Arts & Entertainment Recommendations

Road Trip!

‘The Negro Motorist Green Book’

“The Negro Motorist Green Book,” an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with award-winning author, photographer, and cultural documentarian Candacy Taylor, is com ing to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, January 29 through April 23. The exhibit offers viewers an opportunity to travel back in time through the perspective of the traveler; viewers will experience the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-20th century America and how the annual guide served as an indispensable resource for the nation’s rising African American middle class. The exhibition, through artifacts, historic footage, and firsthand accounts, expresses not only the apprehension felt by African American travelers, but also the resilience, innovation and elegance of people choosing to live a full American existence. It will bring focus to a vibrant parallel world of African American businesses, the rise of the Black leisure class in the United States, and the important role “The Green Book” played in facilitating the second wave of the Great Migration. Free with museum admission. www.ilholocaustmuseum.org

Venture to the Black Forest!

‘Hansel and Gretel’

When this universally cherished production debuted 20 years ago, it captivated Chicago audiences. It did the same in 2012, and this season it returns again by popular demand. This rivetingly modern, astonishingly inventive view of the Brothers Grimm’s fairytale features an eye-popping production that does full justice to Humperdinck’s glorious score. You’ll be rooting for Hansel and Gretel at every moment in their battle against the witch in the massive, industrial-strength kitchen, and you’ll be moved by the “Dream Ballet.” From the exquisite “Evening Prayer” to the uproarious “Witch’s Ride,” this ever-fresh, whimsical masterpiece is packed with musical gems that make it a wonderful introduction to opera for audiences of all ages. There are six performances in this limited run: January 25 & 27 at 7 p.m., 29 at 2 p.m., February 1 at 2 p.m., 3 at 7 p.m., and 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $40 at lyricopera.org

About A Boy!

‘Albert Herring’

Chicago Opera Theater launches its milestone 50th Anniversary year with Benjamin Britten’s “Albert Herring” at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Envisioned by director Stephen Sposito as an indie film in the vein of Wes Anderson and the Cohen Brothers, audiences are invited to the town of Loxford, England where none of the young ladies live up to Lady Billows’ inscrutable moral standards to be crowned May Queen. Peculiarly, the grocer’s son, Albert Herring, fits the bill and a May King is crowned. After being thoroughly mocked by his friends for receiving the honor, Albert takes his first steps into independence by embarking on a night of debauchery. There are three performances only, January 26 at 7:30 p.m., January 28 & 29 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 - $165 with discounts available for groups, subscribers, and students, at chicagooperatheater.org

A Homerun!

‘Toni Stone’

The sensational true story of the first woman to play professional baseball knocks it out of the park as a can’t-miss theatrical event. Toni Stone is an encyclopedia of baseball stats. She’s got a great arm. And she doesn’t understand why she can’t play with the boys. Rejected by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because of her race, Toni sets out to become the first woman to play in baseball’s Negro Leagues. Challenges on and off the field—from hostile crowds to players who slide spikes-first—only steel her resolve to shatter racist and sexist barriers in the sport she’s loved since childhood. An original play inspired by the book “Curveball, The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone” by Martha Ackmann. Playing January 28 - February 26: Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays 2 & 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 & 7:30 p.m., with other select special performance times available, at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets start at $20 at goodmantheatre.org/Toni

Spin, Spin Sugar!

‘Radial Gradient’

Shattered Globe Theatre presents the world premiere of Jasmine Sharma’s introspective and empowering play “Radial Gradient,” directed by Grace Dolezal-Ng. Three women enter a research study hoping to create positive change after a hate crime at a liberal university in America. Timelines in 2017 and 2020 intertwine as participants unravel their complicated shared friendships and histories. Jasmine Sharma's new play challenges what complicity looks like – what do we do if it looks like us? “Radial Gradient” will play January 27 – March 11 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Thursday - Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m., $45 at theaterwit.org

South Side Sci Fi!

Las Wavys

W hen a villainous group of aliens threatens the planet, four students from the South Side of Chicago band together to become Las Wavys, a quartet of crime-fighting, DJ superheroes. With the power of music, friendship, and some fancy extraterrestrial technology, Gloria and her friends must save the day before the aliens take over the city! Written by Ricardo Gamboa, directed by Coya Paz, and presented by the Theatre School at DePaul University. Playing every Saturday & Sunday at 2 p.m. through February 11 at the Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Ave. Tickets are $12 at theatre.depaul.edu

Dive On In!

22nd Annual Chicago Polar Bear Club Polar Plunge

Each year, the Chicago Polar Bear Club raises funds from hundreds of plungers and their families/friends to support local families challenged by difficult circumstances. Since its first fundraising Plunge in 2003, the CPBC has raised over $525,000, with 100% of proceeds going directly to local families in need. This year the nonprofit group aims to raise $35,000 to support three local families: the Garcia, Cantave, and Meeks families. Donations may be made at www.chicagobolarbearclub.com, where you can also register to take the plunge. The plunge takes place on Saturday, January 28 at noon at Oak Street Beach, 1000 N. Lake Shore Drive, followed by a free after-party at Old Town Pub, 1339 N. Wells St.

Resilience On Film!

‘National Geographic Live - Greenwood: A Century of Resilience’

The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, presents “National Geographic Live – Greenwood: A Century of Resilience” with Tulsa-based archaeologist Dr. Alicia Odewale. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, herself, Dr. Odewale continues to uncover stories of resilience in the hundred years since the 1921 attack on the "Black Wall Street" in the city’s historic Greenwood district. Considered one of the worst episodes of racial violence committed against Black people in American history, the Tulsa Race Massacre left a devastating toll on generations of survivors and their descendants and impacted the very footprint of the district itself. Sunday, January 29, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 or $48, and are available at auditoriumtheatre.org

Art Meets Science!

‘The Heart’s Knowledge’

For American artist Dario Robleto, artists and scientists share a common aspiration: to increase the sensitivity of their observations. Throughout the history of scientific invention, instruments like the cardiograph and the telescope have extended the reach of perception from the tiniest stirrings of the human body to the farthest reaches of space. In his prints, sculptures, and video and sound installations, Robleto contemplates the emotional significance of these technologies, bringing us closer to the latent traces of life buried in the scientific record. “The Heart’s Knowledge” concentrates on histories of medicine, biomedical engineering, sound recording, and space exploration. The exhibit marks the culmination of Robleto’s five-year engagement as Artist-at-Large in Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. Now showing through July 9 at The Block Museum, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Wed - Fri noon - 8 p.m., Sat & Sun noon - 5 p.m. FREE. For more information, visit blockmuseum.northwestern.edu

Compiled by Dave Hamilton