When I worked as a paid usher for Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City, I remember my supervisor stating that watching Ballet West's The Nutcracker was always a major letdown after Christmas. But, to my surprise, I encountered many patrons who said they actually preferred seeing The Nutcracker after Christmas. The stressful buildup to the official day was over, so now they could fully relax and enjoy a holiday show.
With that in mind, here are a few traditional and quirky suggestions of holiday favorites that run past the official sell-by date of Dec. 25. These are returning shows that the Windy City Times doesn't always review, since we're often just focused on covering newer holiday shows like Dee Snider's Rock and Roll Christmas Tale ( now through Jan. 4 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place ), A Q Brothers' Christmas Carol ( now through Dec. 31 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater ) or Twist Your Dickens, Or Scrooge You! ( now through Dec. 28 at Goodman Theatre ).
We're also sorry to admit that we've missed some other new shows like Provision Theater Company's Christmas on the Air ( now through Dec. 28 ), Congo Square Theatre Company's A Nativity Story ( now through Dec. 28 ) and A Christmas Memory at Theatre at the Center in Munster, Ind., which has already come and gone.
Classically Christmas
A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens' 1843 novella has often been called The Second Greatest Story Ever Told, and its potency and message remains true season after season. You can still catch theatrical adaptations of Dickens' classic now through Dec. 28 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights. Visit www.goodmantheatre.org or www.metropolisarts.com .
The Christmas Schooner, Mercury Theater Chicago, through Dec. 28. This Chicago-centric holiday musical by John Reeger and Julie Shannon was once an annual tradition at the former Bailiwick Repertory Theatre. But this show about the perilous 19th century delivery of Christmas trees across Lake Michigan has now been picked up and revived by Mercury Theater Chicago. Visit www.mercurytheaterchicago.com .
The Nutcracker, Joffrey Ballet, through Dec. 28. This classic Tchaikovsky Christmas ballet may have debuted in Russia in 1892, but it has thoroughly become an American staple since the mid-20th Century. Catch the 27th annual Joffrey Ballet Nutcracker at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. www.joffrey.org .
The Nutcracker, The House Theatre of Chicago at Chopin Theatre, through Dec. 28. If you want a ballet-free take on the classic E.T.A. Hoffmann holiday tale of a cursed Nutcracker battling an evil Rat King, catch this returning modernized musical production full of toys that come to life. Visit www.thehousetheatre.com .
It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, American Blues Theater at Greenhouse Theater Center, through Dec. 28. This theatrical adaptation of the classic 1946 Frank Capra film is presented like a 1940s radio play. See how George Bailey gets to live again, but this time live and over the airwaves. Visit www.americanbluestheater.com .
Quirkily Christmas
Christmas Bingo: It's a Ho-Ho-Holy Night, Royal George Theatre, through Jan. 4. This show by Vicki Quade is a spinoff of the wholly successful Late Nite Catechism franchise. So play actual games of bingo as you answer quiz questions on the origins of Christmas. Visit www.christmasbingo.info .
EL Stories: Holiday Train, Waltzing Mechanics at Greenhouse Theater Center, through Jan. 10. This is a special holiday edition of the long-running show that dramatizes tales drawn from real-life experience of CTA commuters. Visit www.waltzingmechanics.org .
Happy Holly-daze—A Drinking Game Performance, Cornservatory, through Dec. 27. Mix comedy sketches with BYOB drinking games in this tipsy revue that gives another meaning to the term holiday spirits. Visit www.cornservatory.org .
Hellcab, Profiles Theatre, through Jan. 11. Will Kern's long-running Chicago show about a cabbie's bizarre experiences on Christmas Eve is back for a revived third holiday go-round. Visit www.profilestheatre.org .
Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer, Hell in a Handbag Productions at Mary's Attic, through Jan. 2. This subversively camp and queer take on the classic Rankin/Bass TV special by David Cerda and Scott Lamberty is back again and celebrating its 17-year anniversary. Don't bring the kids to this mature audiences-only show, because you won't get a refund. Visit www.handbagproductions.org .
The Santaland Diaries, Theater Wit, through Dec. 28. Mitchell Fain is back again to star in Joe Mantello's popular adaptation of David Sedaris' enduring adults-only essay about his off-kilter experiences working as a Macy's Santaland elf. Visit www.theaterwit.org .
The Second City's Holidays in the Heights, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, through Dec. 31. The long-running Chicago sketch comedy institution makes another suburban outreach to Arlington Heights with a revue inspired specifically by the holiday season. Visit www.metropolisarts.com .
It's a Wonderful Santaland Miracle, Nut Cracking Christmas Story... Jews Welcome!, Stage 773, through Dec. 28. Save time on your seasonal theatergoing by catching this comedy revue that touches upon all sorts of holiday shows in one sitting. Visit www.stage773.com .
Please send theater news and other related tidbits to scottishplayscott@yahoo.com .
