Spotlight: Double helping of seasonal laughs at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre
Making merry
The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre makes merry with several seasonal sendups, including The Second City's sketch comedy revue "It's a Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Life." The lineup also includes Vicki Quade's interactive comedy "Christmas Bingo: It's a Ho-Ho-Holy Night," featuring former nun Mary Margaret O'Brien calling bingo while answering questions about Christmas traditions.
The Second City performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, through Dec. 30, and 7 and 10 p.m. Dec. 31. $30, $35; New Year's Eve tickets $50, $60. "Christmas Bingo" takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20. $30. Performances are at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test and masking required. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.
Elves in Rosemont
An especially industrious elf helps make Christmas merry for a family that has lost its joyous spirit in the touring production of "The Elf on a Shelf: A Christmas Musical." The family-friendly holiday tuner plays the Rosemont Theatre for one day only.
2 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont. $29.95-$84.95. COVID-19 precautions: Face coverings required for everyone. (800) 745-3000, rosemont.com or ticketmaster.com.
'Billy Elliot' in Skokie
Music Theater Works concludes its season with a revival of "Billy Elliot: The Musical," the Tony Award-winning musical by composer Elton John and writer/lyricist Lee Hall, adapted from the 2000 film about a young boy who longs to become a dancer. Set against the 1984 miners strike in northern England, the musical celebrates self-expression and the power of art to unite and inspire. Jake Siswick stars as Billy in director Kyle A. Dougan's production.
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23 and 30; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 26; 1 p.m. Dec. 29; 8 p.m. Dec. 31; 2 and 8 p.m. Jan. 1; and 2 p.m. Jan. 2 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. $25.50-$113. COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test and masking required. (847) 673-6300 or musictheaterworks.com.
In other news
Check with venues regarding COVID-19 precautions.
• The Factory Theater Holiday Special, consisting of four short plays, will stream online beginning Friday, Dec. 17, at thefactorytheater.com. The irreverent comedies include "Hamilton Beach 4/20 Special," "All Is Calm: Christmas Eve 1914," "There's Always Time" and "Elf Slang for Murder." Tickets are $10.
• Mercury Theater Chicago's Venus Cabaret Theater hosts its monthly comedy night at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Scott Duff hosts the show, which features Cameron Gillette, Erica Clark, Sonal Aggarwal and Chelsea Hood. The evening concludes with an open mic. See mercurytheaterchicago.com.
• Hell in a Handbag Productions hosts its 20th anniversary benefit, "Bette's Bawdy Brunch," from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at the Chicago Yacht Club, 300 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The event includes brunch, cocktails, a silent auction and entertainment from Handbag Productions veterans. Tickets range from $100 to $150, with proceeds benefiting the theater. Proof of vaccination is required for admission. See handbagproductions.org.
• The African American Arts Alliance hosts the 20th annual Black Excellence Awards celebrating Black artists, Black stories and Black voices on Dec. 27. Among the honorees are theater artists Ronald L. Conner, Aimee K. Bryant, Lili-Anne Brown and Congo Square Theatre. The ceremony will be broadcast on Facebook live. "With the Black Excellence Awards, we uplift each other as we celebrate Black achievement and come together to acknowledge the contributions that the African American arts community have made to the cultural fabric of Chicago," said AAAA chairwoman and Black Ensemble Theater founder Jackie Taylor in a prepared statement. See aaaachicago.org.
• Collaboraction, a Chicago theater dedicated to promoting social justice, screens online the pilot episode of producer Carla Stillwell's new series "Oh Colonizers," a 12-minute mashup of "Masterpiece Theatre" and reality TV examining the oppression of minorities over the course of American history. The show screens at 7 p.m. Jan. 6 on Zoom. Tickets are $6. See collaboraction.org/oh-colonizers.