Spotlight: 'Wonderful Life' radio adaptations open in Libertyville, Chicago and 'Stomp' returns

Posted December 05, 2023 10:00 pm

Audrey Billings and Brandon Dahlquist play George and Mary Bailey in American Blues Theater's 22nd annual production of "It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!" Courtesy of Michael Brosilow

ABT's 'Wonderful Life'

American Blues Theater's 22nd annual production of "It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!" - a radio play featuring Foley sound effects, period-inspired commercials and Christmas carols - also inaugurates the theater's new Chicago home. Executive artistic director Gwendolyn Whiteside helms the 1940s radio adaptation of Frank Capra's beloved film about everyman George Bailey (Brandon Dahlquist), whose devotion to family and community prompts him to relinquish his dreams of adventure in order to save his hometown from a robber baron.

Previews at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8-9, at 5627 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, Dec. 10. $25-$65. (773) 654-3103 or americanbluestheater.com.

Another 'Wonderful Life'

Improv Playhouse presents its annual 1940s radio-play adaptation of "It's a Wonderful Life" featuring artistic director David Brian Stuart, who directs the production and stars as George Bailey.

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8-9 and 15-16, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. Advance purchase: $20 for adults, $17.50 for seniors, $7.50 for students; at the door: $22.50 for adults, $20 for seniors, $10 for students. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.

'Unforgettable' legend

Gregory Stewart Jr. channels jazz-pianist-turned-crooner-turned-American-pop-music-legend Nat King Cole in "Just One of Those Things (And More): The Nat King Cole Story." Stewart performs such well-loved Cole tunes as "Unforgettable," "When I Fall in Love," "Mona Lisa" and "The Christmas Song" in this show, which tells the story of an artist of color who made an indelible mark on the music industry at a time of racial and social unrest.

Preview at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at the Venus Cabaret Theater at Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. $60-$70. (773) 360-7365 or mercurytheaterchicago.com.

Jacob Marley's tale

Actor/writer/director Tom Mula performs a staged reading of his novel "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol," in which Ebenezer Scrooge's partner offers his version of Charles Dickens' famous tale.

8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at Studio5 Performing Arts Center, 1934 Dempster St., Evanston. $25, $35. studio5.dance.

'Stomp' returns

"Stomp," the acclaimed spectacle of dance and percussion where performers use brooms, garbage cans, hubcaps and other noninstruments to create a danceable soundtrack, returns to Chicago for a brief run.

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, and Friday, Dec. 15; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 17; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, through Dec. 31 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. $36.50-$86.50. broadwayinchicago.com.

David Brian Stuart directs and stars in Improv Playhouse's radio-play adaptation of "It's a Wonderful Life." Courtesy of Improv Playhouse Theater

Actor/writer/director Tom Mula performs a staged reading of his novel "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" at Studio5 in Evanston. Courtesy of J Girard

The percussion/dance spectacular "Stomp" returns to Chicago for a brief run. Created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNichols, courtesy of Steve McNichols

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