Stories by Marc Vitali

Femme fatales and goddesses play for keeps at a new exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art. These deities and grande dames — etched in rock or molded from clay — are in Pilsen through July.

Mighty men and well-toned women paraded through the lobby of the Copernicus Center in Jefferson Park last Saturday, crossing paths with fans, supporters and vendors. The muscled masses were competitors in the Illinois State Championship of the National Physique Committee.

“Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective” places an important, underappreciated Chicago artist where she clearly belongs — in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. It’s the first full survey of Ramberg’s work in the nearly 30 years since her untimely death.

Sin and salvation form an odd power couple in Frank Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls,” a true classic of American musical theater that’s tuneful and fresh nearly 75 years after it premiered. And Drury Lane Theatre’s new staging of the beloved 1950 musical finds the funny in its sturdy old bones.

High above Michigan Avenue, artist Katie Chung pays tribute to the neighborhoods below. She uses many colors while keeping in mind Obangsaek, a color scheme known as the five cardinal colors of Korean culture.

It’s an inspiring spring at the Hyde Park Art Center, where two shows by essential Chicago artists are currently in bloom.

A magician who once worked in casino security is doubling down on revealing the secrets behind card tricks. And there’s a catch: Everyone must sign a confidentiality contract before the show.

The Newberry Library is raising a glass to the Chicago nightclub that helped shape American music and comedy. The new exhibition “A Night at Mister Kelly’s” is a swinging selection of artifacts and eye-opening information about the famous hotspot.

From its home in Oak Brook, the Lizzadro Museum spotlights a captivating collection of stones, both hand-carved and in their natural state. Jade carvings, cameos and dioramas live side-by-side with fossils and rough minerals.

“I’m so proud of being Irish when I think of her, her music, her principles, what she stood for and what it cost her,” artist Tony Fitzpatrick said.

In the same decade, two unassuming middle-aged men – Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith – joined forces to create Alcoholics Anonymous. A play at the Biograph Theater explores that time. 

Two large galleries showcase tricked-out vehicles, artifacts and gadgets from 25 films in the series, along with movie clips that set the scene.

Local legend Joe Mantegna is directing “I’m Not a Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce” starring Ronnie Marmo as the comedian who took a bullet for anyone who values free speech. Marmo also directs and stars in “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” the true story of the dramatic founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.

There was a charge in the air at Schubas Tavern on Saturday night. Maybe it was the singer with the electric chair tattooed on his chest. Brigitte Calls Me Baby played its first sold-out hometown show.

The spotlight shines brightly these days on Chicago band Brigitte Calls Me Baby. The group just had its national TV debut on “CBS Saturday Morning,” and the influential public radio station WXPN called the band “future rock royalty.”

Paris-based magician Alexandra Duvivier charms audiences with the art of close-up – or parlor – magic. She’s one of a growing number of women in the profession, and she even performed a trick that fooled famed duo Penn & Teller.

Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will devote an entire sale to Chicago artwork from the past 100+ years. The auction is titled “Elevated: Art Via Chicago.” 

The most famous ship in history is being remembered at the most famous shopping mall in Skokie. “Titanic: The Exhibition” just opened at Westfield Old Orchard.

Actor and Paralympic athlete Katy Sullivan portrays the ruthless Richard III at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Secrets and lies hide in plain sight in “Highway Patrol,” a can’t-miss mystery at the Goodman Theatre, writes WTTW News reporter Marc Vitali. It tells a true story centered around a puzzle that seems easy enough to solve. As the mystery morphs and raises new questions, it makes for a riveting evening of storytelling.

Perhaps the most anticipated show in Chicago this winter, “Illinoise” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater promises “a new kind of musical.” Dance and stories are woven into songs written by Sufjan Stevens from his beloved 2005 album “Illinois.”

“Route 66 was the first great American road trip,” said Amy Webb with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The trust is crowdsourcing Americans’ stories, memories and photos of the famous road that connected the Midwest to the West.

“If we didn’t take it, it would’ve gone to the scrap heap,” Gary Marine, Melrose Park’s director of public works, said of the historic Kiddieland sign that now lives in the Melrose Park Public Library parking lot.

Professional Bull Riders is a sports league based on the most popular event at rodeos: bull riding, the man-versus-beast contest in which a cowboy rides a bull in search of eight seconds of glory and a slice of prize money. A tour is coming to Rosemont Jan. 12-13.

Even an artistic genius gets by with a little help from his friends. “Picasso: Drawing from Life” spotlights the artist’s works on paper and explores the influence of friends, muses, fellow artists and dealers.

A 9-year-old orange tabby named Edgar spent a frosty night alone atop a utility pole in an alley earlier this week. WTTW News reporter Marc Vitali details Edgar’s rescue.