The One of a Kind Holiday Show Is Back December 5th Through Sunday, December 8th, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

THE ONE OF A KIND HOLIDAY SHOW AND SALE® CHICAGO 

Photo Credit: Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

RETURNS TO THE MART DECEMBER 5-8 FEATURING OVER 600 OF THE NATION’S BEST ARTISTS AND MAKERS 

Chicago’s Beloved Holiday Shopping Destination Celebrates its 23rd Edition with the Ultimate Winter Weekend of Exclusive Finds, Live Entertainment, Gourmet Food, Drinks and More! 

The holiday season fan-favorite will feature an impressive selection of original handmade work from over 600 talented artists and makers.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama, we've been covering The One of a Kind Holiday Show for 15 of their 23 years and we'll be back again on Friday for a photo filled feature. Check out our socials for a boots on the ground view of some of our favorites out of the 600 artists and makers! We cruised by THE MART on the final Chicago Architecture Cruise of the season the weekend before Thanksgiving and caught The One of a Kind Holiday Show signage from the river view, and started to get shopping fever.

Photo Credit: Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

We've always discovered so many unique finds here! You can knock out your holiday gift list with ease, while supporting artisans, craftsmen, and small businesses. Their reusable, canvas tote bags are adorable for gift giving, too, and will be welcome year round. Don't miss this!  

Chicago’s favorite 4-day shopping extravaganza is back! The One of a Kind Holiday Show is pleased to announce the 23rd edition of the beloved event will return to the 7th Floor of THE MART Thursday, December 5 through Sunday, December 8. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and shop directly from the show’s acclaimed artists and emerging talent to discover behind-the-scenes insights and inspirations. 

“We are so proud to be returning for the 23rd edition of the Holiday show this December. We have an incredible lineup of talented artists, each hand-selected by our jury.” Kathleen Hogan, Director of the One of a Kind Holiday Show. “Each maker has their own background, style and perspective, truly making it a one-of-a-kind event. Year over year we can’t wait to bring the holiday cheer while offering these makers a platform to share their work with the world.” 

The One of a Kind Holiday Show will offer the best in everything from Fine Art to Furniture, Apparel, Jewelry, Home Goods, Ceramics and more. In addition to an extraordinary shopping experience, attendees will enjoy music courtesy of acoustic powerhouse Nashon Halloway and the Old Town School of Folk Music, hands-on craft activities from local non-profit, Marwen, and a fresh Winter Pine Market with stunning seasonal arrangements and wreaths from show partner, Flowerchild Chicago. Attendees can also enjoy delicious food and drinks from many cafes and bars available on the show floor.

Shoppers should plan to save the date as tickets will officially go on sale online on Monday, October 21 via the show website. Tickets start at $15 for adult admissions (12+)and are valid for re-entry all four days of the show. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Ann and Robert H. Lurie’s Children’s Hospital of Chicago. 

General Show Information:

The One of a Kind Holiday Show® Chicago takes place at THE MART, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, 7th Floor, December 5-8, 2024. For tickets or more information, visit: http://oneofakindshowchicago.com/.

Hours are as follows:

Thursday, December 5: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Friday, December 6: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, December 7: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Sunday, December 8: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For news and real-time updates, follow the One of a Kind Show on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

About THE MART

THE MART (formerly The Merchandise Mart), located in the center of the sought-after River North submarket, is interwoven into the fabric of Chicago as an innovator in business, technology, culture, art, media and more. It is one of the world’s leading commercial buildings, wholesale design centers and the preeminent international business location in Chicago. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, THE MART spans two city blocks, rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 30,000 people each business day and nearly 10 million people annually. Offering continuous innovation and creativity from leading manufacturers and design forward showrooms, THE MART serves as the home to Chicago's most creative and technologically innovative companies. 

Hilarious Who's Holiday! back Nov. 24-Dec 30 at Theater Wit

 

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Ever wondered what happened after  The Grinch met Cindy Lou Who?

For mature audiences only! Now 40, Cindy Lou Who is back at Theater Wit to tell how her life took a sordid turn after her Christmas Eve encounter with everyone's favorite mean, green furry outcast. I caught this hilarious solo show the first year it opened and highly recommend it.  Veronica Garza returns to her Jeff-nominated role as Cindy Lou Who, who, in R-rated Seussian rhyme, welcomes audiences inside her mobile home, plies them with snacks and shots, and shares the wild turn her life took after she met The Grinch. Directed by Christopher Pazdernik “A hell of a lot of fun"  - Chicago Reader

Hilarious Who's Holiday! back by popular demand!  40-year-old Cindy Lou Who returns to recall the sordid events after she met the Grinch, Nov. 24-Dec 30 at Theater Wit

Veronica Garza, Jeff nominated as Cindy Lou Who in Theater Wit’s Who’s Holiday! by Matthew Lombardo, directed by Christopher Pazdernik, is back for her third season,  Nov 24-Dec 30, 2023. Credit: Charles Osgood Cindy Lou Who, now 40, holds court from her trailer home, retelling the story of the sordid events after she met the Grinch in Who’s Holiday!, Theater Wit’s smash hit holiday show, back for the season, November 24-December 30. Opening is Friday, November 24 at 7 p.m. Chicago theater star Veronica Garza returns to her Jeff-nominated role as Cindy Lou Who, who, in R-rated Seussian rhyme, welcomes audiences inside her trailer home, plies them with snacks and shots, and ultimately shares the untold story of the twisted turns her life took following her Christmas Eve encounter with a green furry outcast.  “A hell of a lot of fun,” wrote the Chicago Reader.  “Garza is a comic genius,” raved Chicago Theater Review, hailing Who’s Holiday! “a very funny, often poignant production guided with panache by an excellent director.”  That director is Christopher Pazdernik, who returns to direct Wit’s third outing of this hilarious, heartfelt holiday comedy by Matthew Lombardo. Also back is Angela Weber Miller’s Jeff Award-winning, Seuss-inspired recreation of Cindy Lou Who’s holiday-bedazzled mobile home. Designers include Shelley Strasser, lights; Uriel Gomez, costumes; Lonnae Hickman, props, and Matthew R. Chase, sound and production manager.

Veronica Garza, Jeff nominated for her portrayal last holiday season as an adult  Cindy Lou Who, returns for Theater Wit's 2023 remount of Who's Holiday!  Credit: Charles Osgood Shows run Saturday, November 25 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, November 26 at 3 p.m.; Thursday, November 30 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 1 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 2 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, December 3 at 3 p.m.; Monday, December 4 at 7 p.m.; Thursday, December 7 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 8 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 9 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, December 10 at 3 p.m.; Thursday, December 14 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 15 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Saturday, December 16 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, December 17 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Wednesday, December 20 at 7 p.m.; Thursday, December 21 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 22 at 7 p.m. and  9 p.m.; Saturday, December 23 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Tuesday, December 26 at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, December 27 at 7 p.m.; Thursday, December 28 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 29 at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, December 30 at 7 p.m. Run time is 65 minutes, no intermission. For mature audiences only. Tickets are $39-$48. Purchase tickets at theaterwit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, (773) 975-8150.  Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., in the Belmont Theatre District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Convenient parking is available for $8 across the street from the theater in the lot behind Kubo restaurant (pay at the Theater Wit box office.) Neighborhood street parking is available, as are private paid lots (tip: book ahead and at a discount with Spothero). Theater Wit is also accessible via the CTA 77 Belmont bus, and is three blocks west of the CTA Belmont Red/Brown/Purple line stop.  To learn more, visit theaterwit.org or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  

Press play to watch and download video of  Cindy Lou Who asking the audience, "remember me?"

Press play to screen and download video of Cindy Lou Who rapping in Who's Holiday! More video clips here. 

Veronica Garza returns as an adult Cindy Lou Who in Theater Wit's  2023 remount of Who's Holiday! Credit: Charles Osgood Christmas Day is in our grasp. Where’s the vodka? Glad you asked!

Veronica Garza returns as an adult Cindy Lou Who in Theater Wit's  2023 remount of Who's Holiday! Credit: Charles Osgood  Be sure to stop by Theater Wit’s lobby bar for snacks, chocolates, a curated selection of beer, wine and soda, plus your pick of this year’s Who’s Holiday!-themed seasonal speciality drinks: Cindy’s Little Helper (a dessert shot! $6)  Fast and Delicious: Luxardo Cherry liqueur, Mozart Chocolate liqueur, whipped cream and a cherry Who’sy Boozy Hot Chocolate ($12) Hot & Sweet: Hot Cocoa, Peppermint Rumchata, Amaretto Liqueur, Whiskey Acres Bourbon, whipped cream, candy cane crumbles.  Who-skey Sour ($12) Sweet and Sour: Jameson, Plymouth Sloe Gin, House-infused Citrus Vodka, Rose’s Lime The Snowplow ($12) Creamy and Nutty Spices: Peppermint Rumchata, Shipwreck Coconut Rum Krampusberry ($12) Refreshingly Tart: Koval Cranberry Gin, North Shore Gin, Seltzer, Cinnamon stick Spiced Apple Cider ($5) Hot & Freshly Spiced: And could be freshly Spiked as well! For additional warmth: add any Liqueur +$4 (we like Koval Ginger) or Liquor +$6 (try the Four Roses small batch bourbon)

Cindy's Little Helper 

Veronica Garza returns as an adult Cindy Lou Who in Theater Wit's  2023 remount of Who's Holiday! Credit: Charles Osgood

Angela Weber Miller’s Jeff Award-winning mobile home set for  Theater Wit's Who's Holiday! Photo: Charles Osgood

Who’s Holiday! Who’s Who:

(from left) Veronica Garza plays Cindy Lou Who in Theater Wit’s return engagement of  Who’s Holiday!  by Matthew Lombardo, directed by Christopher Pazdernik. Veronica Garza (Cindy Lou Who, she/her/hers) returns for her third year as Cindy Lou Who, a role that earned her a Jeff Nomination, Best Actor in 2021. She also performed at Theatre Wit in Underscore Theatre’s Tonya and Nancy: A Rock Opera, for which she received a Jeff Award for her role as both Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan's mothers. Other roles include Rosalie Mullins, School of Rock (Jeff nomination, Best Supporting Actor) and the Deputy in Groundhog Day (Paramount), Roz in 9 to 5 (Firebrand), Sister Amnesia in Nunsense (Milwaukee Rep), Babs in Miracle (Royal George), Prudie in Pump Boys and Dinettes (Theatre at the Center and Timberlake Playhouse), The Homeless Lady in A New Brain (Theo Ubique), Lucy in A Charlie Brown Christmas (Broadway Playhouse) and the Fortune Teller in Sideshow(Porchlight).   Christopher Pazdernik (director, any pronouns) made his Wit debut with Who’s Holiday! He is Producing Director for Theo, where his credits include Assassins, Godspell and 8-TRACK: The Sounds of the 70s.Previously, Pazdernik was artistic director for three seasons of Refuge Theatre Project (Jeff Awards, Best Director and Best Production of a Musical, High Fidelity), and he has had a long association with Porchlight Music Theatre, including directing eight Porchlight Revisits productions and three years working in producing, casting and company management. He recently staged Avenue Q for Music Theatre Works. Also an openly HIV+ artist, Pazdernik is the founder and producer of Belting for Life, an annual benefit concert for Howard Brown Health, and co-captain of Team Option Up! for AIDS Run/Walk Chicago.

Matthew Lombardo (playwright, he/him/his) Broadway: High with Kathleen Turner at the Booth Theatre and Looped starring Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance at The Lyceum Theatre. Off-Broadway: Who’s Holiday! (with Lesli Margherita) at the Westside Theatre; Tea at Five (with Kate Mulgrew) at the Promenade Theatre; Mother and Child (with Ann Wedgeworth) at Second Stage; End of the World Party at the 47th Street Theatre (director) and Guilty Innocence at The Actors’ Playhouse. His work has been produced at such prestigious theaters as Hartford Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, American Repertory Theatre, Seattle Rep, Arena Stage, Pasadena Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and others. Television credits include Another World (WGA Award Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Writing). As a producer, he has presented concerts throughout the country for Broadway legends such as Carol Channing, Patti LuPone, Tommy Tune, Bernadette Peters, Barbara Cook, Billy Porter, Betty Buckley, Andrea McArdle and Faith Prince. Who’s Holiday! returns to Theater Wit not without controversy. In 2017, Lombardo was locked in a legal battle with Dr. Seuss Enterprises over accusations of copyright infringement, delaying the play’s New York premiere for nearly a year. A U.S. District Court eventually ruled in Lombardo’s favor, citing his depiction of an adult Cindy Lou Who living in a trailer on Mount Crumpit as “fair use.”  Freed of red tape, Who’s Holiday! went on to be hailed “a raunchy riff on Dr. Seuss’s yuletide tale” (New York Times) that “dares to be as tasteless as possible while replicating Seuss’s trademark rhythms” (Time Out New York).

About Theater Wit, Chicago’s “Smart Art” theater  As a production company, Theater Wit is the premier smart art theater in Chicago, producing humorous, challenging, and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. As an institution, Theater Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene. Led by Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler, Wit brings together Chicago’s best storefront theater companies in its three, 99-seat spaces, where audiences find a smorgasbord of excellent productions, see the work of a parade of talented artists, and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago. Next spring, Theater Wit takes on a comic exploration of objectum sexuality with its Chicago premiere of Inanimate, Nick Robideau’s New York Times Critics Pick about a woman in love with a Dairy Queen sign, March 22-May 4, 2024. Press opening is Monday, April 1 at 7 p.m.  A great way to show support for Chicago storefront theater is to purchase a Theater Wit Membership. For a low monthly fee of $35 – often less than the price of a single ticket – Theater Wit members see as many shows as they want on the company’s three stages, year round. Sign up at theaterwit.org/boxoffice/membership. Note: Theater Wit follows the community masking guidelines recommended by the Chicago Department of Public Health and CDC. At press time, the community risk level is low, and mask use is optional. For updates, visit theaterwit.org/about/covid.

REVIEW: What the Elf? At Second City Chicago

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

What the Elf?

Review 

by Catherine “Land of Misfit Toys” Hellmann, Guest Critic 

Second City shows can be rather hit-or-miss. Like Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of Advent chocolates, you never know just quite what you’re gonna get…I was sort of hoping that What the Elf? was going to be a hilarious sendup of my beloved movie, Elf. 

It’s not. But--it is very entertaining as an absurd collection of goofy holiday sketches with a very talented cast of six: three women and three men who deliver an exuberant collection of strange, oddball, occasionally touching, and frequently funny scenes. 

The show begins with a funny tribute song about Chicago scenes like The Bean and traditions like “Don’t Eat Ketchup on Your Hot Dog.” My first favorite sketch was a funny song by Javid Iqbal called “The Muslim Song” with lyrics that he “can’t wait to eat with you” at the end of Ramadan. 

Two “identical twin” elves appeared (never mind that they are different genders) to interact with the crowd with gift suggestions for those hard-to-buy-for loved ones on your list. Bill Letz’s over-the-top energy was incredible in every scene he inhabited. When told that one woman’s fiance loves “The Bears, wine, and his iPad,” the twins advise that she needs to get him “some other interests for Christmas.” The fiance was sitting right there, which made it even funnier, especially after a couple drinks. Another guest with a tough-to-buy-for relative was told: ”Get him a fucking flashlight or something.” 

One of our absolute favorite sketches was a game-show-like premise to guess “Which one is NOT an Elf?” One sweet-looking character, played by the very talented Jenelle Cheyne, had a surprise Satan voice, accompanied by her contorted face and hands, that was hysterical. The final summary was: “Don’t trust someone because they say things with conviction and have a platform.” Wise message. ;-) 

Before intermission, there was a wonderfully choreographed dance number from The Nutcracker performed in office chairs. That was a hoot! 

Scrooge and Jacob Marley did a wonderful sketch using audience suggestions that worked beautifully into the dialogue. Very funny results using lines of dialogue from movies and song lyrics, like the Bruce Springsteen line of “Tramps like us, baby we were born to run!” on Scrooge’s gravestone. (You couldn’t predict an awesome moment like that!) And “You shook me all night long!” very inappropriately said to sweet, innocent Tiny Tim. This is what improv was made for! 

Jenelle Cheyne had some marvelous audience interaction as a poor, hungry orphan begging for food from the front row. Someone gave her a lime, which she scoffed as “wet citrus.” She persuaded a woman to give her a coat and another lady her cell phone; those items she planned to sell on Ebay!

One of the highlights of the evening had to be the wives of the Three Wise Men dishing about their husbands. “For three wise men, our husbands can be morons!” That was a very inspired scene with their gossiping how Joseph was a carpenter who “must be good with his hands!” and how Mary “should have had a birth plan” before she gave birth in a manger! What was Mary thinking not getting a hotel reservation?! 

There was a bonus Act III with more of the pure improv and joy that has made Second City famous. It’s worth sticking around. 

Whether you live in town or the ‘burbs, if you're hanging at home for the holidays, or need to entertain out of town guests, What the Elf? is sure to please every adult on your list this holiday season.

Catherine Hellmann has a birthday near Christmas and has always felt rather ripped off. But at least she’s on vacation from school. Santa would put her on the naughty list based on swearing alone…  

What the Elf?

It’s just not the holidays without hot cocoa…and hot takes! Make merry at The Second City with this original sketch, variety, and improv celebration of the season. After all, what better time to look back and laugh at 2022? Let’s toast to the best…and roast all the rest. 

Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm

Sundays at 7pm 

The Best of Holidays 

We guarantee yule laugh a whole latke as The Second City unwraps the most wonderful time of the year in our nut-cracking-est, jingle-bell-ing-est revue ever! Celebrate over sixty years of sketches, songs, and comedic conviviality as the next generation of comedy superstars perform our greatest holiday hits. 

Mondays at 8pm

Saturdays at 3pm 

Holiday Improv Brunch

From uproarious laughter to limitless libations, The Second City’s Holiday Improv Brunch is the gift that keeps on giving! Bring your band of merrymakers as we scramble together two of everyone’s favorites, comedy and brunch, for a scrumptiously seasonal breakfast with a totally improvised experience from the city’s finest. 

Sundays at noon