Incoming

Photo from U2 Official Facebook page.

“Just got a place in New York.” Bono from U2 will be making himself at home in the Big Apple next April when he returns to The Beacon Theatre for eight performances promoting his memoir SURRENDER: 40 Songs, One Story. The first show is on April 16. If Bono came back to Chicago with a similar flight of shows, I might be able to snag a ticket. His one-and-only Chicago Theatre appearance a while back sold out almost immediately. Meanwhile, I’ll keep reading Surrender. I’m up to Chapter 10, which opens with Bono throwing Larry Mullen’s drum kit into the audience at a 1980s show in New Haven, CT. 

Famous In The Future, the sketch comedy group I co-founded in 1989 and performed with through 2008, will present its first Christmas-themed show this Thursday through Saturday, December 15 –17, at The Den Theatre. (1333 N. Milwaukee Avenue.) Cast member Desiree Burcum described A Judy Christmas on Facebook as an opportunity to “join Judy in her studio audience in 1963 as she navigates her holiday special and her own musical ghosts of Christmas.” Tickets can be purchased from the FIF website. 

I attended several FIF cast holiday parties during my tenure with the group, which is where I first saw Burcum doing her funny Judy Garland impersonation. She can also do a spot-on Edith Bunker, as evidenced by an All In The Family spoof she wrote several years ago. I played Michael Stivic, with a loose-fitting fake mustache that became a comedy bit in itself. 

If These Walls Could Sing, Mary McCartney’s new documentary about the amazing history of Abbey Road Studios in London  begins streaming on Disney + this Friday, December 16.  

Chicago Acoustic Underground (CAU) will present a Christmas edition of its Singing For Your Supper series this Thursday, December 15 at Foundation Tavern. Presented by Michael Teach and Donna Adler, the event will offer performances by Mark Dvorak, Donna Adler, Chris Churchill, James Van Camp, Patty Peace, and Victor Canelas. Patrons can expect some traditional holiday music, along several original songs. Foundation Tavern is located at 5007 W. Irving Park Road. 

Shemekia Copeland, widely regarded as one of the best blues artists performing today, has a gig this Friday night at City Winery Chicago.

Midsommer Flight will wrap up its run of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with performances this Thursday through Sunday at the Lincoln Park Conservatory. The production is directed by Bex Ehrmann. Tickets are on a pay-what-you-can basis, and reservations are recommended. Show time each night is 7:30.

The country/punk band The Waco Brothers will be performing songs from their latest album when they return to Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights on December 27.