Arts & Entertainment
From an Ethiopian Circus to a Barrio Arts Festival, Here Are 7 Things to Do This Weekend
Barrio Arts Festival. (Nomee Photography)
A circus hits town this week, leading the way for a wide spectrum of spectacle. Throw in the odd cultural curveball, and — unless you’re watching WTTW — you have no reason to stay at home this weekend.
25th Anniversary Barrio Arts Festival – Humboldt Park
A wealth of talent from Puerto Rico and Chicago hits the stage outside the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. Music includes Latin soul from Calma Carmona, traditional Puerto Rican plena, a steel drum band, and songs of resilience and celebration. Plus, dominoes, vendors, salsa lessons ... and it’s free. Don’t miss the museum inside the historic Humboldt Park building. Saturday and Sunday, July 12-13
“White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” – TUTA Theatre
TUTA presents fearless, challenging theater. Here, they offer an unusual theatrical attempt that sounds like an actor’s worst nightmare. Each show is performed cold by a different actor — no rehearsal, no sets, no director. Written by an Iranian playwright who was forbidden to leave his country, it’s a metaphorical play about identity and power dynamics. TUTA, by the way, stands for The Utopian Theatre Asylum. Sundays and Mondays through Aug. 11
Circus Abyssinia. (David Rubene)
“Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
A globe-trotting circus troupe brings daredevil acrobatics to Navy Pier, and it’s all set to Ethiopian music and rhythms. Through sheer human spectacle (no animal acts), two brothers show and tell how they enlisted other performing artists from their homeland to form Circus Abyssinia, named for the historical title of the Ethiopian Empire in the Horn of Africa. Through Aug. 3
“Twisted Melodies” – Northlight Theatre, Skokie
The brilliant vocalist and songwriter Donny Hathaway is remembered in a one-man show about the singer’s inspiring music and personal struggles. Set in 1979, “Twisted Melodies” stars Kelvin Roston Jr. and was directed by Ron OJ Parson — two impactful Chicago artists who make this a solid bet. Expect to be lifted up by performances of soul-stirring classics including “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” and “The Closer I Get to You.” Through Aug. 10
Mela – Chicago Women’s Park and Gardens
Mela means festival, and this lovely park in the Prairie District will come alive with music from Bollywood, Sufi songs and a local Indian pop band with the intriguing name Do the Needful — plus dance and popular headliners Funkadesi. The fest comes from the Kalapriya Center for Indian Performing Arts, where arts traditions embrace ahimsa, the Hindu belief in love and compassion toward all living things — what a concept! Saturday, July 12, noon to 8 p.m.
(Courtesy of the South Side Home Movie Project)
“The Act of Recording is an Act of Love”– Logan Center for the Arts
Explore archival films and stories of Chicago preserved by the South Side Home Movie Project — which was started 20 years ago by professor Jacqueline Stewart, former president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. This exhibit on the University of Chicago campus showcases compelling home movies shot by South Siders from the 1930s to the ‘80s. The sweet title of the show comes from a quote by musician and poet Jamila Woods. Through Aug. 24.
“Waters of the Abyss” (and more) – Chicago Cultural Center
Remember: There are always free, quality art shows at the Cultural Center. Two current standouts: “Waters of the Abyss,” an exhibition by Haitian-born artist Fabiola Jean-Louis that explores spiritual freedom (through Sept. 21), and “Live! On Paper,” which presents Chicago artist Tom Torluemke’s ecstatic paintings on paper (through Aug. 10). Plus, the building is fun to explore, and it’s home to Buddy, a friendly shop that showcases local artists and makers.
Marc Vitali is the JCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation Arts Correspondent.
