Weekend Events Around Town: 12/21-12/23

The Book of Mormon
From the creators of South Park comes the highly acclaimed musical, The Book of Mormon. The smash-hit Broadway musical is beginning a 6-month run at the Bank of America Theatre. In the Chicago cast, Nic Rouleau plays Elder Price, an idealistic 18-year-old missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He embarks on a mission to convert tribes in Uganda, along with the dim Elder Cunningham, played by Ben Platt. Winner of 9 Tony Awards including Best Musical, The Book of Mormon is being hailed as the funniest, wittiest, best-directed musical on Broadway in a long time. Filled with comedy, profanity and even sweetness, this musical holds nothing sacred, nor anything back. Best to leave the kids at home for this one. The musical is playing at the Bank of America Theatre until June 2 and tickets range from $45-$115. Watch Chicago Sun-Times Theater Critic Hedy Weiss review the Tony Award-winning War Horse, the Tony-winner Book of Mormon, and two more shows currently on local stages.

Bank of America Theatre
18 W. Monroe St.
Chicago, IL 60603

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The Nutcracker
Celebrate the season with this classic holiday tale. Brave young Clara embarks on a journey to rescue Christmas and her family, with the help of a magical Nutcracker. This spectacle features original song and astonishing puppetry. The show runs through December 30 at the Chopin Theatre. Tickets are $25.

Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60642

Thorne Miniature Rooms
Discover the magic of the Thorne Miniature Rooms, and discover what's new this holiday season. These elaborately decorated miniature rooms give one a glimpse inside European and American interiors ranging from the late 13th century to the 1930s. The 68 rooms were painstakingly constructed on a scale of one-inch to one-foot. Envisioned by Mrs. James Ward Thorne and constructed by master craftsmen, the Thorne Rooms were completed between 1932 and 1940. Nine of the rooms now don festive holiday décor offering a window into seasonal festivities of the past. An elegant English Drawing Room of the Victorian period boasts the only Christmas tree among the rooms, complete with trimmings. While a modern-era California Hallway has a menorah and box with a dreidel. The rooms were installed at The Art Institute in 1954 after being donated to the museum by Mrs. Ward Thorne in 1941. The Thorne Rooms at The Art Institute are a permanent collection but the holiday adornments are only up through January 6, 2013. Get a look up close at these tiny, but joyful rooms.

The Art Institute
111 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603

Rocky Horror Picture Show
You Know You Want It! acting troupe hosts an interactive screening of the cult classic film, starring Susan Sarandon and Tim Curry. A criminologist narrates the tale of a newly engaged couple that has a breakdown in an isolated area and must pay a call to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The film is being screened Saturday, December 22 at 11:30 pm at the Holiday Star Theater in Park Forest. Tickets are $8.

Holiday Star Theater
340 Main Street (between Founders Way & Cunningham Drive)
Park Forest, IL 60466

Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit
See the legacy of famed cartoonist Charles Schulz, who wrote, designed and drew each Peanuts strip in daily and Sunday newspapers. Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit is a new temporary exhibit that explores Schulz’s personal history and his unique cast of characters in Peanuts. The exhibit features a variety of activities including a Peanuts tour of the holidays, designing your own zoetrope, walking through a recreation of Snoopy’s doghouse interior and seeing original cartoons. Admission is $5 for adults and seniors, and $3 for children 3-11.

Museum of Science and Industry
5700 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60637

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