Arts & Entertainment Recommendations

World-Class Exhibits!

Wrightwood 659 Chicago - Opening Exhibitions

“Patric McCoy: Take My Picture” features 50 striking photos of Black gay men taken on the streets of Chicago in the 1980s. “Kongkee: Warring States Cyberpunk” (pictured) traces the story of legendary Chinese poet Qu Yuan as his soul journeys from the ancient Chu Kingdom to an imagined 21st century, complete with projected comic book images and ancient Chinese artifacts. “Shahidul Alam: Singed But Not Burnt” includes portraits, landscapes, scenes of daily life, strife, and resistance in the Bangladesh area. These exhibitions are at Wrightwood 659 Chicago, 659 W. Wrightwood, April 14 - July 15. Tickets are $15 with access to all three and available for Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays at wrightwood659.org

A Live Tribute!

Holocaust Commemorative Series

Ellen V. & Philip L. Glass Holocaust Commemorative Series Commemoration: Yom HaShoah 2023 - "Voices of Children" is a collection of songs performed by Campanella Children’s Choir. The program features excerpts from memoirs of local Holocaust survivors that highlight what their lives were like as children. The commemoration will also include a candle-lighting ceremony and memorial prayers led by North Suburban Synagogue Beth El’s Hazzan Jacob Sandler. This event at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, is free and open to the public, and offered in-person and online at 2:30 p.m. April 16 with advanced registration at ilholocaustmuseum.org

A Collection of New Works!

American Ballet Theater

The world renowned American Ballet Theatre company returns to Chicago for three performances. Two works will have Chicago premieres: Christopher Rudd’s “Touché” and Jessica Lang’s “ZigZag,” in addition to two classics: Alexei Ratmansky’s “Songs of Bukovina” and Clark Tippet’s “Some Assembly Required.” Following the show on April 15, ABT and the Auditorium Theatre will host the first-ever “Chicago ABT Pride Night Celebration.” Peformances will be at 7:30 p.m. April 14 and 15 and 2 p.m April 16 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive. Tickets are $40+ at auditoriumtheatre.org/events-details/american-ballet-theatre

A History of Song!

Spirituality in Song: Mexican Choirbooks of the Newberry Library

This free event includes an in-depth look at the Newberry’s collection of choir books from colonial Mexico, which combined European forms with Indigenous traditions to produce new spiritual music. The roundtable discussion will examine the books and music from three diverse perspectives: the cultural context of the music, the books as art history, and researching and performing the music today. The event starts at 6 p.m. April 18 at the Newberry Library in the Ruggles Hall, 60 W. Walton St. This free event is in person and online with registration available at newberry.org/calendar/spirituality-in-song

Some Enchanted Evening!

Broadway in Concert: ‘South Pacific’

Set on a South Pacific Island during WWII, this musical weaves the themes of romance, duty and prejudice to create a story that is funny and heartbreaking. New Philharmonic orchestra presents Broadway in Concert: “South Pacific” at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, at 7:30 p.m. April 15 and 3 p.m. April 16. A free 20-minute talkback with Maestro Muspratt and select members of the cast, chorus, and orchestra will take place in the hall immediately following each performance. Tickets are $67+ at atthemac.org/events/broadway-inconcert

Vaudeville Live!

Musical Mondays

The first of a three-part series from Chicago Cabaret Professionals, “Tin Pan Alley” is a performance focusing on rediscovering Irish and Jewish influences on the music of Vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley. This event is an evening of music from a largely forgotten era in American music, which was the driving force behind popular music in the first half of the 1900s. A cast of 13 singers perform lively songs written by Irish and Jewish musicians, performers, and theater artists. The show is at 7:30 p.m. April 17 at The Sanctuary at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave. Tickets are $40+ at chicagocabaret.org

Narrated by a Horse?

Silent Film - ‘Kentucky Pride’

The Chicago Film Society is a film group dedicated to preserving movies from the past, including silent films. If you think you’ve seen everything, you haven’t seen a silent film narrated by a horse. In this film made in 1925, the director John Ford follows the horse after a racetrack accident and an original owner with a gambling problem. “Kentucky Pride” will be shown at 2 p.m. April 15 at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., with live musical accompaniment by Jay Warren. Tickets are $11+ with more information at chicagofilmsociety.org

Keep it Green!

Clothing Swap

Chicago Fair Trade and the Chicago Conscious Closet Club are hosting a three-day clothing swap with expert stylists and menders, a knitting circle, and more. General admission is $10 for April 15 & 16 from noon - 5 p.m., and includes up to 10 swap items. Admission for April 14 from 5 - 9 p.m. is $35, and includes 10 items, snacks and alcoholic drinks, admission to the museum, re-entry for the other two days, and pay-what-you-can repairs. This event takes place at the Chicago Fair Trade Museum at NEWCITY Lincoln Park, 1457 N. Halsted St. Tickets at chicagofairtrade.org/ events/clothing-swap-and-knit

Film & Culture!

‘The Decline of Cinema’

“The Film & Culture” series kicks off with Episode 1: “The Decline of Cinema” featuring NY Times columnist Ross Douthat. He ponders movies as a communal experience and cultural art form, and explores why Hollywood no longer produces the caliber of movies that were commonplace just 20 years ago. The event includes a screening of the 1982 rom-com, “Tootsie” (pictured), that will be shown 4 times throughout the day on the historic main stage. The event begins at 5 p.m. April 12 at the Athenaeum Center, 2936 N. Southport Ave., with $35 tickets at athenaeumcenter.org/events/2023/the-film-culture-series

Sweat Amongst Beauty!

Immersive Mozart Yoga

Each workout is designed to challenge the body and inspire the mind, choreographed with the music, sounds, and animated imagery of the Classical period. People of all fitness levels can enroll in the 35-minute yoga classes led by certified instructors. Classes are April 1, 9, 15, 30, and May 6, 14, 20, and 28 at 9:30 a.m. at The Mozart Immersive exhibit, Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago, 108 W. Germania Place. $50+ at mozartimmersive.com

Compiled by Emma Murphy