“Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood”: For those saying “Bah Humbug” to holiday fare, or who simply want a break from tinsel and holly, the stars of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” pair up for an evening of the show’s familiar improv games, geared for maximum audience participation. (No Drew Carey refereeing from the sidelines, however.)
Saturday only, 8 p.m., Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N. Chicago St., Joliet; $23-$53 at 815-726-6600 or rialtosquare.com
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”: Improvisation goes awry in Barbara Robinson’s family-friendly tale, adapted from her best-selling 1972 book. The delinquent Herdman kids are unclear on the concept of the Nativity tale, but that doesn’t deter them from trying to put on the best darn little holiday show in town — with unconventional results.
Friday through Dec. 18 at Albright Theatre Company, 100 N. Island Ave., Batavia; $10 at 630-406-8838 or albrighttheatre.com
“A Christmas Carol”: A more traditional holiday offering hits the boards of the Art Deco Paramount with this musical theater version of Charles Dickens’ story — a fitting capper to the venue’s own rebirth this fall as a subscription-based musicals venue.
Friday, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora; $20-$37 at 630-896-6666 or paramountaurora.com
“Amahl and the Night Visitors”: Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera about a crippled shepherd, a mysterious star, and three kings from the East was first introduced on an NBC “Hallmark Hall of Fame” broadcast on Christmas Eve, 1951, making it the first opera created specifically for American television. It has since become a seasonal classic, and receives two suburban productions – one with North Shore Opera Hour at the Skokie, the other in Park Ridge with Petite Opera Productions.
Sunday 3 p.m., Skokie Theater, 7924 N. Lincoln Ave., Skokie; $20-$25 at 847-677-7761 or skokietheatre.com. Also through Sunday at Mary Wilson House Beyer Auditorium, 306 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge; $25 at 847-553-4442 or petiteopera.org
“She Loves Me”: Perhaps best known in its 1940 film incarnation, “The Shop Around the Corner,” Miklos Laszlo’s play “Parfumerie”, about a pair of feuding salesclerks who don’t realize that they are romantic pen pals, was turned into a musical in 1963, featuring a book by Joe Masteroff and a score by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock of “Fiddler on the Roof” fame. Regina A. Gadotti directs a community production for the Drama Group.
Through Sunday at the Drama Group, 330 W. 202nd St., Chicago Heights; $20 at 708-755-3444 or dramagroup.org
