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9 to 5: The Musical
9 to 5: The Musical

Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. In a hilarious turn of events, Violet, Judy, and Doralee live out their wildest fantasy - giving their boss the boot! While Hart remains "otherwise engaged," the women give their workplace a dream makeover, taking control of the company that had always kept them down. Hey, a girl can scheme, can't she?

Baby
Baby

Three couples on a university campus deal with the painful, rewarding and agonizingly funny consequences of the universal experience of pregnancy and upcoming parenthood. There are the college students, barely at the beginning of their adult lives; the thirty-somethings, having trouble conceiving but determined to try; and the middle-aged parents, looking forward to seeing their last child graduate from college... when a night of unexpected passion lands them back where they started.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Before she was the Carole King we know today, she was a young songwriter from Brooklyn trying to make a name for herself. Beautiful - The Carole King Musical tells the inspiring true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom as part of the hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin and going on to become one of the most successful singer, songwriter and musicians in popular music history. Her credits include songs such as "You've Got a Friend," "[You Make Me Feel Like] A Natural Woman," "It's Too Late," "I Feel the Earth Move," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "So Far Away," and many more. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote THE SOUNDTRACK TO A GENERATION.

Black By Popular Demand: A Black Excellence Revue
Black By Popular Demand: A Black Excellence Revue

Black By Popular Demand: A Black Excellence Revue is more than a comedy show - it's a celebration of Black Joy. Chicago giving you the winter blues? Black By Popular Demand: A Black Excellence Revue is here to bring much-needed warmth. Brimming with brand new songs, sketches, and - of course- The Second City's world-renowned style of improv, this cast of future stars are delivering an unforgettable night.

Black Sunday
Black Sunday

It is April 1935 in the dust storm-riddled plains of Texas and a family farm is struggling to keep afloat amidst a mounting series of environmental disasters. Stubborn Pa refuses to believe that his land is no longer viable, young Sunny dreams of a new life in bountiful California, and Ma starts having mysterious visions of an even bleaker future. Developed through TimeLine's Playwrights Collective, this world premiere by Dolores Díaz offers a startling look at the conflicts surrounding climate change, race, and gender in the days leading up to an infamous dust storm known as Black Sunday.

Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group is best known for its award-winning theatrical productions which critics have described as "ground-breaking," "hilarious," "visually stunning" and "musically powerful." These performances feature three enigmatic bald and blue characters who take the audience through a multi-sensory experience that combines theatre, percussive music, art, science and vaudeville into a form of entertainment that is like nothing else.

Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt

The beloved play centers on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an Oxford undergraduate whose university friends, Jack and Charley, persuade him to pose as Charley’s wealthy widowed aunt and act as chaperone when they invite their intendeds over for a romantic afternoon. Plot complications include the late arrival of the real aunt and the attempts of two elderly “gentleman callers” to woo the bogus aunt. Eventually, the various (and hilarious) mistakes are set right.

The Choir Of Man
The Choir Of Man

Welcome to The Choir of Man, the best pub in the world. It’s a party. It’s a concert. It’s a theater experience unlike any you’ve had before. Featuring pop, classic rock, folk melodies, and pub anthems, The Choir of Man has something for everyone. A cast of nine (extra)ordinary and multi-talented guys combines hair-raising harmonies, foot-stomping singalongs, world-class tap dance, and poetic meditations on the power of community in this riotously enjoyable homage to that popular gathering place—your favorite local pub. With a real working bar on stage, come ready to drink in the excitement. Raise a glass with us! Cheers!

Death Becomes Her
Death Becomes Her

Madeline Ashton is the most beautiful actress (just ask her) ever to grace the stage and screen. Helen Sharp is the long-suffering author (just ask her) who lives in her shadow. They have always been the best of frenemies... until Madeline steals Helen's fiance away. As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that's to die for. After one sip of Viola's magical potion, Madeline and Helen begin a new era of life (and death) with their youth and beauty restored... and a grudge to last eternity.

Don't Quit Your Daydream
Don't Quit Your Daydream

Come see The Second City Mainstage's brand-new 111th Revue, newly titled Don't Quit Your Daydream. This is the most exciting time to see a show on our stages. The cast is fresh, new material is worked into the show every night, and your laughter in the audience helps shape the final show!

Drunk Shakespeare
Drunk Shakespeare

The stage is set in a hidden library with over fifteen thousand books. Five classically trained actors meet as members of "The Drunk Shakespeare Society." One of them has at least 5 shots of whiskey and then they overconfidently attempt to perform a major role in a Shakespearean play. Hilarity and mayhem ensues while the four sober actors try and keep the script on track. Every show is different depending on who is drinking ... and what they're drinking!

An Educated Guess
An Educated Guess

It's been a few years since the September 11 attacks on New York City, but the wounds are still raw. We find Alba Guerrero, a rising star at the federal immigration office in Manhattan, on the day she realizes an immigrant she admitted into the United States has committed a heinous act of mass murder. As her life begins to unravel, we meet characters from all over the world– helping Alba come to grips with guilt, forgiveness, and the inherent fallibility of our government systems.

An Enemy of the People
An Enemy of the People
Duality Theatre Company at The Den Theatre

Written by Henrik Ibsen in 1882, An Enemy of the People centers around Dr. Stockmann, a recent medical school graduate, family-appointed medical officer, and newlywed, who discovers that his small town's coveted Health Resort is contaminated with poisonous water. In spite of his desperate attempts to reveal this danger to the public, he is met with scrutiny and the threat of disgrace by the government, the press, and the people.

English
English

"English Only." Four adult students in Karaj, Iran are studying for the Test of English as a Foreign Language-the key to their green card, medical school admission or family reunification. Chasing fluency through a maze of word games, listening exercises and show-and-tell sessions, they hope that one day, English will make them whole. But it might be splitting them each in half.

Gods and Monsters
Gods and Monsters

Former Hollywood film director best known for Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, and Show Boat, James Whale is now retired and slowly facing dementia. His caring housekeeper, quietly disapproves of Whale's faceless, nameless parade of young gay lovers, but when the director takes an interest in new gardener and former Marine, it seems to be for something more than his usual casual conquest.

Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue
Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue

Picture it. United States, 2024. GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LAUGHS CONTINUE brings Miami's sassiest seniors to stages around the country for one more hurrah. We find Sophia out on bail after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring for retirees. Blanche and Rose have founded CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together with help from a new (much) younger sex-crazed lover. GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LAUGHS CONTINUE allows audiences to relive the heartfelt hilarity of the four ladies who never stopped being best friends.

Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls

Step into the dazzling lights of 1950s New York City with Guys and Dolls. This enduring tale of romance, risk, and unforgettable rhythm follows the improbable love story of high-rolling gambler Sky Masterson and mission doll Sarah Brown, along with the comedic relationship of the ever-patient Miss Adelaide and craps game organizer Nathan Detroit. Guys and Dolls takes you into the golden age of Broadway with wit, charm, and plenty of heart with vibrant characters and unforgettable songs like “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”

The Half-Life of Marie Curie
The Half-Life of Marie Curie

In 1911, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium. By 1912, she was the object of ruthless gossip over an alleged affair with the married Frenchman Paul Langevin, all but erasing her achievements from public memory. Weakened and demoralized by the press lambasting her as a “foreign” Jewish temptress and a homewrecking traitor, Marie agrees to join her friend and colleague Hertha Ayrton, an electromechanical engineer and suffragette, at her summer home in England. The play revels in the power of female friendship as it explores the relationship between these two brilliant women, both of whom are mothers, widows, and fearless champions of scientific inquiry.

Hamlet
Hamlet

Shakespeare’s classic tragedy in an intimate, in-the-round setting. Ashley Fox leads a knockout cast in a production that invites audiences to get up close and personal with their ghosts.

Into the Earth with You
Into the Earth with You
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at McAninch Arts Center

By the creator and executive producer of the Amazon series Outer Range, Brian Watkins, BTE's production is the world premiere! Directed by Kurt Naebig. Granddad is gone. No elegies. No dirges. No dowries. It all goes in the grave. But three sisters can't forget what's buried when an impossible discovery upends their notions of loss, and gets the women asking: who among us has been digging?

Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys

Jersey Boys follows the fascinating evolution of four blue-collar kids who became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. Winner of Best Musical at both the Tony Awards and Olivier Awards, Jersey Boys takes you behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons to discover the secret of a 40-year friendship as the foursome work their way from the streets of New Jersey to the heights of stardom. Audiences will be thrilled with electrifying performances of chart-topping hits including "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," "Dawn," and "My Eyes Adored You," which brought The Four Seasons the highest honor: induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Joe Turner's Come and Gone

On the heels of Gem of the Ocean (2022), expert August Wilson interpreter Chuck Smith revives the second work in the Pulitzer Prize winner's famed cycle-one of his best-loved, most compelling plays. Herald Loomis searches the country with his young daughter to find his estranged wife. But first, he must regain a sense of his own heritage and identity in this story of spiritual and emotional resurrection.

Judgment Day
Judgment Day

Judgment Day tells the story of Sammy Campo, a staggeringly corrupt, morally bankrupt lawyer who's threatened with eternal damnation by a terrifying angel after a near-death experience. In a desperate attempt to redeem himself, Sammy forms an unlikely bond with a Catholic priest who is having his own crisis of faith. Filled with razor-sharp wit, this deliciously devious comedy rollicks through the timeless questions of Western philosophy-"morality," "faith," and "Are people any damn good?"

Jump
Jump
Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit

Meet Fay and Hopkins. Fay gives Hopkins hope. Hopkins helps Fay grieve her mother and the loss of her childhood home. Flickering lights, vapes that fall from the sky, and love that recycles leap into a play fueled by magical realism, for a touching story about hope and the promise of human connection.

Last Stop On Market Street
Last Stop On Market Street
Young People's Theatre of Chicago at The Greenhouse Theater Center

Visiting his grandmother's unfamiliar neighborhood, 6-year-old CJ discovers friendship, empathy, and joy in unexpected places. Adapted by Cheryl L. West from Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson's Newberry Award-winning picture book, Last Stop on Market Street's glorious score is by Paris Ray Dozier and his father, Lamont Dozier, writer of Motown hits like How Sweet It Is and Stop! In the Name of Love. Originally developed by the Chicago Children's Theatre and the Children's Theatre Company, YPT is thrilled to bring the second-ever production of Market Street to Chicago.

Lavender Men
Lavender Men
About Face Theatre at The Den Theatre

Taffeta is a fat, multi-racial femme with a unique form of queer magic: she can conjure dead historical figures. In this energetic and surreal play, Taffeta invites audiences along as she summons none other than President Abraham Lincoln and his handsome young law clerk Elmer Ellsworth to her stage. Playing every other character in Abe and Elmer's gay narrative, Taffeta uses this fantasia to confront issues of visibility, race, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. But is any of this historically accurate? Sit down, honey, that's not what we're here for. Lavender Men is an embrace to every queer, fat person of color who has been ignored, neglected, or erased for unapologetically being themselves.

The Magic Parlour
The Magic Parlour

Award-winning, third-generation magician Dennis Watkins delivers an evening of sophisticated tom-foolery in one of the Windy City's most unique entertainment experiences presented by The House Theatre of Chicago. The Magic Parlour is an elegant night out in the heart of downtown. This intimate magic show is replete with mind-blowing magic and mind reading in a small suite at the historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel.

Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends-practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya - from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own. On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities. Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S." to "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me," MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament
Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament

Medieval Times is an exciting, family-friendly dinner attraction inspired by an 11th century feast and tournament. Guests are served a four-course banquet and cheer for one of six knights as they compete in the joust and other tests of skill. Expect lots of jousting, swordsmanship, thrilling hand-to-hand combat, and displays of extraordinary horsemanship as part of an exciting story set in Medieval Spain.

Murder in the Cathedral
Murder in the Cathedral

Murder in the Cathedral dramatizes the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Becket at the hands of knights loyal to Henry II in 1170. Eliot wrote it on commission to be performed in the sanctuary at Canterbury Cathedral, the room where Becket was murdered; his depiction of the killing draws from the eye-witness account of Edward Grim, a monk who was wounded trying to protect the Archbishop. City Lit’s production will be staged in the sanctuary of Edgewater Presbyterian Church.

The Music Man
The Music Man

Meredith Willson's six-time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy is a family-friendly story to be shared with every generation. Follow fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a band that he vows to organize - despite the fact that he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian. By turns wicked, funny, warm, romantic and touching, THE MUSIC MAN is family entertainment at its best.

Nana
Nana

Olwen Wymark's splendid dramatization of Zola's Nana is a story of sexual and financial greed in nineteenth-century Parisian society, depicting the rise and tragic downfall of a young courtesan.

Native Son
Native Son

Suffocating in rat-infested poverty on Chicago's South Side during the 1930s, twenty-year-old Bigger Thomas struggles to find a place for himself in a world whose prejudice has shut him out. After taking a job in a wealthy white man's house, Bigger unwittingly unleashes a series of events that violently and irrevocably seal his fate. Adapted with theatrical ingenuity by Chicago's own Nambi E. Kelley, this Native Son captures the power of Richard Wright's novel for a whole new generation.

Oh, The Places You'll Glow!
Oh, The Places You'll Glow!

Step into a dimension of kaleidoscopic hilarity with The Second City e.t.c's 47th Revue Oh, The Places You'll Glow! Our incandescent ensemble leads the journey through a luminous wonderland of wit and satire where they weigh the politics of a one-night stand, explore an unconventional school for troubled youth, and find out who REALLY runs hell. A laugh riot spectacle of sound and fury resplendent with color; Oh, The Places You'll Glow! is sure to illuminate your heart.

Panther In The Sky
Panther In The Sky
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble at Ebenezer Lutheran Church

Panther in the Sky is a new play about four mothers who lost their teenage sons to gun violence on the streets of Chicago and the sons who watch over them, guiding them to take action.

Physician Magician
Physician Magician

Prepare for an elegant evening of rarely seen magic and illusion. Internationally regarded illusionist and award-winning physician Ricardo Rosenkranz, invites us into his study so that he may share the magical performances he so dearly loves. Along the way we learn about his connection between medicine and magic witnessing mysteries that might unlock the mind and warm the heart.

Poor People! The Parody Musical
Poor People! The Parody Musical
Hell In A Handbag Productions at Chopin Theatre

It's 1979 in dangerous, smoky, glorious New York City. Our story's red-headed protagonist Li'l Orphan Arnie (Dakota Hughes) is fleeing from the guardianship of a sex-starved, meth-cooking madwoman (Sydney Genco*). Out on the streets, they befriend a slinky dancing cat (Matty Bettencourt), who leads them to a magical manhole, transporting them back in time to Paris, France in 1815. Trading in one poverty-plagued lifestyle for another, Arnie gives up the desire to find their parents and joins forces with a gang of pick-pocketing prostitutes, led by the mysterious Fagin (David Cerda*).

Prelude to a Kiss
Prelude to a Kiss
Theatre Above the Law at The Jarvis Square Theater

At Peter and Rita’s wedding, a mysterious old man insists on kissing the bride. While honeymooning, Peter gradually realizes that the woman by his side is not his wife. The wedding kiss caused Rita’s soul and the Old Man’s to change places. Peter must track down the old man and free his young love’s spirit trapped in an aging and diseased body before it’s too late.

Pro-Am
Pro-Am
First Floor Theater at The Den Theatre

Most careers don't last longer than three months in Miami's professional-amateur porn scene. But that's about to change when rising star Chloe Kendall meets the driven trans performer Nastasia. The girls are doing it for themselves now, and for the first time, people won't just be watching them - they'll be paying attention.

Rain
Rain

As "the next best thing to seeing The Beatles!" (Associated Press), RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. In addition to the updated sets that include brand new LED, High-Definition screens and multimedia content, new songs have also been included with the launch of the 2013-14 Tour. Together longer than The Beatles, RAIN has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance that's as infectious as it is transporting. From the early hits to later classics ("I Want To Hold Your Hand," "Hard Day's Night," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Let It Be," "Come Together," "Hey Jude" and more), this adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends!

The Receptionist
The Receptionist
Kalliope & Co. at A Red Orchid Theatre

At the start of a typical day in the Northeast Office, Beverly deals effortlessly with ringing phones and her colleague's romantic troubles. But the appearance of a charming rep from the Central Office disrupts the friendly routine. As the true nature of the company's business becomes apparent, The Receptionist raises disquieting, provocative questions about the consequences of complicity with evil.

Ridiculous!
Ridiculous!

David Williamson, regarded as one of the top magicians in the world today, makes his Rhapsody Theater debut with Ridiculous! Known for his tours with Circus 1903 and The Illusionists on Broadway, Williamson's Ridiculous! is a brand new solo full-length magic production created for The Rhapsody Theater. Mixing mind-bending illusions, side-splitting comedy, and a dash of anarchy, the show is an uproarious evening of controlled chaos ruminating on the meaning of the word ridiculous.

The S Paradox
The S Paradox
Babes With Blades Theatre at Factory Theater

In a distant future, the United States has undergone sweeping reform: guns are banned, healthcare is free and numerous tax and economic bills have helped lessen the division of classes and pulled millions out of poverty. Sloane is a young woman who has been tapped by a watchdog intelligence agency called the CRC, led by the odd, yet charming William Hale. As Sloane triumphantly, and a little drunkenly, leaves a warehouse after signing her contract, she is stopped by a mysterious woman who says she has come back in time to stop Sloane from making the biggest mistake of her life.

Teatro ZinZanni: Love, Chaos and Dinner
Teatro ZinZanni: Love, Chaos and Dinner

Enter a realm where reality and dreams converge; an experience unlike any other! Teatro ZinZanni is a whirlwind of international cirque, comedy and cabaret served with a multi-course feast. Described as the "Kit Kat Klub on acid," the fast-paced action unfolds around, above and alongside you as world-class acrobats, musicians, divas, illusionists, madmen and aerialists fill the intimate Spiegeltent ZaZou, a unique jewel box mirror tent. Teatro ZinZanni's signature blend of Love, Chaos & Dinner has played to sold out audiences in Seattle and San Francisco, and now comes to Chicago's Cambria Hotel with its "feast for the senses." (The New York Times)

The Thanksgiving Play
The Thanksgiving Play

Four (very) well-intentioned theatre people walk into an elementary school. The work at hand: a Thanksgiving pageant that won't ruffle any feathers. What could possibly go wrong? In MacArthur Genius Larissa Fasthorse's skewering and satirical comedy, well, just about everything. Rambunctious, thorny and not altogether politically correct, The Thanksgiving Play serves up the hypocrisies of woke America on a big, family-style platter. Come get ya some.

Trickery Chicago Magic Show
Trickery Chicago Magic Show

Fun, intimate, sometimes outrageous, and always hilarious!

Turret
Turret

Two men survive in a facility deep underground somewhere in the wild woods of the Pacific Northwest, hiding away from something terrible looming just outside. Ensnared in a relentless loop of endless tomorrows, they discover the wolf isn't at the door, he's already inside, waiting in the creeping darkness all around them. Turret is an excavation of masculinity, love, loss and isolation. A claustrophobic carnival of carnage, carrier pigeons, cribbage, whiskey, music, mischief and mayhem.

The Unfair Advantage
The Unfair Advantage

Introducing The Unfair Advantage, an intimate, unique, and unprecedented hour-long theatrical event running in Chicago for a limited time this spring. Join Harry in an audience of just 35 people as he reveals - step by step - how magicians, card cheaters, and mentalists fool the world.

Viva la Mort
Viva la Mort
The Conspirators at Otherworld Theatre

Viva, a superstar singer, Michigander and pop-icon (whose career spans four decades), returns to her hometown and to her just-as-aging ex, Mortenson Miller. Is the return out of generosity or revenge? Content Warning: songs, style, and possibly killer wolverines. Performed-with songs!-in The Conspirators' inimitable style.

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is National Public Radio's Peabody Award-winning comedy news quiz show. Host Peter Sagal leads a rotating panel of comedians, writers, listener contestants, and celebrity guests through a rollicking review of the week's news. Contestants vie for the most coveted prize in all of public radio: a custom-recorded greeting by any of our cast members for their voicemail. Every week, Wait, Wait.... Don't Tell Me! records in front of a live audience, then carefully edits out all the raunchy, inappropriate, shocking, and hilarious stuff so we can broadcast something that doesn't get NPR in trouble... well, more trouble. The

A Year with Frog and Toad
A Year with Frog and Toad
Chicago Children's Theatre at The Station

Lobel's beloved amphibians hop from the page to the stage in this heartwarming musical that follows two best friends - the cheerful, popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad - through four fun-filled seasons. Waking from hibernation in the spring, Frog and Toad go swimming, rake leaves, go sledding and learn life lessons, celebrating their differences that make them unique and special. Full of joy and energy, top musical numbers include "Cookies," "Getta Loada Toad," "I'm Coming Out of My Shell" and "Merry Almost Christmas." Part vaudeville, part make believe, all charm, A Year With Frog and Toad tells the story of a friendship that endures, weathering all seasons.