Joliet, IL (August 2, 2019) – Rialto Square Theatre and VenuWorks announced today the entire lineup for the annual holiday series at the Rialto Square Theatre, Home for the Holidays, generously sponsored by ComEd. The 18-foot Christmas Tree is sponsored by Busey Bank. This lineup of family-friendly shows includes classics titles, holiday favorites, well-known artists, and soon-to-be new holiday favorites. More info can be found at www.RialtoSquare.com/holidays.
A Very Rialto Christmas
Making Merry Music!
Monday, November 25
Marquee Lighting | 5:20 pm
Pre-show reception | 5:30
Concert | 7 pm
Ticket prices: $20 adult | $10 children (12 and under) (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 9 @ 10am**
Kick off your holiday season with the Rialto Square Theatre and a special concert from Nick Thomas and guests. Join us starting at 5:20 PM as we light the marquee, officially kicking off the holiday season, with Home for the Holidays sponsor, ComEd. At 5:30 PM they’ll be a pre-show reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, followed by a holiday concert for the entire family featuring a 75-member chorus directed by Nick Thomas. Special guest appearances include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Suzy Snowflake and more.
Hospice Lights of Love
Wednesday, November 27 | 5 pm
Contact Joliet Area Community Hospice for more information
The Joliet Area Community Hospice Lights of Love tree lighting will take place on Wednesday, November 27 at 5 pm. The ceremony is a time to honor and remember family and friends during the holiday season. Contact Joliet Area Community Hospice for more information at 815.740.4104.
Teddy Bear Tea
Sponsored by ExxonMobil
Friday, November 29 | 9:30 am & 12 pm
Ticket prices: $25 adults | $22.50 children (12 and under) (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 9 @ 10am**
The Rialto Square Theatre holiday tradition continues. Young and old alike will enjoy this special brunch featuring delicious food and family fun complete with a special appearance by St. Nick himself and a keepsake teddy bear. A ticket is required for all in attendance and space will fill up quickly!
Von Heidecke’s Chicago Festival Ballet’s production of
The Nutcracker
1 PM performance sponsored by First Secure Community Bank/Lori & Jay Berman
5 PM performance sponsored by J-POWER USA
Sunday, December 1 | 1 & 5 pm
Ticket prices: $38.50 | $30.50 | $22.50 children 12 and under (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 9 at 10 am**
Additional performance added! This holiday favorite fairytale ballet is perfect for the entire family. The magical production features lavish costumes, exquisite sets, including a Christmas tree that grows before your eyes, and sensational choreography by ballet master, Kenneth von Heidecke. Journey through the land of whirling snowflakes and visit the kingdom of the Sugar Plum Fairy. This is one holiday tradition you won’t want to miss.
Holiday Luncheon & Organ Concert
Tuesday, December 3 | 11 am
Ticket prices: $15 (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 9 at 10 am**
Enjoy the sounds of the season and a delicious catered lunch in the Rialto Square Theatre rotunda while local school choirs serenade you. Then move into the Theatre where members of the Joliet Area Theatre Organ Enthusiast Society will play your favorite holiday carols on the famous Barton Grand Theatre Pipe Organ.
CeeLo Green
Holiday Hits Tour
Wednesday, December 4 | 7:30 pm
Ticket prices: $54.50 | $44.50 | $34.50 (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 30 at 10 am**
Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter-producer, CeeLo Green is putting his creative spin on your favorite Christmas songs in the Holiday Hits Tour. His 2011 hit song, “Forget You,” received 5 Grammy nominations and won “Best Urban/Alternative Performance.” In 2012, he released his first Christmas album, “CeeLo’s Magic Moment,” featuring the single “All I Need is Love” with The Muppets. The album was nominated for a Grammy in 2014.
Off the stage, he completed four seasons on NBC’s hit show The Voice alongside fellow judges Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton.
American Legion Band Concert
Sunday, December 8 | 2 pm
Free (with generous donation of non-perishable food items)
Ticket / Food donation exchange times (in the Rialto Square Theatre ticket lobby):
Monday, December 2, 10 am – 1 pm
Wednesday, December 4, 10 am – 1 pm
Friday, December 6, 10 am – 1 pm
The Joliet American Legion Band will bring the sounds of the season to life on the Rialto Square Theatre stage. Enriched in tradition, military sharpness and musical integrity, these musicians are delighted to bring you an unforgettable performance with their tremendously rousing musical spirit. A ticket is free in exchange for a generous food/non-perishable donation.
Michael Londra’s Celtic Yuletide
Christmas in Ireland
Monday, December 9 | 7:30 pm
Ticket prices: $48.50 | $38.50 | $33.50 (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 23 at 10 am**
Emmy® nominee, Michael Londra, the Irish singer best known as the voice of Riverdance on Broadway and for his own US TV special, “Beyond Celtic”, presents an evening, bringing you “Christmas from Ireland” told in song, dance and the festive stories of his youth.
The evening features traditional, heartwarming Irish carols like Winter, Fire and Snow and Gaelic versions of Christmas songs you will love such as “Oiche Ciuin” (Silent Night). Michael will also sing Celtic songs of a new Ireland including his own popular carol “Beyond the Star” recorded and performed by choirs worldwide. The famed tenor sings many carols more familiar to international audiences like O Come Emmanuel and The First Noel but sung in a Celtic more traditional style by one the “greatest Irish singers of our time”.
Irish musicians join Michael onstage to perform age-old Celtic airs on the haunting uilleann pipes, fiddle, low whistles and the national drum of Ireland, the bodhran. They thrill the audience with their own frenetic traditional jigs and reels. The musicians are some of the most popular traditional players in Ireland, playing festivals and concerts throughout the year.
Rounding out the evening are the breathtaking Celtic Fire dancers, built from Michael’s connections to Riverdance. They perform traditional and modern dances that reflect the two worlds that Ireland lives in. The dancers are some of the best in the world, performing with Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and many more productions but come
Christmas they present breathtaking steps especially choreographed to celebrate the season and dances traditionally danced during the holiday season.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical
Wednesday, December 11 | 7 pm
Ticket prices: $53.50 | $43.50 | $33.50 (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 23 at 10am**
The beloved TV classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER soars off the screen and onto the stage this holiday season. Come see all of your favorite characters from the special including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph, as they come to life in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL.
It’s an adventure that teaches us that what makes you different can be what makes you special. Don’t miss this wonderful holiday tradition that speaks to the misfit in all of us. Based on the animated television special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and the stage production directed and conceived by Jeff Frank and First Stage. Script adaptation by Robert Penola. Arrangements by Timothy Splain. Orchestrations by William C. White.
It’s A Wonderful Life
Live Radio Broadcast with WJOL
Saturday, December 14 | 7 pm
Ticket prices: $10 (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 9 at 10 am**
An annual holiday tradition at the Rialto Square Theatre– join WJOL for an evening you won’t forget, as local radio talents perform the Christmas classic, It’s A Wonderful Life live from the Rialto Stage, as it broadcasts on WJOL simultaneously. Year in and year out, this is always a highlight of the holiday season! All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Rialto Square Theatre’s mission to bring the biggest and brightest talents to the Rialto Square stage.
Martina McBride
The Joy of Christmas
Friday, December 20 | 8 pm
Ticket prices: $92.50 | $74.50 | $59.50 | $44.50 (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 16 at 10am**
CMA Female Vocalist of the Year and 14-time Grammy Award-nominated country artist, Martina McBride brings “The Joy of Christmas” to the Rialto Square Theatre stage this December. Her career spans over 28 years and over 14 million records sold. Her biggest hits include “Concrete Angel,” “This One’s for the Girls,” “Blessed” and “Independence Day.” Don’t miss her angelic voice singing your favorite holiday carols.
The Oak Ridge Boys
Down Home Christmas
Sunday, December 22 | 7:30 pm
Ticket prices: $73.50 | $53.50 | $43.50 (additional fees may apply)
**Tickets On Sale Friday, August 16 @ 10am**
The Boys are back in town! Join fan favorites, The Oak Ridge Boys, as they return to the Rialto Square stage with their latest holiday concert tour, Down Home Christmas, in support of their newest holiday album, releasing October 25, 2019.
“Down Home Christmas is a project that we are happy to share with the world and, rest assured, you will hear these songs on our upcoming 30th annual Christmas tour,” says Joe Bonsall. “The instrumentation is sparse, yet incredibly put together, and the vocals are rich and vibrant. Many of the songs were freshly written by a stable of Nashville’s top songwriters.”
2019 Holiday Movies
All tickets $5 | On Sale Friday, August 9th or at the door
Movie tickets must be purchased at the box office. They are not available online.
Bring the entire family to these classic holiday movies, and enjoy the beauty of the Rialto Square Theatre at Christmas, while spending time with your family watching these holiday favorites.
The Polar Express | Rated G
Saturday, November 30 | 2 pm
Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”; “Cast Away”) reunite for “Polar Express,” an inspiring adventure based on the beloved children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) | Not Rated
Saturday, December 14 | 11 am
In this Christmas classic, an old man going by the name of Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) fills in for an intoxicated Santa in Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade. Kringle proves to be such a hit that he is soon appearing regularly at the chain’s main store in midtown Manhattan. When Kringle surprises customers and employees alike by claiming that he really is Santa Claus, it leads to a court case to determine his mental health and, more importantly, his authenticity.
Elf | Rated PG
Monday, December 23 | 2 pm
Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.