Time continues its astonishing push through dimensions as we enter the fifth month of 2022 and there is no shortage of fun things to do on the horizon.
FRE 29/4
House Theater of Chicago’s artistic director Lanise Antoine Shelley’s latest production honors her Haitian heritage and the story of Henri Christophe, a leader of the Haitian Revolution who helped end the French rule in 1804 – to later declare himself a monarch. IN King Christopher’s tragedy, Shelley adapts and directs the 1963 Indian poet and playwright Aimé Césaire’s drama (translated from the French original by Paul Breslin and Rachel Ney) into its North American premiere. Césaire, who died in 2008, was known for inventing the term “Négritude”, which he defined as “the simple recognition of being black, the acceptance of this fact and of our destiny as blacks, of our history and culture. . ” Césaire wrote his play at a time of global postcolonial upheavals, when other black leaders who came to power during revolutions ended up using repressive means against their citizens. As Breslin notes in an interview on the House website, “the remedy itself [Christophe] had to take to ensure that the freedom of his subjects destroyed their freedom and made him an oppressor just like the oppressors he had fought to free them from. ” The piece includes a cappella music under the direction of The Ricky Harris; William Anthony Sebastian Rose II plays Christophe. There is a preview tonight at. 19.30, and production runs through Sun 29/5 at the Chopin Theater (1543 W. Division); Tickets are $ 20- $ 50 and available at thehousetheatre.com. (KR)
Talk about a death dance (or do I mean “undead?”). Ardent Dance Companyunder the direction of Justine Kelly, presents a full-length performance based on Bram Stokers Dracula this weekend, running tonight and tomorrow at. 19.30 and Sunday at 16.00 in Vittum Theater (1012 N. Noble). Tickets cost $ 18- $ 25 and can be purchased at Eventbrite. Proof of wax required but masks optional; no word on the garlic or wood pile policies. (KR)
If you hate watching Met Gala coverage every year, then Annoyance has a show for you! Gala falsifies the high-fashion celebrity event in this satire on “performative philanthropy”, wrapped in a murder mystery couture, directed by Elias Rios. It opens in previews tonight at. 8 p.m., and continues Friday through June 24 at 851 W. Belmont; tickets cost $ 25 at theannoyance.com. (KR)
SAT 30/4
The last Saturday in April is Independent Bookstore Day, a national holiday that started in 2014 and continues to be supported by the promotion of the American Booksellers Association. Dozens of local vendors are participating this year and subsequently there are book events across the city today. If you hit ten of the participating stores in Bookstore in Chicagolandyou get a 10 percent discount on purchases for an entire year at all participating stores – 15 percent if you climb to 15 of them! Just tag and upload a photo in each store to social media, then tag it with #ChiLoveBooks. If it seems like a lot to fit into a Saturday, maybe try visiting a new-to-you store. Some of my favorites are Quimby’s (1854 W. North), Pilsen Community Books (1102 W. 18th St.), Semicolon (1714 W. Division), Unabridged (3251 N. Broadway) and Women and Children First (5233 N. Clark ). (MC)
And do not forget to check out ours Chicago Independent Bookstore Card (created in 2020) for more ideas! (SCJ)
Last Saturday was record store day, and House of Vans (113 N. Elizabeth) wants to keep the party going with tonight’s Record Store Day Fair. From kl. 18-22 they start a vinyl fair curated by Wax Trax! Records. K.Flay and Boyish perform followed by DJ sets from Laura Jane Grace and Julia Nash, Jill Hopkins and Patrixia Goth. Bring the urge for culture because local food (and beer for those over 21!) Will be ready to dig boxes. This event is free and open to all ages, and although registration is recommended, it does not guarantee admission. Better get there fast! (MC)
It’s time to travel back down the rabbit hole with Lookingglas Alice. The company’s first show was an adaptation of Lewis Carrolls Through the spectacleand they have produced David Catlin’s acrobatic version of Alice in Wonderland several times since its premiere in 2005. It’s back in previews tonight in collaboration with Actors Gymnasium, starring Molly Hernández as Alice; all the other roles are played by a cast of Chicago heavy hitters and Lookingglass vets, including Kareem Bandealy, Adeoye, Lindsey Noel Whiting, Samuel Taylor and Michel Rodriguez Cintra, an ensemble member of Lucky Plush and a former lead dancer with Danza Contemporanea de Cuba. You can visit Wonderland in Lookingglass’ home theater at Water Tower Pumping Station (821 N. Michigan) through 31/7: tickets (including tonight’s performance at 7:30 p.m.) cost $ 55- $ 70 at lookingglasstheatre.org. (KR)
That Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (2320 W. Chicago) hosts a benefit for Ukraine. Tickets ($ 20, $ 15 in advance) include admission as well as beer and hard seltzer provided by Solemn Oath Brewery. Nix, an installation artist popular in the rave space, will create an environment where guests can look forward to the sound of DJ’s Outsidenightair, Otra Dek (doing a live set), Gi Gi and Farplane. The evening starts at 19.30 and is open to those aged 21 and over. All funds go to the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America for emergency humanitarian aid in Ukraine. (MC)
SUN 5/1
Happy May day! Today we celebrate International Workers ‘Day and the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights. One way to honor the victims ‘victims throughout history is with a visit to the Haymarket Memorial (175 N. Des Plaines) or the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument at Forest Home Cemetery (863 S. Des Plaines in suburban Forest Park). On May 4, 1886, what began as a peaceful demonstration to support workers striking in an eight-hour workday escalated to a day of violence between police and protesters. After a bomb exploded, police began firing at each other and the crowd, resulting in the deaths of eight officers and four strikers. Eight anarchists – many of whom were not present that day – were arrested on charges of conspiracy. Four of them were executed by the state, and one died of suicide in prison. Historians agree that the verdicts were politically motivated, not evidence-based, and bad faith coverage of the trial sparked a wave of labor repression and anti-immigrant violence. But through solidarity and perseverance, their death was not in vain, and that trial was a landmark moment, not only in workers’ history, but also for freedom of speech and assembly. Why is all this not better known? As the president of the Illinois Labor History Society, Leslie Orear, explained Reader in 2018, “It’s all part of a deliberate memory loss. Our story is that Haymarket was a police riot – nobody did a damn thing before the police came. It’s their story. [the incident] saved the city from anarchist terrorism. Our position does not disgrace the police. “(MC)
Schubas (3159 N. Southport) has been bringing music and nightlife to its part of Lakeview for over 30 years, and today they look forward to welcoming visitors to take a tour of the bar in a different way as they open the doors to a “garage” sale. Stop by at any time from There will also be other vendors on hand, including Feeltrip Records, Quiet Pterodactyl, Reckless Records and Primaries Vintage. One person’s trash is someone else’s treasure, and there’s nothing like a venue’s spring cleaning to drum up some amazing finds. It’s free and open to all ages. (SCJ)
Tonight is a chance to see the energetic and seemingly tireless improvisational musician Fred Lonberg-Holm in action as he plays as part of a trio called Stirrup, performing at. 21 at Hungry Brain (2319 W. Belmont). Lonberg-Holm, a former Chicagoan, works in a variety of contexts, including jazz and improv, and uses his cello, electronics and sometimes other methods to get his ideas out to an enthusiastic audience. Check out Reader contributor Bill Meyer’s concert premiere here. Tickets cost $ 10 and this concert is open to those 21 years and older. (SCJ)
MAN 5/2
Tonight’s Monday Night Foodball brings us a kind of pre-pride celebration that Dani Kaplan (formerly from Lost Lake) brings Chick-Feel-Gay to the table. It’s her “sorta-annual, crispy-fried lampoon” by the fast-cooked chicken chain, and according to Reader senior writer and MNF coordinator Mike Sula, you can expect delicious chicken sandwiches from Kaplan along with “rainbow cake shakes,” which Sula points out are spiky. Sign us up. You can pre-order through Venmo for pickup at the bar, or try your luck at going in; Revenue from the food will benefit Equality Florida. It all starts at 5pm tonight at the spacious and friendly Kedzie Inn (4100 N. Kedzie). (SCJ)
ON 5/4
IN Recreate the extraordinary: Tea, torture and reparations, artists, including torture survivors and activists, present works meditating on the local and international violence represented by Guantanamo Bay, the extra-legal prison established by the United States in Cuba as part of its 9/11 post “Global War on Terror.” Can now be viewed DePaul Art Museum (935 W. Fullerton), this exhibition connects police work, torture and imprisonment with an international struggle, while celebrating creative acts of resistance and imagination. Admission is free and the museum is open today from 11:00 to 19:00. And if today does not work for you, you have plenty of time to check it out, as the exhibition closes in August. (MC)
Homegrown talent Kristin Hayter, aka Unknown language, brings his unique brand of maudlin art rock to Thalia Hall tonight (1807 S. Allport). WHO did not do keep the album Caligula in strong rotation in 2019? Her follow-up recording Sins Get ready dropped last year and this is the first tour where fans can experience these songs live. Hayter borrows from folk music, metal, noise and classical music to find shocking beauty in survival. Her sound is as breathtaking as it is scary – and it is rumored that she has a stage show that matches. The show starts at 8pm and tickets cost $ 25. You must be 17 years or older to participate. (MC)
The legendary Patti Smith returns to Chicago tonight with his band for a concert hosted by Metro (3730 N. Clark) to celebrate the venue’s fortieth anniversary this year. You can read more about Smith’s legacy in a concert premiere written for Reader this month by contributor Monica Kendrick. Advance tickets are available for this show at 20:00 and it is open to those aged 18 and up. (SCJ)
THU 5/5
Since November 2020, Identity Performing Artsunder the direction of founder Ginny Ching-Yin Lo, has been working on a dance project, Trilogy, with much of it made as a film due to pandemic restrictions. Tonight, Ching-Yin Lo and Chromabeats (the experimental electronic duo of Wiebe Ophorst and MANCHO, aka Marshall Greenhouse) unveil a new collaboration, Fearless, at Old Town School of Folk Music’s Myron R. Szold Music & Dance Hall (4545 N. Lincoln). It marks Identity’s return to live performance; the performance is at 7pm, and tickets are $ 26 overall, $ 24 for Old Town members at oldtownschool.org. (KR)