Broadway benefit Dec. 14 at Sidetrack
Cast members from the North American touring companies of the Broadway blockbusters Disney's The Lion King and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical present "Can You Feel the Earth Move: A Holiday Cabaret to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS" on Monday, Dec. 14, 7-9 p.m. at Sidetrack Video Bar, 3349 N. Halsted St.
Cast members from both shows will perform a selection of their favorite songs and classic holiday tunes. There will also be silent auction and additional fundraising surprises.
A $25 suggested donation at the door includes two drink tickets.
See BroadwayInChicago.com to purchase tickets for The Lion King and Beautiful.
Comedian Esposito in Chicago Dec. 10
Comedian Cameron Esposito—who's originally from Chicago—will be performing at Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m.
Esposito is a Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor and writer. Among other projects, she has appeared on Late Late with Craig Ferguson, @midnight, CONAN and Last Call with Carson Daly, and was a regular on Chelsea Lately and TakePartLive.
The show will be part of Seeso, NBCUniversal's new streaming comedy channel. Set to debut in January 2016, the ad-free subscription service will be available at www.seeso.com and on streaming platforms, connected devices and other distribution partners for $3.99 per month.
Esposito and her fiancee, Rhea Butcher, will also produce and star in the original comedy Take My Wife (working title) for Seeso, also coming in 2016.
Dave Koz holiday tour in Chicago Dec. 12
The 2015 Dave Koz and Friends Christmas tour will again stop in Chicago—this time on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St.
Special guests this time include musician Jonathan Butler ( the song "Lies" ), Dutch saxophone star Candy Dulfer and Bill Medley, who will be touring with Koz for the first time. Medley co-founded The Righteous Brothers with Bobby Hatfield, and has released 14 solo albums, including the Grammy-winning Dirty Dancing.
Tickets are available at LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com, the venue box office or at 800-745-3000.
Trans exhibit at Columbia thru February
Columbia College Chicago's Glass Curtain Gallery, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., presents "Bring Your Own Body: transgender between archives and aesthetics," which is open Dec. 10, 2015-Feb. 13, 2016. The reception will be Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, 5-8 p.m.
Jeanne Vaccaro and Stamatina Gregory are the curators, with Cooper Union organizing.
Taking its title from an unpublished manuscript by intersex pioneer Lynn Harris, the exhibit historicizes the sexological and cultural imaginary of transgender through a curatorial exploration of historical collections, including the Kinsey Archives.
See Colum.edu/deps .
Streisand impersonator in Skokie Dec. 26
Barbra Streisand impersonator Michelle Monet will present her one-woman show "SHE, Streisand and ME, Monet," at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie, on Saturday, Dec. 26, at 8 p.m.
The first act will be Monet transforming herself into Streisand and sharing some of Streisand's chart-topping hits, including"People," "Don't Rain on My Parade," "The Way We Were," "Hello Dolly," "Papa, Can You Hear Me" and others. In the second act, Monet will go back to her roots as a guitar player and singer/songwriter, and share some of her original songs with the audience.
Tickets are $25 general admission; visit SkokieTheatre.org or call 847-677-7761.
'Christmas Queens' Dec. 21 at Park West
Murray & Peter present a holiday spectacular with contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race singing songs from their new CD Christmas Queens on Monday, Dec. 21, at 8 p.m. at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave.
Willam will host, with performers including Alaska Thunderf**k, Katya Zamolodchikova, Jinkx Monsoon, Ginger Minj and Sharon Needles
Tickets are $35-$50 ( with $75 VIP passes available, as well ); visit eTix.com or the Park West box office, or call 800-514-3849.
Windy City Times' full calendar of events at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/chicago/events/upcoming.php .
'Pub Quiz Against Poverty' Dec. 10
The Heartland Alliance will hold its annual Pub Quiz Against Poverty on Thursday, Dec. 10, 6-9 p.m. at Mad River Bar & Grille, 2909 N. Sheffield Ave.
People can form teams of up to six contestants ahead of time, or can join a team upon arriving at the event. There will be prizes for first, second and third place. Tickets are $40 per person.
See HeartlandAlliance.org .
Windy City Times' full calendar of events at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/chicago/events/upcoming.php .
Siskel to honor Johansson
The Gene Siskel Film Center (GSFC) of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) will pay tribute to Tony and BAFTA winner and four-time Golden Globe nominee Scarlett Johansson on Saturday, June 11, 2016, at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, 160 E. Pearson St.
"Celebrate Scarlett" will pay tribute to Johansson's accomplishments as an actor as well as give attendees the opportunity to hear an intimate conversation providing insights into her creative process and influences, favorite roles, upcoming projects and more.
Past honorees include Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr. and George Lucas, among others.
Single tickets are $500-$1,000; call 312-846-2072.
Sam Fazio releases new CD
Chicago-based vocalist Sam Fazio has released a new holiday CD, Swingin' thru the Holidays. The album has songs such as "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "It's a Marshmallow World" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"
Swingin' thru the Holidays is now available at SamFazioMusic.com and other online sources such as CD Baby, Amazon and iTunes.
'Holiday Hilarity' Dec. 16 at Davenport's
Melissa Young and Nick Sula will sing what they call "wacky holiday hits" in "Holiday Hilarity" on Wed., Dec. 16, at Davenport's Piano Bar & Cabaret, 1383 N. Milwaukee Ave., at 8 p.m.
A portion of the night's proceeds will go to The Night Ministry, which works to provide housing, health care and more to people experiencing poverty or homelessness.
Among the songs slated to be sung are "Santa Claus Got Stuck in my Chimney," "Santa Lost a Ho" and "Hard Rock and CoCo and Joe."
Tickets are $18, along with a two-drink minimum. Reservations are recommended; visit DavenportsPianoBar.com or call 773-278-1830.
Windy City Times' full calendar of events at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/chicago/events/upcoming.php .
Amy & Freddy's 'Diva' Dec. 11-13
Local entertainment duo Amy & Freddy are celebrating 20 years together in show business—with help from Emmy-winning funnyman/actor Leslie Jordan.
"How the Diva Stole Christmas" will take place at Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted St., on Dec. 11-13, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $30-$45; visit tickets.reactionshows.com/ .
Sketch festival Jan. 7-17
The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival will run Jan. 7-17, 2016.
The event boasts 165 groups performing 186 shows.
Among those taking part are groups who celebrate diverse voices through sketch comedy derived from their cultural or ethnic heritage, sexual orientation or identity, or uniquely abled members. In this line-up are Stir Friday Night, Spic and Tan, GayCo, Your Dark Embrace, Patti Vasquez and Spirit Animal.
The entire schedule for the 15th Annual Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival may be viewed at www.ChicagoSketchfest.com .
All-festival passes, regularly priced at $165, will be available for $115 if purchased before Dec. 31. Thursday, Friday and Sunday day passes are available for $37, $47 and $57, respectively. Tickets and information are available online at www.Stage773.com, 773-327-5252 and at the Stage 773 box office, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.
'The Homosexuals' reading Dec. 19
About Face Theatre (AFT) will present a one-night-only benefit reading of its 2011 hit The Homosexuals, by AFT Artistic Associate Philip Dawkins, on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at The Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St.
The reading will feature AFT Artistic Associates Patrick Andrews, Scott Bradley, John Francisco, Elizabeth Ledo and Benjamin Sprunger, with Stephen Cone and Eddie Diaz.
The play follows Evan, a young gay man who moves to the Midwest with nothing but the shirt on his back. When a kind man invites him to a party his first night in town—the circle of friends he meets that night have an impact on his life that he could ever imagine.
Tickets are $15 each; visit AboutFaceTheatre.com .
'Awakening' at Marriott in Jan.
The Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire, will present the musical Spring Awakening Jan. 14-31, 2016.
The production is an adaptation of Frank Wedekind's controversial 1891 play centering on sexual awakening, morality, youth and rebellion, augmented with an Tony Award-winning pop rock score by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik.
Spring Awakening is for mature audiences only, due to mature/sexual themes and content. Admission is $50, with 2016 subscribers getting a substantial discount; call 847-634-0200 or visit www.Ticketmaster.com .
Windy City Times' full calendar of events at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/chicago/events/upcoming.php .
