12/26/08

Midnight Spoils

Tough Talk

In the wake of all of the warm fuzzies and holiday cheer, what better way to return to the cynicism of the real world than a night with Neil LaBute? To cap off its season dedicated to the darkly comedic playwright, Profiles Theatre (4147 N. Broadway; profilestheatre.org) hosts an evening with LaBute on Saturday, January 3rd. A preshow reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by readings and an audience Q&A. Admission is $50 and includes a ticket to the theatre’s next...

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12/19/08

All I Want for Xmas is a $2 Old Style

Darwin, Dinosaurs, Drag: Must Be Christmas at the Hideout

Here’s one you won’t see in back-to-back rotation on the ABC Family channel: The Third Annual Hideout Christmas Dinosaur Panto—a play modeled on the traditional British style of pantomime, which calls for lots of audience participation in the form of hissing and booing—follows Charles Darwin in his quest to discover the origins of Christmas, and stars such local luminaries as rocker Jon Langford (as a woman) and Hideout co-owner Tim Tuten (as the father of evolutionary theory). If that’s not trippy enough, Old Style cans are a mere $2. The show runs 7 and 10 p.m. Friday...

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12/12/08

Awe, Nuts

What’s on Tap

Caroling is so anaerobic. You haven’t experienced “Winter Wonderland” until it’s been sweated out by a pack of hardcore hoofers. Case in point: Chicago Tap Theatre’s Tidings of Tap!, featuring choreography set to seasonal tunes from the Grinch theme to Hanukkah songs. Performances run 8 p.m. Friday the 12th and Saturday the 13th, 3 p.m. Sunday the 14th at U.I.C. Theater (1044 W. Harrison St.; chicagotaptheatre.com). Tickets are $18 to $30. Across town, Reggio “The Hoofer” McLaughlin leads his annual production The Nut Tapper (get those snickers out of the way now), a loose interpretation of, yes, The Nutcracker...

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12/05/08

24-Hour Party People

What’s harder than crafting a scene out of nothing in front of a crowd of rowdy strangers? Doing it for 24 hours straight. The Second City (1608 N. Wells St.; 312-337-3992) presents its seventh annual 24-hour improv benefit The Second City That Never Sleeps: Letters to Santa, stocked with enough ensemble members, alumni, and guest artists to guarantee the hilarity will increase as sleep deprivation sets in. The show kicks off 9 p.m. Tuesday the 9th and finishes up 9 p.m. Wednesday the 10th with the added bonus of live-music sets from the local alt-country hero Robbie Fulks (noon Wednesday) and pop icons The Breeders...

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