Chicago's oldest LGBT sketch comedy troupe is GayCo, but only now it's unveiling its second-ever holiday revue Scream if You Love Christmas. GayCo promises to show what it's like to be Dickensian on the down low and to expose the secrets behind the white-elephant circle of re-gifting. GayCo's Scream if You Love Christmas plays 8 p.m. Thursdays through Thursday, Dec. 30, at the Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway. Tickets are $15. Call 773-561-4665 or visit www.gayco.com . Photo courtesy of the company.
Critics' Pics
Float, About Face Theatre at Theater Wit, through Dec. 18. Patricia Kane's comic drama about secrets that get revealed in a small fictional Illinois town features a great acting ensemble who construct ( and deconstruct ) a Christmas parade float right before your eyes. SCM
The Importance of Being Earnest, Remy Bumppo, through Jan. 9. Non-campy and low key, this is an self-assured production of Wilde's witty play, which both honors and sends up 19th-century society and the 19th-century well-made play. Great costumes, too. JA
The Music Man, Marriott Theatre, through Jan. 9. Director Gary Griffin whips up a hyper-professional production that celebrates Meredith Willson's classic 1957 musical about a flimflam man who unwittingly uses the arts to enrich an entire community. SCM
The Other Cinderella, Black Ensemble Theater, extended through Jan. 23. A Caribbean-accented fairy god-mama makes the wishes come true in this anniversary production of the musical that launched the company moving into its own brand-new playhouse next year. MSB
By Abarbanel, Barnidge
and Morgan