Thanksgiving is a time to be with family, to listen, to care for each other, to be thankful, and to enjoy a terrific meal with great company. However, we know Thanksgiving can also be stressful and exhausting. This year, let some of that annual stress melt away by enjoying some fabulous musical theater or holiday music and stuffing yourself on delicious Thanksgiving cuisine from one of our wonderful clients
Charming Irish Men Performing Holiday Carols, Who Could Ask for More?
The international singing sensation Celtic Thunder is coming to the Chicago Theatre on Sunday, November 30 at 7:30pm. After the tragic passing of George Donaldson, the show’s newest member, New Yorker Emmett O’Hanlon, an Irish American baritone will join the group. The group performs with a full symphony orchestra and will perform songs from their new CD, Holiday Symphony, that will be released on Sony’s Legacy Recordings label on October 27. Celtic Thunder has consistently been one of the most popular entertainment programs on PBS, the group has sold over 2 million CDs, their music on YouTube has had over 28 million views, and they have 32,000 Twitter followers.
Fill Up on Delicious Traditional Thanksgiving Cuisine & Enjoy the Tony Award-Winning Iconic Love Story, CAMELOT!
Drury Lane Theatre’s (100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace) extravagant Thanksgiving Buffet, offered from 12 p.m.-5 p.m. features traditional turkey and stuffing, a variety of carved meats, a seafood station, charcuterie, assorted sweets, champagne, Bellinis, and Mimosas. For reservations, call 630.530.8300. Following the buffet, join King Arthur, Queen Guenevere, Sir Lancelot, and Merlyn in CAMELOT, the thrilling story of love and intrigue, chivalry and betrayal. The Thanksgiving Day performance is at 2:30 p.m.
All Chocolate Kitchen’s Elegant Blown Sugar Pumpkins Are Too Beautiful for Words:
No home is complete this Thanksgiving without one of Chef Alain Roby’s Blown Sugar Pumpkins from the All Chocolate Kitchen, 33 S. Third St in Geneva. Roby is the only pastry chef to hold three Guinness World Records for his creations of the World’s Tallest Cooked Sugar Building, World’s Tallest Chocolate Tower and World’s Longest Candy Cane reaching 52 feet long. The All Chocolate Kitchen in partnership with the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, will host the 1st Annual Gingerbread House Competition to benefit the Saving tiny Hearts Society on Saturday, December 6 at 6:30 p.m. All Chocolate Kitchen fan and ABC 7 anchor Linda Yu will emcee the event. Participants are challenged to use their creativity to create gingerbread houses constructed and composed entirely of edible materials and showcased on a base measuring no more than 12 inches by 8 inches with a maximum height of 20 inches. For more information, visit www.AllChocolateKitchen.com.
Do You Love the Traditional Thanksgiving Cuisine, but Have no Time or Energy to Prepare Everything This Year?
Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, 200 North Columbus Drive, is offering a gourmet ready-to-serve dinner prepared by the Executive Chef. Your guests will be gushing about the lavishly prepared meal for years to come! The extravagant meal accommodates up to eight guests and includes an oven-roasted turkey with savory herb stuffing, cranberry relish with candied lemon zest, buttery mashed potatoes and giblet gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, baby carrots in dill butter, fresh-baked Parker House rolls, and a choice of apple-cranberry cobbler, chocolate pecan pie, or pumpkin cheesecake. The dinner is $260 plus tax. To place an order, please call 312.565.6665 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. Orders must be placed by noon on November 25 and dinners may be picked up on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 27) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park on the B-2 Level.
Because You’ve Never Heard a “Hallelujah” Chorus Like This One:
Hailed as “Spirited!” by the Chicago Tribune, the Apollo Chorus’s rendition of Handel’s “Messiah” has been performed nearly every December since 1879—a track record unmatched by other city choral organizations. Few works today are as renowned or as beloved as Handel’s Messiah, and this annual performance has become a family holiday tradition for many Chicago families. As John von Rhein from the Chicago Tribune once said, ““The oldest musical organization in Chicago has much to sing “hallelujah” about.” Soloists include Elisabeth Marshall, J’nai Bridges, Samuel Levine, and David Govertsen. Handel’s “Messiah will be performed at the beautiful Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., on December 6, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. and at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Dr., on December 20, 2014 at 3:00 p.m.
For a Family-Friendly Excursion to the Dells and Visit from the World’s Most Beloved Nanny:
The Palace Theater, 564 Wisconsin Dells Pkwy South, a new, 800-seat, regional dinner theater in Wisconsin Dells, will kick off its first season with Disney’s MARY POPPINS, directed and choreographed by Multi Jeff Award-winner Marc Robin (co-directed by Walter Buddy Reeder), opening November 24 and running through January 3, 2015. The Thanksgiving Day performance is at 7 p.m. Nationally known stand-up comedian and actor, Tom Dreesen, long time guest of The Tonight Show, and The David Letterman Show will serve as the emcee at the opening night performance. For more information, visit www.dellspalace.com.
For a Spanish-Inspired Thanksgiving Feast!
The high energy, sleek restaurant and lounge El Tapeo on the 9th floor of Le Méridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center, will be serving Smoked Paprika Free Range Turkey Breast with Calvados Cream Sauce, Olive Oil Yukon Potatoes, Serrano Ham Brussel Sprouts, Chorizo Corn Bread Stuffing, and Cranberry Sauce for $35++ a plate. Each meal also includes a Thanksgiving Spice Cider Cocktail by the Head Mixologist. The restaurant will be open until 10 p.m. For reservations, call 630.828.2044.
For a hilarious, interactive, holiday comedy show:
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, puts a spin on the traditional holiday show with It’s a Wonderful Santaland Miracle, Nut Cracking Christmas Story… Jews Welcome. Directed by creative genius Brian Posen, the interactive show features original Christmas carols, dance numbers, spoken word, puppets and everything in between! Cookies and non-holiday-specific eggnog will be served. The perfect holiday show for the whole family, It’s a Wonderful Santaland Miracle, Nut Cracking Christmas Story… Jews Welcome! runs from November 14 through December 28. Additionally, Stage 773 will serve as a drop-off site for the Greater Chicago Food Depository throughout the run of the production. For details and tickets, visit www.stage773.com.
Take the Kids To See the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!
Follow the yellow brick road to The Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences, 10 Marriott Drive in Lincolnshire, for the enchanting musical production of THE WIZARD OF OZ, running from November 7, 2014 through January 4, 2015. The Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences favorite Rachel Rockwell will direct and choreograph, with musical direction by Ryan T. Nelson. Based on the classic 1939 MGM movie, this special one-hour presentation of THE WIZARD OF OZ features the classic songs “Follow the Yellow Brick Road,” “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” A Question & Answer session with the cast will follow every performance. For tickets, call 847.634.0200 or visit www.MarriottTheatre.com
Travel Back in Time to Dazzling and Exotic 19th Century Siam:
The romantic and richly textured tale of East versus West, THE KING AND I, comes to The Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, from October 22 through January 4, 2015. Nick Bowling (Juno and The Normal Heart at Timeline Theatre) makes his Marriott Theatre directorial debut with a fresh take on this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, merging history and romance with today’s social and political issues. THE KING AND I follows the tumultuous relationship of the strong-willed British Governess Anna (Jeff Award-nominee Heidi Kettenring) and the larger than life King of Siam (Andrew Ramcharan Guilarte), as they try to find common ground between Siamese and British traditions.
For a Family-Friendly Southern Christmas Tale:
Theatre at the Center is pleased to present the regional debut of the musical adaptation of Truman Capote’s A CHRISTMAS MEMORY, November 13 through December 14, at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster. Directed by William Pullinsi, A CHRISTMAS MEMORY is a labor of love for its Broadway veteran team, written by Duane Poole, with music by Larry Grossman and lyrics by Carol Hall. Based on Capote’s touching memoir of his own childhood, this wistful Southern Christmas tale is a tender portrait of a rare friendship across generations with a joyous score that will bring love and light to everyone’s hearts this holiday season. For tickets, visit TheatreAtTheCenter.com
Make New Connections This Holiday Season!
Selective Connections, a new social networking club for married and single professionals in their 40’s through 60’s, has recently launched. A resource for busy Chicagoans to discover the synergy created when they connect with others who share their interests, Selective Connections allows members to connect across eight interest areas: entertainment and adventure, foodie, business, relationship, health and fitness, travel, shopping, and volunteer. Background checks and video introductions are required of all members, giving them the tools they need to make safe, informed choices about their connections. Members can also access a registry of personal assistants available for hire, who can help streamline the competing demands for their time. Joining Selective Connections offers members opportunities to network online as well as in person by attending exciting events such as fitness and cooking classes, kayaking trips, winery tours, volunteer opportunities, and lakefront cruises, among many others. For more information or to join, please visit www.selectiveconnections.com.
Scrooge Comes for his Annual Visit at Drury Lane Theatre!
The annual holiday tradition, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, will be presented from November 18 through December 23, 2014 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane. The timeless story is directed by Scott Calcagno (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Drury Lane Theatre, Legally Blonde at The Civic Theatre, Grease at The Long Lake Theatre, as well as the annual production of A Christmas Carol at Drury Lane Theatre). The hour-long Drury Lane production uses 14 of the most versatile actors in Chicago to bring over 30 of the colorful Dickensian characters to life. Drury Lane Theatre also offers families the special opportunity to have breakfast or dinner with Santa Claus on select performance dates in the dining room with a festive buffet-style menu complete with seasonal favorites. For reservations, call 630.530.0111 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.drurylane.com.
