5 minute read
ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light
Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light at the Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, is a holiday tradition that started in 1942 with a single tree to remind us that the things that unite us are bigger than the things that separate us. The 50 trees in the museum's rotunda are each decorated by members of different Chicago communities who emigrated from all over the globe. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets are $22 at msichicago.org.
Oh, Oh, Oh, It's Magic!
Magic Immersive Experience
The Magic Immersive Experience, 360 N. State St., is the world’s first immersive magic show! Created by Jamie Allan, Magic Immersive uses 3D projections, holograms, and live magicians for a one-of-a-kind experience. This show will feature death-defying escapes, vanishing acts, levitation, the famous duo Penn and Teller, as well as Houdini’s famous water chamber. Magic Immersive runs December 3 to Jan. 2, 2022. Tickets start at $45 and time slots vary. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit magicimmersive.com.
Bah, Humbug!
‘A Christmas Carol’
The Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., presents “A Christmas Carol” through December 31. This classic holiday story follows the old miser Ebenezer Scrooge as he is visited by the ghosts of past, present and future on a journey toward kindness and redemption. Adapted from Charles Dickens's short novel, "A Christmas Carol," this must-see holiday show features live music, singing and dancing. The Goodman Theatre requires all guests to show proof of vaccination. Tickets start at $25. For tickets and a full schedule of show times, visit goodmantheatre.org.
Live Chat!
Meet the Author: Louise Erdrich
Tune in to Zoom from 5-6 p.m. December 2 for a virtual meet-the-author event with Louise Erdrich. Erdrich will be introduced by poet Mark Turcotte and joined by Native American literature scholar Kelly Wisecup for a conversation about her latest novel, “The Sentence.” “The Sentence” asks what we owe to the living, to the dead, to the reader, and the book. A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store's most annoying customer. Flora died on All Souls' Day, but she simply won't leave the store. Tookie, who has landed a job selling books after years of incarceration that she survived by reading, must solve the mystery of this haunting while at the same time trying to understand all that occurs in Minneapolis during a year of grief, astonishment, isolation, and furious reckoning. For more information about this event and to access the Zoom link please visit newberry.org.
An Acrobatic Christmas!
Cirque du Soleil’s ‘'Twas the Night Before…’
The Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., hosts Cirque du Soleil’s “'Twas the Night Before…” with multiple showings through December 5. Cirque du Soleil’s exhilarating spin on the beloved Christmas tale returns to Chicago where it premiered in 2019. A flurry of Christmas cheer, rip-roaring fun, and hugely lovable characters, “'Twas the Night Before…” will introduce audiences to the magic of Cirque du Soleil and help families create new holiday traditions. Join Isabella, a curious girl, jaded by the craze surrounding Christmas, as she is whisked away to an upside-down, inside-out world where she meets a host of colorful characters. Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased at msg. com/the-chicago-theatre.
Your Inner Artist!
‘Van Gogh Visits Chicago’ Painting Session
Looking for a DIY present to give to a friend or family member? Well, the Color Cocktail Factory, 917 W. 18th St., is hosting a Van Gogh Chicago painting session on December 5 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. With the help of a professional instructor, you will customize a fusion of Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” with the Chicago skyline to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art. No art experience is necessary. Tickets are $25 at eventbrite. com.
Author Appearance!
Book Signing
Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., is hosting a book signing with Kyle Lukoff at 3 p.m. December 2. Lukoff is the author of “Too Bright to See,” a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's literature. The book has been described as a ghost story about growing up, coping with grief, and navigating gender identity. It follows two best friends, Moira and Bug, getting ready to enter middle school. However, Bug is confronted by a ghost and soon discovers their identity. FREE. Learn more and register at womenandchildrenfirst.com.
New Stages Festival!
‘Nightwatch’
The Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., presents “Nightwatch” as part of its New Stages Festival, 7:30 p.m. December 1. The festival, an annual celebration of innovative work by some of the country's most ambitious playwrights, is in its 17th year. "Nightwatch" by Max Yu, a winner of the 2019 Relentless Award, tells the story of 20-year-old Leo, who dropped out of school and returned home, only to find that his father had died. In an attempt to cope with his father's death, Leo examines his family's untold past in the Chinese Communist Cultural Revolution, redefining everything and everyone he thought was in his bloodline. The show is free, but registration is required at goodmantheatre.org.
A Psychological Thriller!
‘Bug’
Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., opens another season with a revival of "Bug," Tracy Letts' mind-bending cult classic. A young drifter and a lonely waitress begin a love affair in a seedy motel room in Oklahoma -- and then the bugs appear. This award-winning production is a luridly funny tale of love, paranoia and government conspiracy. Multiple showings through December 12. For a full schedule of performances, visit steppenwolf.org.
-Compiled by Paige Bialik & Suzanne Hanney & Fran Johns