Theater
- Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s musical “Six” returns to Chicago, where it made its North American debut in 2019. The creators transform the stories of the six wives of Henry VIII from historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st-century girl power. The wives—Catherine of Aragon (Khaila Wilcoxon), Anne Boleyn (Storm Lever), Jane Seymour (Jasmine Forsberg), Anna of Cleves (Olivia Donalson), Katharine Howard (Didi Romero) and Catherine Parr (Gabriela Carrillo)—join forces to reclaim their identities out of the shadow of their infamous spouse. Co-directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. From March 29-July 3 at CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe. Tickets: $39-$119. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.
- “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” is jazz great Terence Blanchard and film director Kasi Lemmons’ new opera based on the memoir by New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow. Commissioned by New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where it debuted last fall, the critically acclaimed work, set in 1970s rural Louisiana, follows young Charles (Will Liverman) on his inspirational journey to becoming a man. Daniela Candillari conducts the Lyric Opera orchestra, which for this production is augmented by a jazz quartet. From March 24-April 8 at Lyric Opera, 20 N. Wacker. Tickets: $39+. Visit lyricopera.org.
- The Factory Theater returns to live performances with a remount of its comedy “Last Night in Karaoke Town.” Playwrights Mike Beyer and Kirk Pynchon set the play in one of Cleveland’s oldest karaoke bars, where longtime patrons hatch a plan to stop the new owner from turning their watering hole into a cider bar. Kim Boler directs. From March 25-April 30 at Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard. Tickets: $10-$25. Visit thefactorytheater.com.
- “Murder on Horizon” is an immersive sci-fi noir in which audiences explore the space station Horizon, searching for clues and interviewing the station’s crew as they work to solve a grisly crime. Each performance is limited to eight audience members. March 25-May 1 at Otherworld Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St. Tickets $25, $50. Visit otherworldtheatre.org.
Dance
- Ballet Hispánico performs the Chicago premiere of “Doña Perón,” the first full-length work commissioned by the company. Choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to music by Peter Salem, the piece is a portrait of Eva Perón, one of the most controversial women in Argentinian history. At 7:30 p.m. March 26 and 3 p.m. March 27 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr. Tickets: $37+. Visit auditoriumtheatre.org.
- American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, which features the next generation of ballet dancers, performs George Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes,” Jessica Lang’s “Children’s Songs Dance,” Yannick Lebrun’s “Lora” and Sung Woo Han’s “Beyond Belief.” At 7:30 p.m. March 25 at McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell, Glen Ellyn. Tickets: $50-$55. Visit atthemac.org.
Comedy
- The World Comedy Expo brings more than 170 comedians to Chicago for a weekend of stand-up, improv and sketch on five stages: The Annoyance (851 W. Belmont), The Den (1331 N. Milwaukee), Laugh Factory (3175 N. Broadway) and The Second City’s UP Comedy Club and Donny’s Skybox Theatre (230 W. North). Tickets: $20. For a list of performers and shows, visit worldcomedyexpo.com.
Music
- Grammy-winning trumpeter-composer Terence Blanchard has been an artistic force for making powerful musical statements concerning pivotal moments in American culture. His new opera, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” is on stage at the Lyric Opera, and Blanchard will be on stage at The Promontory in a performance featuring the E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet. At 8 p.m. March 29 at The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. West. Tickets: $30-$60. Visit promontorychicago.com.
- Alligator Records recording artist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram tours behind his 2021 album, “662,” which is nominated for a 2022 Grammy (best contemporary blues album). Buddy Guy called the 23-year-old guitarist, vocalist and songwriter “the next explosion of blues.” At 7:30 p.m. March 27 at Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield. Tickets: $38.50. Visit jamusa.com.
- Del Water Gap is the solo project of songwriter and producer S. Holden Jaffe. His recently released, self-titled debut album includes “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat,” which went viral when actresses Margaret Qualley and Kaitlyn Dever held a virtual dance party to it during the pandemic. The Cut calls his music “whimsical and romantic.” At 8:30 p.m. March 24 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $20. Visit lh-st.com.
- While actor Michael Cerveris is a veteran of Chicago theater and Broadway, he’s also toured as a guitarist in Bob Mould’s band. This other side of Cerveris is on display when he and his bandmate Kimberly Kaye bring the songs of their Americana/alternative band Loose Cattle to Space, 1245 Chicago, Evanston, at 1 p.m. March 27. Tickets: $15-$30. Visit evanstonspace.com.
Museums
- The Driehaus Museum presents “Theodora Allen: Saturnine,” featuring a selection of the Los Angeles-based artists paintings inspired by mythical, natural and celestial symbols and motifs that draw from ancient Greek mythology, literature, fin-de-siècle Europe and the zeitgeist of 1960s California. From March 26-July 10 at the Driehaus Museum, 40 E. Erie. Admission: $10-$20. Visit driehausmuseum.org.
Movies
- Ukrainian Cinema is a series of five films showcasing the lives and experiences of Ukrainian people. The films screening are Ukraine’s 2021 Oscar entry “Atlantis,” a sci-fi drama/meditation on war and the environment; the innovative silent documentary “In Spring” with live piano accompaniment; “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange” about family members who use film to reframe their life during years of war; “Man with a Movie Camera,” a silent-era manifesto on urban Soviet life, and “Maidan,” which chronicles the uprising that toppled the government of president Victor Yanukovich. From March 25-April 7 at Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. Tickets: $12. Visit siskelfilmcenter.org.
- Chicago director Jennifer Reeder’s new film “Night’s End” is a supernatural thriller about an anxious shut-in (Geno Walker) who moves into a haunted apartment and hires a mysterious stranger to perform an exorcism. Filmed pandemic-style and written by playwright Brett Nevue, the film also features Kate Arrington, Michael Shannon, Felonious Munk and Lawrence Grimm. Cast and crew including Reeder and Munk will answer questions after a 9:30 p.m. March 26 screening at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. Tickets: $12. (The film streams on Shudder and AMC+ starting March 31.) Visit musicboxtheatre.com.
- Prehistoric dinosaurs invade Symphony Center when CSO at the Movies presents a screening of “Jurassic Park” accompanied by a live performance of John Williams’ score by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There’s also a pre-concert conversation with conductor Richard Kaufman 75 minutes before the performance. At 7:30 p.m. March 25 and 3 p.m. March 27 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan. Tickets: $85+. Visit cso.org.
Family fun
- The reopening of the restored Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Memorial Hall and Rotunda at the Chicago Cultural Center is celebrated with a weekend of tours, talks, dance performances and more. Harboe Architects and a team of preservation experts exposed the original 1890s surfaces of the rooms; conserved a 40-foot diameter, 62,000-piece glass dome, and recreated long-lost lighting fixtures. From March 26-27 at Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. Admission is free. For a list of events, visit chicagoculturalcenter.org.
- The Cornelia Arts Building spring open house offers visitors a chance to experience two floors of studios, the artistic home to more than 50 artists and artisans, including painters, sculptors, photographers, ceramic artists, print-makers, jewelry designers and textile artisans. From 6-10 p.m. March 25 and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Cornelia Arts Building, 1800 W. Cornelia. Admission is free. Visit corneliaartsbuilding.com.
- Explore the diversity of the local culinary scene when Chicago Restaurant Week returns March 25-April 10. The 15th annual event includes hundreds of area restaurants—city and suburbs—representing an array of cuisines. Diners enjoy prix fixe menus: $25 for brunch or lunch, $39 or $55 for dinner. Reservations are encouraged. For a list of participating restaurants, visit choosechicago.com/chicago-restaurant-week/.
