Things to do in Chicago Sept. 7-13: The Mix

The national touring production of “Hamilton” arrives in Chicago on Sept 13 at the Nederlander Theatre. (Copyright Joan Marcus)

Theater

The Tony Award-winning blockbuster “Hamilton” returns to town for a multi-month run. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s modern classic features a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway. From Sept. 13-Dec. 30 at Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph. Tickets: $42.50-$182.50. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.

Brett Neveu’s new play, “Revolution,” celebrates community and building friendships in a disconnecting world, as Puff (Stephanie Shum) celebrates her 26^th birthday in an alley with her best friend Jamie (Taylor Blim) and an unlikely guest, Georgia (Natalie West). Travis A. Knight directs. From Sept. 7-Oct. 29 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 5631 N. Wells. Tickets:  $35-$45. Visit aredorchidtheatre.org. 

Kate Fry stars in “Birthday Candles.” (Jeffrey L. Kurysz)

Noah Haidle’s “Birthday Candles” opens the season at Northlight Theatre. It’s the story of a woman named Ernestine as she experiences her birthdays from 17 to 101 and celebrates the family around her. Kate Fry stars; Jessica Thebus directs. From Sept. 7-Oct. 8 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets: $30-$89. Visit northlight.org.

“Welcome to Mattteson”: Congo Square Theatre presents Inda Craig-Galvan’s dark comedy that explores gentrification, housing justice and inter-class relationships. Ericka Ratcliff directs. From Sept. 6-Oct. 1 at Northwestern University’s Wirtz Theatre, Abbott Hall, 710 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Tickets: $45. Visit congosquaretheatre.org.

Eileen Niccolai (from left) plays Beatrice, Scott Aiello is Eddie and Isabelle Muthiah plays Catherine in Shattered Globe Theatre’s “A View From the Bridge.” (Jeffrey L Kurysz)

• In Arthur Miller’s drama “A View from the Bridge,” a longshoreman worries when his niece falls in love with a newly arrived Italian immigrant. Scott Aiello, Eileen Niccolai and Isabelle Muthiah lead the cast. Louis Contey, who staged Shattered Globe Theatre’s hit 1993 production, returns to direct. From Sept. 8-Oct. 21 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, Tickets: $15-$40. Visit sgtheatre.org. 
• “Baked! The Musical “: Jord Liu and Deepak Kumar’s new musical is about an overachiever (Sunnie Eraso) who, when she doesn’t receive a scholarship to her dream college, builds the greatest drug empire ever run by high-schoolers. Grace Dolezal-Ng directs. From Sept. 7-Oct. 8 at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, 721 Howard, Evanston. Tickets: $40. Visit theo-u.com. 
• Babes with Blades presents “The Duchess of Malfi,” John Webster’s Jacobean 1623 classic about a widow (Carrie Hardin) who chooses to love again, now told through a contemporary lens. Haley Rice directs. From Sept. 9-Oct. 21 at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard. Tickets: $28-$35. Visit babeswithblades.org. 
• “I’m Not a Comedian, I’m Lenny Bruce” stars Ronnie Marmo as the controversial comedian whose freestyle humor led to free-speech clashes with authorities. Joe Mantegna directs. At 2 and 8 p.m. Sept. 9 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets: $34-$70. Visit northshorecenter.org.
• Chicago Performs, an annual festival of the arts, returns with a showcase of three new works: “Blue Alice” by Irene Hsiao (Sept. 7, 9 at 2 p.m., $19), “The Next Cup of Tea” by Anjal Chande (Sept. 7-8 at 7:30 p.m., $30) and “New Normal” by Jonas Becker (Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 20 at 2 p.m., $30). Also the artists take part in a panel discussion at 11 a.m. Sept. 10, $10. At Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago. Visit mcachicago.org.

Dance

Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. (Philip Dembinski)

• The companies of the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project present “Metamorphosis,” which features various dance forms from Afro-fusion to jazz, tap and footwork. Performers include The Chicago Multicultural Dance Company, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, The Era Footwork Collective, Forward Momentum Chicago, Joel Hall & Dancers, M.A.D.D. Rhythms, Move Me Soul, NAJWA Dance Corps and Praize Productions. At 7:30 p.m Sept. 7 at Ravinia, 201 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park. Tickets: $35. Visit ravinia.org. 
• Harris Theater celebrates its 20^th anniversary with Harris Fest: Music + Dance in the Park, a free day of programming for all ages. The event spotlights the theater’s resident companies including Muntu Dance Theatre, Ballet 5:8, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Chicago Opera Theater, Uniting Voices Chicago, Ballet Chicago, Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Giordano Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and many more. From 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 9 at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion and Great Lawn, Michigan and Randolph. Visit harristheaterchicago.org/harrisfest.

Music

Hozier performs at Lollapalooza in Grant Park in 2019. (Sun-Times File)

• Irish singer-songwriter Hozier tours behind his new album, “Unreal Unearth.” He’s joined by a new nine-piece backing band, which he says allows him to expand on the setlist and dig deeper into his songbook. West Coast folk-rocker Madison Cunningham opens at 8 p.m. Sept. 12 at Huntington Bank Pavilion, Northerly Island, 1300 S. Linn White Dr. Sold out, but check resale sites. Visit concerts.livenation.com.
• The Chicago string trio Black Oak Ensemble collaborates with JCC Chicago and Ravinia to perform on “Violins of Hope,” a collection of restored violins, violas and cellos that belonged to Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. The works performed are all by Jewish composers, only one of whom survived World War II. At 2 p.m. Sept. 9 at Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall, 201 St. Johns, Highland Park. Tickets: $15. Visit ravinia.org.

Ondara. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

•  Ondara grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, and at an early age he fell in love with the music of Bob Dylan and was granted a visa through the immigration lottery system. He landed in the Minneapolis music scene, continually writing songs about what he saw, felt and experienced in a place far different from home. Ondara continues this process on his new album, “Spanish Villager No. 3.” At 9 p.m. Sept. 7 at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western. Tickets: $25. Visit emptybottle.com. 
• The Melvins, the trio whose early work was instrumental to the birth of grunge, are in the midst of a 40th anniversary tour which covers their entire songbook. Band members Buzz Osborne and Steven McDonald have announced that drummer Dale Crover has been sidelined due to a health issue (Coady Willis steps in). Also on the bill: co-headliner Boris and opener Mr. Phylzzz. At 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Metro, 3730 N. Clark. Tickets: $35. Visit metrochicago.com.
• Performers at Fiestas Patrias Festival include Latin Grammy-winning band Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Neuvo Terreno, Revolucion de Amor, La Somba, Mi Banda El Mexicano, Banda Maguey and more. From 2:30-11 p.m. Sept. 9 and 2:30-8 p.m. Sept. 10 at RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, Aurora. Tickets: $5-$15, children 2 and under free. Visit paramountaurora.com.

Museums

Pablo Picasso, “Bacchanal with Kid Goat and Onlooker,” 1959, linocut proof. (© 2023 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)

• “Picasso: Fifty Years” reflects on the iconic artists in three sections: the exhibit “Picasso and the Progressive Proof: Linocut Prints from a Private Collection,” which shows the detailed steps of his printmaking process; a section that puts Picasso in the context of his contemporaries such as Fernand Leger and Joan Miro, and a presentation of contemporary figurative artists. From Sept. 9-Jan. 7 at Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill, Elmhurst. Admission: $5-$18. Visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.
• “Among Friends and Rivals: Caravaggio in Rome” includes two rarely loaned Caravaggio paintings — “The Cardsharps” and “Martha and Mary Magdalene” — alongside works from the museum’s collection by some of his closest friends and rivals from the 17^th Roman art scene. From Sept. 8-Dec. 31 at Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan. Admission: $14-$32. Visit artic.edu.

Movies

• The 30^th annual Chicago Underground Film Fest (Sept. 13-17) showcases some of the most original films and videos being made today many of them genre-bending and boundary-pushing. The opening-night film, Soda Jerk’s “Hello Dankness,” a collage depicting the spectacle that was American politics from 2016-2021, screens at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State ($13). Dozens of other films screen at Harper Theater, 5238 S. Harper. Tickets: $12, $150 festival pass. Visit cuff.org.

Festival Fun

Printer’s Row Book Fest. (Robert Kusel)

• Printers Row Lit Fest, the annual celebration for book lovers, features more than 100 booksellers and a long list of authors participating in panels, discussion and other programs. Plus for young readers there’s a storybook parade and appearances by Dave Eggers (“The Eyes and the Impossible”), Eve L. Ewing (“Electric Arches”), Rekha Rajan (“Can You Dance Like a Peacock”) among others. From 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 9-10 on and around Dearborn from Polk to Ida B. Wells. Admission is free. Visit printersrowlitfest.org.
• Food and music mix at Taste of Chicago, where foodies can get their fill of local specialties while accompanied by the sounds of hip-hop from Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, EPMD and KRS-One plus singer-songwriter Lupita Infante and Mariachi Sirenas, indie band Whitney and more. From 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 8-10 in Grant Park, Jackson and Columbus. Admission is free; cash or credit are accepted by all vendors (no food tickets will be sold). Visit chicago.gov/tasteofchicago. 

Taste of Chicago runs this weekend in Grant Park. (Rich Hein/Sun-Times File)

• Lincoln Square’s German-American Oktoberfest returns with German-themed bands, dancing, singing and food. From 5-11 p.m. Sept. 8, noon-11 p.m. Sept. 9 and noon-10 p.m. Sept. 10 around Lincoln, Leland and Western. The Von Steuben Parade kicks off at 2 p.m. Sept. 9 on Lincoln from Irving Park to Wilson and left to Western. Admission is free. Visit germanday.com.
• 79th Street Renaissance Festival features music (soul artist Anthony Hamilton, gospel singer Kierra Sheard-Kelly, Afrosoul vocalist Nola Ade and more), vendors, community resource information, petting zoo, carnival rides and more. From 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 9 at 79^th and Racine. Admission is free. Visit gagdc.org. 
• More than 120 juried artists take part in the Lakeview East Festival of the Arts, which also includes music, a children’s area, food, interactive garden and more. From 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 9 and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 10 on Broadway from Belmont to Hawthorne. Admission: $5 donation. Visit lakevieweastfestivalofthearts.com.
• Taste of Iceland is a cultural festival showcasing food, beverage, music, literature, film, wellness and more from the land of fire and ice. From Sept. 7-9 at various Chicago locations, prices vary. Visit inspiredbyiceland.com.
• Dumplings from 15 different cultures are celebrated at the Chicago Cultural Alliance’s World Dumpling Fest which features a dozen neighborhood-based ethnic restaurants. From noon-7 p.m. Sept. 9 at Logan Square Park, 3150 W. Logan Blvd. Admission is free; sampler packs of dumplings $25, $45. Visit chicagoculturalalliance.org.