22 things to do in Chicago Sept. 3-9

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Theater

Northlight Promos 2026! — “The Front Page” runs from Sept. 9-Oct. 18 at Northlight Theater, 1012 Church St., Evanston.

Northlight Theater begins its 51st season with a move to its new downtown Evanston home and the world premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher’s “The Front Page,” an adaptation of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s 1928 play. In a 1930s Chicago press room, ace reporter Hildy Johnson (Kate Fry) announces she is quitting her job and getting married, but editor Walter Burns (Timothy Edward Kane) has no intention of letting her go. BJ Jones directs. From Sept. 9-Oct. 18 at 1012 Church St., Evanston. Tickets: $36+. Visit northlight.org.
“Dirty Dancing: The Musical” is Eleanor Bergstein’s stage adaptation of her screenplay for the classic movie. In the summer of 1963, Frances “Baby” Houseman (Annalese Starzec) discovers love, passion and independence through her relationship with dance instructor Johnny Castle (Blake Zelesnikar). Lonny Price directs. From Sept. 9-20 at Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. Tickets: $40-$150. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.

Shana Carroll (far right) is the director/choreographer of “The Attic: Things I’ve Seen While Lying on My Back.”

The 7 Fingers, a Montreal-based collective of circus artists, performs “The Attic: Things I’ve Seen While Lying on My Back.” Written by former trapezist Shana Carroll and inspired by her memoir, it transforms memory into daring aerial feats. Carroll directs and choreographs. From Sept. 5-Oct. 4 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets: $34-$139. Visit goodmantheatre.org.

David Moreland (center) stars in “Jekyll & Hyde,” which runs from Sept. 8-Nov. 8 at Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St.

Kokandy Productions reprises its production of “Jekyll & Hyde,” the musical based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s tale of the struggle between good and evil. Features a pop-rock score by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse. From Sept. 8-Nov. 8 at Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St. Tickets: $45-$110. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.
Tania Richard’s solo show, “Black Girl from a White Suburb,” is about growing up dodging microaggressions, striving to fit in and yearning to see herself reflected. J. Nicole Brooks directs. From Sept. 4-Oct. 4 at American Blues Theater, 5627 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: $34.50-$64.50. Visit americanbluestheater.com.
“You Can’t Fake the Funk: A Journey Through Funk Music” is Daryl D. Brooks’ celebration of the high-energy, feel-good sound that defined a generation. Expect tunes from Sly and the Family Stone to Parliament-Funkadelic and Earth, Wind & Fire. From Sept. 5-Oct. 25 at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St. Tickets: $69. Visit blackensemble.org.
Promethean Theatre Ensemble presents “Blood of the Lamb,” Arlene Hutton’s two-woman Kafka-esque thriller about reproductive rights. Anna C. Bahow directs. From Sept. 3-Oct. 3 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets: $35. Visit prometheantheatre.org.
Andrei Kureichik’s “The Man Who Fell With the Rain” is a darkly comic fable about a mysterious old man with enormous wings who falls from the sky into the yard of an ordinary couple. Kay Martinovich directs. From Sept. 3-26 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland St. Tickets: $25. Visit onthestage.tickets.

Pam Dickler’s solo show, “I Killed Andy Breitbart,” is the true story of how a Chicago theater producer was swept into a whirlpool of national political divisiveness, disinformation and media spin.

Pam Dickler’s solo show, “I Killed Andy Breitbart,” is the true story of how a Chicago theater producer was swept into a whirlpool of national political divisiveness, disinformation and media spin. From Sept. 5-27 at Apollo Theater, 2250 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: $20-$30. Visit apollochicago.com.
Jonathan Spector’s Tony Award-winning “Eureka Day” is a satirical comedy that examines the contradictory practices of a highly progressive private school. Scott Westerman directs. From Sept. 9-Oct. 11 at Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest. Tickets: $53.40. Visit citadeltheatre.org.

Music

Dee Dee Bridgewater is one of the headliners of Chicago Jazz Festival from Sept. 3-6 at Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street.

Chicago Jazz Festival features headliners Dee Dee Bridgewater performing with pianist Bill Charlap, pianist Robert Glasper, M.E.B. (Miles Electric Band) celebrating the Miles Davis Centennial and clarinetist and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera. From Sept. 3-6 at Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. Admission is free. For the complete lineup, visit chicagojazzfestival.us.
Sound and Gravity Festival returns Sept. 3-6 with a lineup of more than 50 cutting-edge artists performing at venues, most a 5- to 15-minute walk from each other, in the Bricktown/Avondale neighborhood: Constellation, Hungry Brain, Judson & Moore, Beat Kitchen, Guild Row, Athenaeum Center and Rockwell on the River. Performers include Grouper, Son Lux, Lee Ranaldo & Leah Singer, Contre Jour, Marc Ribot, Hailu Mergia, American Analog Set and more. Tickets: $85 single day, $240 all-event pass. Visit soundandgravity.org.

ARC Music Festival expands to four days with a lineup of electronic and house music acts on four stages.

ARC Music Festival expands to four days with a lineup of electronic and house music acts on four stages. Performers include Anyma, Underworld, Michael Bibi, Honey Dijon, Sara Landry, Mochakk, Mau P, Chase & Status, Cloonee and more. From 2-10 p.m. Sept. 4-7 in Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St. Tickets: $219+. Visit arcmusicfestival.com.
Find more electronic music at the North Coast Music Festival including more than 50 Chicago-based DJs across six stages. Artists include Fisher, GRiZ, Crankdat, Gryffin and more. From 2 p.m.-midnight Sept. 4-5 and 2 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at SeatGeek Stadium, 7000 S. Harlem Ave, Bridgeview. Tickets: $170+. Visit northcoastfeatival.com.

Masego performs Sept. 4 at Aragon Ballroom, 1106 W. Lawrence Ave.

Jamaican-American singer and songwriter Masego is on tour for the first time in three years. The Grammy-nominated artist’s recently released album, “Fix Your Face,” draws from his cultural lineage while connecting the past and present in a groove-driven sound that results in his most personal work to date. R&B artist Lekan opens at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at Aragon Ballroom, 1106 W. Lawrence Ave. Tickets: $63+. Visit ticketmaster.com.
New Orleans-based Cha Wa blends a brass band and Mardi Gras Indian songs for an experience that showcases the energy of the city’s street culture. The Hurtin’ Kind opens at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at FitzGerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn. Tickets: $24.38. Visit fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.

Museums and galleries

“Breakfast in Bed” by Mary Cassatt is among the 75 works at a new exhibition focused on the artist at the Art Institute.

“Mary Cassatt: After Impressionism” looks at the artist’s career from the late 1880s to the early 1900s when she took her art in new directions, elevating her signature subject of women and children and exploring modernist aesthetics. The exhibit gathers more than 75 works and also tells the story of Cassatt’s monumental mural “Modern Woman,” created for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. From Sept. 6-Jan. 3 at Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. Admission: $14-$32. Visit artic.edu.
“Serial Killer: The Original Exhibition” pairs more than 2,100 authentic artifacts with a new locally focused exploration of the cases — from H.H. Holmes to John Wayne Gacy — that left a lasting imprint on Chicago’s history, criminal investigation and collective memory. Begins Sept. 5 at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, 2428 W. 15th St. Admission: $30.40. Visit serialkillerexhibit.com/chicago/.

Movies

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall star in “To Have and Have Not,” one of 19 films to be screened as part of “Face the Music,” from Sept. 4-10 at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.

Noir City: Chicago returns with “Face the Music,” a 19-film program of crime/mystery films featuring musicians (Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis Jr., Hoagy Carmichael, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, etc.) performing alongside noir favorites (Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Ida Lupino, Rita Hayworth, etc.). Among the films are “The Man With the Golden Arm,” “To Have and Have Not,” “Blues in the Night,” “Kansas City,” “Gilda” and “The Wrong Man.” From Sept. 4-10 at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave. Tickets: $15, series pass $150. Visit musicboxtheatre.com.

Family fun

Midnight Circus in the Parks begins its season Sept. 5-6 with free performances at Brighton Park Community Campus, 4830 S. Western Ave.

Midnight Circus in the Parks begins its season Sept. 5-6 with free performances at Brighton Park Community Campus, 4830 S. Western Ave. The annual summer entertainment features trapeze artists, tightrope walkers and acrobats. Special guests include juggler Book Kennison, world-class acrobat Junru Wang and Chicago Boyz Acrobatic Team. To Oct. 4 at locations in Chicago and Evanston. Tickets for upcoming performances: $25-$40. For a list of locations, visit midnightcircus.net.

Festival fun

The 36th annual African Festival of the Arts runs from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sept. 5-7 at Washington Park, 55th St. and Cottage Grove Ave.

The 36th annual African Festival of the Arts is a celebration of African and African diasporic culture. Includes art exhibits, food, vendors, children’s activities, wellness programs, cultural demonstrations, dance workshops, literary presentations and drumming. Performers include gospel legend Shirley Caesar (Sept. 6) and R&B singer Leela James (Sept. 7). From 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sept. 5-7 at Washington Park, 55th St. and Cottage Grove Ave. Tickets: $15+, children 12 and under free. Visit aihusa.org.

Billed as the largest and oldest Polish festival in the country, Taste of Polonia features cultural performances and music (polka bands by day, rock and tribute bands at night), authentic food and beer, exhibitions, vendors, a children’s stage and area filled with activities and more.

Billed as the largest and oldest Polish festival in the country, Taste of Polonia features cultural performances and music (polka bands by day, rock and tribute bands at night), authentic food and beer, exhibitions, vendors, a children’s stage and area filled with activities and more. From 4:30-10:30 p.m. Sept. 4, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sept. 5-6 and 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sept. 7 in and around Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave. Admission: $10, $15; children 12 and under free; festival pass $45. Visit topchicago.org.