18 things to do in Chicago: March 5-11

2 months ago

The Goodman Theatre presents “Theater of the Mind,” David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar’s 75-minute journey of self-reflection, discovery and imagination, inspired by and grounded in neuroscience. Guides take 16 audience members at a time through a 15,000-square-foot intimate and immersive installation. Andrew Scoville directs. From March 11-May 31 at Reid Murdoch Building, 333 N. LaSalle Drive. Tickets: $66-$91. Visit goodmantheatre.org.
Matthew C. Yee’s new play with music, “White Rooster,” draws from a personal family story rooted in early 1900s China and reimagines an American ghost town in a tale that weaves together puppetry, movement, song and folklore. Yee directs. From March 5-April 12 at Lookingglass Theatre, The Joan & Paul Theatre, 163 E. Pearson St. Tickets: $30+. Visit lookingglasstheatre.org.
Music Theater Works presents “Cats,” Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical set in the world of Jellicle cats as they gather for the annual Jellicle Ball, where one will be chosen for a new life. Mandy Modic directs and choreographs. From March 5-29 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets: $19.50-$106. Visit musictheaterworks.com.

Black Ensemble Theater opens its 50th anniversary season with the reprisal of one of its biggest hits, “The Jackie Wilson Story,” which chronicles the rise and fall of the legendary R&B singer known as “Mr. Excitement.” Jaitee Thomas stars; Jackie Taylor directs. From March 7-April 26 at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St. Tickets: $59-69. Visit blackensemble.org.
Tony Award-winning musical “The Drowsy Chaperone” is filled with hilarious chaos featuring showgirls, gangsters, mistaken identities and one very tipsy chaperone. L. Walter Stearns directs. From March 6-April 19 at Theo Unique Cabaret Theatre, 721 Howard St., Evanston. Tickets: $33-$66. Visit theo-u.com.
In “Flights for Future Generations,” performance artist Lindsey Barlag Thornton uses movement, text, sound and imagery in an exploration of the history of women aviators and spiritualists as she navigates a fragile course between faith and uncertainty. At 7:30 p.m. March 6-7 at Steppenwolf ‘s 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St. Tickets: $23. Visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.

“Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends” begins with the award-winning New York City Ballet principal dancer and Willian Forsythe’s “The Barre Project, Blake Works II,” featuring the music of James Blake. It’s followed by performances of Peck’s “Thousandth Orange,” Alonzo King’s “Swift Arrow” and Peck, Michelle Dorrance and Jillian Meyers “Time Spell.” At 7:30 p.m. March 7 and 3 p.m. March 8 at The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr. Tickets: $35+. Visit auditoriumtheatre.org.
Chicago Tap Theatre presents “The Countdown: Where Numerology Meets the Beat,” a program in which artistic director Mark Yonally uses numerology as a way to play with tap. Features new choreography by Yonally, Molly Smith, Sterling Harris and others. At 7 p.m. March 5-6 and 2 p.m. March 8 ($40-$75) with a gala performance ($150-$250) at noon March 7 at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St. Visit chicagotaptheatre.com.

Jason Isbell and his backing quintet the 400 Unit take a trip through the singer-songwriter’s songbook ranging from his days with Drive-By Truckers to his recent solo acoustic effort, “Foxes in the Snow.” At 8 p.m. March 6-7 at Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave. Tickets: $87.85. Visit ticketmaster.com.

Get in the mood for St. Patrick ‘s Day with performances by three iconic Irish bands all embracing Irish traditional music: Altan (7:30 p.m. March 5 at Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave., $35-$40); Lunasa (5 and 8 p.m. March 7 at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., $46, 48) and Téada (7:30 p.m. March 11, also at Old Town School, $43, 45). Visit jamusa.com and oldtownschool.org.

Hailing from Jerez de La Frontera, Spain, LauraB creates music that combines elements of rock and contemporary folk with an Andalusian twist. She is accompanied by Macue Narbona (percussion), Paqui Benitez (backing vocals) and Elena Jimenez (accordion and clarinet). At 8:30 p.m. March 7 at Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave. Tickets: $31.09. Visit constellation-chicago.com.

Louisiana-born blues artist D.K. Harrell, one of the stars of the current blues resurgence, tours behind his Alligator Records debut album, “Talkin’ Heavy,” that showcases his deep soul vocals and original songs. At 7:30 p.m. March 11 at Space, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston. Tickets: $27.27-$47.17. Visit evanstonspace.com.

Girl Tones is a high-energy rock duo (sisters Kenzie Crowe on guitar/vocals and Laila Crowe on drums) known for riotous live shows. Their influences range from The White Stripes to Beck. Also on the bill: indie singer-songwriter Peter McPoland. At 7 p.m. March 5 at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St. Tickets: $42.25. Visit chicago.houseofblues.com.

“Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color” includes 20 color plates and text by Matisse from his artist’s book, now on view in its entirety for the first time since its acquisition in 1948. The exhibition also includes more than 50 works by Matisse from the Art Institute’s collection that explore his commitment to continual innovation and the expressive power of color and line. From March 7-June 1 at Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. Admission: $14-$32. Visit artic.edu.

“Chair-ish” features Chicago-based designers Alex Chitty and Norman Teague’s exploration of the chair as both functional object and sculptural form. Using repurposed designer chairs and everyday materials, the duo deconstruct and rebuild familiar seating forms. To April 11 at Cleve Carney Museum, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Admission is free. Visit theccma.org.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is a 70-minute musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved tale about young Charlie Bucket (Kai Edgar) and his adventure into Willy Wonka’s (George Keating) famous chocolate factory. Directed and choreographed by Amber Mak. To March 28 at Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Tickets: $20.75. Visit marriotttheatre.com.
Jackalope Theatre launches its young audience programming with the world premiere of Juliet Kang Huneke’s “The Dress-Up Play,” an immersive story about friends who gather to play dress-up and learn lessons about self-expression and open-mindedness. Karina Patel directs. From March 7-22 at Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway. Tickets $15-$35. Visit jackalopetheatre.org.
Young Grateful Dead fans (and their parents) can dance and twirl to the iconic band’s tunes when the family concert series Rock and Roll Playhouse cues up the music at noon March 7 at Space, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston. Tickets: $20.63. Visit evanstonspace.com.