Written and performed by its leading character's real-life grandson, the acclaimed touring production The Accidental Hero finds creator/star Patrick Dewane sharing his grandfather's incredible World War II tale in a one-man multi-media experience at Augustana College.

A finalist for the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, A.R. Gurney's two-character romance Love Letters plays the Black Box Theatre in a special two-night run, its cast composed of award-winning Chicago actor Gene Weygandt and the venue's co-founder and artistic director Lora Adams.

A Miracle on 34th Street will soon be transformed into a stage entertainment on 35th Avenue, as the Playcrafters Barn Theatre presents the theatrical version of 1947's beloved holiday movie – a play based on a novella based on a story that inspired the film's Oscar-winning script.

Described by the New York Times as a “beautifully structured play with nifty surprise endings (most but not all of them happy),” author John Cariani's romantic comedy Almost, Maine has proven to be one of the millennium's most popular stage works – popular enough to have two separate productions of the show opening locally, on November 10, at Scott Community College and the QC Theatre Workshop.

With Time Out Chicago raving, “The most entertaining dances seem to come from Giordano Dance Chicago,” this exhilarating Windy City ensemble brings its high energy, enthusiastic choreography, and half-century of history to the Galvin Fine Arts Center as the latest guests in the Quad City Arts Visiting Artists Series.

Called “hilarious and heartwarming” by the Chicago Tribune and praised for its “bright comic zest” and “swinging music” by the New York Times, the musical adaptation of Elf – based on the 2003 screen comedy starring Will Ferrell – will make its area debut and jump-start the holidays as Circa '21's 2017-18 season opener.

It's been said that laughter is the best medicine, and during the Circa '21 Speakeasy’s Friday-night production of The Rocky Horror Show, I got a really good dose of it. Bret and Erin Churchill, who co-directed and choreographed the show, have put together a fast-paced, high-energy production full of terrific singing and hilarious fun.

Arriving in tandem with the 30th anniversary of its film-musical counterpart, Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage will fill the Adler auditorium with beloved songs from 1987's beloved movie, including the Oscar-, Golden Globe-, and Grammy-winning “(I've Had) The Time of My Life” smash originally recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.

When director Catherine Bodenbender took center stage at the show's precise curtain time, she reminded the audience to silence their phones and provided a few additional tidbits of information. And then – like a stage manager would typically do behind the scenes – she yelled, “Actors: Places!”, and the cast marched out from their backstage dressing area and took their seats behind the audience. I thought: “This is gonna be cool.”

As soon as the Countess speaks in Jeff Coussens' production, the play is elevated to a new and higher realm entirely. This is, in part, due to the character as written, for the Madwoman sees into the heart of humanity and into the soul of life with the depth and perception of no ordinary human being. This is such a wonderfully endearing and funny role and, not least of all, a very demanding one, and I initially wondered how someone so young would manage it. But from the moment she first spoke, MJ Mason was in complete mastery of her character, and I was smitten.

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