HOLIDAY GUIDE: Making a list of our top-10 most anticipated shows of the season

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Shows are rated on a ???? scale

• "Aftermath" ???½
Through Jan. 23 at Signal Ensemble Theatre

• "Barnum's FUNundrum" ???
Through Nov. 28 at the United Center

• "Billy Elliot the Musical" ? ? ? ?
Through Nov. 28 at the Oriental Theatre

• "The Four of Us" ???½
Through Dec. 4 at Theatre Wit

• "Home" ????
Through Dec. 12 at Court Theatre

• "The Hundred Dresses" ???½
Through Dec. 2 at North Shore Centre for Performing Arts

• "Kid Sister" ???½
Through Dec. 19 at Profiles Theatre

• "The Lion King" ????
Through Nov. 27 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre

• "Million Dollar Quartet" ? ? ?½
Through May 29 at the Apollo Theater

• "The Music Man" ???
Through Jan. 9 at the Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire

• "The Nutcracker" ????
Through Dec. 26 by House Theatre at the Chopin

• "The Piano Teacher" ???
Through Dec. 5 Next Theatre, Evanston

• "Traces" ????
Through Jan. 1 at the Broadway Playhouse

• "To Master the Art" ???
Through Dec. 19 at TimeLine Theatre

• "Winter Pageant" ???
Through Jan. 2 at Redmoon Central

• "Cats"
Through Jan. 2 by Theo Ubique at the No Exit Café

• "Brainpeople" and "Trans Form"

• "Redeemers" and "Pepsi Presents Sam Weiner"

• "Memory"
Through Dec. 18 by BackStage at the Viaduct Studio

• "A Civil War Christmas"
Through Dec. 19 at North Shore Center for the Arts

• "Float"
Through Dec. 12 by About Face Theatre at Theatre Wit

• "The Iliad"
Through Dec. 19 at A Red Orchid Theatre

• "Auctioning the Ainsleys"
Through Dec. 18 by Dog & Pony at The Building Stage

• "In the Jungle of Cities"
Through Nov. 20 at Red Tape Theatre

• "Jenny & Jenni"
Through Dec. 18 by Factory Theater at Prop Thtr

• "The Story of My Life"
Through Jan. 2 at the Victory Gardens Biograph

• "The Other Cinderella"
Through Jan. 9 at Black Ensemble Theater

• "Departure Lounge"
Through Dec. 12 at the Royal George Cabaret

• "Halfshut" and "The Water Engine"

• "Peter Pan"
Through Dec. 12 at Lookingglass Theatre

• "The Lonesome West"
Through Dec. 19 at The Gift Theatre

• "The War Plays" and "Stalk: The Musical"

• "K."
Through Nov. 28 by The Hypocrites at Chopin Theatre

• "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde"
and "Choose Thine Own Adventure"

• "Me Too, I Am Catherine Deneuve"
and "Dracula: A Tragedy"

• "Three Sisters"
Through Nov. 21 at the Piven Theatre Workshop

• "Sweet Bird of Youth"
Through Dec. 19 at The Artistic Home

• "State of the Union" and "Lullaby"

• "Romeo and Juliet"
Through Nov. 21 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

• "Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies"
Open run on the Second City Mainstage

• "The Addams Family" at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
• "American Idiot" at the St. James Theatre
• "Avenue Q" at the Golden Theatre
• "Billy Elliot" at the Imperial Theatre
• "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" at Bernard B. Jacobs
• "Bye Bye Birdie" at the Roundabout Theatre
• "Fela!" at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre
• "Hair" at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
• "In the Heights" at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
• "La Bete" at the Music Box Theatre
• "A Life in the Theatre" at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
• "Memphis" at the Shubert Theatre
• "Million Dollar Quartet" at the Nederlander Theatre
• "Next to Normal" at Booth Theatre
• "The Pitmen Painters" at the Friedman Theatre
• "Promises, Promises" at the Broadway Theatre
• "Race" at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
• "Rock of Ages" at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre
• "The Scottsboro Boys" at the Lyceum Theatre
• "Sondheim on Sondheim" at Studio 54
• "South Pacific" at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre
• "Time Stands Still" at the Friedman Theatre
• "West Side Story" at the Palace Theatre
• "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" at Belasco •  Change is coming in the Loop: Hello 'Wicked,' farewell and thanks to 'Billy Elliot the Musical'
•  HOLIDAY GUIDE: Making a list of our top-10 most anticipated shows of the season
•  Sonny Burgess at 'Million Dollar Quartet'
•  Read new recommendations for 'Redeemers,' 'Cats' at Theo Ubique and 'Brainpeople'
•  'A Civil War Christmas' at Northlight Theatre: Holiday musical is missing a human touch
•  'The Nutcracker' by House Theatre: Christmas is in Clara's hands in warm, four-star 'Nutcracker'
•  Goodman, Dennehy honor the Daleys
•  Four stars for 'Home,' a brilliant journey that captures African-American experience
•  With Peter Pan injured, Lookingglass cancels two Sunday shows
•  'Float' needs more propulsion, comic or serious

• "August: Osage County"
• "Billy Elliot the Musical"
• "Million Dollar Quartet"
• "Shrek the Musical"
• "The Addams Family"
• 16th Street Theatre
• 500 Clown
• A Red Orchid Theatre
• About Face Theatre
• Actors Theatre Company
• Albany Park Theatre Project
• American Blues Theater
• American Musical Theatre Project
• American Players Theatre
• American Theater Company
• Annoyance Theatre
• Apple Tree Theatre
• Arie Crown Theatre
• Artistic Home
• Athenaeum Theatre
• BackStage Theatre Company
• Bailiwick Chicago
• Black Ensemble Theatre
• Blair Thomas & Co.
• Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
• Broadway
• Broadway in Chicago
• Broadway Playhouse
• Building Stage
• Chicago Children's Theatre
• Chicago Dramatists
• Chicago Muse
• Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Circle Theatre
• Cirque du Soleil
• City Lit Theater
• Collaboraction
• Congo Square Theatre Company
• Court Theatre
• Dog & Pony Theatre Company
• Drury Lane Theatre
• Eclipse Theatre
• Elephant Eye Theatricals
• Factory Theater
• First Folio Theatre
• Gift Theatre
• Goodman Theatre
• Greenhouse Theater Center
• Griffin Theatre
• Hell in a Handbag Productions
• Hoover-Leppen Theater
• House Theatre of Chicago
• Hypocrites
• i.O. Theater
• Infamous Commonwealth
• Joseph Jefferson Awards
• Just For Laughs
• Lifeline Theatre
• Light Opera Works
• Live Bait Theater
• Lookingglass Theatre Company
• Marriott Theatre
• Mary Arrchie Theatre
• Mercury Theatre
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
• Neo-Futurists
• New Colony
• Next Theatre
• North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
• Northlight Theatre
• Obituaries
• Pegasus Players
• Piven Theatre Workshop
• Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago
• Profiles Theatre
• Provision Theatre
• Raven Theatre
• Ravinia Festival
• Redmoon Theater
• Redtwist Theatre
• Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
• Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
• Rosemont Theatre
• Route 66 Theatre Company
• Royal George Theatre
• Second City
• Shattered Globe
• Side Project
• Sideshow Theatre Company
• Signal Ensemble Theatre
• Silk Road Theatre Project
• Stage 773
• Stage Left Theatre
• Steep Theatre
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Strangeloop
• Stratford Festival
• Strawdog Theatre
• Teatro Vista
• Teatro ZinZanni
• Theater Oobleck
• Theater Wit
• Theatre at the Center
• Theatre Building Chicago
• Theatre Seven
• Theatre-Hikes
• Theo Ubique Theatre Company
• TimeLine Theatre
• Tony Awards
• Trap Door Theatre
• TUTA Theatre
• Uptown Theatre
• Victory Gardens
• Writers' Theatre
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