WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody, the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, 800-982-2787; through December 16; tickets $42.50-$52.50.

What were the chances a musical parody of Fifty Shades of Grey would be anything more than an endless series of jokes about middle-aged women masturbating? While there are certainly plenty of those, Spank! is actually a hilarious satire of practically every trope in popular culture, from the conventions of Harlequin romances to the standard scenes in chick flicks. This entire enjoyable evening is performed by three improv-trained actors who handle songs, impossible dance maneuvers, ludicrous dialogue and conversations with the audience with equal ease. Perfect for a girls' night out/bachelorette party/frothy evening. You don't have to have read the book to get the show — and, of course, I haven't. 

Celebrating Gilda, Second City's UP Comedy Club, 230 W.

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The Gilbert & Sullivan Reperatory, The Hypocrites at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division; 773-989-7352; $28; runs through Jan. 13.

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Jonathan writes: 

I call it "the sugarplums-and-treacle time of year." Kelly calls it "another chance for Jonathan to spout off."

Obviously, we're talking about the same thing: that six-week hiatus — from mid-November through the New Year— during which theaters large and small abandon art in favor of Yuletide commerce, raking in dollars with a Holiday Season show.

We know they are successful because there are more and more of them every twelfth month, and they never disappear: Just like a seasonal allergy the same shows—and generally the very same productions of them — come back year after year. Some have been around for decades now.

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Possession: Baudelaire in a Box, Theatre Oobleck at Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield; tickets at the door or on the Website; $15 (suggested donation); through Nov. 18 only

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- Strawdog is having a benefit on November 19 called The Phone Book, which will feature performances by people you know like SNL's Nora Dunn, Jonathon Berry, Sean Graney, and members of iO's Improvised Shakespeare, among others. The show is directed by Strawdog's Brandon Bruce and hosted by Anderson Lawfer.

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- The Book of Mormon Chicago cast has been announced; according to the Sun-Times, Nic Rouleau will continue on as Elder Price, and Ben Platt, most recently seen in Pitch Perfect, will take on the role of Elder Cunningham. Additionally, James Vincent Meredith of Steppenwolf's ensemble and Boss has been cast as Mafala Hatimbi.

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When the Chicago Tribune's paywall went up last week, Bill Adee, Vice President for digital development and operations said there was a great deal of Trib content "worth paying for," like "Chris Jones on theater, David Hall on sports, [and] Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Schmich."

But writer Coya Paz says that, "With the exception of theatre reviews, I never read the Tribune when it was free, so it’s hard to imagine I’d pay for access now." Read an excerpt of her thoughts below or listen above: 

When I was a teenager, living in a depressing strip mall suburb, I spent a lot of time imagining what my life would be like when I grew up. I would live in glamorous metropolis, in a giant loft apartment with no furniture except for a giant mattress in the middle of the floor. After wild nights out with my fabulous but tortured artist friends, I would wake up in bed with my impossibly hot lover and we would lie around for hours, drinking coffee, eating croissants and reading the newspaper.

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