You don't want to spend the evening handing out snacks to the Little Monsters, but you can't afford to rent a Grinch costume for the masquerade party. And the prospect of bunkering down in your house with the shades drawn and lights out until dawn doesn't excite you either. What can you do to observe the festival of The Great Pumpkin? Right at the busiest part of the theatre season, how many companies take advantage of the holiday spirit? Halloween/Day of the Dead celebrations in 2003 include:
The Haunting On Marcey Street, Collaboraction Theater, though Oct. 31. It's not just an evening at the theatre, it's an 81,000-square-foot indoor theme park nestled in the shadows off North and Clybourn Avenues, anchored by a walk-through Dante's Inferno-style tour of PG-13 urban horrors staged by 80 Collaboration artists to spooky music by Andrew Pluess. The site also includes a kid-friendly grotto with age-appropriate atrocities. (Children, remember to hold your parents' hands so they won't get too scared.) For information, and to confirm it's open, phone (312) 622-6555.
Dracula, Defiant Theatre, through Nov. 15. Adapter Steven Dietz foregoes his usual practice of imposing agendas on the classics this time, but what does director Richard Ragsdale mean when he says that the author views the vampire as the 'monster who sneaks into your house and steals your girlfriend'? For information, phone (312) 409-0585.
Death And Harry Houdini, House Productions at the Viaduct, through Nov. 1. Nathan Allen's biodrama of the Great Illusionist includes a recreation of the legendary water-tank escape. The locks are real, the water is real, and Dennis Watkins—who plays the title role—is descended from three generations of magicians. How long can YOU hold your breath? For information, phone (773) 251-2195.
Misery, Pyewacket, through Dec. 13. The price of fame: a bestselling author finds himself at the mercy of an obsessed fan in this adaptation of the Stephen King thriller. For information, phone (773) 275-2201.
The Woman In Black, Stage Two Theatre Company in Lincolnshire, through Oct. 31. A lawyer thinks he has been cursed by a ghost (well, why shouldn't the undead get THEIR chance?) and hires an actor to assist him in exorcising his fear in this adaptation of Susan Hill's gothic thriller. For information, phone (847) 432-7469.
The Rocky Horror Show, at the Performing Arts Center, through Nov. 30. No, it's not the movie, but a commercial production directed by Marc Robin and Steve Hiltebrandt featuring an all-equity cast, including a cross-gender Eddie and celebrity guest stars. Hope they all know how to dance the Time Warp. For information, phone (312) 327-2000.
Gorey Stories, Blindfaith Theatre at Angel Island, through Nov. 1. It lives again! The eerie world of Edward Gorey in a musical adaptation by Stephen Currens and David Aldrich, featuring the violence design of R & D Choreography in this revival production. For information, phone (773) 250-7133.
The Shadow, Lifeline Theatre, through Nov. 30. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Before Batman became the Dark Warrior, there was The Shadow, 'stamping out the weed of crime.' John Hildreth's adaptation replicates, live before your eyes, two of the 1942 radio broadcasts. For information, phone (773) 761-4477.
Dracula, The Theatre School of DePaul University at the Athenaeum, opens Oct.24 and runs through Nov. 7. Adapter Mac Wellman's bloodthirsty Count sings disco, liberates sexually repressed Victorian virgins, and, in this production, is played by a woman. 'Dracula started out as something horrible and evil and today [he] is a tragic hero. Kind of like being gay.' says director Chris Garcia Peak. For information, phone (312) 922-1999.
Mexican Wrestling Macbeth, The Mammals at the Bailiwick Arts Center through Nov. 1. Parody from the folks who brought you The Devil Vet, this time featuring characters named 'La Diabla Azul,' 'Samson, The Silver Masked Hero' and Quezacoatl's Aztec mummies. For information, phone (773) 883-1090.
Conrad Brunst Presents ... Danse Macabre!, Donny's Skybox Studio at Second City, through Nov. 1. They were the horror movies whose release was prohibited by the Hays Office in the 1930s, now recreated for public view—or so goes the premise for this improv show by a squad of Second City alumni calling itself Teatro Bastardo. For information, phone (312) 337-3992.
Tales From Mom's Crypt Seven: The Thing Beneath Tiff's Chins, Corn Productions, through Oct. 31. The 'Belles of Berwyn,' né Robert Bouwman and Todd Schaner, are back (in drag) again. Now THAT's scary! For information, phone (312) 409-6435
The Vladmir Dracula Comedy Showcase and Variety Hour, WNEP Theater, through Nov. 11. Ron Kuzava, reprising his role in last year's Renfield, returns as the Top Bloodsucker himself (misspelled name notwithstanding), transformed into a late night TV host. Got any trained bats? For information, phone (773) 755-1603
Dance with the skeletons, hug a Jack O'Lantern or two, pass the candy corn (or the calaveras azucaras, if you're in the right neighborhood) and have a screaming good time. Boo!
