Gay chorus, LGBTQ groups mark holidays

Dec. 2 marked the finale of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus’ (CGMC’s) three-day “Holiday Hullabaloo” run. Partnering onstage with 10 other LGBTQ performing-arts groups at the Beverly Arts Center to deliver covers of classic holiday tunes with playful theatrics, an ensemble of more than 200 voices (and bodies) celebrated the holidays and community.

Highlights included “Wishing You A Drag Queen Christmas,” performed by Micah McCain, Michael McGraw and Reggie Owens in blue, green and red attire; “We Three Kings,” with solos by three stylish card-bedecked kings; “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” featuring dancing by chorus members in tutus and tuxedo shirts with monologist Charles May regaling the woes of Christmas shopping; a humorous take on “Waltz of the Flowers;” a routine by the Chicago Spirit Brigade to “Go Tell It On the Mountain;” and, with The Lakeview Orchestra, an absolutely hilarious performance of “Hallelujah Chorus” featuring clumsy placard-wielding “silent monks.”

The scope of this show was impressive and staggering in the number of bodies on stage, the wide variety of routines and set and costume design. The show ended with all 11 organizations teaming to perform “This Christmastide,” followed by “A Wish” for the chorus alumni in the audience.