From “The Magic of the Nutcracker” to 98 Degrees, The Genesee Theatre in Waukegan offers a holiday show for everyone.
“We try to incorporate some holiday shows but we try not to overpower everyone with Christmas tunes,” said Colleen Rogalski, marketing and booking manager.
Rogalski said acts are booked every other year to keep the lineup fresh. “We pull a lot from Chicago and Milwaukee.”
She said she hears from patrons all the time that they are so glad to have an alternative to Chicago. “We’ve had people to our shows from Canada. They buy plane tickets to come here. We have free parking and it’s very easy to drive up and get here. And you can eat at a restaurant along the way or eat close by at our downtown restaurants.”
Rogalski is excited about this year’s holiday lineup. “The Carpenters (tribute artists) have been here before but this time it’s for a Christmas show. 98 Degrees has never been here and they’ll do a mix of their hits and Christmas tunes.”
One of the more popular shows is the annual “The Magic of the Nutcracker” with the Dancenter North in Libertyville, featuring local dancers. “We do a lot on the production side. People make it an annual thing. They wait for the cast. It’s such an annual tradition that we start planning for it in July,” Rogalski said.
‘Dancenter North Presents: The Magic of The Nutcracker’
10 a.m. Dec. 8; 1 and 5 p.m. Dec. 9. Tickets: $9-$36.
A heartwarming holiday story is perfect for the entire family. This lavish production features more than 100 performers with renowned guest artists, Tchaikovsky’s musical score and graceful ballet dancers. Dec. 8’s show is priced for groups.
A Carpenters Christmas
7:30 p.m. Dec. 14. Tickets: $25.
The Carpenters were known not only for their chart-topping hits but also for popular holiday albums and Christmas variety shows. Chicago native Lisa Rock and her Carpenters tribute band have been performing the duo’s music of tender renditions, favorites and jazzy versions of Christmas carols.
98 Degrees at Christmas
8 p.m. Dec. 16. Tickets: $40, $55, $75, $99.50.
It’s a show of ’90s nostalgia and holiday cheer with 98 Degrees. This special Christmas show by the foursome from the ’90s features the band’s unforgettable grooves and romantic ballads, plus songs from their platinum album “This Christmas” and more.
Shonda Talerico Dudlicek is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Here’s a chance to sing along
For those who prefer to sing along, the Joseph A. Favero Memorial “Do-it-Yourself Messiah and Carol Sing-Along” gives everyone a chance to be a singer.
Celebrating its 10th year, the event at First United Methodist Church is presented by the Waukegan Park District Cultural Arts Department.
“Anyone who can talk can sing, believe me,” said Doug Stiles, a member of First United Methodist Church who convinced his church to host this event nine years ago. He sang with Favero in the Waukegan Concert Chorus, and as members Stiles and wife Betsy mingle and sit and sing with people in the audience at the DIY Messiah.
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Favero was a Waukegan Park District commissioner and sitting president when he died in 2006. He was a music teacher with the Waukegan Public Schools, sang with the Waukegan Concert Chorus and played trombone with the Waukegan Municipal Band.
Favero talked about going to see Handel’s “Messiah” when it was in Chicago and would be on the train with people from Waukegan, said Claudia Freeman, superintendent of Cultural Arts at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts. “He always thought it would be a nice thing to have something like that in Waukegan so people didn’t need to travel. So when he died I talked to Perry Duffy, a former Park District commissioner, and asked, ‘What do we do for Joe?'”
Favero’s children contribute money from his estate to the concert every year.
The Messiah was composed in 1741 by George Frederic Handel and was intended to be an Easter oratorio but has been associated with the Christmas holiday season.
“What this means to the community is Handel is glorious. When you hear the Christmas portion of the Messiah and you’re in the space where this music originated, it’s not a concert. It’s people in the community in the orchestra and chorus participating in it,” Stiles said.
The orchestra, chorus, four soloists and conductor fill the stage, and the front half of the church accommodates those wanting to sing along with the choruses.
Freeman said it’s great to see so many people participate in this holiday tradition. “People buy or rent a score. I’ve watched people walk in with extremely tattered scores fixed with duct tape. We do have signs on the pews for the different ranges of singing. You have dad who is a bass and mom who is a soprano and they sit together and sing. So you have families sitting together. And then you have people who say, ‘I am an alto and I’m sitting in the alto section.’ And then there are people who sit in the balcony of the church and just enjoy the experience.”
“We always throw in the alleluia portion,” Freeman said. “If we didn’t have the alleluia we’d have a riot.”
The Joseph A. Favero Memorial Do-it-Yourself Messiah and Carol Sing-Along will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at First United Methodist Church, 128 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Waukegan. Tickets are $15 for those over 18. Scores can be rented for $10. Contact 847-360-4740 or go to www.waukeganparks.org/arts-events/.
— Shonda Talerico Dudlicek
Holidays at Genesee Theatre
Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Information: 847-782-2366, www.geneseetheatre.com