Welcome to your theatrical holiday stocking.
Each year, Chicago theaters trot out an ever-growing number of seasonal attractions, mostly designed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy and free-spending, but with a few noir and necessary theatrical shout-outs to those sardonic cynics who’d prefer to see Christmas boiled like a goose.
Each year, we try to separate the tinsel from the turkeys and ensure that you don’t look like a fool in front of those needy relatives who’ve arrived from cities where they’re lucky if they have even a couple of live holiday shows. Chicago has scores — and we’re not even counting the many alternate, December good-time attractions — “Ella,” “Cirque Dreams” — that aren’t strictly holiday shows.
Inside, you’ll find a list of nine holiday shows to consider. There should be something there for most tastes and generations. I’ve seen most of the shows — in some cases, six or seven times. In the case of the new productions, I’ve kept the ones that most intrigue me. In the case of the older ones, I’ve stuck to my favorites.
You’ll also find information on what (if anything) has changed since last year. For while ’tis the season for nostalgia, it’s always better to get your eggnog fresh.
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CHRIS JONES’ RECOMMENDATIONS AND A CLIP-AND-SAVE CHART OF 50 HOLIDAY SHOWS. PAGES 6 & 7
The season’s fleeting. Survive it. Savor it! The Holidaily shows you how, with 50 days of timesaving strategies, tips and tales throughout the Chicago Tribune and at chicago tribune.com/holidaily.
