. --Ryan Hubbard $10
Becoming Ingrid
Through 12/5: Thu-Sun 7:30 PM, also Sun 11/22, 3 PM, 773-466-1835Theater & Performance
At the center of Liza Lentini's new script is high-strung Christine, an aspiring writer desperately trying to wedge herself into the life of famous, elusive author Ingrid. When these two characters are face-to-face, Lentini shows a knack for creating tense, subtle drama--which is adroitly captured by actors Meg Harkins and April Taylor in this Rubicon Theatre Project world premiere. But Lentini spends most of the play's 120 minutes dawdling over peripheral characters' peripheral issues--Christine's neocon husband's impatience, Ingrid's boozy boyfriend's infidelity, the petty jealousies of various backstabbers at the university where Ingrid teaches. There's not much director Jamie Stires can do to make things cohere, especially given the uneven supporting cast. --Justin Hayford $10-$20
Beethoven, as I Knew Him
Through 12/6: Tue-Thu 7:30 PM, Fri 8 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, 312-642-2000Theater & Performance
Pianist-showman Hershey Felder performs the first third of his "Composer Sonata" trilogy. He'll offer Monsieur Chopin 12/9-12/20 and George Gershwin Alone 12/23-12/30. Also, on New Year's Eve, he leads The Great American Song Book Sing-Along. $55-$60
