Things to Do in Chicago Feb. 9-15 — The Mix

The Joffrey Ballet, ‘Les Mis’ and a full-on staging of “Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till” are among the entertainment highlights in the week ahead.

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Alberto Velazquez and ensemble in the Joffrey Ballet’s “Anna Karenina.” Photo by Cheryl Mann 

Alberto Velazquez and ensemble in the Joffrey Ballet’s “Anna Karenina.”

Cheryl Mann

Theater

“Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till,” by Collaboraction Theatre.

“Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till,” by Collaboraction Theatre.

Joel Maisonet

  • In December, Collaboraction Theatre and WMAQ-Channel 5 won a regional Emmy Award for the teleplay staging of “Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till,” an adaptation drawn entirely from the actual trial transcript from The State of Mississippi vs. Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. Now a fully produced immersive stage version, co-directed by Anthony Moseley and Dana Anderson, runs Feb. 9-19 at the DuSable Black History Museum, 740 E. 56th. Tickets: $30-$55. Visit collaboraction.org.
Elizabeth Laidlaw, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel and Genevieve VenJohnson in “Fen” at Court Theatre.

Elizabeth Laidlaw, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel and Genevieve VenJohnson in “Fen” at Court Theatre.

Joe Mazza

  • Caryl Churchill’s “Fen” is set on the marshy fens of 1980s England where ghosts of the past haunt the women who labor as tenant farmers in the potato fields and where one woman seizes on a chance to escape the bonds of work, poverty and family. Vanessa Stalling directs. From Feb. 10-March 5 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis. Tickets $40.50-$82. Visit courttheatre.org.
  • Steppenwolf for Young Adults presents Mahogany L. Browne’s adaptation of “Chlorine Sky,” her young adult novel, a coming-of-age story about two girls (Akili Ni Mali, Destini Huston) who are best friends — until they aren’t. Ericka Ratcliff directs. From Feb. 14-March 11 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted. Tickets: $20, $5 for teens (through Teen Arts Pass) and college students. Visit steppenwolf.org.
“Les Miserables” at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

“Les Miserables” at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

  • Cameron Mackintosh’s staging of Alain Boubill and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s “Les Miserables,” set in 19th century France, is a story of broken dreams, passion, sacrifice and redemption. From Feb. 15-March 5 at Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph. Tickets: $35-$106. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.
  • “Right to Be Forgotten” is Sharyn Rothstein’s drama about a young man (Derril Lark), who is haunted by a teenage internet mistake and goes to extraordinary lengths to erase his indiscretion. Sarah Gitenstein directs. From Feb. 9-March 26 at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark. Tickets: $40. Visit raventheatre.com.
  • The comedy “Men Are from Mars — Women Are from Venus Live!” pokes lighthearted fun at the battle of the sexes. From Feb. 14-19 at Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut. Tickets: $59+. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.
  • MPAACT presents Addae Moon’s “Ezekiel’s Wheel,” a drama about two brothers searching for their kidnapped father while also navigating a strained sense of loyalty and a prophecy they are beholden to but refuse to embrace. Lauren “LL” Lundy directs. To March 5 at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $30-$42. Visit mpaact.org.
  • A Red Orchid Theatre presents “Act Five,” an experimental piece that imagines an Act Five of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchid.” Dado directs. From Feb. 15-March 9 at Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California. Tickets: $25. Visit aredorchidtheatre.org.
  • “Physician Magician” is an evening of magic and ideas performed by Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, who returns with a new show including never-before-seen illusions and signature classics. From Feb. 9-April 1 at Rhapsody Theater, 128 W. Morse. Tickets: $60-$75. Visit rhapsodytheatre.com.

Dance

  • The Joffrey Ballet remounts Yuri Possokhov’s “Anna Karenina,” a full-length ballet based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy. An original score by Ilya Demutsky is performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra. From Feb. 15-26 at Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker. Tickets: $36+. Visit joffrey.org.
  • The all-male ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo blends drag, satire, comedy and rigorous technique to both parody and pay homage to classical ballet. At 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells. Tickets: $30-$76. Visit auditoriumtheatre.org.
  • Staycee Pearl Dance Project and Soy Sos perform “Circles: Going In,” a work that layers dance, visual arts and a live score with snapshots of popular culture seen through Pearl’s lens as a Black woman. At 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10-11 at Dance Center at Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan. Tickets: $30, $10 students. Visit dance.colum.edu.

Music

Mestisay. Courtesy of AMK Produccion

Olga Cerpa and Mestisay.

Courtesy of AMK Produccion

  • This year’s edition of the Chicago Latino Music Series, a yearlong program that presents a wide overview of the many musical styles of the Latino diaspora, kicks off with Olga Cerpa and Mestisay, an ensemble that blends the traditional rhythms of the Canary Islands with those of Portugal, Mexico, Cuba and Africa. Lero Martinez Roldan and the Ruiz Belvis Bomba Collective open at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4048 W. Armitage. Tickets: $10. Visit latinoculturalcenter.org.
Anna Mieke. Photo by lluis Tudela

Anna Mieke.

lluis Tudela Photo

  • Irish singer-songwriter Anna Mieke tours behind her otherworldly new album, “Theatre,” a compilation of alt-folk tunes that are lyrically ornate and where gritty reality and romanticism meet. The twin-sister duo Maeve & Quinn open at 8 p.m. Feb. 10, Old Town School of Folk Music, 4545 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $22. Visit oldtownschool.org.

Museums & Galleries

“Keeper of the Code: Paintings” is the first solo exhibit by jazz musician/composer Roscoe Mitchell.

“Keeper of the Code: Paintings” is the first solo exhibit by jazz musician/composer Roscoe Mitchell.

Chase Heishman

  • “Keeper of the Code: Paintings” is the first solo exhibit to showcase the visual art of legendary jazz musician/composer Roscoe Mitchell. Off time during the pandemic afforded Mitchell the chance to return to his colorful, playful work. Also featured are five films of Mitchell performing in various contexts. To March 11 at Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2156 W. Fulton. Admission is free. Visit corbettvsdempsey.com.
Nikko Washington’s artwork is featured in the immersive installation, “Battle Royale,” at the WNDR Museum.

Nikko Washington’s artwork is featured in the immersive installation “Battle Royale” at the WNDR Museum.

  • WNDR Museum partners with The New Vanguard to present artwork by local BIPOC artists for a yearlong collaboration. First up is Nikko Washington’s immersive installation “Battle Royale,” which captures moments within the world of boxing through visual, auditory and physical works. To March 20 at WNDR Museum, 1130 W. Monroe. Admission: $32+, $22+ ages 3-12, 2 and under free. Visit wndrmuseum.com.

Movies

“See You Friday, Robinson,” (A Vendredi, Robinson)” screens at the Festival of Films from Iran.

“See You Friday, Robinson (A Vendredi, Robinson)” screens at the Festival of Films from Iran.

Provided

  • Festival of Films from Iran kicks off with “See You Friday, Robinson (A Vendredi, Robinson)” (Feb. 10, 12), Mitra Farahani’s film that documents the correspondence between two influential filmmakers: Jean-Luc Godard and Ebrahim Golestan. The roster also includes Abed Abest’s “Killing the Eunuch Khan,” Amir Naderi’s “The Runner (Davandeh),” Mani Haghighi’s “Subtraction,” Arian Vazidaftari’s “Without Her (Bi Roya)” and more. From Feb. 10-19 at Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. Tickets: $13. Visit siskelfilmcenter.org.
  • Galentine’s Dynamic Duos film series features five films that run the gamut of women’s relationships: Kirsten Dunst and Michele Williams in “Dick,” the Wachowski sisters’ lesbian heist film “Bound,” the Canadian feminist horror film “Ginger Snaps,” Claudia Weil’s “Girlfriends,” and Whit Stillman’s “The Last Days of Disco.” From Feb. 10-12 at Facets, 1517 W. Fullerton. Tickets: $12. Visit facets.org.

Family Fun

The Puppy Bowl. 

The Puppy Bowl.

Courtesy Anti-Cruelty Society

  • The Den Theatre and the Anti-Cruelty Society kick off Super Bowl Sunday with their first-ever Puppy Bowl, where bundles of four-legged cuteness battle it out for the championship title. Includes a brunch buffet, pet-friendly vendors and children’s activities. From 12:30-3 p.m. at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee. Tickets: $26, $19 children. Visit thedentheatre.com.
The Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Gardenin Glencoe. 

The Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.

Chicago Botanic Garden

  • Thousands of delicate tropical blooms fill the Chicago Botanic Garden’s greenhouses during The Orchid Show. From Feb. 11-March 26 at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe. Tickets: $19, $14 ages 3-12, 2 and under free. Visit chicagobotanic.org.
  • Long Grove’s annual Cocoa Crawl is a chance to explore the quaint small town while enjoying a chocolate hot beverage. Various cocoa creations are available at outdoor huts. From noon-4 p.m. Feb. 11 in downtown Love Grove, at the visitor’s center, 145 Old McHenry, Long Grove. Admission is free. Visit longgrove.org.
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