Goldstar

Banana Shpeel from Cirque du Soleil is a roller coaster mix of styles that blends comedy with slapstick. Propelled by crazy humor and intense choreography, the show follows a succession of wacky adventures led by Schmelky, the irritable and over-the-top theater producer. Banana Shpeel is written and directed by David Shiner, the creator of Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA. Learn more...

BackStage Theatre Company presents a dark and disturbing play by writer and actor Wallace Shawn (My Dinner with Andre). In Aunt Dan and Lemon, a reclusive young woman named Lemon recounts her seemingly ordinary life story, which becomes increasingly dominated by an eccentric family friend known as Aunt Dan. The play serves as a complex meditation on compassion and morality. Learn more...

Now at the Apollo Theater after a sold-out limited engagement, the new musical Million Dollar Quartet recaptures the memorable December 4, 1956 night when legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins met in Memphis for an impromptu jam session. The show is loaded with rock 'n' roll hits such as "Blue Suede Shoes," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire." Learn more...

Laugh Out Loud Theater presents a night of completely improvised holiday-themed comedy. In The Ha-Ha-Holiday Show, an experienced group of improvisers will use audience suggestions to inspire short comedy scenes, holiday games, improvised carols, and more. Learn more...

Nicholas Kraemer, one of today's leading Baroque music specialists, lets the musicians of the CSO shine in a selection of 18th-century gems. He completes the concert with Strauss' elegiac Metamorphosen, an intimate work for 23 solo strings. Learn more...

Chicago Symphony Orchestra's popular Beyond the Score series explores Mahler's Fourth Symphony. One of the conductor's most irresistible works, it draws from folk songs, klezmer, military marches and many more sources. The program will begin with a live multimedia documentary, exploring the Fourth Symphony's cultural and musical context, before the CSO performs the work in its entirety. Learn more...

The Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific comes to the Rosemont Theatre. Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices. Learn more...

Family favorite A Christmas Carol is back at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace this holiday season. In Drury Lane Children's Theatre's production of this Dickens classic, an old miser has an incredible change of heart over the course of one night after being visited by ghosts from Christmas past, present and future. Learn more...

Thoroughly Modern Millie is a humorous story of a young girl from Kansas who takes New York City by storm as she flaps, taps and Charlestons her way into the Roaring '20s. Millie experiences the hustle and bustle of Jazz Age Manhattan at a time when women were just entering the workforce and rewriting society's rules. It's a funny, romantic story about following dreams and falling in love. Learn more...

The Chicago Bulls host their longtime rivals, the Detroit Pistons, at the United Center. The classic NBA rivalry was rekindled this summer, when former Bulls guard Ben Gordon signed with the Pistons. The Bulls' stars include spectacular point guard and 2009 Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose. Learn more...

Two of the NBA's top point guards face off on a Saturday night, as Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls host Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. Paul led the league in assists last season, while Rose won the Rookie of the Year award. Learn more...

Porchlight Music Theatre presents Miracle on 34th Street, a stage adaptation of the classic holiday movie. A kindly old gentleman takes a job as a department store Santa. He claims to be the genuine article, convincing a cynical divorced single mother, her somber daughter, and the entire state of New York that Santa Claus is no myth. Learn more...

Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls host the New York Knicks at the United Center. The Bulls are led by 2009 Rookie of the Year Rose, one of the league's brightest rising stars. Mike D'Antoni's Knicks are known for their fast-paced offense. Learn more...

Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors face the Chicago Bulls in NBA action. The Bulls are led by 2009 Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose and high-scoring small forward Luol Deng. Learn more...

Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival is an all-day celebration of music old and new from 25 bands on three stages. The show features six-time Grammy-winner Béla Fleck and his Flecktones. Also on the bill: Dr. Dog, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater, The Giving Tree Band and more. Learn more...

The Holiday Hop is a rockin', smooth and soulful holiday to remember with great '50s and '60s chart-topping groups performing under one roof. The Coasters, The Platters and The Marvelettes lead a non-stop sing-along song list with favorites like: "The Great Pretender," "Only You," "My Girl," "Charlie Brown," "Yakety Yak," "Please Mr. Postman" and a few holiday surprises. Learn more...

As part of an annual holiday tradition, The Victory Gardens Theatre presents The Snow Queen. Hans Christian Andersen's beloved winter tale comes to life in a show featuring human actors alongside delightful puppetry and Michael Smith's magical, wickedly funny score. Learn more...

Remy Bumppo Theatre Co. presents Heroes. Tom Stoppard's Olivier Award-winning translation of Gerald Sibleyras's comedy tells the funny and bittersweet story of three French World War I veterans who keep each other company on the back terrace of a retired soldiers' home, exchanging quips and plotting to escape to a grand adventure in Indochina. Learn more...

American Blues Theater presents a live radio-style performance of Frank Capra's holiday masterpiece on stage at the Biograph Theater. Complete with live sound effects and an original score, It's a Wonderful Life recreates a 1940s-era radio broadcast of this heartwarming tale of troubled George Bailey's Christmas Eve journey through his life history. Learn more...

The acclaimed International Gem and Jewelry Show presents the most dazzling display of gems, jewelry, beads, accessories and minerals ever seen under one roof. The huge selection, along with special show pricing direct from worldwide designers and manufacturers, make this show a must for gem enthusiasts and jewelry lovers alike. Learn more...

You Can't Take It With You follows the clash between a conservative family and the more eccentric Sycamore-Vanderhof household. Full of fast pacing and witty one-liners, the play, written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, has entertained audiences for over 70 years. It's a classic comedy that is as fresh as ever. Learn more...

Step aboard the Spirit of Chicago for unparalleled lakefront cruising fun. Dine on a delicious buffet lunch or dinner, dance, enjoy Broadway-quality entertainers and catch breathtaking views of the city's historic skyline. Learn more...

Noble Fool presents a holiday-themed sequel to the musical hit Forever Plaid. Thanks to a heavenly phone call from Rosemary Clooney, the four Plaid men return to harmonize on songs from the 1930s, '40s and '50s in their own hilarious tribute to the classic Ed Sullivan Christmas Spectaculars. Learn more...

Chants de Noël: A French Christmas is a concert of holiday gems by French composers and arrangements of French carols sung in French, Latin and English. The program includes such carols as "Il est né le divin enfant," "Masters in this Hall," "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Noël nouvelet." The centerpiece on the program is Saint-Saens' Christmas Oratorio for chorus, organ, harp and string quartet. Learn more...

A groundbreaking children's animated classical music experience, Barbie at the Symphony is a film with orchestra presentation of the best-selling Barbie "Princess" movies. This series of CGI animated films features Barbie singing and dancing to some of the world's best-loved musical scores with ballet sequences choreographed by Peter Martins of the renowned New York City Ballet. Learn more...

The Chicago Ensemble presents a relaxing program of classical piano trios performed by leading Chicago classical musicians. A complimentary wine reception precedes each performance, and the program includes works by Beethoven, Shostakovich and Dvořák. Learn more...

Adventure Stage Chicago presents Gossamer. Based on a book by Newbery Medal-winning author Lois Lowry, Gossamer tells an inspiring story of the magical creatures who create dreams. A young Dream-Giver struggles to heal the hearts of an abused young boy and those around him in this powerful story, told with the aid of colorful projections and enchanting puppetry. Learn more...

The Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival returns to the Congress Theater for a second year. This day-long festival features performances by over two dozen bands, including Grammy-winner Béla Fleck and his Flecktones, psych-folk outfit Dr. Dog, and other artists playing music ranging from bluegrass and blues to rock, jam band and funk. Learn more...

Chants de Noël: A French Christmas is a concert of holiday gems by French composers and arrangements of French carols sung in French, Latin and English. The program includes such carols as "Il est né le divin enfant," "Masters in this Hall," "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Noël nouvelet." The centerpiece on the program is Saint-Saens' Christmas Oratorio for chorus, organ, harp and string quartet. Learn more...

Laugh Out Loud Theater presents Instant Musical, a night of improvised comedy set to music. The theater's rteam of hilarious improvisers will create songs on the spot based on audience suggestions, ranging from love ballads to blues numbers and rap. Then, they'll unite to create a completely improvised Broadway-style musical. Learn more...

Von Heidecke Chicago Festival Ballet performs The Nutcracker at the McAninch Arts Center. This beloved holiday tradition tells the story of Clara and her Nutcracker prince, with Tchaikovsky's marvelous score performed by New Philharmonic, Kenneth von Heidecke's imaginative choreography, and a winter wonderland of luxurious costumes and sets. Learn more...

The Chicago Ensemble presents a relaxing program of classical piano trios performed by leading Chicago classical musicians. A complimentary wine reception precedes each performance, and the program includes works by Beethoven, Shostakovich and Dvořák. Learn more...

Douglas Post's Murder in Green Meadows is a psychological thriller about two couples living in a quiet suburban neighborhood, where their middle-American exteriors hide a diabolical plot of deception, sex, murder and mind games. Learn more...

Phèdra is cursed by the gods to love her step-son, Hippolytus, who hides a secret love affair of his own. Emotional, turbulent and sexy, Phèdra is a mythical soap opera for the contemporary audience. Based on ancient myths, this tragedy examines how love and unabated passions can destroy us all. Learn more...

The Chicago Improv of Schaumburg welcomes stand-up comic Steve Byrne, whose hour-long special Steve Byrne's Happy Hour recently premiered on Comedy Central to rave reviews. His recent credits include appearances on the Tonight Show and and in the film The Goods. Learn more...

The Royal George Theatre presents Will Clinger's solo comedy about a self-help guru and infomercial celebrity who claims to have the answers to a better way of life. Clinger plays Dr. Harlon Stewart as well as ten of the doctor's devotees, who have chosen to follow his dubious advice. Learn more...

The Salt Creek Ballet presents holiday favorite The Nutcracker, featuring a talented cast of more than 75 local dancers, joined by the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. This fairy tale ballet for the entire family tells the story of young Clara, the debonair Nutcracker Prince and a thrilling Christmas Eve journey filled with swirling snowflakes, waltzing flowers, giant mice and sugar plum fairies. Learn more...

The Moscow Festival Ballet presents Sleeping Beauty at Glen Ellyn's McAninch Arts Center. Marius Petipa's classic full-length ballet brings the famous fairy tale to life, set to Tchaikovsky's legendary score. Learn more...

Elmhurst Choral Union presents The Very Best Time of Year, featuring Christmas music by Bach, Handel, John Rutter, Leroy Anderson, colonial Americans, and recent and familiar carols, all with full orchestra and professional soloists. Learn more...

The creator of the hit Late Nite Catechism is back with another satirical look at religion. In the audience-participation comedy Saints & Sinners, Mother Superior hits upon a fundraising scheme to save her parish: sell a calendar of famous saints and sinners. The audience will have a chance to vote, ask questions, and win prizes in a trivia contest. Learn more...

Von Heidecke Chicago Festival Ballet performs The Nutcracker at Heller Auditorium. This beloved holiday tradition tells the story of Clara and her Nutcracker prince, combining an internationally acclaimed choreographer, world class principal dancers and some of the Chicagoland's most talented dance students, making von Heidecke's rendition of The Nutcracker a must-see-event. This production is traditionally classical while featuring gymnastics and exciting athleticism. Learn more...

New Philharmonic performs a New Year's Eve pops concert at the McAninch Arts Center. Led by Maestro Kirk Muspratt, they'll ring in the new year with beautiful Strauss waltzes and marches, popular Broadway show tunes, love songs and more. Learn more...

Multi-Grammy Award winning Riders In The Sky present Christmas the Cowboy Way a cocnert combining western music classics, traditional Christmas music, and Riders' original yuletide carols. Members of the Grand Ole Opry and the Western Music Association Hall of Fame, they've hosted shows on TNN and CBS, and their tune "Woody's Round-Up" was featured in Toy Story 2. Learn more...

Escape to...The Light of the Star is a concert of stirring spirituals, favorite carols and contemporary songs from Acappellago telling the journey of the shepherds and wise men that will lead to "Christ's Nativity," an a cappella cantata by 20th century composer Benjamin Britten. Learn more...

The Turtle Island Quartet performs at the McAninch Arts Center. The Grammy-winning chamber jazz group will be playing winter holiday songs from around the globe, including Vince Guaraldi's beloved A Charlie Brown Christmas score, carols from the British Isles, and music for Hanukkah and the Indian holiday Diwali. Learn more...

McAninch Arts Center presents kids' singer-songwriter Ralph in Ralph's World. His blend of fun lyrics and high-energy performance will delight kids aged 3 to 11. Learn more...

McAninch Arts Center presents a family concert by Sara Hickman. An acclaimed folk singer-songwriter hailing from Texas, Sara also writes whimsical, gently lovely songs for children aged 3 to 7. Learn more...

Sara Hickman has earned a loyal following with her combination of sparkling charisma, warmly witty lyrics, and inspired songcraft. A lifelong resident of Texas, Sara has been touring the country for twenty years. Learn more...