02/29/08

Beauty and the Beasties

Go through the looking glass this weekend with imaginative, off-the-wall entertainment.
For starters, the Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago Ave.; 312-397-4010) plays host to a wacky rock show, Necessary Monsters, inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’s The Book of Imaginary Beings. Violinist Carla Kihlstedt and six other musicians don wild costumes for two dramatic concerts, 7:30 p.m. Friday the 29th and Saturday the 1st; a talk with the...

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02/22/08

Horton Hears a Hooray!

The Hottest State

In 1995 Chicago suffered a heat wave that killed 739 people. Now, Pegasus Players and Live Bait Theater have teamed up to adapt sociologist Eric Klinenberg’s book about the disaster, Heat Wave, for the stage. Heat Wave, the play, written by Steven Simoncic, examines responses to the catastrophe, from the mayor to the paramedics. Previews run Friday the 22nd through Sunday the 24th at Truman College’s O’Rourke Center (1145 W. Wilson Ave.; 773-878-9761); the play officially opens Monday the 25th and continues through April 6th. Tickets are $15 to $25. For more on the show, read associate editor Nora O’Donnell’s interview with Klinenberg and Simoncic and check...

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02/15/08

V-Day Redo

That whole line about love meaning you never have to say you’re sorry? Forget it. Guys who screwed up Valentine’s can make good by taking her to River North Chicago Dance Company’s passion-themed weekend engagement, featuring a world-première duet set to Etta James’s “At Last.” (FYI, dating illiterati: It doesn’t get much more romantic.) Shows run 8 p.m. Friday the 15th and Saturday the 16th at Harris Theater (205 E. Randolph Dr.; 312-334-7777). Tickets are...

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02/08/08

Love and Other Crap

Savage Garden of Love

When acerbic sex columnist—and Chicago native—Dan Savage (Savage Love) headlines a Valentine’s bill, you know not to expect the usual starry-eyed hearts-and-flowers tribute. In No Love for Love, local writers, musicians, and poets opine on a little thing called love—or the lack thereof. Performers include crime writer Kevin Guilfoile and singer/guitarist Naomi Ashley, who recently released the album Love and Other Crap. The show takes place 8 p.m. Monday the 11th at the Apollo Theater (2540 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-935-6100). Tickets run $20 to $50, and all proceeds benefit the Poetry Center of Chicago.

Best Bets for Things to Do This Week...

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02/01/08

Dukakis 2008, Chicago Onscreen

Before the boys take the field on Sunday, women take centerstage in local productions featuring some seriously heavyweight talent.

Patty Duke—yep, that Patty Duke—performs in Blue Yonder, a series of monologues about women from all walks of life, at the Theatre of Western Springs (4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs; 708-246-3380). Shows run 8 p.m. Friday the 1st, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday the 2nd, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday the 3rd. Tickets are $55, plus an additional $25 for a post-show reception with Duke. On Monday the 4th at 7:30 p.m., the actress gets personal in An Evening with Patty Duke and talks about her career and struggles with...

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