We love: the Goodman Theatre

This fall’s seen a number of stellar productions, but few have topped Animal Crackers at the Goodman Theatre (170 N Dearborn St, 312-673-0744). Populist, innovative and spectacularly designed, the show highlights the theater’s best resources, artistic and otherwise. We’re sorry to see it go, especially since its passing augurs the onslaught of holiday offerings, led by the Goodman’s A Christmas Carol. The sight of local marquees taken over by dueling productions of It’s a Wonderful Life feels like an annual deposit of coal, submerging the city’s theaters under a snowy blanket of sentiment. Our wish: fewer traditions, more innovations. Executive director Roche Schulfer argues that A Christmas Carol has an important place at the Goodman: “It draws an entirely different audience base than our regular subscribers, families bringing kids to the theater for the first time, and helps us build audiences for the future.” He also points out that the Owen second stage allows for nonholiday fare in December, citing last year’s Jeff-winning production of Ruined.
In the meantime Support your inner Scrooge with the revival of David Mamet’s downbeat American Buffalo, opening December 13 at Steppenwolf (1650 N Halsted St, 312-335-1650).

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