Illinois Guide and Deals

Renovated in 2006, the nearly century-old Wilmette Theatre entertains theatergoers with a rotating slate of current and classic offerings, including Hollywood blockbusters and niche art films. Cylindrical light from a whirring projector flickers across two auditoriums, where movie-going duos can snack on buttery tubs of popcorn while sipping a soda and whispering spoilers into the facility’s pristine Soundfold curtain. The Wilmette underwent a key renovation in 2006, fortifying the century-old venue’s commitment to quality art with fresh coats of paint, an overhauled concessions center, and screenings of feature-length still lifes.

This Groupon saws the price of a magic show ticket in half—magically, without harming the ticket's vital organs and delicate skin. See The Magic Cabaret, a spectacular magic show with no showy Vegas magic-show frippery. It's an evening of "cabaret magic," an intimate type of abracadabra performed for small crowds with audience participation.

Back in 1974, Lou Conte Dance Studio was nothing more than a twinkle in Claire Bataille's eye. Nearly 40 years and a slew of international acclaim later, the studio has become a pillar of the Chicago dance community. Today, Bataille—who earned the Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Dancer— and her staff lead more than 70 dance and fitness classes every week for teens, adults, beginners, and professionals. Their regular workshops delve into the nuances and history of dance, enhancing the curriculum with focused lessons and special lectures on the dangers of carelessly discarding banana peels.

Friday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Click here for the seating chart. Groupons can be redeemed beginning one hour prior to show time.

Nestled in a historic riding hall more than a century old, Noble Horse Theatre presents engrossing equestrian art starring a stable of equine luminaries and their globetrotting cadre of rein masters. Performed entirely on horseback, Noble Horse’s The Nutcracker populates the beloved holiday tale with dashing stunt riders, an elegant quadrille of white stallions, and a Trojan candy cane filled with miniature ponies. As the traditional Tchaikovsky score plays, a narrator leads audiences through the famous battle against the Mouse King to a dreamscape in which the Nutcracker transforms into a prince. Classical riding styles and daring stunts pair with impressive sound and lighting design to unspool the fantastical holiday tale of Clara, her eccentric Uncle Drosselmeyer, and a treasure chest of enchanted toys. Show-goers perch on unobstructed chairs arranged in stadium fashion in a candlelit venue and may tote along their own snacks and spirits, which can be consumed atop castle-like antique tables or the backs of bumbling understudies.