Theater Spotlight
The Joffrey Ballet's 27th annual presentation of Tchaikovsky's classic Christmas ballet The Nutcracker is back for an extended run of 24 performances. This 1987 production, reset to America from its traditional 19th century German setting, was the final full work choreographed by company co-founder Robert Joffrey before he was felled by AIDS the following year. The Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker plays from Friday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 28, at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway. Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays ( no show Dec. 25 ), 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays ( also Dec. 21, 23 and 26 ), 2 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 7 and 28 ( also Dec. 24 ), 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. Tickets are $32-$134; call 800-982-2787 or visit www.joffrey.org . Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
Critics' Picks
Iphigenia in Aulis, Court Theatre, through Dec. 7. Greek tragedy done aswellGreek tragedy: no dumbing down, a vital new translation, 90minutes running time and a physical production that's both modern yet strictly classical. Learn what it means to be between a rock and a hard place. JA
A Christmas Carol, Goodman Theatre, through Dec. 28. It may look like Sweeney Todd at first, and the Ghost of Christmas Past like Angels in America, but the Goodman makes sure we go home in happy spirits, as do such updates as The Q Brothers Christmas Carol at Chicago Shakespeare Theater ( through Dec. 31 ) and If Scrooge was a Brother at ETA ( through Dec. 20 ). MSB
Dee Snider's Rock & Roll Christmas Tale, Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, though Jan. 4. You can't keep a good holiday song down, especially when cleverly arranged for screaming guitars in this surprisingly wholesome hair-metal fable by former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. MSB
Porgy and Bess, Lyric Opera of Chicago, through Dec. 20. This powerfully performed revival allows Chicago audiences to once again hear George Gershwin's original orchestrations for "The Great American Opera" with their full sweep and grandeur. SCM
By Abarbanel, Barnidge
and Morgan