A Charlie Brown Christmas: Stage Adaptation of Holiday Fave – Pre-Sale Offer on Goldstar, with tickets ranging from $25-$30 and dates starting in November and running into early January.

Join Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang for “the merriest Christmas ever” in this stage adaptation of the beloved animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Kids — from preschoolers to preteens — will thrill to see their favorite characters come to life on stage at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse in a story that’s sure to get even the biggest Grinch in the holiday spirit. Emerald City Theatre’s A Charlie Brown Christmas centers around good ol’ Charlie Brown who, alarmed by the commercialism he sees all around him during the season of giving, tries to find the true meaning of Christmas. With this special offer, you can score great seats now before they go on sale to the public.

The five-time Tony-winning show that The New York Times called “the most exhilarating storytelling on Broadway in decades,” Peter and the Starcatcher is the swashbuckling prequel to Peter Pan. Inventive stagecraft and an imaginative story come together to reveal the origins of “the boy who wouldn’t grow up” in this madcap music-filled adventure, in which a cast of 12 portrays more than a hundred characters. Join them on an action-packed journey that brings pirates, orphans and secret agents of the Queen together on the high seas. Based on the bestselling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and written by Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), this regional premiere at Drury Lane Theatre weaves an enchanting coming-of-age tale that’s bound to appeal to your entire crew.  Tickets on Goldstar start at $20 (plus service charge) for dates through early October.  What a great idea for a family outing.

The Chicago Bears finish their preseason with a game against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field. Get Goldstar tickets starting at $50 for this September 3rd, 7 pm game. The Bears have won nine NFL championships and one Super Bowl and hold the record for most entries in the pro football hall of fame, as well as the most overall victories and the most retired jersey numbers. In short, this is a legendary team and a must-see for Chicago locals and visitors alike. With new GM Ryan Pace (formerly of the New Orleans Saints) and new head coach John Fox, the Bears are gearing up for a whole new era and they’re going to want to prove themselves going into the regular season. This final preseason game against the Browns is a tradition for the Bears, going back to 2005. See how the Bears measure up heading into the 2015 NFL season.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: Stage Adaptation of Holiday Fave – Pre-Sale Offer on Goldstar, with tickets ranging from $25-$30 and dates starting in November and running into early January.

Join Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang for “the merriest Christmas ever” in this stage adaptation of the beloved animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Kids — from preschoolers to preteens — will thrill to see their favorite characters come to life on stage at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse in a story that’s sure to get even the biggest Grinch in the holiday spirit. Emerald City Theatre’s A Charlie Brown Christmas centers around good ol’ Charlie Brown who, alarmed by the commercialism he sees all around him during the season of giving, tries to find the true meaning of Christmas. With this special offer, you can score great seats now before they go on sale to the public.

Get ready to get your drink on with BBQ Beer Fest. With tasty BBQ treats paired with over 60 varieties of beers, crafts and ciders, Chicago’s Sydney Morovitz Golf Course transforms itself into your very own beer and BBQ playground. With 20 tasting tickets, you’ll get the chance to quench your thirst and satisfy your hunger from a wide-variety of breweries and food vendors. Sink your teeth into delicious samples from Big Fork Brands, Las Palmas, Pork & Mindy’s and more. Meanwhile featured beers from Abita Brewing, Goose Island, Miller-Coors, New Holland Brewing and more will help you chase down all the BBQ. The Brews and Birdies After Party will keep the party alive with an all access pass to games, live entertainment and an extra drinking ticket. BBQ Beer Fest has everything you need to drink, eat and be merry! Tickets for the Saturday, September 12th festival start at Complimentary and go up to $30…your choice!

Even if you’ve read all of David Sedaris’ best-selling books, heard every segment he’s performed on This American Life, and caught his every appearance on Letterman and The Tonight Show, prepare to be delightfully surprised by what Sedaris will read when he returns to Auditorium Theatre. Perhaps the most beloved humorist of his generation, Sedaris has sold more than seven million books, which include such comedic classics as Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and his latest, Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls. Now he comes to Chicago for a night of all-new, previously unreleased material and a Q&A session. Come hear the latest from this master of satire, then stay after, get your book signed and meet the man Salon called “the prime candidate for funniest writer alive.”  Get discount tickets for the Friday, October 30, 8 pm performance at the Auditorium Theatre.

Witness actual mythbusting live on stage with Discovery Channel duo Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage of the Emmy-nominated MythBusters. In this all-new live stage show Jamie & Adam Unleashed, Rosemont Theatre transforms into the dynamic duo’s mad laboratory for an unexpected night of science experiments. Whether you’re a fan of the pop-science show — which puts common myths to the test — or just curious in finding the truth in urban legends, this pair of special effects wizards will entertain and enlighten you with onstage experiments, audience participation and behind-the-scenes stories.  Get discount tickets on Goldstar for this November 19, 7:30 pm performance at the Rosemont Theatre.

Kinda like a CliffsNotes version.  Get thee forthwith to The Morton Arboretum to witness three of the wittiest men around as they present this Theatre-Hikes production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]. These three hilarious performers take on the seemingly impossible challenge of performing the nuts ‘n’ bolts of each of Shakespeare’s 37 plays (plus his sonnets) in less than 90 minutes of performance time. The theater company’s innovative approach marries stage favorites and nature walks, with scenes held in various locations in parks and along hiking trails. Bring a blanket, water and comfortable shoes so you can enjoy the surrounding natural beauty during jaunts between scenes on the gorgeous grounds of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle while walking an approximately two-mile hike through the beautiful landscape. People of all ages will be pulled in by the cheeky, madcap comedy and still — miraculously — by show’s end, you will have a general idea of the plot of every comedy, tragedy and historical work written by the Bard.  Tickets on Goldstar start at $5 for September 19th and 20th performances (only two scheduled).   and don’t forget the October performances of

H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds invades your cell phone as you escape Martians in the interactive play In This Final Century from Theatre-Hikes. Transporting this landmark sci-fi novel to the beautiful Morton Arboretum, Theatre-Hikes takes you on an outdoor adventure as you follow a Chicago woman, Kayla, as she attempts to locate her brother amidst an alien invasion. Throughout, news breaks and radio bursts will bring to life all the chaos of a Martian invasion on your cell phone. It’s a totally inventive way to be entertained while getting some exercise and fresh air.

This event is an interactive multimedia experience. You will have the option of receiving multimedia content during the hike by providing your phone number or email address at the start of the performance.  Arboretum admission is included in your ticket price.

You may bring water and a camping/hiking chair or a blanket.

Enjoy October 10th and 11th 3PM performances at the Morton Arboretum for $5-10 (plus fees).  I’ve seen a radio performance of The War of the Worlds and even knowing it wasn’t real, was scary.

Tickets to Monty Python’s Spamalot are only $19 (plus fees) at the Metropolis Performing Arts in Arlington Heights with performances through the end of October. This has to be a pretty professional venue since they offer shows (including matinees) on weekdays – something Broadway has spoiled us about.

And I am sooo tempted to go again, ’cause even though we’ve seen Spamalot about ten times, it’s always a huge hit for the entire family – fart jokes, waaaaaay over-the-top dance routines…well, it’s Monty Python, silly!

Here’s PITA on stage at Wheaton Drama’s June production…knows enough dialogue to be the prompter.

Goldstar has tickets for film screenings over the next couple of months to Music Box shows – check ’em all out!   Check out The Room – reviewed as one of the worst movies ever made – see their other comp offerings on the side column!