Liz Lauren News

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents a vibrantly reimagined A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by internationally acclaimed director Joe Dowling, in the Courtyard Theater, now through January 27, 2019. 

By the time December hits (and oftentimes well before), it's impossible to browse theatre listings without running across half a dozen productions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. But what makes it so long lasting? We reached out to companies across the US and more to find out just what makes A Christmas Carol the anthem for the holiday season.

The Goodman Theatre's annual production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, now in its 41st year, embraces Charles Dickens' world with all of its Victorian charm. And rightly so: after all, Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, are largely credited with popularizing Christmas traditions in Britain. Between these royals and the legacy of Dickens' beloved tale, nothing says 'Christmas' quite like carolers in top hats and gas lamps glowing in the London fog.

With its abundance of classic tunes and tightly choreographed ensemble numbers, Irving Berlin's HOLIDAY INN is the perfect fit for the Marriott Theatre, a company that excels with dance-heavy shows in its intimate, in-the-round space. Denis Jones directs and choreographs a talented cast in this regional premiere of the 2016 Broadway musical (which Jones also choreographed). Based on the 1942 film featuring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, the stage adaptation makes some vital updates (most obviously, getting rid of a notorious blackface number), while capitalizing on the nostalgia of songs like 'White Christmas,' 'Happy Holiday,' 'Blue Skies,' and 'Cheek to Cheek.'

The raucous and irreverent holiday tradition Q Brothers Christmas Carol returns to The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, now through December 30, 2018. Created by hip-hop sensations the Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, Jax, and Pos) and developed with Creative Producer Rick Boynton, this wildly popular reinterpretation of the perennial favorite by Charles Dickens is underscored with beats spun live at the turntables, mashing up styles from reggae and dancehall music, to dubstep and epic rock ballads. John Hoogenakker, now featured in Amazon's runaway hit series Jack Ryan, takes on the role of Scrooge for a special limited engagement during the run.

More than 1.5 million people have experienced Goodman Theatre's family-favorite, A Christmas Carol, 'one of Chicago's treasured Christmas traditions' (Theatermania), now returning for the 41st year. Under Artistic Associate Henry Wishcamper's direction for the sixth year, the annual production 'remains the greatest seasonal story of all' (Chicago Tribune) and features Chicago actor Larry Yando, who leads the 26-member cast as the irascible businessman Ebenezer Scrooge. Joining Yando is Paris Strickland, who reprises her role as Tiny Tim for the second year. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who take him on a spectacular adventure through his past, present and future, helping him rediscover the joys of life, love and friendship. 

Ike Holter's RIGHTLYND sets into motion the central theme of the tension between political idealism and the realities that come with power in a complicated, often staid political machine.

Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the world premiere of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, from the story by Hans Christian Andersen, conceived and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman. This family-friendly, holiday show runs November 7, 2018-January 13, 2019 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. Tickets can be purchased online at lookingglasstheatre.org or by phone at (312) 337-0665.

Tis the season for holiday theatergoing! This year, Goodman Theatre offers two choices for Chicago audiences-Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, now in its 41st year, and the Goodman debut of David Sedaris' contemporary, irreverent The Santaland Diaries, adapted by Joe Mantello.

About Face Theatre is pleased to launch its 2018-19 season with the Chicago premiere of the poetic and political romance THIS BITTER EARTH by award winning playwright and McKnight Fellow Harrison David Rivers, directed by Mikael Burke, recipient of the 2017 Princess Grace Award in Theatre.

BoHo Theatre's production of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones's 110 IN THE SHADE makes the central, fierce, independent female character of Lizzie Curry take center stage. This is particularly true because Neala Barron's expert performance anchors every moment. Barron mines her character for the maximum amount of meaning and layers she can find: she makes us feel Lizzie's strong-willed, intelligent presence while also conveying a deep sense of longing to find a husband and start a family. 110 IN THE SHADE strikes a chord precisely because these two facets of Lizzie's character are not presented as irreconcilable: rather, Lizzie is simultaneously pragmatic and ambitious in her desires. With direction by outgoing Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan and music direction by Ellen Morris, Barron also thrives in each musical number backed by a 3-piece orchestra.

Though often described as a 'universal language,' music, perhaps more than any other art form, is intricately linked to the memories and emotions of the individual. LADY IN DENMARK celebrates the power of music to weave together the strands of one life: in this case, the songs of Billie Holiday and the reminiscences of a fictional, elderly Danish immigrant living in Chicago.

Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the world premiere of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, from the story by Hans Christian Andersen, conceived and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman

More than 1.5 million people have experienced A Christmas Carol, now returning for the 41st year at Goodman Theatre, November 17 - December 30.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces the cast for the North American premiere of Jessica Swale's exuberant new comedy Nell Gwynn, September 20-November 4, 2018. The music- and dance-filled play took London audiences by storm when it debuted at Shakespeare's Globe, followed by a celebrated run on the West End. Director of the original London production, Christopher Luscombe, helms the new Chicago Shakespeare production. Star of Broadway and the West End Scarlett Strallen appears as Nell; Chicago leading actor Timothy Edward Kane performs the role of King Charles II.

Paramount Theatre's production of LEGALLY BLONDE-THE MUSICAL lands the familiar tale of sorority-girl-turned-lawyer Elle Woods firmly in 2018, and it works well. Based on the 2001 movie, the musical premiered on Broadway in 2007, and, unlike some stage adaptations of beloved chick flicks, still resonates in today's post-Weinstein world. A strong female protagonist, working hard to achieve her goals, leaves behind toxic relationships and surrounds herself with people who believe in building each other up. While the narrative is empowering, LEGALLY BLONDE never lets the tone get too serious, with plenty of humor, larger-than-life characters, impressive dance numbers, and all the glitz, glam, and 'Omigod's that one would expect from the women of UCLA's Delta Nu.

Omigod! Omigod, you guys! Aurora's Paramount Theatre - Chicago's most decorated theater at the 2017 Jeff Awards, the most heavily subscribed theater in Chicago, and the second largest in the nation - is excited to kick off Chicago's 2018-19 theater season in high fashion with a new production of Legally Blonde.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the City of Chicago, Chicago Park District and Boeing partner to present the annual citywide summer tradition, Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks.

It is no small feat to create a believable portrait of a great artist that pays equal homage to their creative genius and their ordinary hopes, struggles, and failures. Playwright Jim McGrath does exactly this for Ernest Hemingway in PAMPLONA. Under Robert Falls' direction, renowned actor Stacy Keach returns to the role he was meant to play in spring of 2017, before a mild heart attack prevented the Goodman's world premiere production from opening. It was worth the wait.

It's difficult to remember the last show that made me laugh as much as the Marriott Theatre's MURDER FOR TWO. It was probably THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, which is currently reigning as the longest-running play on Broadway and soon to embark on a national tour. Murder mystery farces are clearly in fashion, but MURDER FOR TWO falls into a delightful subgenre of its own.