The Five
Don’t-miss picks for Wednesday, December 3 through December 9, 2014
1 Living the History: 125 Years of the Auditorium Theatre
Concerts: The theater celebrates its birthday with a big, genre-bending concert, featuring performances by dancers from the Joffrey Ballet and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and musical numbers sung by Patti Lupone and members of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago.
12/9 at 6. $35–$125. Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. auditoriumtheatre.org
2 A Klingon Christmas Carol
Theater: Performed entirely in Klingon (with subtitles), the story of Scrooge goes intergalactic, complete with alien life forms that Dickens never dreamed of.
12/5–12/21. $20–$32. Commedia Beauregard at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport. cbtheatre.org
3 Chicago Book Expo
Lit/Readings: Bibliophiles of all stripes can catch a mystery writers panel, get publishing tips, and hear success stories from the likes of Rick Perlstein, Rebecca Makkai, and Cristina Henríquez.
12/6 at 11. Free. Columbia College, 1104 S. Wabash. chicagobookexpo.com
4 Mythbusters: Behind the Myths
Miscellaneous: Freaky physics experiments unfold live onstage as Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, stars of the Discovery Channel’s popular Mythbusters show, tackle some of science’s more spectacular mysteries.
12/6 at 3 and 8. $35–$75. Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph. mythbusterstour.com
5 Dances for the Underground
Dance: Carrie Hanson, artistic director of The Seldoms, an avant-garde modern dance troupe, uses historian Michael Kramer’s book The Republic of Rock as inspiration for a rollicking ’60s counterculture piece. Fellow indie troupes Peter Carpenter Performance Project and Kate Corby & Dancers will also perform.
12/5–12/7, 12/12–12/14. $15–$20. Links Hall, 3111 N. Western. ticketfly.com
What I’m Doing This Weekend
Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Matt Hovde, director of Twist Your Dickens, or Scrooge You! which runs from Friday, December 5 through Sunday, December 28.
“Friday, I’ll be attending the preview of my show, Twist your Dickens, or Scrooge You. It’s a show that’s half a parody of A Christmas Carol and half sketches inspired by Dickens and Christmas. Everyone in the cast plays tons of different characters and it’s got an irreverent tone. If I wasn’t at the preview, I’d see this show written by Second City folks that just opened. It’s called Holidazed and Confused and it’s full of dark, weird holiday-themed material.
“Saturday, I just discovered that the Regal Webster Place Movie Theatre is renovated, so I’ll go catch a blockbuster in one of their giant leather recliners.
“Sunday will almost certainly will be a pizza night; my wife and I like to go to Brick’s Pizza Chicago. We always get the pepperoni and the sausage and mushroom. They also have a pizza full of meat called the Ditka.” —Tomi Obaro
Freebie of the Week
Renegade Craft Fair Chicago Holiday Market
Fairs: Get your last minute holiday shopping done at this Etsy-fair come to life.
12/6–12/14. Free. Bridgeport Art Center, 1200 W. 35th St. renegadecraft.com/chicago-december-market-details