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?

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.

Free spirit Corie and uptight lawyer Paul discover what love and marriage truly are. When the newlyweds invite Corie's conservative mother and their unconventional neighbor on a double date...what could go wrong?

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 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.

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 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.

Fran is chronically single, has piles of bills, and finds Owen obnoxious. Owen has a bad back, runs a laundry, and thinks Fran is gloomy. And then he asks her out. After years of putting the rest of her family first, Fran is ready to make the leap toward her own romantic dreams. Little does she know that even bigger challenges are headed her way.

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.

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!

A comic discussion of identity and sexuality. John has been in a stable relationship with his boyfriend for a number of years. But when he takes a break, he accidentally falls in love with a woman. Torn between the two, filled with guilt and conflicting emotions, he doesn't know which way to turn. His boyfriend is willing to wait for him to make a decision, but so is his girlfriend. And both are prepared to fight to keep him. As the pressure mounts, a dinner with both parties is arranged, and everyone wants to know. Who is John? What is he? And what will his decision be?

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.

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!

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!

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.

"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.

A captivating stageplay written by Veronica F. Franklin, takes the spotlight. Set against the backdrop of love, hope, and redemption, this gripping tale follows a couple on the verge of marriage as they confront their past to secure their future. Will their love endure the trials of doubt and faith? Prepare for a rollercoaster of emotions—from laughter to tears to empathy—as the drama unfolds, promising an unforgettable theatrical experience.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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?"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Days after the February 1848 revolution, Fryderyk Chopin is teaching a piano lesson in Paris. Set in the Polish pianist-composer's intimate salon, Chopin shares with his students secrets about the piano and secrets about himself-as well as playing some of his most beautiful and enduring compositions. In a tour de force performance, the beloved virtuoso actor/pianist, Hershey Felder brings to life the romantic story and music of the man once called the "Poet of the Piano."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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*).

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.

For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home to Illinois with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black radicalism. Rowdy, hilarious and filled with intrigue, Purpose is an epic family drama - a long-awaited world premiere from one of the country's most celebrated voices.

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.

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)

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.

What would a Senior in High School born in 2006 know about the music of the 80's? Derrick Taylor knows absolutely nothing about that decade of music but he is about to find out when his music teacher challenges him to research the music of the 80's and compare it to the musical culture of today. Derrick is forced to go to his eccentric inventor Uncle Mike to help him discover what he calls 'old folks music.' However, with artists like Prince, Sheila E, Madonna, Keith Sweat and many, many more, He quickly learns that the music of the 80's was and is phenomenal. Join Derrick as he enters the portal to the past and discovers what great music is all about!

Fun, intimate, sometimes outrageous, and always hilarious!

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.

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.

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

Thomas Middleton’s 1621 psychosexual revenge tragedy tells the story of the devastating effects of the patriarchy on an entire society. A captivating and clever widow, Livia, orchestrates the futures of two young women and sets in motion a wicked game of subversion and deceit. But when the mastermind breaks with social convention herself, she finds out how far the men around her will go to constrict her autonomy. In this new queer feminist take, the lacerating personal narration of two surreal transfemme drag queens frames Middleton’s timeless tale, rushing it into the here and now. Smith and Bhandari’s original adaptation dives deep, excavating the social frameworks of gender violence and the gender of violence, as the story hurtles towards a devastating and outrageous new ending for our modern times.

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.