The top five1 ‘Raw Onion: Winter Onionland’: In what has become an annual event, Philly’s leading interpreters of absurdist theater — Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium — set their sights on characters found in the fictional pages of The Onion newspaper. Dec. 5-10 L’Etage Cabaretwww.idiopathicridiculopathyconsortium.com2 ‘Between Heaven and Hell: The Anthony Lawton Festival’: The Philadelphia actor continues to struggle with his faith. This year, he takes on two classics, “The Devil and Billy Markham” and “The Great Divorce,” along with his original work, “Heresy.” Dec. 3-19 Lantern Theater www.lanterntheater.org3 Mummenschanz: Legendary Swiss puppeteers roll into the Annenberg Center to share some of their greatest hits from more than 30 years of performing. Dec. 16-18Annenberg Centerwww.pennpresents.org4 ‘The Understudy’: New York playwright Theresa Rebeck’s latest hit is an intellectual comedy pitting a Broadway actor against his nemesis, an ambitious peer. Dec. 29-Jan. 30Wilma Theaterwww.wilmatheater.org5 ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten’: Local director Matt Pfeiffer takes on Eugene O’Neil’s American classic, as his iconic character, James Tyrone, returns home looking for redemption and love. Jan. 6-Feb. 23 Arden Theatre Co. www.ardentheatre.org
