Friday, January 21
Look for Diskord, a progressive new U of C current affairs publication, all over campus today. Of course, Vita will be a tough act to follow.
Vegan Week runs today through next Friday. So take a walk in your vegan buddy’s non-leather shoes, eat some (free!) food from Chicago’s plethora of vegan eateries, and find some good reasons to become a vegan (as if the mere existence of Chicago Diner and Amitabul aren’t enough). For the full schedule, go to the Vegan Society’s website: http://vegan.uchicago.edu.
The Music Box launches the much-buzzed-about documentary on the late Chicago high school janitor, novelist, and artist—In the Realms of the Unreal: The Mystery of Henry Darger. He’s an antisocial employee by day, painter of huge and complicated mythical scenes featuring little girls with penises by night. It doesn’t get much more interesting than that. Go to today’s 7:30 show for a Q & A with Darger expert Michael Bonesteel. (5:20, 7:30, 9:40 p.m., 3733 North Southport.)
The Miro Quartet gets downgraded to the Miro Trio, since violinist Sandy Yamamoto is feeling a bit under the weather. Christopher O’Riley, who played Radiohead last night, will play Mozart, Dohnanyi, and Brahms; he will also conduct a pre-concert interview with the healthy quartet members. (Interview at 6:45, concert at 7:30 p.m., $5 with student ID, Mandel Hall.)
Trek up north to see Steppenwolf’s production of Anton Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard. The play is running through March 5th. (7:30 p.m., $20-60, 1650 North Halsted.)
Pyewacket Theatre features the world premiere of their multimedia stage adaptation of The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 thriller. (8 p.m., $15 with student ID, 1543 West Division, 773-275-2201.)
Amanda and Joe Ziemba—lovers and bandmates—make up the Like Young, a Chicagoan pop-rock duo that’ll soon release a 7″ on Polyvinyl. They’re playing the Metro tonight, along with the New Constitution and University. (9 p.m., 3730 North Clark, 18+.)
There’s a midnight showing of Trainspotting at the Music Box. ($8.50, 3733 North Southport.)
Saturday, January 22
Head over to Doc to see the existential comedy of the year—as if there were a lot of competition! According to Jenn’s roommate, who’s already seen it in the theatre three times, I Heart Huckabees is nothing short of the funniest, best thing ever. (6:45, 9, 11:15 p.m., $4, Max Palevsky Cinemas.)
Stuff your face at the International Food Festival, featuring J-Club’s Iron Chef Competition. (7 p.m., free, Ida Noyes Hall.)
Shabbat shalom, my friend! Check out the Jewish hip-hop extravaganza White Like Me: From Jewboy to B-Boy at the Strawdog Theatre. It runs through February 12th. (7 and 11 p.m., $15, 3829 North Broadway.)
Macalester’s Concert Choir joins our Motet Choir for the Mid-Winter Choral Union. (8 p.m., Fulton Recital Hall.)
Sunday, January 23
Go forth to Uptown, to the birthplace of poetry slams: the Green Mill. This jazz venue features a weekly Poetry Slam on Sundays (7 p.m., $6, 4802 North Broadway, 21+.)
Monday, January 24
Along with Van Gogh, he was the founder of the expressionist movement, but critics tore him apart during his lifetime. Now his paintings are well known enough to get stolen (The Scream). This week the Gene Siskel Film Center is presenting a newly restored print of Peter Watkin’s three-hour documentary entitled—what else?—Edvard Munch. (6:30 p.m., $7 with student ID, 164 North State Street.)
Tuesday, January 25
Fight off Lab School preteens at 57th Street Booksellers and Barnes and Noble. Like, hello! Today marks the release of the third book of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants saga: Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood. New York Times-bestselling author Ann Brashares writes about Tibby (not to be confused with Libby), Lena, Bridget, and Carmen, as they embark upon their last summer before college.
Our own Pacifica Quartet plays an early Schubert, Smetana’s “From My Life,” and Golijov’s dolorous “Tenebrae.” (7:30 p.m., $5 with student ID, Mandel Hall.)
Wednesday, January 26
Hear eight of Chicago’s funniest writers at Funny Ha-Ha II, hosted by blogger Claire Zulkey and NPR’s John Green at the Hideout. (8 p.m., suggested donation, 1354 West Wabansia, 21+.)
Thursday, January 27
Soprano Andrea Holliday and pianist Thomas Wikman play works by Russians. (12:15 p.m., Fulton Recital Hall.)
Those of us who want to ogle dresses at the Field Museum’s Jackie Kennedy: The White House Years but are too cool to do it in front of hundreds of third-graders on a field trip can do it tonight at the suggestively named Play the Field event, sponsored by WXRT (93.1 FM). Choose your outfit wisely: Dinosaur Sue isn’t much competition, but you don’t want the boys to be eyeing the Jackie O mannequins instead of you. Chicago bands Maggie Speaks and Underwater People play at 7. (6 to 11 p.m., $15 in advance, $20 at the door, 21+.)
The Thermals, Turning Machine, and ZZZZ play a show for all ages at the Open End Gallery. Brave the cold and trek out there. We hope that the Thermals, who hail from Portland, are prepared for a Chicago winter. (9 p.m., $10, 2000 West Fulton.)
Preview the Neo-Futurists’ The Last Two Minutes of the Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen; the show runs through Saturday. (8 p.m., pay what you can, 5153 North Ashland at Foster.)
