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Brendan Coyle is no Mr. Bates when it comes to his latest stage endeavor. Instead, the Olivier Award-winning actor, best known for his role on Downton Abbey as the likeable, mild-mannered, ever so loyal valet to Lord Crawley – Mr. Bates, takes on a persona far removed from what most of us are accustomed to seeing him portray. In Goodman Theatre’s ‘St.Nicholas' Coyle plays an resentful, cynical theatre critic with an unbelievable story to tell. Coyle's performance commands audience attention from beginning to end without a moment otherwise.

The first couple minutes of the monologue play are already filled with intensity. Coyle doesn’t even have to utter a single word as he tosses handfuls of rice in various areas of his disheveled apartment – chairs overturned, windows plastered in old newspaper. It looks like the place was ransacked. After penetratingly staring out to the crowd, he finally takes a seat and begins to tell his story. Upon revealing that he is a theatre critic (which alone in itself conjures a hearty, collective laugh in the way he says it), he admits he has been harsh in his reviews due to jealousy. He is a powerful critic. His reviews can make or break a production. The first act offers a great amount of depth into his character in a gripping monologue that only playwright Conor McPherson could pen. The description of his life as a critic laid out so well and superbly delivered, we get a perfectly painted picture. We feel his frustration, his pain and his triumphs. We feel for the character. In true McPherson style, who has given us such powerful productions as “the Seafarer’ and ‘Dublin Carol’, the play is filled with dark humor, plenty of F-bombs, drinking and, of course, deep soul searching.

“When I was a boy, I was afraid of the dark… What was there. And maybe one of the things I thought was there was vampires,” our critic says in the first act. It’s not the only mention of vampires in the play’s first half. Though riding along with perfectly timed moments of humor, “St. Nicholas” becomes more of a psychological thriller as it progresses. The Dublin theater critic tells us how he gave up his everyday life for a beautiful actress, an actress whose spellbinding grace, beauty and charm won him over while reviewing a play he planned to trash. As he describes the actress, it is obvious there is no turning back in his mind. His obsession, he reveals, leads him to strike a deal with a community of modern-day vampires and that’s when we are taken on a journey like none other, as we hang on his every word.

The second act takes place in a candlelit setting – almost presenting an atmosphere like that of a ghost story told around a campfire as we are given the devilish details of his interactions with the band of vampires. Candles burn on the window sills, his desk, the floor. There is no stage lighting directed to Coyle’s face. Instead, the glow of small flames flicker about, allowing just the perfect amount of lighting to most effectively create just the right ambiance as he tells his dark tale. Peter McKintosh does a masterful job with set design and Matt Daw with lighting while Simon Evans' direction is flawless.

Towards the end of his magnificent story Coyle's character then wonders if it was real or just a dream. “After all, what is a dream and what is real?” he then asks while offering several scenarios of which can so be defined as a "dream". Perhaps, as he suggests, our dream moments are real and what we perceive as our awake moments are in fact dreams. The play, after all, is inspired by McPherson’s own dream - where he was bitten by a vampire and given two pain killers.

Emmy Award nominated Brendan Coyle is outstanding. He is a true stage presence and has the ability to reach out to his audience in the most effective of ways – a true master of the stage.

I wholeheartedly recommend ‘St. Nicholas’ at Goodman Theatre as Coyle’s performance is not to be missed – enthralling, powerful and perfectly executed humor – a theatrical delight. Catch this limited engagement that comes direct from London's internationally renowned Donmar Warehouse.

‘St. Nicholas’ is being performed in Goodman’s cozy 350-seat Owen Theatre through January 27th. For tickets and/or more show information, visit www.goodmantheatre.org.

Despite being both a writer and a fanboy of books aimed at readers much younger than I’ve been for what seems like millennia, I never got around to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Maybe I thought it was a knockoff of the, at the time, immensely popular Harry Potter books. Or maybe I’d had enough of Greek mythology from my own junior high days.

Either way, I came into the Oriental Theatre to see the touring production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical with no advanced knowledge, no preconceptions, and no great expectations. But then a thunderbolt hit, the show began, and I ended up very pleasantly surprised by the cast of gods, demi-gods, and enthusiastic actors and musicians who took the stage.

As luck would have it, the titular character’s played by Chris McCarrell, a Broadway vet who actually originated this very role Off-Broadway. So from start to finish, the production’s in good hands, as McCarrell is youthful, confident, and has a Hades of a voice. My date for the evening — my six-year-old daughter, only slightly younger than the audience’s average age, I’d wager — whispered to me after one of Percy’s songs, “Daddy, I think I love that boy who’s singing.” Judging by the applause and squeals, much of the crowd agreed with her.

The cast for this show is a small one, with most members playing multiple parts, and playing them well. Jorrel Javier features as both a trusty young sidekick and crotchety old god of the vine who’s traded in drunkenness, debauchery, and drama to be a camp counselor. Kristin Stokes’ voice filled the theater whenever her Annabeth (type-A daughter of Athena) sang. Like Stokes and McCarrell, James Hayden Rodriguez has been part of this show for a long time, and his experience showed as he played both an adolescent counselor and an ancient deity with charisma and charm.

But the two cast members who had me applauding and near squeals were Ryan Knowles and Jalynn Steele. Knowles is first seen as a stuffy, wheelchair-bound teacher of the classics, but quickly proves his verve and versatility, playing a centaur and a beach bum among many others. But his best moment was as a snaky, strutting, devilish diva of yore. Steele then one-ups Knowles’ diva with her own, bringing the house down to an underworld full of shimmy, shake, and some shoutouts to long-dead musical heroes that the audience’s older members recognized.

And that brings me to the thing about The Lightning Thief that stood out the most to me. While there were bits here and there meant to appease the oldsters — pop-culture references, old-school mugging — this production felt young. It could’ve been the thrown-together (I mean that in a good way) but thoughtful set and costumes designed by Lee Savage and Sydney Maresca. Or it could’ve been the clubby lighting by David Lander. All of those things were fresh.

But I think what made The Lightning Thief seem so new and fresh to me is that it is new and fresh. It’s got the feel of the kids these days (again, meant in a good way). It’s not trying to be cool. It just is cool. It’s not trying to shoehorn ancient stuff like gods and monsters into today’s world. It just does so. I found it fun and inspiring and I’ve gotta say, it proved to be the gateway drug that’ll find my daughter and me checking out the book series on which the stage show is based.

The above phrase has become a regular one spoken in my home and in the homes of friends in the village of Skokie, first as an inside joke and now as a communal mantra. A mantra of togetherness. A mantra of character. A mantra of love.

That same mantra kept playing in my mind as the Bartlett Sher-directed touring production of Bock and Harnick’s timeless Fiddler on the Roof created a village on the stage of the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Sure, the sets carried us back to turn of the century Eastern Europe. And sure, those beloved songs and that well-known story transport us to the village of Anatekva. But it’s the people who populate that shtetl — and the talented actors of this production who portray them — that bring the village to life.

From the get-go, the face and voice of the village is Yehezkel Lazarov’s Tevye. An Israeli actor and director, Lazarov brings a similar old-world grit and charm to the character that Topol did in the film version. He’s funny and personable, sure, but also tired and wistful and, perhaps, a bit broken as he lays out his life to his audience and his G-d. My favorite number from Fiddler, and the one I most connect with as a father and as someone in a profession that isn’t as profitable as those held by my peers, is “If I Were a Rich Man,” and Lazarov nails it, hitting the humorous notes and the cantorial ones, as well. But beyond his skill at singing and dancing on a Broadway stage, it’s Lazarov’s ability to flesh out Tevye and bring him to life that did it for me.

Tevye’s daughters, played by Mel Weyn (Tzeitel), Ruthy Froch (Hodel), and Natalie Powers (Chava), are the other standouts. Again, as the father and mother of daughters, my wife and I were all too familiar with the complex mix of side-eye glances, huffiness, and adoration that Tevye’s girls show him. Weyn, Froch, and Powers nail it when it comes to portraying a family. And they nail it, too, musically. Particularly when the trio takes on “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” their voices blend and their harmonies soar as if they actually are siblings singing together.

The other main roles are adequately filled, as well. Carol Beaugard, as said matchmaker Yente, is a hoot. Maite Uzal effectively plays Tevye’s foil, his acerbic, realistic, and ultimately loving wife, Golde. Jesse Weil, Ryne Nardecchia, and Joshua Logan Alexander all do well as Tevye’s daughters’ suitors.

But it’s the rest of the folks in the cast — the ensemble and the musicians — who really make the village. The bottle dance at the wedding that ends Act I is, for sure, a main highlight. But the village of folks that make up the busyness and beauty behind each of the show’s big numbers is what grabs the eyes and hearts of the audience. Whether it’s the bustling Anatekva of “Tradition,” the drunken Jews and Gentiles who come together if only for a moment in “To Life,” or the specters that haunt “Tevye’s Dream,” the ensemble shines throughout. So, too, does the orchestra, conducted and coordinated by Michael Uselmann and John Mezzio, fill the big shoes that Fiddler’s musical legacy requires. Ionut Cosarca on violin strings us along from the pit, just as and spirited Paul Morland does in his role as the titular Fiddler.

So, to see a new take on a classic this holiday season, and to see a cast of skilled creatives make the village this classic takes, head to the Cadillac Palace Theatre from now until January 6 for Fiddler on the Roof.

It is that time of year again to ring in the daze of the Holiday season with some Cirque Du Soleil Holidaze at the Chicago Theatre (175 N. State St), December 14th -16th. Holidaze is a two-hour spectacular, brightly lit and sparkling holiday themed show that encourages audience members and families of all ages to embrace the joy and color of the season, and enthusiastically support these talented acts.  A combination of Broadway and variety show like no other, featuring sensational performers with countless talents, the show has over 300 imaginative costumes and interactive holiday displays. Cirque du Soleil continues to roll in the holiday season with original music celebrating all the holidays of the season, Christmas, Chanukah, and the New Year. This amazing tour will hit 40 cities and have a range of talents from 5 different casts over its holiday run this year.

As any creative Cirque Du Soleil show, the audience is introduced to an international cast of talented performers from as far as Europe, Ethiopia and Mongolia.  Taking place throughout the production is a collection of air defying aerialists (hoop performers, ribbon dancers), twisted contortionists and talented tumblers (managing 20 flips in a row!), daredevil roller skaters, and magical costume changes, as well as balancing and juggling acts.  It was a surprise that with all this amazing variety, the number of open seats in the theater.

The music and sparkly sensation of each holiday representation lifted the spirits of the children munching on popcorn in the audience, and slowly warmed up the adults in the crowd.  Gingerbread men, penguins, jugglers, the performances of the plethora of circus performers had audience members on the edge of their seats with their high-flying acts and risky tricks. You never knew who would be performing or what amazing talent they would be performing next. 

By the time intermission came around, many of the audience were whooping or whistling their appreciation for the talents of these unbelievable performers, whom of which also smiled brighter and embraced the encouragement of the crowd. Neil Goldberg, director of this holiday extravaganza and Florida native, was one of the first to choreograph circus themed, animal free shows. With such finesse, each song and act transition always had something on the stage that grabbed your attention. Whether it was dancing candy canes, elaborately decorated trees and a cast of interesting holiday characters brought such life throughout the show.

Having attended a Holidaze show in Chicago before, I can say that I was still pleasantly surprised by the variety of acts. Along with the rest of the audience, we were thrilled to the edge of our seats by each amazing new talent and singing along with the songs I knew and loved the original renditions of holiday classics.  Cirque Du Soleil will always give you something you never expect, they will thrill you, and guarantee that it will never watch the same Holidaze show twice.  Melt the Chicago cold, warm your hearts and bring in some sparkly holiday spirit.  This is not a show to be missed!

I’ve gotta admit — as my six-year-old daughter and I entered the Chicago Children’s Theatre’s main stage and took our seats, one of us wasn’t having any of it. One of us, of course, remembered the enchanting play we’d taken in there earlier this year, and could not stop talking about that production and the hopes that this one would be every bit as enchanting. The other one of us griped to himself that the seats were too low, that rabbits are pests and definitely should not be named (Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, or Peter), and that Sunday mornings should not be spent thinking about such things in the first place. And then a bit of magic happened…

That magic came from the Victorian-attired and jauntily British-accented cast of the theatre’s current production, The Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party. Welcoming each of the theatergoers, be they little girls in dresses or grumpy dads in baggy-eyed delirium, Lara Carling and Kay Kron began quite the work of transporting us, which is the goal of all good theater, I suppose. They interacted with people, asking them about animals and school and the like. They smiled. They promised that once the play was over, we’d be able to play with whatever things their play would utilize. And then they took the stage, surrounded by closed trunks and cylinders and boxes and backed by Ray Rehberg and his one-man orchestra of stringed instruments and electronic gadgets. And the play began.

In each of the three stories that Carling, Kron, and Rehberg told us (all three based on beloved tales by Victorian magic-maker, Beatrix Potter), said trunks and boxes and cylinders were opened to reveal characters and settings rendered in the style of those beloved Potter books. Mrs. Tittlemouse. Mr. Jackson, the toad. Squirrel Nutkin. Old Brown, the owl. Mr. McGregor. And that rascally rabbit, Peter. Through the use of hand-cranks and props, sound effects and song, each of these well-known characters came to life and their stories kept us all — old and young alike — entranced until the end.

And in the end, after the children rushed the stage to touch and feel the things they had just seen, we were ushered back into the theater’s lobby for hot cocoa and cookies. And, I’ve gotta admit, we enjoyed those Sunday morning treats, the both of us, with smiles on our faces at the wondrous tales we’d just been told.

The Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party is being performed at Chicago Children’s Theatre through December 30th. For more show information visit www.chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

What kind of holiday season would it be without ‘The Santaland Diaries’? Old Chicagoans will remember the iconic poster art for the Theatre Building’s production that ran for years at Theatre Wit. This year the gang at Theatre Wit and their usual elf Crumpit played by Mitchell Fain opted not to remount Joe Montello’s adaptation of the David Sedaris essay. Luckily Goodman is filling their Owen space with a new production running alongside ‘A Christmas Carol’.

‘The Santaland Diaries’ has become an NPR holiday classic. Sedaris first read his comedic essay about his short-lived career as a Macy’s elf on NPR in the early 1990s. It was a huge hit and put him on the map. Joe Montello wrote a stage adaptation that has been seen all over the world. Oddly enough Sedaris isn’t a fan.

This new production directed by Steve Scott stars Matt Crowle as a young David Sedaris. For one solid hour we get the inner ravings of a seasonal elf presented in a one-man show rant. Crowle hits all the jokes but there seems to be a raw edge missing from his performance.

Sedaris is known for his caustic wit. In this piece we see him tear Christmas and the whole season apart in a Grinchy monologue. This is a play for anyone who truly loathes the holidays. Though it’s a Christmas play, this is an r-rated play not intended for the whole family. Even with that disclaimer, there are surely those who will balk at some of the more glaringly un-PC moments. And for good reason. Some of the evenings more uncomfortable moments came when jokes lacking a 2018 sensitivity failed to land.

That said, there are plenty of moments that do land. As adults, we’ve all seen the ugly side of Christmas and we’ve all had years where we wonder why we go through with it at all. Sedaris takes those dark moments and spins them into relatable humor. As one theater company passes the baton to another, ‘The Santaland Diaries’ endears as a modern classic for the cynical during this annoyingly cheerful time of year.

Through December 30th at Goodman Theatre. 170 N Dearborn Street. 312-443-3800

In the time I’ve been reviewing theater for this revered publication, I’ve often found myself quietly judging minutiae that’s occurred in productions that coincidentally share personal interests or obsessions of mine. While watching wonderful takes on the Buddy Holly Story or Roger Miller’s Broadway show, Big River, I’ve had to stop myself from critiquing changes made to increase a show’s entertainment and that only offend geeks like me. In a recent example of a show I was not there to review, my wife — as we sat together on a rare date to watch the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody — I was told to stop with comments such as “‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ hadn’t even been written at this point in Queen’s career!”

So, when I entered the Den Theatre to see their holiday musical parody of that Christmas classic, Die Hard, I worried that my personal obsession with said film might color my enjoyment of the show at hand. Thankfully, for you the reader and for the wonderful and enthusiastic cast who are performing Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas from now through January 12, I walked out of opening night with a smile on my face and a spring in my (barefooted and broken-glass-encrusted) step. This show is not only that much fun, but is both enjoyable for the fair-weather fan of the film franchise or those of us who have watched the series’ initial installment (and perhaps some or all of the others) way too many times.

Don’t get me wrong…this is not a careful reenactment of NYPD Detective John McClane’s bloody Christmas Eve high in an LA skyscraper 30 years ago. Instead, it’s an often smart and always smiling holiday sendup of the movie’s most memorable characters, quotes, and moments — all of them done with love, with enthusiasm, and with good humor.

We begin with Bill Gordon as “Bruce McClane” — already barefooted, always sucking down a Marlboro Red, ever reminding us that he’s a hardened New York City cop in California for Christmas and to save his marriage. Gordon’s plays the same gruff everyman that Bruce Willis created in 1988, overplaying it to comic effect. And the same as three decades ago, Caitlyn Cerza’s “Holly Generic” is Bruce’s glass-ceiling-breaking, fax-sending, shoulder-padded-blazer-wearing wife — with her determination to make it in this man’s world no less a point made, even as it makes us chuckle, than it was back then.

The third main character, also defined by the outfit he wears, is Gary Fields’ take on Alan Rickman’s timeless villain, Hans Gruber. The character is renamed here, for the kind of kitschy comic effect that this play’s full of, to poke fun at the overall movie culture of those fondly remembered decades. Fields’ overdone British-doing-German-terrorist accent, his sleek suit (“John Phillips, London,” he reminds us, ad nauseam), and his overall regal ghoulishness not only honor the late Rickman’s genius, but show what fun the original performance was and what an impact it has had on our pop-culture consciousness.

But while the three main characters ground the musical, it’s the rest of the cast (and their songs and shenanigans) that let it take flight. Above, I used the term “enthusiastic” a time or two already. And that’s the word that keeps coming back to me as I remember what I saw on the Den Theatre stage. The cast does show, as so many casts on Chicago stages do, what talent we have in this city of ours. But even more so, the members of this cast show how funny, and how game, our Windy City thespians can be.

I wondered what fun the show might have with Reginald VelJohnson’s Sergeant Al Powell, and I wasn’t disappointed. Terrance Lamonte Jr. plays the character christened “Carl Winslow” (a callout to VelJohnson’s most famous role, and one more bit of pop-culture geekery for the geeks in the crowd), and while he’s fun and funny throughout, it’s a 70s sex jam early on that he sings to a beloved snack cake that brings the house down.

Jenna Steege also steals the show as the movie’s sleezy, mustached cokehead character. Her moment to snort and shine comes with a gospel performance paying tribute to her drug of choice, with powder a-flying, choir a-clapping, tambourines a-clanging and things getting way out of hand in the best way possible.

Nate Curlott as an FBI agent has what could also be the show’s stopper, a boisterous anthem of patriotism, beer, and machismo. And Jin Kim’s Nakatomi landed joke after joke about 80s gamer culture, leaving my gamer brother-in-law who accompanied me nearly on the floor.

But the MVP of this musical is surely Erin Long as tow-headed terrorist siblings, Klaus and Tony. As Klaus, Long is a bundle of constant movement, clever asides, and manic humor. But it’s an early tap-dancing number as Tony where she shows she’s an all-around entertainer.

Again, if you love the movie Die Hard as much as I do, you will love this smart and sassy sendup of it. But if you just want to, in the words of McClane, “Come out to the coast…get together…have a few laughs,” then Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas is also the hilarious holiday play for you. At Den Theatre through January 12, 2019.

Has anyone ever knocked on your door trying to sell you something? Magazines? Cookies? What about religion? No? Me neither. A new Chicago musical-comedy utilizes a familiar character-driven plot line of two Mormon missionaries knocking on doors, only to discover a new friendship, and themselves along the way. It’s not The Book Of Mormon, this is The Book of Merman, the off-Broadway show showing in select cities across the country.

Two missionaries spreading the word about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they find themselves at the door of Ethel Merman, hilarity ensues in a diva-driven journey featuring original songs by Leo Schwartz. The Book of Merman did not have much substance. There was a familiar story line of a closeted gay Mormon man who secretly loves musical theater who meets one of his idols (and he just happens to have her biography in his backpack next to his bible!). Then there’s something about Ethel Merman (the undisputed first lady of musical theater who died in 1984) is- spoiler - not who she says she is! She’s only pretending to be Ethel Merman. The characters find themselves in each other, complete strangers, and they shimmy and box step their way into no ones hearts while using jazz hands. To top it off, the vocals could hardly make it past the second row of of the 50-person music box theater at Stage 773.

With the The Book of Mormon’s monumental success, it’s easy to see how utilizing a similar character-driven plot could work. But switching out character development for stereotypes and bad vocals does not make a great production. And I have to wonder if religious soliciting is still a thing or if it’s a dying fad. Unfortunately for The Book of Merman, I think it too is a dying fad.

Presented by Flying Elephant Productions, The Book of Merman is playing at Stage 773 through January 6, 2019. Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission. For showtimes and tickets visit https://www.stage773.com/show/merman.

Sometimes when something goes bad, it goes really bad. And that can be a good thing. In fact, that is truly the case in ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ now playing at Oriental Theatre. Revolving around a disastrous opening night of Drama Society’s largest production to date, ‘The Murder at Haversham Manor’, a handful of actors are at the mercy of one mishap after another. From faulty props to mispronounced words to incorrect sound cues to cheesy stage effects, this Monty Python-esque play is one madcap adventure even before it begins to its final calamity.

“We apologize for the box office mix up and hope that the one-thousand-seven-hundred of you enjoy this show as much as you would have enjoyed ‘Hamilton’,” says cast member Chris Bean to the audience just prior to the beginning of the show.

Co-written by Mischief Theatre company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ is a comedy about theatre – or to put it more accurately, the things that can go wrong during a production. And this one has a lot of wrong.

Once the murder mystery begins the poor cast is subject to a series of hilarious misfortunes – even as the opening curtain is raised to soon and we see the cast scurrying to find their positions - though in an attempt to be consummate professionals, the actors try their best not to break character – and that is not so easily done as we find out.

Charles Haversham is dead (kind of) and it’s up to Inspector Carter to solve the crime. Taking place in living room of a mansion, everyone is a suspect – Perkins the butler, Thomas Colleymoore, Charles’ fiancé Sandra Colleymoore and Cecil Haversham, Sandra’s lover on the side. But getting through the mystery is no easy task when props are misplaced or falling of the walls of the set, lines are exchanged in reverse order and the show’s starring actress gets knocked out only to be replaced by a shell-shocked stage manager – and that not the half of it. Laughs come rapid fire like bullets from a Tommy Gun, as the actors are put in one compromising position after another each funnier than the last. And though most of the actors try their damnedest to be as professional as possible, Max Bennet who play Cecil, seems to be getting quite the kick out of each mishap and uses those many moments to thrust himself into the spotlight.

Perhaps a bit confusing since we’re talking actors playing actors, but Evan Alexander Smith, who recently wowed audiences in Drury Lane’s ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, stars as Chris Bean – who stars as Inspector Carter. Smith rolls with his chance to show off his comedic acting chops and puts forth a stellar performance in the Inspector Clouseau-like part. The play is filled to the brim with standout performances as Peyton Crim as Robert Grove who plays Thomas Colleymoore is sensational as the actor’s actor who refuses to fall victim to one calamity after another. Colorful characters fill this story, thanks to a very strong ensemble comprised of such talents as Ned Noyes (Max Bennett who plays Cecil Haversham), Jamie Ann Romero (Sandra Wilkinson who plays Florence Colleymoore), Yaegel T. Welch (Johnathan Harris who plays our victim Charles Haversham), Angela Grovey as our stage manager, Brandon J. Ellis the head-in-the-clouds lighting and sound operator and last, but certainly not least Scott Cote who is incredibly funny as Dennis Tyde who plays Perkins the butler.

In all, this comedic masterpiece of a staged whodunnit that goes terribly wrong delivers big laughs and plenty of them. This is perhaps the funniest play to hit the Chicago stage since Steppenwolf’s farce comedy “The Doppleganger” had us laughing all Spring.

Wonderfully directed by Matt DiCarlo with original Broadway direction by Mark Bell, ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ is only here for a two-week limited engagement at the Oriental Theatre through Sunday, December 16th. For more information, visit www.BroadwayGoesWrong.com.

I arrived at the Auditorium Theatre — one of my favorite buildings in this city of ours that has so many historic buildings each with so many stories — prepared to enjoy an evening with that old Holiday chestnut, The Nutcracker. Little did I know that for the third year in a row, the Joffrey Ballet would be presenting Tchaikovsky’s work with a twist — as a story by Brian Selznick set in Chicago during the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Now, being a history buff, the setting (or settings, since I was already aware of the theatre’s history) perked me up upon reading the program pre-show. And seeing the name of the story’s author, this author of children’s books was excited to see what Selznick, a personal favorite, had in store. I wouldn’t be disappointed with the wonder and whimsy headed my way.

Right away, instead of a bourgeois European Christmastime, we’re transported to working-class Chicago circa Christmas 1892. A Victorian-clad girl played by Amanda Assucena navigates the rough and rat-infested streets of a Windy City that’s awaiting the completion and opening of the great World’s Fair in the coming year, its towering Ferris Wheel overlooking the knot-holed fences and rag-covered rapscallions she passes. A Dickensian rat catcher and the Fair’s Impresario are two recurring characters we meet before Marie arrives at the meager shack she shares with her mother and brother in the shadow of the White City.

There, the family is visited by various other working-people and immigrants for a holiday celebration. And soon, the Impresario himself, played by Miguel Angel Blanco, arrives with gifts, including a Nutcracker for young Marie. From here until the end of Act I, this Nutcracker shares much with traditional productions, with a broken Nutcracker, a nighttime dream, rats and soldiers a-fighting, and a magical gondola arriving to take Marie and the transformed Nutcracker off to a winter wonderland.

But after the intermission, Act II brings a very different wonderland — the White City of 1893 Chicago. First off, the magic comes from the strength of Tchaikovsky’s music. Every time I hear the melody after melody, each of them recognizable, of the second half, I’m reminded of just how ubiquitous this work is. Each piece has become embedded in society’s consciousness ever in the 125+ years since they were penned and premiered. And each piece is played wonderfully by the Chicago Philharmonic (three of whose musicians take the stage in the first half as players at the house party).

The World’s Fair setting, however, allows each piece a new meaning, as what were then (again, 125 years ago) exotic people dance along to Tchaikovsky’s original works. Highlights include Fernando Duarte as a hammy and hysterical Mother Nutcracker (thronged by the children’s ensemble playing hilarious cracking walnuts); Hansol Jeong’s Chinese Dancer, accompanied by the ensemble as paper dragons; and Rory Hohenstein (who was also the rat catcher) as a rootin’, tootin’ Buffalo Bill Cody surrounded by three frolicking showgirls (Lucia Connolly, Dara Holmes, and Joanna Wozniak) who would definitely attract fairgoers in 1893 or today. But the highlight of the Fair’s attractions are the Arabian Dancers, played by Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Gutierrez. Mendoza contorts, writhes, and dances as Gutierrez lifts and balances and turns — and the audience erupted when their dance was done all too soon.

The only dancers almost as enchanting as Mendoza and Gutierrez are Victoria Jaiani (who also plays Marie’s mother) and Blanco, as the Queen of the Fair and the Impresario. They close this Nutcracker with the kind of grace and beauty one would expect not just from such a beloved ballet, but from such an accomplished ballet company. So, while the Joffrey’s take on The Nutcracker might be different, it is as enchanting as ever, as professional as one would expect, and the perfect way to begin the holiday season in the White City of Chicago.