Chicago Magic Lounge Presents Trent James in Static Magic Wednesdays Beginning January 8, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago Magic Lounge Presents

Trent James in Static Magic

Wednesdays beginning January 8, 2025

Chicago Magic Lounge also announces new Monday night show, addition of Chef Hunter Moore

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago’s home for close-up magic, presents the first Artist-In-Residence show of the 2025 season, Trent James’ Static Magic. In this new show from one of the country’s fastest-rising magicians, Trent mixes humor and wit with personal stories growing up as a second-generation magician. Static Magic runs Wednesdays at 7:00pm, January 8 – March 26, 2025. I'll be out for the press opening January 22, so check back shortly after for my full review. Tickets are priced $42 (Main Floor) and $47.50 (Front Row). Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge shows are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com..

The Chicago Magic Lounge proudly presents its newest production, The Close-Up Show. Three featured magicians will perform sleight-of-hand each Monday on the Harry Blackstone Cabaret stage, with the magician's most subtle movements projected live onto the big screen for the audience to see. Enjoy being fooled as you follow the magician's every move. You will have an up-close view of the magic wherever you are seated and might even be part of the act! No two shows are alike!

The Close-Up Show seating begins at 7:00 p.m., and the stage show starts at 7:30 p.m. The show's runtime is approximately 90 minutes, with two brief breaks between acts, and does not include table magic before the stage show.

In addition to welcoming world-class magic talent, Chicago Magic Lounge is pleased to announce the addition of Chef Hunter Moore to its kitchen where he will create a small, exciting menu that changes seasonally and fits in with the concept of Chicago Magic. Examples of new menu items include crab fritters, braised short rib sliders, and flatbread with prosciutto and marinated melon.

About Trent James

Trent James is quickly becoming one of the top magicians working today. Trent adds a fresh spin on an art form that’s been around for centuries. You won’t find him pulling rabbits out of top hats or a dramatic spotlight forcing the audience to take him seriously. He prefers a much more casual approach, combining sleight of hand magic with humor and intimate connection.

At a very young age, he received over twenty awards recognizing his skill in magic, including being the youngest recipient of the prestigious Milbourne Christopher Award, a distinction previously given to David Copperfield and Penn and Teller. Since then, Trent has built a career traveling the world, performing at colleges, comedy clubs, corporate events, luxury cruise ships, and headlining iconic venues such as The Chicago Magic Lounge and The Magic Castle in Hollywood. No matter the circumstances, Trent James will make you fall in love with magic.

About Chef Hunter Moore

At sixteen, Hunter Moore got his first professional job at a cheeseburger joint in Florida. He moved to Champaign-Urbana after high school, where he began to think creatively about food while working at a mom-and-pop Italian spot and a primarily vegan deli and bakery. From there, he moved to Chicago to attend culinary school. Once out of school, Moore worked his way through some of the city’s best kitchens, including Spiaggia, Avec, Girl and the Goat, and Lula Cafe, deepening both his knowledge of and passion for the craft of quality ingredients and seasonality as well as cooking and hospitality in general. Hunter opened Parsonʼs Chicken & Fish in May of 2013 as the Executive Chef, creating an evolving seasonal menu that has received much acclaim and successfully opening four locations.

Also Happening at Chicago Magic Lounge

Music & Magic

Mondays at 7:00pm through December 23, 2024

Tickets: General Admission $30

 

The Showcase

Tuesdays at 7:00pm

Tickets: Standard: $37.50; Front Row: $42

Artist-in-Residence Series

Mister Danny’s Magic In Session

Wednesdays at 7:00pm through December 18, 2024

Tickets: Standard: $42.50; Front Row: $47.50

By day, Mister Danny is Mister Rudnick, an advanced high school chemistry teacher. By night (and weekends and summer break), he practices his lifelong passion as an award-winning professional magician. In Magic in Session, Mister Danny fuses his two professional personas into one, presenting awe-inspiring magic that he has perfected over years of practice and study in a way only a science teacher can. While most magicians go to great lengths to conceal the secrets of magic, Mister Danny believes that the secret is the best part!

The Signature Show

Thursdays-Sundays at 7:00pm, Fridays and Sundays at 10pm

Tickets: Front Row $89.50 - $96, Premium Main Floor (main floor banquette and main floor cabaret) $76.00 – $82.50, Standard (rail and elevated banquette) $68.50 - $75, Mezzanine $55.00 – 61.50. 

 

Family Show

Sundays at 3:30pm

Tickets: Standard: $40; Front Row: $50

Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge performances are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com. Chicago Magic Lounge is a 21+ venue. Ages 16+ allowed to ticketed evening shows with a legal guardian. Ages 5+ are allowed to The Family Show. Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. The staff and performers of the Chicago magic lounge are fully vaccinated for covid 19. Ticket holders must attest to being fully vaccinated against covid-19 or have tested negative within 48 hours prior to your visit to enter the premises.

For a complete schedule of performances and more information about Chicago Magic Lounge, resident and guest performers, and more, please visit chicagomagiclounge.com.

Redtwist Theatre's TWISTED PLAYFEST 12/5-12/22 AND HEADLINING PRODUCTION TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS DECEMBER 5, 2024 - JANUARY 19, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

REDTWIST THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR ITS INAUGURAL 

TWISTED PLAYFEST 

AND HEADLINING PRODUCTION 

TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS

DECEMBER 5, 2024 - JANUARY 19, 2025 

AND PLAYS, PLAYWRIGHTS AND DIRECTORS FOR 

TWISTED PLAYFEST, DECEMBER 17 - DECEMBER 22

Erik Gernand’s Totality of All Things, directed by Enrico Spada, is the headliner 

and kicks off Twisted Playfest

Top: (L to R) Jacqueline Grandt, Kason Chesky, Philip C. Matthews

Bottom: (L to R) Suzy Krueckeberg, Aundria TraNay, Phil Aman

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre is proud to announce the roster of plays for its inaugural Twisted Playfest, December 17 - 22, and the cast and creative team for the headlining production in Twisted Playfest, The Totality of Things, written by Eric Gernand and directed by Enrico Spada, December 5, 2024 - January, 19, 2025, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Complete schedule and additional details are below. The Totality of All Things single tickets and Twisted Playfest reservations will be available on Monday, Nov. 18 at RedtwistTheatre.org with discounts available for seniors, students and industry professionals and pay-what-you-can for all Friday performances of The Totality of All Things.

Redtwist's inaugural new work incubator, Twisted Playfest features six plays at various stages of development. The plays are presented as staged readings, stand readings and a main stage production of Eric Gernand's The Totality of All Things. In addition to inclusion in Twisted Playfest, Redtwist supports its festival playwrights throughout the new year with additional readings and workshops.

“We look forward to the launch of the first Twisted Playfest at our newly renovated Redtwist Theatre,” said Co-Artistic Director Dusty Brown. “This new festival - six plays, 10 days, 20 performances, all Chicago - will introduce plays from Chicago playwrights and offer audiences a rare opportunity to see these new works.”

“The Twisted Playfest is the first step in these new plays’ incubation,” said Co-Artistic Director Eileen Dixon. “From our headliner The Totality of All Things to the staged readings to the stand readings, the inaugural roster of plays represents a wide variety of styles, ideas and themes. Redtwist is introducing this new work so that the playwrights may hear from audiences and contemporaries to continue the works’ development.”

The 2024 Twisted Playfest includes:

TWISTED PLAYFEST HEADLINER 

The Totality of All Things

Headliner of the Twisted Playfest

December 5 - January 19, 2025

Written by Eric Gernand

Directed by Enrico Spada

Previews: Thursday, Dec.5 and Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Opening: Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance Schedule:

Previews: Thursday, Dec.5 and Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Performances: Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 12 - Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 9 and Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 12 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 16 and Friday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3:30 p.m.

Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

RedtwistTheatre.org

Tickets: $35 with discounts available for seniors, students and industry professionals and pay-what-you-can for all Friday performances.

The centerpiece of Redtwist's inaugural Twisted Playfest is The Totality of All Things. The Totality of All Things introduces audiences to Judith Benson, “teacher-famous” for the award-winning student newspaper she proudly oversees at her small Indiana high school, a program that extols truth and integrity in journalism. At the start of a new school year, an anti-gay hate crime occurs calling everything Judith believes about inspiring the next generation of reporters and the definition of truth itself into question.

The cast of Totality of All Things is Redtwist Ensemble Member Jacqueline Grandt (she/her, Judith); Suzy Krueckeberg (she/her, DeeAnn); Philip Matthews (he/him, Gregg); Kason Chesky (he/him, Micah); Aundria TreNay (she/her, Ms. Carter); Phil Aman (he/him, Principal Benson); Hilary Sanzel (she/her, Judith understudy); Michelle Perry (she/her, DeeAnn understudy); Nate Brimner Smith (he/him, Gregg understudy); Zachary Cutter (he/him, Micah understudy); Andi Muriel (she/her, Ms. Carter understudy) and Hugo Balta (he/him, Principal Benson understudy).

The production team for Totality of All Things is Erik Gernand (he/him, playwright); Enrico Spada (he/him, director); Taylor Mercado Owen (he/him, stage manager); Emily Newmark (she/her, assistant director); Madeline Felauer (she/her, costume designer); Redtwist Ensemble Member Jeff Brain (he/him, props designer and technical director); Camille Pugliese (she/her, dramaturg); Nicholas Svoboda (he/him, sound designer); Brandii Champagne (they/them, scenic designer); Raine DeDominici (they/them/she/her, production manager) and Cat Davis (she/her/they/them, lighting designer).

TWISTED PLAYFEST STAGED READINGS

Fiona

Written by Zack Peercy

Directed by Jessica Love  

Performance schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Fiona is the performance of a lifetime. What starts as an examination of 25 letters all addressed to an unknown "Fiona" rapidly evolves, expands, contracts and explodes into an exploration of belief, reality, presentation and legacy.

Man Cave

Written by Caroline Kidwell

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Eileen Dixon  

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 3 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Guess what? The world ended. And Hannah, a lifestyle vlogger, has been living alone in a bunker for five years. She’s an influencer with no one to influence until Wanda, a survivor, knocks on her door.

Keep It Light

Written by Toby Inoue

Directed by LeKecia Harris

Performance schedule:

Tickets: Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m.

Pay-What-You-Can 

To find their way back to each other, two mixed-race half-sisters are forced to grapple with the complicated ways in which their mother's racism broke them apart. Winnie, half African-American, is a famous but canceled celebrity stand-up comedian and Tomi, half Asian-American, is an elementary school art teacher who stayed in their hometown. Tomi calls Winnie home when their mother becomes seriously ill and the sisters sort their mother's house as they accommodate her last wishes, including a comeback show for Winnie and a hospital wedding for Tomi.

TWISTED PLAYFEST STAND READINGS

You Sit Down and You Cry

Written by Ruben Carrazana

Directed by Joshua Servantez

Performance schedule: Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 p.m and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can 

The play is about a break-up. A really bad break-up. Like the worst. And about time. And how time heals. And how, sometimes, it doesn't. A play about moving on. And not moving on. An anti-romantic comedy about toxic masculinity and pain and suicide and pizza rolls and the United States Postal Service. A love letter to getting your heart crushed, because sometimes, you deserve it.

Murder in Residence

Written by MT Cozzola

Directed by Hannah Blau

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 5 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

When a brilliant young poet disappears from an artist’s colony, her fellow writers weave alibis to shield their secrets from an unseen inspector who digs relentlessly for the truth. In a secluded mountain retreat, six ambitious women come together to write their masterpieces but switch to alibis when brilliant young Kenna meets a mysterious demise. As they struggle to shield their secrets, a relentless inspector digs for the truth. Everyone is lying - Kenna’s lover Mandy, rival Fern, would-be bestie Lynette…even the kindly cabbie who saw her last. In a race against time to unmask the killer, each must confront their deepest desires and wrestle with the bonds of love, art and community.

Deserted

Written by Melanie Coffey

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Dusty Brown

Performance schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Jodie and Emma are the lucky winners of the Project's Soil competition, where they receive a truckload of soil and are to garden it with prairie grasses, native flowers and the vegetables of their choosing. But their well is drying up, the Neighbor keeps sneaking over and eating the soil and the couple is becoming less and less the good team they thought they were. Putting roots down in desertified land is never easy.

Following

Written by Ben F. Locke

Directed by Devin Christor

Performance schedule: Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Darnell is an up and coming app designer. His popularity attracts a lot of fame and attention. It all seems great until he finds out that he's being stalked. Can Darnell solve the mystery before it's too late? Following explores what exactly it means to be an ally. Do we do what we do because it's the right thing to do or do we all have our own selfish motives that dictate what we deem as what's right and wrong?

Strange Fruit

Written by Brandon Wright

Directed by Rashaad A. Bond

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 10 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 11 a.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

In quiet suburbia, a group of five come across the body of a black boy hanging from a tree. They take it upon themselves to figure out whodunit, but as they explore the nature of this violent hate crime true secrets start to become uncovered within themselves.

Short Changed

Written by Jordan Gleaves

Directed by Aja Singetary

Performance schedule: Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Stan is homeless in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta and estranged from his brother. To make matters worse, Stan is about to lose his beloved “Mother,” Friendship Baptist Church, which is to be demolished and replaced by a new football stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. In the midst of the neighborhood’s rapid gentrification, Richard returns into Stan’s life with hopes of helping his younger brother get a leg up out of homelessness and avoid displacement. First, however, they must work to amend their relationship and work past moral differences. Is reconciliation possible and how much will it matter when the community around the brothers is changing with or without their participation?

Stage managers for Twisted Playfest are Marisa Langston (she/her), Eliot Colin (they/them/he/him) and Charlie Levinson (they/them/she/her).

Productions, participants and dates are subject to change.

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE RENOVATIONS

Redtwist partnered with the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development to build back better following the COVID quarantine. Redtwist was selected as a finalist for a 3-to-1 matching grant from the City of Chicago, which provided up to $250,000 in funding to renovate its performance space, lobby and street frontage.

These renovations mean a fresh face for Redtwist’s corner of Bryn Mawr, drawing in audiences from across the city and bringing new life to a Historic District that has been devastated by COVID-19. On the Western side of the building, the lobby was reimagined; increasing accessibility and installing a new cafe to provide concessions for all Redtwist shows. Finally, it means a revived performance space with added production capabilities, which will allow the Company to continue creating thrilling performances in its intimate black box space.
 

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE

Redtwist, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is an award-winning theatre company that stages up close and personal contemporary dramas annually in its intimate black box theatre housed proudly within the heart of Edgewater’s Bryn Mawr Historic District.

Intimate performances at Redtwist are designed to place the theatre patron in the midst of the stories being told, making them accessible and riveting. Redtwist strives for excellence with every project and endeavors to take risks while offering opportunities for up-and-coming actors, designers and directors to work with established talent. Redtwist provides the very best Chicago storefront theatre experience from excellence on stage, to warm hospitality in a clean, friendly environment.

Hell in a Handbag Productions Presents Rudolph THE RED-HOSED REINDEER December 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

25th Anniversary Edition!

Hell in a Handbag Productions Presents

Rudolph THE RED-HOSED REINDEER

An Unauthorized Musical Parody

By Artistic Director David Cerda

Directed by Anthony Whitaker

December 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025

at Hoover Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted

Pictured: Hell in a Handbag Productions’ 2011 production of Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer (An Unauthorized Musical Parody). Photo by Rick Aguilar Studios.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we adore Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer. This sexy, silly celebration of the season is a hoot, and an excellent tonic to too much family together time, and too many mainstream Christmas tunes. Can't wait to catch it again. Are you more of a Dasher, a Dancer, a Prancer, or maybe a Vixen? No matter your gender or orientation, if queer positive camp, witty parody, drag, and comedy is your jam, you'll find Hell in a Handbag Productions shows a welcome space to share a laugh. 

Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to open its 2024/25 Season with the 25th anniversary edition of Artistic Director David Cerda’s* holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer (An Unauthorized Musical Parody), directed by Anthony Whitaker, playing December 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025 at Hoover Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at handbagproductions.org or buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/1452754. I'll be out for the press opening December 15th, so check back soon for my full review.

This beloved and twisted musical parody of the animated 1967 children’s television special features all your favorite misfits and Rudolph – the cross-dressing reindeer with a penchant for red hose and heels. In trademark Handbag style, Rudolph combines parody with heartfelt moments and a splash of scathing social commentary.

The cast includes ensemble members David Cerda*, Sydney Genco*, Caitlin Jackson*, Lori Lee*, and Terry McCarthy* with Eustace Allen, Mark Bartishell, Kelly Bolton, Cameron Cai, Michael Hampton, Micah Mixon, TJ O'Brien, Shawn Quinlan, Michael Radford, Peter Ruger, Matt Sergot and Whitney Willard Wilkinson. Understudies include: Sophia Dennis, Douglas Levin, Al Duffy and Vito Vittore.

The production team includes Marcus Klein (Scenic Designer), Marquecia Jordan (Costume Designer), Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer), Maya Reter, (Sound Designer), Maggie O'Brien (Props Designer), Jamal Howard (Choreographer), Chad Gearig (Music Director), Syd Genco* (Make-Up Designer), Keith Ryan* (Wig Designer), Veronica Kostka* (Production Manager), Tom Daniel (Technical Director), Jackson Mikkelsen (Electrician), Michael S. Miller (Graphic Designer), Nihan Baysal (Stage Manager) and Sara Blickem (Assistant Stage Manager).

Benefit Weekend

Handbag will host a weekend of benefit performances Friday, December 20 – Sunday, December Sunday, December 22, 2024 with a pre-show party including appetizers, plus the option of VIP reserved seating, drink tickets and a gift bag. There will also be raffles and a silent auction with fabulous items to bid on. All proceeds will support Handbag’s mission to serve Chicago audiences with the best camp and parody – thus ensuring the preservation and celebration of this unequivocally queer art form.

*Denotes Handbag Ensemble Member

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Cast (in alphabetical order): Eustace Allen (Tom Donner, Choo Choo), Mark Bartishell (Drag Beast, Ensemble), Kelly Bolton (Herbie), Cameron Cai (Spike/Ensemble), David Cerda* (Gladys Dasher), Sydney Genco* (Elfina, Choo Choo), Michael Hampton (Santa), Caitlin Jackson* (Mrs. Claus, Dolly), Lori Lee* (Yukon Cornelia), Terry McCarthy* (Connie Blitzen, TT Barbie), Micah Mixon (Jane Donner, Ensemble) TJ O'Brien (QMR, Ensemble), Shawn Quinlan (Andy Cohen), Michael Radford (Score, Half Naked Cowboy), Peter Ruger (Rudolph), Matt Sergot (Sam the Snowman) and Whitney Willard Wilkinson (Clarice).

Understudies: Sophia Dennis, Al Duffy, Douglas Levin and Vito Vittore.

Location: Hoover Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Previews: Friday, December 13 at Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 pm

Opening/Press performance: Sunday, December 15 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Wednesday, December 18, 2024 – Sunday, January 5, 2025

Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will be added performances on Wednesday, December 18 at 7:30 pm and Monday, December 30 (Industry Night).

Special Benefit Performances: Friday, December 20 at 7 pm, Saturday, December 21 at 7 pm and Sunday, December 22 at 3 pm. Please note early curtain times on Friday and Saturday.

Tickets: $29 previews, $39 early bird general admission, $45 general admission, $50 at the door, $52 advanced VIP/reserved ticket with no drink ticket, $60 advanced VIP/reserved seating with drink ticket. Group rates $36 for 10 or more.

Benefit Performance Tickets: $60 general admission (includes appetizers) and $125 VIP/reserved (includes reserved seating, appetizers, drink ticket and gift bag).

Tickets for all performances are now on sale at handbagproductions.org or buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/1452754.

About the Artists

David Cerda (Playwright) is a founding member and Artistic Director of Hell in a Handbag Productions, now celebrating its 23rd  year anniversary. As resident playwright, he has written many Handbag productions as well as acted in them. His play, The Drag Seed was recently produced at LaMaMa Experimental Theater and his Golden Girls Lost Episodes parody shows have been produced around the country and was featured in Golden Con: Thank you for being a Fan, the world’s first fan convention dedicated to all things Golden Girls at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Cerda is a proud inductee into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and recipient of a Jeff Award for lifetime achievement for his 23 years (and counting) of work and service to the community. He lives in Chicago with his partner, Christopher.

Anthony Whitaker (Director) is happy to be returning to Hell In a Handbag after having directed the Jeff-nominated Murder Re-Wrote and a week-long run as Happy The Elf in The Golden Girls Save Christmas. They most recently appeared in Sign Of The Traveler, a self-written solo performance, Anything Goes (Porchlight Music Theatre), Cabaret (Metropolis Performing Arts Center) as Herr Schultz and La Cage Aux Folles with Ginger Minj (Music Theater Works). They are the Co-Artistic Director the New American Folk Theatre (newamericanfolktheatre.org), where they wrote and/or performed in productions of, Two from the Trailer Court, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Dark of the Moon, Trash. Hot Pink, My Life Is A Country Song and directed the Jeff-nominated The Summer of Daisy Fay, written by Ed Howard and based on a novel by Fannie Flagg. Some of their favorite Chicago performances include Whoop Dee Doo (Royal George Theatre), A Funny Thing Happened... (Porchlight), Hands On A Hardbody (Refuge Theatre) and Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes). In addition to performing, Anthony teaches music and theatre in various Chicago area schools. They recently completed the short films, Shape Notes and The Caretaker, and has appeared on Chicago PD. They are represented by Big Mouth Talent.

About Hell in a Handbag Productions

Hell in a Handbag is dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music and homage. Handbag is a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit. For additional information, visit handbagproductions.org.

LIFELINE THEATRE PRESENTS JACOB MARLEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL ONE-MAN SHOW November 29 – December 22, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

LIFELINE THEATRE PRESENTS 

JACOB MARLEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL

By Tom Mula

Performed by Lifeline Theatre ensemble member Phil Timberlake

November 29 – December 22, 2024

Lifeline Theatre brings their first MainStage production of the 2024-25 season to the stage with Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol. Tom Mula’s holiday tale is presented as a one-man show, starring Lifeline ensemble member Phil Timberlake.

In Dickens’ Christmas Carol, Scrooge gets a chance to amend his ways, but we never find out what happened to his partner, Jacob Marley. Audiences can find out at Lifeline Theatre’s production of Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, a one-man show written by Goodman Theatre’s own Scrooge, Tom Mula, and performed by longtime Chicago actor and Lifeline Ensemble member, Phil Timberlake. This holiday tale features one actor, nineteen characters and two hours of good cheer.

Regular tickets $45; preview tickets $25

Previews: November 29 – December 1

(Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2:30 p.m.)

Regular Run:  December 6 – December 22

(Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.)

Tickets to Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol are on sale at lifelinetheatre.com/performances/2024-2025/christmas-carol/ Season memberships for the 2024-2025 are also available now. To purchase season memberships or for more information call the Lifeline Theatre Box Office at 773-761-4477, or visit www.lifelinetheatre.com.

ABOUT LIFELINE THEATRE

Lifeline Theatre is located at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Lifeline is easily accessible by CTA (Red Line Morse stop/buses) and free parking is available at Sullivan High School (6631 N Bosworth Ave, lot located on the corner of Albion and Bosworth). Street parking is also available. Lifeline is accessible to wheelchair users and visitors who need to avoid stairs. 

Founded in 1982, Lifeline Theatre is known for staging innovative adaptations of great works of fiction as well as commissioning original work. In 1987, Lifeline Theatre added KidSeries plays for children and families, and has been producing full seasons of programming for both adults and children ever since.  Over the course of its forty-two seasons, Lifeline Theatre has made not only an indelible mark on the Chicago theater scene, but an invaluable contribution to the theater world at large. Lifeline’s dedicated artistic ensemble has developed one hundred and forty-six world premiere literary adaptations and original plays, nearly forty of which have had a life beyond their Lifeline premieres, with over three hundred subsequent productions spread across over forty U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, plus productions in England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Guatemala. Additionally, four scripts developed at Lifeline Theatre have gone on to U.S. national tours, and over a dozen have been published. Lifeline Theatre has garnered a total of fifty-three Jeff Awards (Equity and Non-Equity), including sixteen for New Adaptation, New Musical, or New Work.

Chicago debut of FAT HAM: A GOODMAN CO-PRODUCTION WITH DEFINITION THEATRE JANUARY 11 – FEBRUARY 23, 2025

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

TRUMANE ALSTON, SHELDON BROWN, E. FAYE BUTLER, RONALD L. CONNER, VICTOR MUSONI, IREON ROACH & ANJI WHITE CAST IN 

FAT HAM

A GOODMAN CO-PRODUCTION WITH DEFINITION THEATRE

Chicago debut with an all-Chicago cast

JANUARY 11 – FEBRUARY 23

**TYRONE PHILLIPS DIRECTS THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF JAMES IJAMES’S PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PLAY**

***TICKETS ON SALE NOV. 1 WITH EVENTS INCLUDING PRIDE NIGHT (JAN. 14) AND BLACK AFFINITY NIGHT (FEB. 7)***

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're SO excited for Fat Ham. We dig James Ijames wonderful work. You're in for a treat, whether you're a longtime fan or you're just hearing about this Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award nominated playwright. We've also adored Tyrone Phillips' expert directing skills for years. Don't miss this! 

Come to the barbecue! James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, five-time Tony Award-nominated play Fat Ham—an “uproarious reimagining of ‘Hamlet’” (The New Yorker)—makes its Chicago debut with an all-Chicago cast led by Trumane Alston. The Chicago- premiere production is directed by Tyrone Phillips—Founding Artistic Director of Chicago’s famed Definition Theatre, who co-produces Fat Ham at the Goodman—and also features Sheldon Brown, E. Faye Butler, Ronald L. Conner, Victor Musoni, Ireon Roach and Anji White. Fat Ham appears January 11 – February 23. I'll be out for opening night on January 21st, so check back shortly after for my full review. 

Tickets ($25 - $85; subject to change) are on sale November 1 at GoodmanTheatre.org/Ham or by phone at 312.443.3800. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of ITW (Corporate Sponsor Partner) and the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust (Lead Sponsor of IDEAA Programming).

“I am thrilled to bring this production to life with some of Chicago’s finest artists on and off the stage,” said Director Tyrone Phillips. This cast is extraordinary, and I can’t wait to get to be in the room with each one of them as we explore this beautiful coming of age story. I’m also thrilled to collaborate once again with Definition ensemble members Ireon Roach and Victor Musoni.”

A boisterous Southern cookout sets the scene for a Black, queer discovery of self and resilience in this Pulitzer Prize-winning, five-time Tony nominated coming-of-age story. As Juicy grapples with his identity and his family at a backyard barbecue, his father’s ghost shows up asking for revenge—on Juicy’s uncle, who has married his widowed mom—bringing his quest for joy and liberation to a screeching halt. James Ijames has reinvented Shakespeare’s masterpiece, creating what the New York Times hails as “a hilarious yet profound tragedy, smothered in comedy,” where the only death is the patriarchy. 

Special events for the production include Pride Night (January 14), a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community that includes a discounted ticket, specialty drink, light refreshments and music. In addition, Black Affinity Night (February 7) celebrates the richness of Black culture and community at a special pre-show reception and conversation, followed by the evening performance.

James Ijames is a Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award nominated playwright, director and educator. Ijames’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon, Wilma Theatre, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre, JACK, The Public Theater (NYC), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Definition Theatre, Timeline Theater (Chicago IL) Shotgun Players (Berkeley, CA) and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright’s Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre and Victory Garden. Ijames is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient, and two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size with Simpatico Theatre Company and Gem of the Ocean with Arden Theatre. Ijames is a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrance McNally New Play Award for WHITE, the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner for ….Miz Martha, a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, a 2019 Kesselring Prize for Kill Move Paradise, a 2020 and 2022 Steinberg Prize, the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama recipient and a 2023 Tony nominee for Best Play for Fat Ham. James was a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective. He received a BA in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and a MFA in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. James is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University. He resides in South Philadelphia. 

Tyrone Phillips is a first generation Jamaican-American artist, Founding Artistic Director of Chicago’s Definition Theatre and a proud member of the NAACP, SAG-AFTRA and SDC. Recipient of the 2022 Alumni Association Award for Diversity & Inclusion, he is an honors graduate of the Fine and Applied Arts college at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and has studied abroad at Shakespeare’s Globe. Tyrone is currently leading a capital campaign for the development of Definition’s new theater, community center and entrepreneur incubator in Woodlawn. Past directing and associate directing credits include: Purpose (Steppenwolf Theatre), Twelfth Night, I,Cinna (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Fairview (Jeff Nomination), Byhalia, Mississippi (Jeff Nomination), Dutchman (Definition Theatre), An Octoroon (Goodman Theatre/Definition Theatre) and The MLK Project (Writers Theatre). Regional: The Royale (American Players Theatre) and The Tale of Despereaux (Old Globe, Berkeley Rep). Off–Broadway: Trevor, the Musical. Awards and Honorable Mention: Arts Midwest’s Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship (2022) and Newcity Stage Hall of Fame (2024).  

Full Company of Fat Ham (in alphabetical order)

By James Ijames

Directed by Tyrone Phillips

Trumane Alston…Juicy

Sheldon Brown…Larry

E. Faye Butler…Rabby

Ronald L. Conner…Rev/Pap

Victor Musoni…Tio

Ireon Roach…Opal

Anji White…Tedra

Understudies for this production include Blake Hamilton Currie, Marquise De’Jahn, TayLar, Joseph Primes and Jazzy Rush.

Creative Team

Set Designer…..Arnel Sancianco

Costume Designer ……Jos N. Banks

Lighting Designer…..Jason Lynch

Sound Designer….. Willow James

Illusion Consultant…Benjamin Barnes

Fight and Intimacy…Gaby Labotka

Casting is by Lauren Port, CSA. Jared Bellot is the Dramaturg. Patrick Fries is the Production Stage Manager.

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES AT GOODMAN THEATRE

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.

Touch Tour* and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, February 1, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset.

Spanish-Subtitled Performance: Saturday, February 1 at 7:30pm – An LED sign presents Spanish-translated dialogue in sync with the performance.

Open-Captioned Performance: Sunday, February 2 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. Led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades.

The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

Using the tools of theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

Goodman Theatre was built on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten—and remains home to many Native peoples today. While we believe that our city’s vast diversity should be reflected on the stages of its largest theater, we acknowledge that our efforts have largely overlooked the voices of our Native peoples. This omission has added to the isolation, erasure and harm that Indigenous communities have faced for hundreds of years. We have begun a more deliberate journey towards celebrating Native American stories and welcoming Indigenous communities.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

JEFF AWARD-WINNER CHARLES DICKENS BEGRUDGINGLY PERFORMS ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ AGAIN RETURNS TO CHICAGO AT THE DEN THEATRE, DECEMBER 5 - 22, 2024

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

JEFF AWARD-WINNER 

CHARLES DICKENS BEGRUDGINGLY PERFORMS ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ AGAIN 

RETURNS TO CHICAGO AT THE DEN THEATRE

DECEMBER 5th - 22nd, 2024

Blake Montgomery Revives His Award-Winning Solo Piece,

Perfect For the 2024 Holiday Season 

Charles Dickens Begrudgingly … is recommended for ages 15+

Jeff Award-Winner Blake Montgomery is proud to present Charles Dickens Begrudgingly Performs ‘A Christmas Carol’ Again, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave, December 5 - 22. The schedule includes preview performances Thursday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec.7 at 8 p.m. with a press opening Sunday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m., with the exception of the closing performance on Sunday, Dec.22 which will begin at 3 p.m. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 29 (general admission: $32; previews: $16) and may be purchased at TheDenTheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830. Learn more about the show at DickensAgain.com. 

Reflecting on the revival of his solo performance, Montgomery shared, "Performing a solo show is always a challenge, but revisiting a piece after a decade is a unique thrill. When I re-read the script, it immediately took me back to the heart of the performance—the vibrant connection Charles Dickens forged with his audience. It's lively, passionate, ridiculous, heartfelt, and warm. I knew then that I had to bring it back to the stage this holiday season. I’m excited to step into the wig and coat once again, as Dickens himself, to personally welcome the audience to the theater this December.”

Charles Dickens Begrudgingly … originally charmed audiences during its Chicago debut at The Building Stage in December 2011 and 2012. This one-of-a-kind holiday production, which imagines a still-living Dickens forced to perform his famous A Christmas Carol for the 171st consecutive year, lovingly celebrates and skewers the famous author and our Christmas traditions. Now, ten years after the closing of The Building Stage, former Artistic Director Blake Montgomery revives his Jeff Award-winning solo performance for the 2024 holiday season.

ABOUT BLAKE MONTGOMERY

Blake Montgomery began his career in Chicago directing ensemble clown theater and performing with a variety of non-naturalistic Chicago theaters, most notably Redmoon with whom he collaborated for over a decade. In 2005, Montgomery founded The Building Stage, a theater company and performance space, where he served as Artistic Director until its closing in 2013. The company was known for its ensemble-devised, director-driven creations, particularly in literary adaptations like their Jeff Award-winning Moby-Dick and the poetic, clown-inspired Dawn, Quixote. Montgomery’s artistic approach draws on his training at the École Jacques Lecoq, the Dell’Arte School of Physical Theater, and Middlebury College. A member of Actor’s Equity, his performances in Chicago include work with The House Theatre, Hypocrites, Remy Bumppo, Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, and Writers Theatre.

FEST ALERT: Lifeline Theatre Presents 28th Annual Fillet of Solo Festival November 8 - November 17, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Lifeline Theatre presents 28th Annual 

Fillet of Solo Festival 

two-week festival of storytelling performances

November 8 - November 17, 2024

Lifeline Theatre presents the 28th Annual Fillet of Solo Festival, a vibrant celebration of Chicago's premiere storytelling and live lit scene. The festival spans from November 8- November 17, 2024 at Lifeline Theatre (6912 N. Glenwood Ave.) and Rhapsody Theater (1328 W Morse Ave.) in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. Featuring a diverse array of performers, including a dozen storytelling collectives and numerous solo artists, the festival offers two weeks of powerful personal stories. Spanning comedy, drama, and more – the festival makes up a rich tapestry of Chicago's storytellers.

Fillet of Solo performances take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at both venues. See the full festival schedule at www.lifelinetheatre.com. Tickets are $12 for single entry and $60 for a Festival Pass, granting access to any performance

Festival performance returning favorites include 80 Minutes Around the World: Immigration Stories with Nestor Gomez, featuring stories of Immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers; Sweat Girls, Chicago’s mighty monologue mavens’ performance of Don’t Rush Me; and Goodman's GeNarrations. 

I've been storytelling with GeNarrations myself for 3 sessions now, and it's been a joy to get to know fellow storytellers. The talent pool is deep! I'm sure the storytellers chosen for Fillet of Solo will be spectacular. Though I didn't submit a piece for this one, I was thrilled to recently have one of my GeNarrations pieces selected for Lobby Stories, during Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

ABOUT THE SHOW 

Join this year’s GeNarrations cohort as they dare to confront schoolyard bullies, dastardly sheep, life changing loss, and at least one very famous dog. 

16 storytellers spread across 2 unique shows. Join us on November 9 at 1:00PM to see performances by Regan Burke, Shirley Fastner, Norman Field, Doris Laser, Lefty Lyons, BJ Parker, Pamela Schumacher, and George Szostkowski. Then come back on November 17 at 2:30PM to hear from Robert Collin, Kathy Cunningham, Susan Carlotta Ellis, Kathy Moroz, John Norris, Bettina Rousos, Andy Solomon, and E.J. Wade.

I do plan to catch my current GeNarrations instructor's one woman show, Michiganderish. Julie Ganey will be performing at Lifeline November 10th and 15th as part of Fillet of Solo. Don't miss this! 

Other noteworthy performances this year include Hand, Foot, Hand by Deborah Kent, the first blind student who had ever been enrolled at her 8th grade school, who tells a story about searching for footholds in a world that is not always welcoming and discovering handholds in the most unexpected places; Between Two Poles by Klaudia Siczek discusses a daughter being pulled between her two ideologically opposite families from Poland. Patrick Curtin’s Who Do You Think You Are? starts off with Patrick as a young boy who wants to be a priest, experiences rejection and then works to find community and purpose. 

I've also seen Eileen Tull's fabulous Too Fat To Run, when she performed at Scratch Night earlier this year, and recommend checking it out.  

A FREE Kick-Off Event will also take place on November 6, 2024 at Rhapsody Theater at 7:00pm where. The event will provide insights into the festival's history, storytelling forms, and Chicago's dynamic storytelling nights. Festival Passes are available at a discounted rate of $45 during the Kick-Off event (regularly $60).

For more information, contact the Lifeline Theatre Box Office at 773.761.4477 or www.lifelinetheatre.com.

ABOUT LIFELINE THEATRE

Lifeline Theatre is located at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Lifeline is easily accessible by CTA (Red Line Morse stop/buses) and free parking is available at Sullivan High School (6631 N Bosworth Ave, lot located on the corner of Albion and Bosworth) with free shuttle service before and after the show. Street parking is also available. Lifeline is accessible to wheelchair users and visitors who need to avoid stairs.

Founded in 1982, Lifeline Theatre is known for staging innovative adaptations of great works of fiction as well as commissioning original work. In 1987, Lifeline Theatre added KidSeries plays for children and families, and has been producing full seasons of programming for both adults and children ever since.  Over the course of forty seasons and over two hundred productions, Lifeline Theatre has made not only an indelible mark on the Chicago theatre scene, but an invaluable contribution to the theatre world at large. Lifeline’s dedicated artistic ensemble has developed one hundred and forty-six world premiere literary adaptations and original plays, nearly forty of which have had a life beyond their Lifeline premieres, with over three hundred subsequent productions spread across over forty U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, plus productions in England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Guatemala. Additionally, four scripts developed at Lifeline Theatre have gone on to U.S. national tours, and over a dozen have been published. Lifeline Theatre has garnered a total of fifty-three Jeff Awards (Equity and Non-Equity), including sixteen for New Adaptation, New Musical, or New Work.