Theater
- The acclaimed 2022 Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical “Into the Woods” weaves together the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Reprising their Broadway roles are Montego Glover as The Witch, Stephanie J. Block as The Baker’s Wife, Sebastian Arcelus as The Baker and Gavin Creel as Cinderella’s Prince. From April 25-May 7 at Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph. Tickets: $32+. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.
- Roger Miller and William Hauptman’s musical “Big River,” based on Mark Twain’s classic “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” takes audiences down the mighty Mississippi as Huck and his friend Jim embark on suspenseful and heartwarming adventures. Christopher Chase Carter directs. From April 21-June 11 at Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport. Tickets: $39-$85. Visit mercurytheaterchicago.com.
- Based on a true story, “London Road” is Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork’s new experimental musical about the immense fear and media circus that unfolds following the serial murder of five sex workers in an English town. Directed by Elizabeth Margolius. From April 22-June 3 at Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. Tickets: $25. Visit sgtheatre.org.
- Scott Free and Marcus Waller’s “House Musical: Coming of Age in the Age of House” celebrates Chicago’s famed house music scene at the legendary Warehouse club. Dion Walton directs. From April 20-30 at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted. Tickets: $30. Visit centeronhalsted.org.
- MPAACT presents Tina Fakhrid-Deen’s “Dandelion,” a drama about a recovering addict who struggles to convince his family he is a changed man. Lauren Wells-Mann directs. From April 21-June 4 at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $30-$37. Visit greenhousetheater.org.
- “We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915” is Jackie Sibblies Drury’s provocative play about race, representation and the politics of empathy. From April 21-May 21 at Theatre Y, 3611 W. Cermak. Tickets: Free, donations welcome. Visit theatre-y.com.
- Honey West hosts Porchlight Music Theatre’s “New Faces Sing Broadway 1984,” an evening of tunes from shows including “La Cage Aux Folles” and “Sunday in the Park with George.” At 7:30 p.m. April 25 at Space, 1245 Chicago, Evanston, and 7:30 p.m. April 26 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee. Tickets: $37. Visit porchlightmusictheatre.org.
- Magician Joshua Jay presents his new show “Look Closer,” in which the sleight-of-hand master invites you to look very, very closely as the shapes of tricks change the more you focus on them. Remember, he once fooled Penn & Teller. No easy feat. To April 30 at Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse. Tickets: $25-$75. Visit rhapsodytheater.com.
Dance
- “Rhythms of Resistance” features Dorrance Dance, Trinity Irish Dance Company and M.A.D.D. Rhythms joining forces to celebrate American tap dance and Irish step, and the similarities they share. At 7:30 p.m. April 22 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells. Tickets: $25-$69. Visit auditoriumtheatre.org.
- Ballet 5.8 presents “BareFace,” Rubio Slager’s full-length story ballet that uses the myth of Cupid and Psyche to examine love’s motivations, pitfalls and blind spots. At 7:30 p.m. April 22 at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph. Tickets: $15-$75. Visit harristheaterchicago.org.
- “Supreme Love” is Jumaane Taylor’s tap dance piece that honors John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” and draws inspiration from the legendary Tree of Life. Performed with a live quartet of musicians. At 7:30 p.m. April 20-21 at Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan. Tickets: $10, $30. Visit dance.colum.edu.
- “Black Coffee + Raw Sugar” is an evening of dance shorts from Black and brown Chicago movement artists and dancemakers. Presented are excerpts, works-in-progress or improvisations. At 7 p.m. April 24 at Links Hall, 3111 N. Western. Tickets: $15-$40. Visit linkshall.org.
Music
- Aerosmith guitarist and songwriter Joe Perry returns to the road to perform a setlist drawn from his vast catalog as well as tracks from his forthcoming album “Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII,” due out May 26. He’s joined on the Joe Perry Project tour by vocalist Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen), Buck Johnson (keyboards), Jason Sutter (drums) and David Hull (bass). At 7 p.m. April 20 at Des Plaines Theatre, 1476 Minor St., Des Plaines. Visit desplainestheatre.com. And at 8 p.m. April 21 at Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main, St. Charles. Tickets: $49-$89. Visit arcadalive.com.
- In the past, pop-jazz vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway has paid homage to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. She turns her attention to another of her inspirational icons in the new album “Fever — A Peggy Lee Celebration.” Callaway will pay tribute to Lee, who was called “the female Frank Sinatra,” at 7 p.m. April 23 at City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph. Tickets: $22-$28. Visit citywinery.com.
- Milwaukee-based Trapper Schoepp became the youngest musician to share a co-writing credit with Bob Dylan after putting music to a long-lost Dylan song called “On, Wisconsin” in 2019. Fortunately, Dylan agreed to jointly publish the song. Schoepp performs tunes from his new album “Siren Songs” at 8:30 p.m. April 22 at FitzGerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt. Tickets: $15. Visit fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.
Museums & Galleries
- The new exhibit “Shift: Music, Meaning, Content” examines how music changes in form and interpretation as it moves across different performers, cultures and eras. The artists include Bani Abidi, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Tony Cokes, Jeremy Deller, Hassan Hajjaj, Sven Johne, Andre Lutzen, Cecil McDonald Jr., Emeka Ogboh and Taryn Simon. To Aug. 6 at Museum of Contemporary Photography, 600 S. Michigan. Admission is free. Visit mocp.org.
- “Destination/El Destino: a decade of GRAFT” is the largest exhibition to date of the work of prolific Puerto Rican artist, educator and community organizer Edra Soto. Rooted in themes of cultural hybridity, the exhibition addresses the unsung influence of Afro-diasporic cultures on Puerto Rico’s decorative architecture. From April 22-Aug. 6 at Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell. Admission is free. Visit hydeparkart.org.
Movies
- Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival present the CineYouth Festival, a presentation of works created by young filmmakers ages 22 and under from Chicago and across the globe. The impressive roster includes 65 short films in 10 programming blocks plus workshops and filmmaker Q&As. From April 21-23 at Facets, 1517 W. Fullerton. The films also stream April 24-30. Admission is free. Visit chicagofilmfestival.com/cineyouth.
- “Family Matters: Asian American Shorts” showcases four films highlighting social issues facing the Asian American community: Christopher Hwisu Kim’s “Missile,” Hena Ashraf’s “The Return,” Maya Wanner’s “The Things I Haven’t Told You Yet” and Anne Hu’s “Lunchbox.” At 7 p.m. April 20 at Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center Chicago, Abbott Hall, 710 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Admission is free, but RSVP is required. Visit faaim.org/nwu-familymatters.
Family Fun
- Pixar Putt, the pop-up, open-air, mini-golf experience returns to Navy Pier (600 E. Grand) April 22-Sept. 10. The course features 18 interactive holes inspired by the stories and characters from Disney and Pixar’s animated films including “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles,” “Coco” and more. Open seven days a week weather permitting. Tickets: $22+. Visit pixarputt.com.
- Youtheatre presents “The Lightning Thief,” an adaptation of Rick Riordon’s best-selling children’s novel in which Percy Jackson learns he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 22 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets: $14-$26. Visit northshorecenter.org.
