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Best Local in January 2025

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Tracing the career of Carole King, and endorsed by the beloved Grammy winner herself, Beautiful was the feel-good Broadway hit of 2014, scoring two Tony Awards. Described by The New York Times as "A complex, revitalizing portrait of the real, conflicted person within the reluctant star", enjoy this new staging from Drury Lane Theatre, here to inspire from January 2025.

Fat Ham at Owen Goodman Theater

Fat Ham

James Ijames' Pulitzer Prize-winning play comes to you! Fat Ham is a wildly imaginative and socially-charged reimagining of Shakespeare's classic, Hamlet. Instead of a Danish castle however, this time our story takes place at a BBQ cookout in Southern America where Juicy, a queer college student, must decide whether to avenge his father's death or carve a new path for his future.

Jan 11 - 31, 2025

Owen Goodman Theater

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Little Women - The Play at North Shore Center

Little Women - The Play

A new adaptation of the timeless classic Little Women will have its world premiere this fall at the Northlight Theatre and will be directed by trailblazer Georgette Verdin. Lauren Gunderson, well known for her feminist works and continuations to the world of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, has taken Louisa May Alcott's 1868 exemplary piece and transformed it for the modern stage. You could have a great many things, but do you need them when you have Little Women?

Jan 2 - 5, 2025

North Shore Center

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Disney's The Little Mermaid at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace

Disney's The Little Mermaid

Join Ariel and friends under the sea in this musical version of one of Disney's most beloved movies from your local theatre company! Based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson, The Little Mermaid is the story of Ariel, the princess of the underwater mermaid kingdom, who dreams of a life above the waves. Featuring all the classic Howard Ashman and Glen Slater songs from the movie ('Kiss the Girl,' 'Under the Sea'), The Little Mermaid is a surefire family hit!

Jaja's African Hair Braiding at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Jaja's African Hair Braiding

After critical success on Broadway, Jocelyn Bioh's Jaja's African Hair Braiding comes to the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, directed by Whitney White! Ghanaian-American writer and actor Bioh previously penned the emotional comedy School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, which won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. Whitney White is an award-winning director, musician, and actor and is the recipient of an Obie Award and a Lilly Award.