The 80-minute hip-hop holiday hit Q Brothers Christmas Carol—created by Chicago sensations the Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, Jax and Pos) and developed with Creative Producer Rick Boynton—is back in a limited engagement in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand St., on Dec. 7-23.
Q Brothers Christmas Carol remixes the Charles Dickens classic, mashing up musical styles ranging from reggae and dancehall to dubstep and epic rock ballads.
The Q Brothers Collective fuses hip hop and theater—adapting classic stories with a wholly original style of performance that has amassed a cult following of fans in Chicago and beyond. The Q Brothers Collective pioneered the concept of “ad-rap-tation” with their Off-Broadway hit The Bomb-itty of Errors.
Special performances will also take place. On Sunday, Dec. 12, at 3 p.m., there will be an audio-described performance with spoken narration of the play’s key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision. And on Wed., Dec. 15, at 7 p.m., there will be an open-captioned show with a text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.
Single tickets ($38—$56) for the show are on sale now, with special discounts available for groups of 10 or more. For more information, visit http://chicagoshakes.com/qchristmas or engage on social media at #QChristmas.
Note: COVID protocols will be followed, including showing proof of vaccination or a negative test; presenting a current photo ID; and wearing a mask at all times during the visit.
Also, the theater will again host the virtual Holiday Artisan Market on Dec. 2-5 in support of local theatermakers and community artists. Nearly 20 Chicago-area artisans will showcase more than 250 handcrafted wares in an online pop-up shop—perfect for holiday gift-giving. One hundred percent of proceeds will directly benefit the artisans.