Finding a Show For You

Holiday or dysfunction—take your pick. [View this e-mail as a web page]( December 6, 2019 I'm seeing a lot of holiday shows right now. Consider it an occupational hazard. But be of bad cheer: if, like Scrooge, you think "every idiot who goes about with a 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart," there are still shows out there for you. For family dysfunction, you can't beat The First Deep Breath at Victory Gardens (through December 22), set between Thanksgiving and Christmas in the home of a Black Philadelphia family whose airing of the grievances will put your Festivus to shame. Or if pandemics are your thing (I don't judge!), Trap Door Theater's rare revival of Karel Čapek's The White Plague, in which a mysterious disease begins killing everyone over 45, runs through January 11. The Ruffians return with Burning Bluebeard (December 13-27), a macabre clown show examining the December 30, 1903, Iroquois Theatre fire, which killed over 600 patrons. It's not quite as bad as being burned alive, but on Monday, December 9, I'll be judging [Stage Left Theatre's DrekFest]( an annual celebration of deliberately terrible short plays. Please join me if you can. As even Scrooge learns, no one wants to face this seasonal nightmare alone. Sincerely, Kerry Reid [Theater and Dance Editor]( [PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!]( [Two Popes]( two performances]( But the buddy movie leaves us with little hope for the future of the Catholic church. By [Adam Mullins-Khatib]( [Joffrey's The Nutcracker puts the emphasis on mother love]( Christopher Wheeldon's World's Fair magic makes its last appearance at the Auditorium. By [Oliver Sava]( [@OliverSava]( [Scary stories for kids]( Unspookable breaks down urban legends and horror lore with the perfect amount of scares. By [Brianna Wellen]( [@BriannaWellen]( [People Issue 2012:]( Jackie Taylor, the dramatist "I put my life into this and I don't want it to go when my life goes." [Issue of Dec 5-11, 2019 Vol. 49, No. 10]( [When Christmas music passes beyond human comprehension]( [As Pepper Mill Rondo, Max Allison and Doug Kaplan find the horrifying and the sublime in holiday kitsch](. By [Noah Berlatsky]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) [DONATE]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2019 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Ste 102Chicago, IL 60616-3228 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](