21 things to do in Chicago April 16-22

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3 days ago

Theater

The Broadway musical, “The Great Gatsby,” based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, follows the Roaring Twenties story of millionaire Jay Gatsby, who will stop at nothing as he pursues his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Marc Bruni directs. From April 21-May 3 at Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. Tickets: $49-$140. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.

(From left) Adrian Galante on piano, Ta-Tynisa Wilson, Hilary Kole and John Pagano in “Going Bacharach.”

Going Bacharach - L to R, Adrian Galante on piano, Ta-Tynisa Wilson, Hilary Kole , John Pagano, photo credit Russ Rowland.jpg — (From left) Adrian Galante on piano, Ta-Tynisa Wilson, Hilary Kole and John Pagano in “Going Bacharach.”

The original cast of the Off-Broadway hit musical revue, “Going Bacharach: The Songs of an Icon,” performs the songs of music legend Burt Bacharach including “Alfie,” “Close to You,” “Raindrops keep falling on my head” and many more. From April 21-May 17 at Apollo Theater, 2550 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: $49-$99. Visit goingbacharach.com.

Enrico Colantoni, Rebecca Spence and Jason Alexander

Scooter Pietsch’s “Fault” is a new dark comedy about a couple who go head-to-head after 30 years of marriage in a late-night tangle of lies, ambition and betrayal. Enrico Colantoni and Rebecca Spence star; Jason Alexander directs. From April 18-May 24 at Chicago Shakespeare, 800 E. Grand Ave. Tickets: $59+. Visit chicagoshakes.com.

Brendan Hunt stars in “The Movement You Need,” a one-man autobiographical show fueled by his bittersweet Chicago childhood and a love for The Beatles that got him through it.

“The Movement You Need” stars Brendan Hunt (“Ted Lasso”) in a one-man autobiographical show fueled by his bittersweet Chicago childhood and a love for The Beatles that got him through it. From April 19-May 10 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets: $55-$105. Visit steppenwolf.org.

Dinah Berkeley, Jeff Rodriguez and Carl Hallberg star in “Eelpout!,” Paul W. Kruse’s comedic tale of best buds, Sven and Ole, as they celebrate Ole’s wedding to Lena with an ice-fishing bachelor party.

Shattered Globe Theatre presents the world premiere of “Eelpout!,” Paul W. Kruse’s comedic tale of best buds, Sven and Ole, as they celebrate Ole’s wedding to Lena with an ice-fishing bachelor party. Jeremy Ohringer directs. From April 17-May 30 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: $20-$60. Visit sgtheatre.org.

“safronia” follows the Booker family as they journey from the North back to their Mississippi hometown to lay their father’s ashes on land they were forced to leave.

“safronia” is avery r. young’s musical composition, which follows the Booker family as they journey from the North back to their Mississippi hometown to lay their father’s ashes on land they were forced to leave. At 7 p.m. April 17 and 7:30 p.m. April 18 at Lyric Opera, 20 N. Wacker Dr. Tickets: $54+. Visit lyricopera.org.
Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, “‘night Mother,” sends audiences through a mother and daughter’s darkest night together. From April 16-May 24 at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Tickets: $10-$60. Visit redtwisttheatre.org.
Ghostlight Ensemble presents A.A. Milne’s “The Dover Road,” a 1921 comedy about an eccentric man who waylays couples running away together and gives them a taste of what their lives together might be like. Holly Robison directs. From April 16-May 3 at Glessner House, 1800 S. Prairie Ave. Tickets: pay what you can, suggested $30. Visit ghostlightensemble.com.
MPAACT stages “Sun Tea,” Lauren Wells-Mann’s adaptation of the short stories of writer Shirley Carney. Wells-Mann directs. From April 17-May 31 at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: $22-$50. Visit mpaact.org.

Dance

According to choreographer Stephany Martinez, Para.Mar Dance Theatre’s first full-length ballet “Mujeres” “invites the audience to meet the many versions of Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral’s “Locas Mujeres (Madwomen).” At 7 p.m. April 17 (pay what you can, suggested $10-$30) and 7 p.m. April 18 benefit performance ($100). Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Visit paramardance.com.

“The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe” reimagines the author’s life through his stories.

Ballet 5:8 presents Julianna Rubio Slager and Glorielle Niedfeldt’s new ballet, “The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe,” which reimagines Poe’s life through his stories. After the performance, there’s a masquerade ball in the lobby: Meet the artists and discuss the show and dance. At 7:30 p.m. April 18 at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St. Tickets: $13.80-$88.60. Visit harristheaterchicago.org.

Music

Chicago band Ratboys will play April 18 at Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave.

Chicago rock band Ratboys celebrates the release of the new album, “Singin’ to an Empty Chair,” which finds lead singer and guitarist Julia Steiner backed by the band’s twangy-distorted sound. Variety calls the band “experts in making the simplest rock songs sound vast and atmospheric.” Free Range opens at 7:30 p.m. April 18 at Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Tickets: $29.50-$49.50. Visit jamusa.com.
Masters of the Mic marks 50 years of hip-hop with performances by some of the biggest names from the ’80s and ’90s: Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, Treach of Naughty By Nature and Black Sheep. At 8 p.m. April 18 at The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr. Tickets: $84+. Visit auditoriumtheatre.org.

Iris Trio will perform at 6:30 p.m. April 22-23 at Guarneri Hall, 11 E. Adams St.

Iris Trio (clarinetist Christine Carter, violist Zoë Martin-Doike and pianist Anna Petrova) performs “Project Earth,” a two-part chamber music and poetry piece that explores humanity’s connection to nature and the planet while also illuminating the impact of human activity on the environment. At 6:30 p.m. April 22-23 at Guarneri Hall, 11 E. Adams St. Tickets: $10-$50. Visit guarnerihall.org.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: The 10(ish) Year Reunion Concert features comedian-actor Rachel Bloom and fellow castmates of the musical comedy series performing musical numbers from the show and reminiscing about the experience of creating the genre-bending television show. At 7 p.m. April 19 at Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St. Tickets: $52+. Visit ticketmaster.com.

Chicago a cappella will revisit the pop classics that came out of the Brill Building era of the ’50s and ’60s (“Stand By Me,” “On Broadway,” “Hound Dog”) while WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer offers stories and lore about that prolific time in American music.

Chicago a cappella revisits the pop classics that came out of the Brill Building era of the ’50s and ’60s (“Stand By Me,” “On Broadway,” “Hound Dog”) while WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer offers stories and lore about that prolific time in American music. At 3 p.m. April 19 at Studebaker Theater, Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave.; 7:30 p.m. April 25 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston; and 3 p.m. April 26 at McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Tickets: $30-$60. Visit chicagoacappella.org.

Museums and galleries

Martin Wong’s Chinese Laundry – A Portrait of the Artist’s Parents

Two new exhibits debut April 17 at Wrightwood 659. “Martin Wong: Chinatown USA,” traces the evolution of the queer painter and poet’s work from his collection of pre-modern Asian art and antiquities to his explorations of the Chinatowns of New York and San Francisco. “Dispossessions in the Americas: The Extraction of Bodies, Land and Heritage from La Conquista to the Present” brings together 40 works by 36 contemporary artists from across Latin America. Both run through July 18 at 659 W. Wrightwood Ave. Admission: $20, online advance tickets required. Visit wrightwood659.org.

“Collage” by Lou Beach is a part of an exhibit honoring the late artist Tony Fitzpatrick at SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art through May 30.

SoNa Chicago Contemporary Art presents “Pieces Too Short to Save: A Survey of Contemporary Collage,” an exhibit honoring the late Tony Fitzpatrick. Curators Laura Botwinick and Molly K. O’Donnell were working on the show with Fitzpatrick before his death in October. He helped select many of the 10 collage artists, some of whom worked with him or were mentored by him. To May 30 at 1527 N. Ashland Ave. Visit sonachicagoart.com.

Movies

“Soy Frankelda” is among the featured films at this year’s Chicago Latino Film Festival.

Chicago Latino Film Festival returns with screenings of 51 features and 31 shorts. Among the films are “I Am Frankelda,” the first stop-motion film from Mexico; “Under the Flags, the Sun,” about Paraguay’s dictator Alfredo Stroessner; “Runa Simi,” a voice-over artist reimagines Disney’s “The Lion King” in Quechua, an Indigenous language in South America; and “42nd Street,” a documentary about dembow, a music genre that’s inspiration for artists including Bad Bunny. From April 16-27 at Landmark Century Centre Cinemas, 2828 N. Clark St. Tickets: $12-$17, festival pass $140. Visit chicagolatinofilmfestival.org.

Family fun

Greek Independence Parade steps off at 2 p.m. April 19 on Halsted Street from Monroe Street to Van Buren Street.

Greek Independence Parade celebrates Hellenic culture and history with floats, traditional music and costumes, dance troupes and more. There’s also Greektown Agora (corner of Halsted and Van Buren streets), a marketplace with vendors selling Greek art, jewelry and gifts. The parade steps off at 2 p.m. April 19 on Halsted Street from Monroe Street to Van Buren Street. Visit greektownchicago.org.

“Age of Dinosaurs” is a virtual reality expedition to a prehistoric world designed with young adventurers and families in mind at Lincoln Common, 2359 N. Lincoln Ave., and Oakbrook Center, 560 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook.

Sandbox VR, in a collaboration with the Natural History Museum of London, has created “Age of Dinosaurs,” a virtual reality expedition to a prehistoric world designed with young adventurers and families in mind. At Lincoln Common, 2359 N. Lincoln Ave., and Oakbrook Center, 560 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook. Ticket prices vary. Visit sandboxvr.com/chicago.