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.

Bluebird Arts Returns With STUPID F#@*ing BIRD at Theater WIT Saturday, November 4, to Saturday, December 9, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

BLUEBIRD ARTS RETURNS TO CHICAGO THEATRE AFTER THREE-YEAR HIATUS 

WITH AARON POSNER’S

STUPID F#@*ing BIRD

Bluebird Arts, Chicago's only English–Russian Cross-Cultural Theatre is thrilled to announce they are returning to the stage after a three-year hiatus from the COVID-19 Pandemic with AARON POSNER’S Stupid F#@*ing Bird opening SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2023 at THEATER WIT, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago. They proudly invite the Chicago Media and Theatre Community to their production directed by Bluebird Arts Artistic Director LUDA LOPATINA SOLOMON, which will run from SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, to SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2023. Performances of the play are Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm in STUDIO 1 of Theater Wit. Stupid F#@*ing Bird was originally slated to open in March of 2020 with Bluebird Arts. I'll be out for the opening on November 4th, covering for ChiILLiveShows.com, so check back shortly after for my full review.

ABOUT THE PLAY

An aspiring young director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation. A nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist. And everyone discovers just how disappointing love, art, and growing up can be. In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s The Seagull, Aaron Posner stages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all. Stupid F#@*ing Bird will tickle, tantalize, and incite you to consider how art, love, and revolution fuel your own pursuit of happiness.

Directed by Luda Lopatina Solomon, Bluebird Arts’ production will feature Nicholas Barelli (Con), Magdalena Dalzell (Nina), David Fehr (Trig), David Fink (Dev), Dana Muelchi (Mash), Bob Pries (Sorn), and Laura Sturm (Emma). They will be joined by a Creative Team of Angela Kring (Stage Manager), Samantha Rausch (Set Design), Megan Reilly (Lighting Design), Rick Sims (Sound Design), Elizabeth Monti (Costume Designer), Rachel Hartmann (Props Design), Emil Thomas (Movement Coordinator), Matt Ledajaks (Technical Direction), and Jaimelyn Gray (Marketing and Media).

Stupid F#@*ing Bird by Aaron Posner runs Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 3pm, in Studio 1 of Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago from Saturday, November 4, to Saturday, December 9, 2023. Tickets are $10 – $30 and can be found at bluebirdarts.org, or by calling the Theater Wit Box Office at 773-975-8150.

Bluebird Arts was founded in 2014 and is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is: “To enrich, educate and entertain our community by sharing intimate stories of the human condition, focusing on the genuine problems of real people.”

 

Shattered Globe Theatre Presents the World Premiere of RADIAL GRADIENT January 27 – March 11, 2023 at Theater Wit

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Shattered Globe Theatre Presents the World Premiere of

RADIAL GRADIENT

By Jasmine Sharma

Directed by Grace Dolezal-Ng

January 27 – March 11, 2023 at Theater Wit

Pictured (left to right) Simran Deokule, Kianna Rose and Isabelle Muthiah in a publicity image for Shattered Globe Theatre’s world premiere of Radial Gradient. Photo by Jenn Udoni/Franco Images.

 

Shattered Globe Theatre is pleased to continue its 2022-23 season with the world premiere of Jasmine Sharma’s introspective and empowering play Radial Gradient, directed by Grace Dolezal-Ng. Developed through SGT’s Global Playwrights Series, Radial Gradient will play January 27 – March 11, 2023 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Tickets are now on sale at sgtheatre.org/gradient by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. Tickets are currently available through SGT’s two-show membership ($70) at sgtheatre.org/membership. I'll be out for the press opening, January 30th, so check back soon for my full review.

Three women enter a research study hoping to create positive change after a hate crime takes place at a liberal university in America. Timelines in 2017 and 2020 intertwine as participants unravel their complicated shared friendships and histories. Jasmine Sharma's new play challenges what complicity looks like – what do we do if it looks like us?

Comments SGT Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner, “Shattered Globe Theatre is very proud to present one of the winning plays selected from our inaugural Global Playwrights Series. The goal of the festival was to lift up the voices of new, diverse playwrights by developing their work with a commitment to produce, and to form long- term connections with these writers. SGT welcomes playwright Jasmine Sharma and director Grace Dolezal-Ng to begin this journey with us.”

The production team includes Sydney Lynne Thomas (Scenic Design), Hailey Rakowiecki* (Costume Design), Jason Lynch+ (Lighting Design), Christopher Kriz+ (Original Music and Sound Design), Parker Molacek (Projection Design), Rachel Watson (Properties Design), Yama Pouye, (Assistant Director), Judy Anderson* (Executive Production Manager), Richie Vavrina (Production Manager), Evan Sposato (Technical Director), JC Widman (Stage Manager) and Beckett Fowler (Assistant Stage Manager and Covid Compliance Officer) 

 *Denotes SGT Ensemble Member  +Denotes SGT Artistic Associate

COVID safety: Shattered Globe Theatre currently requires all patrons to wear masks during the performance, except when actively drinking beverages. Visit sgtheatre.org for the most up-to-date policy.

 

Chicago Theatre Week

Radial Gradient will be featured as part of Chicago Theatre Week, an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access $15 or $30 value-priced tickets. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, Chicago Theatre Week takes place February 16 – 26, 2023. Find more information at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com. Shattered Globe will offer a limited number of $15 tickets on Thursday and Friday and $30 tickets on Saturday and Sunday.

 

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Friday, January 27 at 8 pm, Saturday, January 28 at 8 pm and Sunday, January 29 at 3 pm.

Press Performance: Monday, January 30, 2023 at 7:30 pm

Regular Run: Thursday, February 2 – Saturday, March 11, 2023

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will be an added performance on Saturday, March 11 at 3 pm.

Touch Tour/Audio Description Performance: Friday, March 3 – 6:45 pm touch tour, 8 pm performance with audio description. $20 tickets available with code “ACCESS20.”

Global Perspectives: SGT will present a series of post-show discussions and events following select Sunday matinees.

Tickets: Previews: Friday: pay-what-you-can; Saturday & Sunday: $25 general admission, $10 students. Regular Run: $45 general admission. $15 students. $35 seniors. $25 under 30 years old. $15 industry tickets on Thursdays and Fridays with code “INDUSTRY.” Tickets are now on sale at sgtheatre.org/gradient, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. Tickets are currently available through SGT’s two-show membership ($70) and flexible membership ($115) at http://sgtheatre.org/membership. Group discounts are available by contacting groupsales@shatteredglobe.org or by calling (773) 770-0333.

Shattered Globe understands that ticket prices can pose a financial burden and, at times, an obstacle for theatregoers. A number of waived tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for students and community members experiencing access barriers to theatre. If you would like to be added to SGT’s Waived Ticket Waitlist, please email lswanson@shatteredglobe.org. Please note: all requests must be completed by 12 pm the Friday before the performance you would like to attend. The e-mail will not be monitored at all on weekends or after 5 pm on weekdays.

 

About the Artists:

Jasmine Sharma (Playwright, she/her) is a South Asian-American actor/writer/activist based in Los Angeles. She aims to focus her work at the intersection of race, femininity and Americanness. Bonus points if it’s community driven. And if we’re paying everybody. Plays include Radial Gradient (upcoming World Premiere at Shattered Globe Theatre, Eugene O’Neill NPC Semi-Finalist, Kennedy Center ACTF, Lime Arts Productions, Samuel-Lancaster Productions, Avalanche Theatre Company at The Den Theatre, Mad Cow Theatre, NextStage Theatre Company, Permafrost Theatre Collective), For Your Consideration (Moxie Arts NYC), Cancelled/Cancel Me (The Road Theatre, Ashland New Plays Festival), VIRGINS: A Madonna Bootcamp (Jackalope Theatre Company), Kids Club/Club Kids (SERIALS by The Fled Collective), Gut Punch (AlterTheater Ensemble First Acts commission), Leaving Wonderland (Access Theater NYC, American Blues Theater Finalist, The Athena Project Semi-Finalist, Aston Rep) and Hot Dogs and Feminism (Mayo Performing Arts Center, The Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference), among others. Recent acting credits include Wives (Aurora Theatre Company) and The Wolves (McCarter Theatre Center). Jasmine has also contributed to @iWeigh and worked with the @24HourPlays, both as an actor and a writer. Sometimes, she Script PAs Broadway musicals. Jasmine is a 2022-23 Reel Sisters Fellow and a member of The IAMA Emerging Playwrights Lab 2022-2023. Bachelor of Science in Communications: Northwestern University (2021). jasminesharma.org | @jasminesharmaa

Grace Dolezal-Ng (Director, she/her) is a Chicago based director/actor who is passionate about building empathy and generating empowerment through visceral storytelling in live theatre. She is honored to be making her Shattered Globe debut! Chicago credits include It Came From Outer Space (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Assistant Director); Athena (Writers Theatre, Assistant Director); Roe (Goodman Theatre, Assistant Director). Other credits: The Great Leap (Asolo Repertory Theatre, Assistant Director), Despierta! (Lime Arts Productions, Director) and Death For Sydney Black (Independent Production, Director). Grace graduated from Northwestern University, majoring in Theatre, in June of 2020. She is a proud recipient of the Herb Alpert Emerging Young Artist Award. www.gracedn.com

 

About Shattered Globe Theatre

Shattered Globe Theatre (Sandy Shinner, Producing Artistic Director) was born in a storefront space on Halsted Street in 1991. Since then, SGT has produced more than 80 plays, including nine American and world premieres, and garnered an impressive 42 Jeff Awards and 114 Jeff Award nominations, as well as the acclaim of critics and audiences alike.

Shattered Globe Theatre seeks to discover new connections between story, artist and audience by exploring drama from bold, challenging perspectives, and continuously redefining what it means to be an ensemble theater.

SGT’s values are rooted in a commitment to racial equity, respect for all artists and support for the ensemble, while creating new opportunities to amplify traditionally marginalized voices and collaborate in all aspects of our work. Through initiatives such as the Protégé Program, Shattered Globe creates a space which allows emerging artists to grow and share in the ensemble experience.

Shattered Globe Theatre is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The Shulman-Rochambeau Charitable Foundation, The James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Bayless Family Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Illinois Arts Council, The Shubert Foundation, the Chicago Community Foundation, and The Saints.

For more information on Shattered Globe Theatre, please visit www.sgtheatre.org.