Arts & Entertainment Recommendations

All That Jazz!

‘Chicago’

After 25 years, "Chicago" is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show-stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. No wonder "Chicago" has been honored with 6 Tony Awards®, 2 Olivier Awards, a Grammy®, and thousands of standing ovations. As the musical celebrates its 25th anniversary — you’ve got to come see why the name on everyone’s lips is still…"Chicago." Playing January 17 - 29 at CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday - Friday, 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, with special performances at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, January 22 and 2 p.m. Wednesday, January 25. Tickets start at $26.50 at broadwayinchicago.com

A Little Magic Can Take You A Long Way!

‘Matilda the Musical’ 80th Annual Dolphin Show

In its 80th year, Dolphin, the largest student-produced musical in the country, presents Roald Dahl’s “MATILDA the Musical.” Based on Dahl’s timeless novel, this story of an extraordinary girl who uses her brilliant mind and imagination to change her destiny comes to life on the stage. Packed with high-energy dance numbers, catchy songs, and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, "MATILDA" is a joyous celebration of youth on stage. Catch this production in Northwestern’s Cahn Auditorium January 20-28 at 7:30 p.m. Friday & Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. General admission seating is $25 at www.nudolphinshow.org

Feast Like Royalty!

Chicago Restaurant Week

Chicago Restaurant Week is a 17-day celebration of the city’s award-winning culinary scene running from Friday, January 20 to Sunday, February 5. The 16th annual event brings together more than 300 of the city’s top restaurants, representing a near-endless array of cuisines. During Chicago Restaurant Week, diners can enjoy special prix fixe menus from restaurants throughout Chicago and nearby suburbs. These multi-course meals are $25 for brunch or lunch, and $42 and/or $59 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax, and gratuity). Reservations are not required, but highly encouraged. For a full list of participating restaurants, visit choosechicago.com/chicago-restaurant-week

Art to Music!

Soundtrack: Daniel Lamar & The Storytellers

Contemporary sound-based artists transform the Museum of Contemporary Art experience with custom soundtracks reflecting their perspective of works on view in the museum. For this Soundtrack, Daniel Lamar & The Storytellers perform original arrangements in response to the exhibit “Enter the Mirror.” Originating in African American communities in the 1950s, soul music is defined by its roots in rhythm and blues and gospel. Soul music has transcended the times by being one of the most popular ways to paint pictures through lyrics, spirit, and soul’s freedom of expression. Lamar brings all these elements together while adding his own flare, with hints of funk, to tell his side of the story through song and soul. Sunday, January 22, 2-3:30 p.m., included with MCA admission, 220 E. Chicago Ave.

Puppetmasters!

The 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is the largest of its kind in North America and will return January 18-29 at venues large and small throughout the city. This year, the 12-day Chicago Puppet Festival is ready to astonish and delight with contemporary puppet acts and artists from 10 countries – Brazil, Canada, Czechia, Finland, France, Norway, Japan, South Africa, Spain and the United States – namely New York, Boston and, of course, Chicago. For a full list of performances and to purchase tickets, visit chicagopuppetfest.org

Fusing Traditions!

Jazz with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., hosts two nights of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) with Wynton Marsalis January 27 and 28. The January 27 performance will be “Fusing Traditions” with special guest Naseer Shamma on the oud, featuring new works by Marsalis, Shamma and other JLCO members in a celebration of Arab music and the tradition of swing – a collaboration like no other. On January 28, “The Best of Duke Ellington” will be packed with masterpieces from his lifetime: “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got that Swing,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Mood Indigo” and more. Tickets and info at cso.org/jazzcyo

A Pop Icon!

‘Andy Warhol In Iran’

In 1976, the artist Andy Warhol, having re-invented himself as the portrait painter of the rich and famous, travels to Tehran to take Polaroids of the Shah of Iran’s wife. Amidst taking in the Crown Jewels and ordering room service caviar, Warhol encounters a young revolutionary who throws his plans into turmoil, and opens the pop icon’s eyes to a world beyond himself. January 19 - February 19 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie. Sundays at 2:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 1 & 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays at 2:30 & 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35 at northlight.org

Celebrate M L K!!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance

“So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote I do not possess myself. I cannot make up my mind—it is made up for me,” said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his “Give Us the Ballot Address” May 17, 1957 in Washington, D.C. “I cannot live as a democratic citizen, observing the laws I have helped to enact—I can only submit to the edict of others.”

Shriver Center on Poverty Law CEO Audra Wilson, a public interest lawyer and teacher, policy shaper, community mobilizer and executive manager, will speak from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, January 17 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., and on Zoom. Also giving remarks will be the DePaul College of Law Racial Justice Initiative’s Manoj Mate, associate professor of law and faculty director; and Nathan Bennett Fleming, racial justice fellow. Register by January 16 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-mlk-remembrance-tickets-479959891957

Chicago's Got Talent!

New Faces Sing Broadway 1951

Now in its eighth season, Porchlight Music Theatre’s "New Faces Sing Broadway" series returns, taking audiences on a musical journey from the start to the finish of an entire Broadway season in 90 minutes. Host David Girolmo will introduce the audience to the next generation of Chicago music theatre artists while serving as the guide to the stars, songs and stories of the past. "New Faces Sing Broadway 1951" includes hit songs from the golden age of Broadway musicals including “Guys and Dolls,” “The King & I,” “Paint Your Wagon” and others. The show takes place Monday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Evanston SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. in Evanston and Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario St. Single tickets to the performance at Evanston SPACE are $37 and at The Arts Club are $70. The Arts Club performance includes a pre-performance cocktail hour including appetizers, wine and soft drinks starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.