Christmas classics not your fancy? Theaters stage a few surprises

Craving a “Carol” this holiday season? No problem. But if the idea of another version of “A Christmas Carol” has you feeling a tad Scrooge-like, there are other alternatives out there.

Whether your tastes run toward a beloved cinema classic translated to the stage or wry humor to offset the sweetness of the season, here are some options.

New holiday fare

• Mary Todd Lincoln seeks out a Christmas tree while a fugitive slave searches for her lost daughter on Christmas Eve, 1864, in Paula Vogel's “A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration.” Henry Godinez directs local favorites including Tony Award nominee Felicia P. Fields, Paula Scrofano, David Girolmo and Will Clinger, from WTTW's “Wild Chicago.” Runs through Sunday, Dec. 19, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.

• Provision Theatre Company follows its successful revue “Smoke on the Mountain” with the bluegrass-inspired, holiday-themed “Sanders Family Christmas” incorporating classic carols, hymns and yuletide tales about the fictional family. Opens Saturday, Nov. 27, at 1001 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or provisiontheater.org.

• Songs and skits comprise Vex Theatre's “Twist-a-Carol,” a new holiday show centered around the company's original, one-act play, “A Turn of the Scrooge” an inversion of Charles Dickens' tale in which an upbeat Ebenezer learns the holidays can be humbug. Runs Friday to Sunday, Dec. 3-5, at the Elgin Arts Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. See vextheatre.org.

• Attic Playhouse presents the Chicago area premiere of “Ethan Claymore,” a comedy by Norm Foster about a reclusive farmer whose house is overrun by estranged relatives, meddling neighbors and the town schoolteacher, all of them determined to add sparkle to his life. Runs through Sunday, Dec. 19, at 410 Sheridan Road, Highwood. (847) 433-2660 or atticplayhouse.com.

• And for some truly alternative entertainment, there's “Jewmongous,” Sean Altman's comic examination of modern Jewish life set to song. Cindy Kaplan guest stars in the Christmas Day shows. 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 25, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. See KFAR Jewish Arts Center at kfarcenter.org for more information.

Seasonal satire

• Last-minute shopping, boozy office parties and unwelcome fruitcake are among the traditions The Second City parodies in “Holidays in the Heights,” at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. The show opens Friday, Nov. 26, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Mitchell Fain returns to star in Theater Wit's seventh annual production of “The Santaland Diaries,” David Sedaris' sardonic tale of a struggling writer who takes a job as a Macy's elf and finds the Christmas spirit sucked out of him. The show opens Friday, Nov. 26, at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org.

• A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company presents the Chicago area premiere of Christopher Durang's “Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge” in which Bob's overworked wife becomes unhinged when he brings home their 21st orphan. The show opens Friday, Dec. 3, at the Cornservatory, 4210 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 418-4475 or arftco.com.

• “Dysfunctional Holiday Revue,” the Second City revue that ran several years at the Metropolis surfaces at Noble Fool this year. The show opens Friday, Dec. 10, at Pheasant Run Resort and Spa, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 584-6342 or noblefool.org.

• A light bulb salesgirl upends a guy's life on New Year's Eve in “Striking Twelve,” a combination concert and holiday show from Rachel Sheinkin (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) and the band GrooveLily. The Bohemian Theatre Ensemble show opens Thursday, Dec. 16, at the Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or bohotheatre.com.

Screen to stage

• Noble Fool, which re-christens itself Fox Valley Repertory in January, brings Joe Landry's 1996 adaptation of Frank Capra's “It's A Wonderful Life” to the stage as a 1940s radio play-within-a-play. 2010 Jeff Award winner Rachel Rockwell helms the production, which features local grade-school choristers. Runs through Sunday, Dec. 26, at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 443-0438 or noblefool.org.

• Other radio-play translations of Capra's classic include American Blues Theater's “It's A Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph!” Directed by Marty Higginbotham, it features an original score with ensemble members Kevin R. Kelly and Gwendolyn Whiteside as George and Mary Bailey. Previews begin Friday, Nov. 26, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Previews benefit the Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research. The show opens Wednesday, Dec. 8. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• Chris McLinden plays George Bailey in American Theater Company's “It's A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play.” Previews begin Friday, Nov. 26, at 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago. The show opens Monday, Nov. 29. (773) 409-4125 or atcweb.org.

• Libertyville's Improv Playhouse salutes radio's golden age with its “It's A Wonderful Life” with a cast that includes young actors playing Bedford Falls' youth. Runs Friday to Sunday, Dec. 10-12, at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center, 2007 Civic Center Way, Round Lake Beach, and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19, at the Improv Playhouse Theater, 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.

• Broadway in Chicago presents the new musical “Irving Berlin's White Christmas,” based on the 1954 film about a couple of Army buddies who romance a pair of singing sisters while they're all performing at a Vermont lodge over Christmas. The show opens Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Steel Beam Theatre gets into the spirit with “It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas,” the Meredith Willson musical inspired by the movie “Miracle on 34th Street,” about a man claiming to be Santa Claus (Schaumburg's Jamey McDunn), whose compassion and warmth thaw the hearts of cynical New Yorkers. Runs through Sunday, Dec. 19, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.

• Screenwriter Valentine Davies' novella “Miracle on 34th Street,” whose publication coincided with the movie's 1947 release, inspired Porchlight Music Theatre's new adaptation with traditional holiday music arranged by Brookfield composer/lyricist/actor Jon Steinhagen. Runs through Sunday, Jan. 2, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 327-5252 or porchlighttheatre.com.

For all ages

• Make it a “meowy Christmas.” Join Samantha Martin's Acro-Cats for a seasonal display of their feline tricks Friday to Sunday, Nov. 26-28, at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. (847) 677-7761 or circuscats.com.

• The Annoyance Theatre serves up a family-friendly double bill of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “The Year Without A Santa Claus” opening Saturday, Nov. 27, at 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. (773) 561-4665 or theannoyance.com.

• The Herdmans the neighborhood's nastiest brood overtake the local holiday celebration in “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” Provision Theater Company presents the comedy, which opens Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 1001 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or provisiontheater.org.

Adults only

• One of Santa's enforcer elves doles out punishment to naughty girls and boys in the dark comedy “Black Peter,” opening Friday, Nov. 26, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

• For folks who really, really hate the holidays, iO Chicago serves up “Christmas Smackdown,” an original musical revue by Mark Nutter and Cynthia Carle opening Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 3541 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 880-0199 or ioimprov.com.

• Hell in a Handbag remounts “Rudolph, The Red-Hosed Reindeer,” David Cerda's sendup of the TV special, which finds Santa introducing reality television to the North Pole, Rudolph and his quirky pals. Previews begin Thursday, Dec. 2, at Mary's Attic, 5400 W. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Saturday, Dec. 4. (800) 838-3006 or handbagproductions.org.

• GayCo Productions' “Scream If You Love Christmas” promises it will have frazzled audience members shrieking with laughter when it opens Thursday, Dec. 9, at the Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. See theannoyance.com for information.

• Ziggy Stardust, Iggy Pop, Paule Lynde and Charo are among the stars showing up for New Millennium Theatre Company's “The David Bowie Hepzikat Funky Velvet Flarney Solstice Spectacular, Live ... From Space! (David Bowie's Christmas Special 1977 Network Edit).” The show runs through Saturday, Dec. 18, at Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 975-8150 or nmtchicago.org.