The 23 Should-Know Chicago Arts and Tradition Occasions for 2023 | Chicago Information
Step Afrika! dancers carry out. (Courtesy of Step Afrika!)
From the plain to the obscure, we’ve pulled collectively a rundown of promising arts and tradition occasions to stir the senses within the new yr.
There’s a lot to sit up for in a yr heavy on puppets, Brontë sisters and supernatural fairy tales – generally all in the identical present. Plus, Chicago is about to expertise the music of Pete Townshend and Michael Jackson.
Search for a few of these to be featured on “Chicago Tonight” all year long.
1. “The Icicle Picnic”
Anticipate a spectacle at this family-friendly pageant created as a balm to town’s wintry climate. Subtitled “Journey for the Solar,” the present is a manufacturing of Chicago theatrical wizards Cupboard of Curiosities and was devised by Redmoon Theater veteran Frank Maugeri and the Actors Gymnasium. They spin a improbable story of worry and hope amongst big robots and house monkeys.
Particulars: Jan. 11-15 at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. $15-$25 / MAP
2. Step Afrika!
A crowd-pleasing mix of percussion and dance, Step Afrika! was based as an alternate program between the Soweto Dance Theatre of Johannesburg, South Africa and a dance firm from Washington, D.C. These cultural ambassadors mix syncopated types of the U.S. with conventional African dance. They’ve carried out from Broadway to the White Home, and now their nationwide tour brings them to the historic Auditorium Theatre.
Particulars: Jan. 14 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive. $37-$83 / MAP
3. Chicago Worldwide Puppet Theater Pageant
There’s all the time one thing astounding on the largest fest of its variety in North America. Puppetry and performers from 10 nations, together with Japan, Brazil and South Africa – in addition to creators from Chicago and different U.S. cities showcase their craft. Highlights embody “Moby Dick” by a workforce from France and Norway, and Handbook Cinema’s acclaimed manufacturing of “Frankenstein.” Really not only for youngsters. The truth is, a few of it’s particularly not for teenagers.
Particulars: Jan. 18-29 at varied places. Efficiency worth varies.
4. “Toni Stone”
The little-known story of the trailblazing girl who broke obstacles to play baseball within the Negro Leagues hits the stage. Often known as “the feminine Jackie Robinson,” Toni Stone performed in opposition to Ernie Banks, Willie Mays and Satchel Paige and as soon as batted .326. Ron OJ Parson directs this authentic play primarily based on the biography “Curveball: The Exceptional Story of Toni Stone” by Martha Ackmann.
Particulars: Jan. 28-Feb. 26 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. $20 and up / MAP
“Hansel and Gretel” (Courtesy of Marty Sohl)
5. “Hansel and Gretel”
A preferred manufacturing that debuted in Chicago 20 years in the past returns, the Brothers Grimm’s fairy story tells the story of two misplaced youngsters captured by a hungry witch. Sir Andrew Davis conducts the pleasant rating by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck, which was initially carried out by Richard Strauss in 1893. An approachable opera in a staging that’s extremely creative and barely surreal.
Particulars: Jan. 25-Feb. 5 at Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Higher Wacker Drive. $40 and up / MAP
6. “Wuthering Heights”
The Chicago debut of a London hit primarily based on Emily Brontë’s gothic masterpiece. Stay music, dance and puppetry add to this epic story of affection and vengeance between Heathcliff and Catherine. This marks the post-pandemic return of Chicago Shakespeare’s WorldStage Sequence, which brings the world’s nice theaters to Chicago – and Chicago Shakespeare to the world.
Particulars: Jan. 27-Feb. 19 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. $59-$106 / MAP
Authentic mural by Barrett Keithley. (Credit score: Todd Rosenberg)
7. “The Factotum”
Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” conjures up a brand new work in a brand new setting – a Black barbershop on Chicago’s South Aspect. Grammy-nominated baritone Will Liverman joins DJ King Rico in making a soul opera that employs quite a lot of musical types, from gospel and funk to hip-hop and basic barbershop quartet. Commissioned by Lyric Opera of Chicago and Houston Grand Opera, it guarantees to be joyful, upbeat and well-coiffed.
Particulars: Feb. 3-12 at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. $35 and up / MAP
8. Mavis Staples
at Symphony Heart (Feb 4) The Chicago-born icon of rhythm and blues and gospel performs two native exhibits (together with Feb 3 on the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb) earlier than a tour that can take her from Australia to England. The nonetheless highly effective 83-year-old singer and civil rights activist performs her signature mix of nice American music types. Opening is rising star Celisse, who you’ll have seen taking part in lead guitar for Lizzo on Saturday Evening Stay.
Particulars: Feb. 4 at Chicago Symphony Orchestra Corridor, 220 S. Michigan Ave. $40-$199 / MAP
9. “Villette”
A number of people know the darkish and stormy “Jane Eyre,” however this new play sheds gentle on a lesser-known novel by Charlotte Brontë. It tells the story of a tenacious heroine with no household or mates who should use her wit and willpower to outlive. She lives a lifetime of romance and intrigue and even encounters a mysterious ghost. This world premiere is tailored by Lookingglass Theatre inventive affiliate Sara Gmitter and directed by ensemble member Tracy Walsh.
Particulars: Feb. 8-April 23 at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. $50 / MAP
(WTTW Information)
10. Indoor concert events on the Salt Shed.
Chicago’s hottest new outside venue, The Salt Shed, opens its indoor live performance corridor inside the previous Morton Salt warehouse on Elston Avenue. Artists embody The Roots (March 18), Bikini Kill (April 22), and The Maintain Regular (June 30. Some concert events (Tove Lo on Feb. 17, Iggy Pop on March 10, The Flaming Lips on Could 5) have already offered out.
Particulars: Numerous artists starting Feb. 17 on the Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave. Value varies. / MAP
11. Muti, Fischer & Tchaikovsky Manfred
Catch Riccardo Muti when you can as he leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in his ultimate yr as music director. Right here the CSO performs Tchaikovsky’s turbulent symphony impressed by Lord Byron’s poem a couple of traveler beset by supernatural forces. German violinist Julia Fischer joins the orchestra for Schumann’s Violin Concerto.
Particulars: Feb. 23-25 at Chicago Symphony Orchestra Corridor, 220 S. Michigan Ave. $55-$399 / MAP
DakhaBrakha will carry out in Portage Park. (Credit score: Arthur Mola)
12. DakhaBrakha Stay
Those that noticed the people music quartet DakhaBrakha in Millennium Park final summer season gained’t quickly neglect their trance-like harmonies and rhythms. They make soulful music that’s not like something you’ve heard. The placing, costumed members are from Kyiv, Ukraine, and their identify interprets to “give and take.” Take a look at their NPR Tiny Desk Live performance for a style, then see them on the Patio Theater in Portage Park.
Particulars: Feb. 26 at Patio Theater, 6008 W. Irving Park Street. $35 / MAP
13. “Describe the Evening”
A suspicious aircraft crash sheds gentle on previous mysteries and little-known histories. Executed in Stalin’s Russia, the good Jewish author Isaac Babel impressed this play about fact, lies and KGB brokers. Written by Steppenwolf ensemble member Rajiv Joseph (“Bengal Tiger on the Baghdad Zoo,” “King James”).
Particulars: March 2-April 9 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. $42 and up / MAP
14. “The Comedy of Errors”
Shakespeare’s comedy of mistaken identification is up to date to a London movie set throughout World Battle II. This slapstick-filled farce about similar twins will function newly rewritten scenes by Second Metropolis veteran Ron West. The ultimate manufacturing as inventive director for Chicago Shakes founder Barbara Gaines, who has directed 60 productions over 30+ years.
Particulars: March 9-April 16 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. $49-$92 / MAP
15. Joffrey Ballet’s “The Little Mermaid”
Don’t anticipate Disney – the press launch refers to a “tormented” heroine and warns: “Not advisable for youngsters ages 12 and underneath.” This tackle Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fable guarantees to be grand and complicated. The Chicago debut is choreographed by John Neumeier of the Hamburg Ballet with an authentic rating by Lera Auerbach.
Particulars: April 19-30 at Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Higher Wacker Drive. $36-$179 / MAP
16. Edra Soto
at Hyde Park Artwork Heart (April 23 – Aug 6) The Chicago-based Puerto Rican-born artist is having a second. Her present “The Delusion of Closure” is on the Cleve Carney Museum of Artwork via March 5, and he or she now has work at New York’s Whitney Museum. Soto’s greatest solo exhibition but – “Vacation spot/El Destino” – involves Hyde Park Artwork Heart within the spring. Massive-scale, immersive works are sometimes embedded with viewfinders that reveal documentary images upon nearer inspection. Many deal with the legacy of colonialism and query the usage of public areas.
Particulars: April 23-Aug. 6 at Hyde Park Artwork Heart, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Free / MAP
17. “Into the Woods”
Direct from Broadway comes this acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1987 Tony-winning musical that turns fairy tales inside out. Key solid members from Broadway are reprising their roles for this tour manufacturing, together with Stephanie J. Block as The Baker’s Spouse.
Particulars: April 25-Could 7 at James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. $32 and up / MAP
Third Coast Ensemble (Credit score: Saverio Truglia)
18. “Metamorphosis”
Chicago’s Grammy Award-winning percussion quartet Third Coast Percussion groups with the road dancers of Motion Artwork Is. Choreographers Lil Buck and Jon Boogz carry vitality and virtuosity to new music from Gary, Indiana’s Jlin and Tyondai Braxton. Third Coast Percussion commissioned the brand new works and also will carry out their acclaimed preparations of works by Philip Glass.
Particulars: Could 2 at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. $20-$50 and up / MAP
19. “The Gospel at Colonus”
The hit manufacturing involves Chicago after a three-year delay because of the coronavirus pandemic. Court docket Theatre – Chicago’s latest Tony Award-winning theater – updates the parable of Oedipus with daring staging and soul-stirring music. Set in an African American Pentecostal church service, the present options singers from Chicago’s gospel neighborhood.
Particulars: Could 12-June 11 at Court docket Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. $23.50-$51.50 / MAP
20. “Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Trendy Panorama”
The large summer season present on the Artwork Institute spotlights landscapes painted by post-impressionist artists together with Georges Seurat and Vincent Van Gogh. Additionally coming to the Artwork Institute: works by Salvador Dali from the Nineteen Thirties (Feb 18- June 12) and modern textiles by Gio Swaby (April 8- July 3) that discover the intersection of Blackness and womanhood.
Particulars: Could 14- Sept. 4 on the Artwork Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets go on sale in March / MAP
(Courtesy of Newberry Library)
21. “Pop-Up Books via the Ages”
An exhibition that explores the historical past of pop-up books. These tactile, interactive texts have engaged scientists in addition to youngsters for hundreds of years. This present on the impartial analysis library will have a look at early examples and modern variations of these partaking three-dimensional spreads.
Particulars: March 21- July 15 at Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St. Free / MAP
22. “The Who’s Tommy”
The enduring idea album by the Who’s re-imagined for the stage in a brand new manufacturing by Pete Townshend and Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff. At a current live performance in Chicago, Townshend gave a shoutout to the Goodman and the upcoming staging, saying “It’s going to somewhat bit totally different, somewhat extra fashionable, and possibly somewhat bit extra austere, however it’s a must to belief the music, people.” When that music consists of “Pinball Wizard,” “I’m Free,” and “See Me, Really feel Me” it seems like a reliable guess.
Particulars: June 13-July 23 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets go on sale in March / MAP
23. “MJ The Musical”
One of many twentieth Century’s nice entertainers involves life on this have a look at the artistic thoughts of Michael Jackson. The story takes place as MJ prepares his 1992 “Harmful World Tour,” which got here one yr earlier than the troubling accusations. This jukebox musical options an A-list artistic workforce, together with choreography by Christopher Wheeldon (Joffrey’s re-imagined “Nutcracker”) and a e book by Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Lynn Nottage. It will likely be fascinating to see how intently they have a look at the “Man within the Mirror.”
Particulars: Aug. 1-Sept. 2 on the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. Tickets accessible quickly / MAP
Different arts and tradition choices to contemplate:
Ring within the 12 months of the Rabbit on the annual Lunar New 12 months Parade in Chinatown on Jan. 22.
See reside comedy at Second Metropolis, iO Theater, or comedy golf equipment – and pay particular consideration to what’s coming to the Den Theatre, which has made a reputation for itself lately with some very humorous folks. Upcoming highlights on the Den embody Atsuko Okatsuka (Feb. 4) and Janeane Garofalo (March 10-11).
Worldwide Anime Music Pageant on the Riviera Theatre on March 4. An uncommon marriage of AI, “singeroids” and Japanese animation with the music of kizuna, HIMEHINA and Gumi.
Graham Nash – the two-time member of the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame (the Hollies, Crosby, Nonetheless & Nash) performs “Sixty Years of Songs and Tales” April 25-30 on the Previous City Faculty of People Music.
“Of the Earth” on the Morton Arboretum (Could 26-spring 2025) 5 big sculptures by Polish-American artist Olga Ziemska, whose surname means ‘of the earth.’ Ziemska’s work will likely be created from reclaimed tree branches and discover her philosophy that “We’re nature.” The huge works will likely be set among the many 100-year-old public backyard in Lisle, Illinois that’s nonetheless rising robust.
“For One and All: Prints from the Block’s Assortment” Block Museum of Artwork, Northwestern College (Sept. 20- Dec .3). A deep dig into the museum’s archive of etchings, lithographs and printed media.
