Spring is here with fresh adventures for you around town and online! Here’s a round-up of five activities that we found most interesting for you this week.
Relive a Classic Tale with a Bold Reimagination
Anyone who says John Steinbeck’s seminal novel Of Mice and Men is played out hasn’t seen the work that director Cathy Marston and the Joffrey Ballet company can do. Hot off the success of Marston’s adaptation of Jane Eyre in 2019, this bold new adaptation is not to be missed. Combining explosive choreography with a devastating soundtrack by 15-time Academy Award nominee Thomas Newman, Joffrey’s double-bill of George Balanchine’s Serenade and Marston’s Of Mice and Men is a must-see for all art lovers in Chicago.
Date: Through Sun, May 8
Time: Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 2:00 & 7:30, Sunday at 2:00
Cost: $35 – $172
Location: Lyric Opera House, 20 N Wacker Dr
More info: Joffrey.org
See a One-Man Show That’s as Funny as it is Thought-Provoking
After his award-winning Broadway show The New One, comedian and storyteller Mike Birbiglia brings his latest musings on life to the Steppenwolf stage. The Old Man and the Pool is a coming-of-middle-age story where Birbiglia confronts us with a tales of life, death, and a highly chlorinated YMCA pool. If ever there was a chance to say “I saw that before it went to Broadway,” Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool is the one.
Date: Through Sunday, May 22
Time: Thur-Sun, 4pm and 8pm
Cost: $70
Location: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N Halsted St
More info: steppenwolf.org
Get Your Art On
At Hyde Park Art Center, married artistic collaborators Dutes Miller and Stan Shellabarger present Loving Repeating. The mural and video installations explore the human condition through a queer lens. Loneliness and loss intertwine with intimacy and proximity, reflecting on the complicated cycle of long-term relationships. The multimedia presentation is the duo’s largest work to date.
Date: Now through September 3
Time: Daily, hours vary
Cost: Free
Location: Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S Cornell Ave
More info: hydeparkart.org
Enjoy a Marvelous Night for a Moondance
Legendary singer-songwriter Van Morrison comes to Chicago for two nights at the Chicago Theatre. Drawing on a seven-decade career, Morrison is sure to play hits like “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Moondance,” as well as some new tunes from his upcoming 43rd studio album. This is one concert not to be missed!
Date: May 7-8
Time: 7:00pm
Cost: Starting at $203.50
Location: The Chicago Theatre, 175 N State St
More info: vanmorrison.com
Challenge Your Worldview Through Performance Art
Kinetic Light, an internationally renowned disability arts ensemble, presents Wired, an immense and intimate experience tracing the line between “us” and “them.” Through aerial and contemporary choreography, the dancers of Wired spin and soar together in a meditation on who belongs and who gets left outside our borders.
Date: May 5-8, with a livestream option on May 7
Time: Thurs-Friday from 8-10pm; Sunday from 2-4pm
Cost: Pay what you can
Location: MCA Chicago, 220 E Chicago Ave
More info: mcachicago.org
