Making entertainment plans for the coming week in Chicago? Here are some cool things to consider for Jan. 11-17:
Music: ‘Three Women and the Truth’ and song
Three powerful songwriters and longtime friends — Mary Gauthier, Eliza Gilkyson and Gretchen Peters — come together for an in-the-round performance they’re calling Three Women and the Truth. Known for their honest and reflective songs, they’ll pepper their conversation with stories and perform selections from their expansive songbooks. It’s a guarantee; there’ll be no bad songs here. At 8 p.m. Jan. 11, City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph. Tickets: $25-$35.
Theater for the kiddies: ‘We Found a Hat’
Lifeline Theatre’s KidSeries continues with “We Found a Hat,” Jessica Wright Buha’s adaptation of Jon Klassen’s popular children’s book. The story follows two desert tortoises, the best of friends, who face a dilemma when they find a hat but only one of them can wear it. The tale of teamwork and sacrifice is performed with live music. Jan. 12-Feb. 17 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 Glenwood. Tickets: $15.
Movies: ‘Roma’ on the really big screen
One of the most talked about and highly praised films of the awards season is Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” his autobiographical story set in Mexico City in the ‘70s that follows a young domestic worker in a time of political turmoil. The film has been playing in local theaters and, of course, on Netflix. And now, it comes to an even bigger screen as the Music Box Theatre offers a weekend of 70mm screenings on its wall-to-wall 36-foot screen. At 1:45, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11-13, Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. Tickets: $15.
Theater: A Mister-y show
The TV star performing sketches and music in town this weekend prefers to stay anonymous, but diehard fans will get the drift of his revue title: “The Van Hammersly Comedy Mashup.” Shows earlier in the week already have sold out, so if you’d like to catch him at 8 p.m. Jan. 12 at Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont, you’d BETTER CALL (773) 697-9693 for tickets, $20.
Clasical music: The Trio Celeste
Since its founding in 2012, the young chamber ensemble, Trio Celeste, has gained a reputation for its enterprising and exciting work. A mini-residency at the University of Chicago featuring the trio — Iryna Krechkovsky (violin), Ross Gasworth (cello) and Kevin Kwan Loucks (piano) — culminates in a performance of works by Rachmaninoff, Pierre Jalbert and Tchaikovsky. At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11, Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th. Tickets: $10-$38.
Dance: Ragamala Dance Company
Now in its 26th season, Ragamala Dance Company is known for digging deep into the myth and spirituality of the South Indian dance form Bharatanatyam. Founder Ranee Ramaswamy and daughter Aparna Ramaswamy’s choreography is imaginative and mesmerizing in “Written in Water,” an original work inspired by the Indian board game Paramapadam, and also drawing from 12th century Sufi texts and Hindu mythology. At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12 and 2 p.m. Jan. 13, Harris Theatre, 205 E. Randolph. Tickets, $10-$135.
Theater: Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
The massive festival gets underway with Heather Henson’s IBEX Puppetry and “Ajijaak on Turtle Island,” a family-friendly music-laced spectacle featuring performers and elements from the Ojibwe, Lakota and Cherokee Nations about the connections between the sand hill cranes, earth and its indigenous people. Jan. 17-20 at Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan. Tickets: $30, $40. More than 20 companies perform during the festival running Jan. 17-27. For a complete schedule, visit chicagopuppetfest.org.
Music/comedy: Tomorrow Never Knows
The music doldrums of January are once again resuscitated by Tomorrow Never Knows, the annual music and comedy festival that features rising local indie artists and national acts. The Jan. 16-20 festival takes place at Lincoln Hall, Schubas, Metro, Smartbar, Hideout and Sleeping Village. Among the more than 55 acts are Bad Bad Hats, Cave, Helen Money, Jordana, Panic Priest, Taylor Bennett and Wild Pink. Ticket prices vary.
Mary Houlihan is a local freelance writer.
