Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago’s home for close-up magic, announces The Showcase: New and Experimental Works, a weekly show featuring company members and special guests performing brand new material. The Showcase: New and Experimental Works will be presented on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 pm, beginning January 8, 2019 with Ryan Plunkett and Lee Benzaquin.

Chicago’s favorite arcade bar, known for throwing a variety of exciting pop up bar experiences, has announced their most ambitious event to date. Come February 1, Replay will transform itself into Westeros, filled with majestic dragons, charismatic-but-flawed warriors, conniving advisors, ruthless monarchs, and a whole bunch of wonderful, likable, good-hearted characters that are sure to be killed off in heartbreaking fashion, and a variety of photo opportunities, for the ultimate Game of Thrones pop up bar.

Cirque du Soleil returns to Chicago with VOLTA, a captivating voyage of discovery! Inspired in part by the adventurous spirit that fuels the culture of street sports, VOLTA explores the themes of celebrating differences and unique qualities in a world where technology often isolates people from one another rather than freeing them. Written and directed by Bastien Alexandre, with Jean Guibert as the director of creation, VOLTA weaves acrobatics in a visually striking world driven by a stirring melodic score, composed by Anthony Gonzalez from the international electronic group M83. For the first time, VOLTA will perform under its signature Big Top at the Soldier Field South Lot, 1410 Museum Campus Drive, Chicago, May 18 – June 23, 2019. The official Premiere performance will be held Tuesday, May 21, at 8 p.m.

Legendary comedy empire The Second City will bring its world-famous brand of entertainment to thousands of fans at Star Wars Celebration Chicago in 2019. What’s more, The Second City will also be hosting Star Wars-themed performances at their iconic theater in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, which can be easily reached by public transportation or speeder-sharing services.

Actor, author and critically-acclaimed stand-up comedian Lewis Black returns to the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage, Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 8 p.m. Black will rant on parents to politics in this engagement that is part of Black’s “The Joke’s on US Tour.” Opening for Black will be special guest John Bowman. This show is recommended for mature audiences.

Everyone’s invited on an amazing journey with Elmo to discover the “power of yet” in Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic. Building on a successful tour with Feld Entertainment’s inaugural Sesame Street Live! show last season in partnership with the non-profit educational organization Sesame Workshop, this production features favorite Sesame Street pals Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and more in a brand-new, magical adventure live on stage. Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic visits Chicago on Saturday, February 9 and Sunday, February 10, 2019 for six performances at The Chicago Theatre.

Theatre at the Center (TATC), the only professional theater company where you can Experience Broadway in Northwest Indiana, has confirmed the Special Events lineup for its 2019 Season. Among the announced concerts are tribute performances from the acclaimed Michael Ingersoll’s Artists Lounge Live series featuring the option of a new Artists Lounge Live 4-Show Package for $135. The series launches in April with Lean on Me: The Brotherhood of Rock and Roll starring former “Jersey Boys” Michael Ingersoll and Christopher Kale Jones from the popular group Under the Streetlamp. In June, Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul stars Chicago’s “Dreamgirl” Donica Lynn, who has won audience and critical acclaim in TATC’s fall run Ghost – The Musical. In August, Karen Carpenter: We’ve Only Just Begun features Chicago’s favorite leading lady Heidi Kettenring from Broadway’s Wicked. And, in October 2019, Brandon Bennett, from the multi-year run of Million Dollar Quartet at Chicago’s Apollo Theater, will dazzle TATC audiences starring in Elvis: My Way.

HAMILTON: THE EXHIBITION – a 360-degree, immersive ​exhibit ​that will travel to select U.S. cities – ​has set a new opening date of April 6, 2019 in Chicago, it has been announced by Jeffrey Seller, producer of the musical HAMILTON​. HAMILTON: THE EXHIBITION ​– on display in a specially-built free-standing structure the size of a football field --​ opens this spring for a limited engagement ​on Northerly Island​ in Chicago, where HAMILTON has played a sold-out run since 2016.