Need some ideas for what to do this weekend? Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on!
Director Calixto Bieito is known for the shocking and obscene in his productions, including one with Berlin sex workers. And Bieito’s first American show in over a decade, his adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real, is also provocative, with a number of sexual acts mimed on stage. Real, one of William’s lesser known plays, takes place in a small Latin American town, a purgatory populated by a mix of allegorical and literary characters, including Don Quixote and Casanova. Kilroy, an American boxer and former soldier, tries to escape Camino Real, with disastrous results. The show runs through April 8; tickets are $17-$57.
Goodman Theatre
170 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL 60601
This winter’s oddly warm weather won’t make this polar bear run into Lake Michigan any easier. Benefitting Special Olympics Chicago, plungers are asked to raise at least $125 for the Sunday morning run, and are thoughtfully given a warm towel after the event. Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey and Alderman Matthew O’Shea have said they will participate.
North Avenue Beach
1600 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60610
Most famously know for their collaboration with Steve Martin, bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers will play at the Old Town School of Folk Music Sunday. Serving on Martin’s house band on last year’s chart-topping Rare Bird Alert, the band has also headlined MerleFest and Bonaroo. Tickets are $22.
Old Town School of Folk Music
4544 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
Catch our segment on Louder Than a Bomb and want to hear more? The teen poetry slam wraps up its preliminary round this weekend, featuring Chicago students from almost every neighborhood. The student poets are like urban reporters, says festival founder Kevin Coval. “It’s like news bureaus from the block—you get firsthand, front-line reports of one it’s like to be a Chicagoan, in the broadest, broadest sense.” After the preliminaries, semifinals and finals will be held through March 10.Tickets are $5 for adults; $3 for students.
Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington St.
Chicago, IL 60602
Northwestern’s Hidden Treasures
It's not often you see a letter by George Washington, a limited edition Barbie doll and Groucho Marx's autograph as part of the same exhibit. But that's exactly what's on display as Northwestern University opens its library archives to the public. The collection also includes the first map of Illinois’ proposed boundaries, a book written by Theodor Seuss Geisel for WWII troops about the dangers of malaria, and a sketch by James Joyce of his character Leopold Bloom. The exhibit runs through March 15; admission is free.
Northwestern University Library
1970 Campus Drive
Evanston, IL 60208