Arts & Entertainment
From an Inaugural Comedy Fest to a Parade With Priscilla Presley, Here Are 6 Picks for Local Arts Events
The Des Plaines Theatre is celebrating 100 years. (Jim Summaria)
There are enough weird and wonderful things on this week’s list to cram 10 pounds of art into a five-pound bag. (Apologies to the Muses for that terrible metaphor). Seriously, if you want to laugh, hear new sounds or simply watch a parade with Priscilla Presley and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees, we’ve got you covered. And if you think we’re joking about that last one, read on.
Windy City Comedy Fest – Various locations
Seven venues host comedians from Chicago and beyond at this inaugural festival. Fifty performers were selected from 500 submissions, and these joke-slingers will shoot for laughs at the Den Theater, the Annoyance Theatre and Lincoln Lodge, among others. We could all use a chuckle — and if the fest takes off, you’ll have bragging rights to say you were there when it all started. Aug. 7-10
Sound & Gravity Launch Party – Rockwell on the River
Sound & Gravity is a new festival coming in September. Get a preview of the fest at this launch party with performances by Chicago music makers Sharp Pins and Ben LaMar Gay along with DJ sets by Smashed Plastic. If you’re open to adventurous music, you should dig this sound sampler from Constellation and Pitchfork Festival’s Mike Reed. Free with an RSVP. Aug. 12
NEXUS Chamber Music Festival – Guarneri Hall
Seeking an intimate music venue hiding in plain sight? Grab one of the 60 seats at downtown’s acoustically impeccable Guarneri Hall. NEXUS Chamber Music is the hall’s ensemble-in-residence, and this is their eighth annual fest of rarely heard chamber music. This year they explore themes of hope and renewal via string quartets, quintets and duos. Aug. 8 and 12 (and Aug. 13 in Winnetka)
Alexander Hersh and Brian Hong. (Courtesy of NEXUS Chamber Music)
“Frontieres Sans Frontieres” – Theatre Y
If you like your theater daring, take a chance on “Frontieres Sans Frontieres” (“Borders Without Borders”), a story of cultural imperialism from the fearless folks at Theatre Y. Three orphans build a life out of recreation and mischief-making in the abstract yet familiar world they live in. A dark comedy of the absurd in an unusual theater space on Cermak Road. Through Aug. 24
“MJ” – Nederlander Theatre
If you like your theater not-so-daring, the “MJ” musical is back. Michael Jackson is the star of a story that has the good sense to end before things get messy. An overloaded creative team — does a jukebox musical really require the talents of Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage? — but it’s a blast, and “Dancing Machine” alone is almost worth the price of admission, which ain’t cheap. Aug. 12-14
Des Plaines Theatre Centennial Celebration – Des Plaines
The theater celebrates 100 years with a screening of the silent film “Are Parents People?” Great title — but wait, there’s more! How about a parade with “Charlie Chaplin” and vintage autos led by grand marshals Priscilla Presley, Jim Peterik, and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees? At night there’s a ticketed concert called “Through the Decades” with Micky, Priscilla, Peterik’s garage rock superstars and Danny Seraphine of the band Chicago. This sounds insanely fun or quite possibly just insane. Aug. 9
Marc Vitali is the JCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation Arts Correspondent.
