Things to do in Chicago Jan. 25-31: The Mix

Theater

Matt Murphy

• “Illinoise” is a musical based on Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed 2005 concept album of the same title which featured lush orchestrations and inventive portrayals of the state’s people, landscapes and history. New arrangements of the songs by composer-pianist Timo Andres are paired with Tony Award winner Justin Peck’s (“West Side Story”) original choreography to revisit the album’s themes of self-discovery. The book is by Peck, who also directs, and Jackie Sibblies Drury. From Jan. 28-Feb. 19 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand. Tickets: $45+. Visit chicagoshakes.com.
• Terrance Blanchard returns to the Lyric Opera with “Champion,” his new “opera in jazz.” Based on the true story of welterweight boxer Emile Griffith, it explores the fighter’s decades-long guilt after defeating a challenger who later died and his desperately conflicted feelings regarding his own sexuality. Justin Austin stars as Griffith; James Robinson directs. From Jan. 27-Feb. 11 at Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker. Tickets: $49+. Visit lyricopera.org.
• Sylvia Khoury’s “Selling Kabul,” a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist, is a drama about a former interpreter for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan who now, as a target of the Taliban, spends his days in hiding. When his son is born he must choose between staying safe or risking his life to meet his child. Hamid Dehghani directs. From Jan. 25-Feb. 25 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets: $49-$89. Visit northlight.org.

Jeffrey Kurysz

• Shattered Globe Theatre presents the Chicago debut of Mashuq Mushtaq’s “Flood,” an absurdist comedy about the relationship between two parents (Linda Reiter, H.B. Ward) and their grown children (Carl Collins, Sarah Patin), which dives into matters of love, companionship, gender and generational divides. Kenneth Prestininzi directs. From Jan. 25-March 9 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. Tickets: $15-$52. Visit sgtheatre.org.

Joe Mazza/brave lux inc.

• Mildred Marie Langford, Adhana Reid and Shariba Rivers portray 18 real-life people caught in America’s school-to-prison pipeline in Anna Deavere Smith’s “Notes from the Field.” Smith uses dialogue pulled from interviews she conducted to form this look at our failed justice system, police brutality and the ongoing fight for civil rights. Michael Burke directs. From Jan. 31-March 24 at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington. Tickets: $35-$67. Visit timelinetheatre.com.
• “Shimmer,” a new musical that looks at America’s history of discrimination, is based on the book of the same title by Sarah Schulman. The workshop staging features music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis and lyrics by Broadway’s Michael Korie. Jess McCloud directs. From Jan. 25-28 at Wirtz Center Chicago, 710 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Tickets: $8, $10. Visit wirtz.northwestern.edu/shimmer/.

Music

Alex Logaiski Photo

• After four decades as a background singer for The Rolling Stones, Chaka Khan and Tina Turner among others, Lisa Fischer’s career rerouted after she was featured in the 2013 documentary “20 Feet from Stardom.” Today, the powerhouse singer continues to hone her love of musical styles. Opening the show is Ranky Tanky, whose music celebrates the music of South Carolina’s Gullah culture. At 5 and 8 p.m. Jan. 28 at Space, 1245 Chicago, Evanston. Tickets: $25. Visit evanstonspace.com.
• Americana stalwarts Kieran Kane (The O’Kanes) and Rayna Gellert (Uncle Earl) first met at San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Since then they’ve cowritten songs for each other’s solo albums, which led to their duo albums, the most recent being 2022’s “The Flowers That Bloom in Spring.” At 4 p.m. Jan. 28 at FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt, Berwyn. Tickets: $25-$35. Visit fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.
• Violinist Viktoria Mullova joins with Music of the Baroque for performances of Bach’s Violin Concertos in A Minor and E Major. Works by French Baroque composers Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Phillippe Rameau round out the program. Jonathan Cohen conducts. At 3 p.m. Jan. 28 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie (sold out); 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph ($85) and 5 p.m. Feb. 2 on demand ($15). Visit baroque.org.

Glenn Ross Photo

• Indie duo Lucius celebrates the 10th anniversary of its breakthrough album, “Wildewoman,” which introduced its dream-pop sound centered around the luminescent harmonies of founders Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig. Jeff Taylor opens at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield. Tickets: $37.50-$60. Visit jamusa.com.

Koury Angelo Photo

• DJ Shadow tours behind his new album “Action Adventure,” which features 14 mostly instrumental tracks that highlight his continued evolution. Shadow has been called “one of music’s greatest innovators.” Holly opens at 8 p.m. Jan. 31 at Metro, 3730 N. Clark. Tickets: $39.50. Visit metrochicago.com.
• It’s an evening of funk, soul and R&B when two iconic bands — The Commodores and The Spinners — perform at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at Hard Rock Casino, 5400 W. 29th, Gary. Tickets: $69+. Visit ticketmaster.com.
• Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest features a swinging time with the American-infused Gypsy jazz of Harmonious Wail plus French singer Leila Duclos and English guitarist Robin Nolan. At 8 p.m. Jan. 29 City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph. Tickets: $25-$40. Visit citywinery.com.

Museums

• “Native America: In Translation,” an exhibit organized by Aperture, features works by nine Native artists who explore aspects of community, heritage and the legacy of colonialism in North America. By posing challenging questions, the artists probe the fraught history of photography in representing Indigenous populations. From Jan. 26-May 12 at Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College, 600 S. Michigan. Admission is free. Visit mocp.org.
• “A Love Supreme” is a solo exhibition by Norman Teague inspired by legendary jazz musician John Coltrane’s album of the same title to explore how his improvisational jazz and unapologetic Black aesthetics have inspired creative communities of color. An adjoining exhibit “A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined” features works by more than 30 Chicago-based artists. To April 28 at Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill, Elmhurst. Admission: $10-$18. Visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.

Movies

Universal Pictures

• Cli-Fi Lecture Series features a wide range of Cli-Fi films (fiction films about climate change), each followed by a lecture. The series includes Neill Blomkamp’s “Elysium,” Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Red Desert,” Jeff Nichols “Take Shelter,” Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer,” Hayao Miyazaki’s “Princess Mononoke,” Alfonso Cuaron’s “Children of Men,” Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” and more. From Jan. 30-May 7 at Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. Tickets: $15. For a complete list of films, visit siskelfilmcenter.org.
• A mini-retrospective of films by Chicago filmmaker Tom Palazzolo, who for decades has captured the absurdities of everyday life and the allure of public spectacles, includes his 1991 feature “Added Lesson” (5 p.m. Jan. 27 at Chicago Filmmakers, 1326 W. Hollywood, $10), his early experimental and documentary films (7 p.m. Jan. 27 at Chicago Filmmakers, $10) and his short films, which are a time capsule of Chicago in the late 1960s-1970s (3 p.m. Jan. 28, Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, $13). Palazzolo will take part in a Q&A after each screening. Visit chicagofilmarchives.org and siskelfilmcenter.org.

Family Fun

• TheaterWorks USA presents Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander’s “Dog Man: the Musical.” Based on the bestselling children’s graphic novels by Dav Pilkey, the musical follows the adventures of the title character, who with the head of a dog and the body of a policeman loves to fight crime. For ages 5+. From Jan. 31-Feb. 25 at Studebaker Theatre, 410 S. Michigan. Tickets: $44.50+. Visit fineartsbuilding.com/events.
• While the popularity of unicorns may be a mystery to some, to legions of young girls the mythical animal represents a dreamy, magical world which is brought to life at the immersive Unicorn World. The three-day event features life-size animatronic unicorns, rides and fun activities. From noon-5:30 p.m. Jan. 26, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Jan. 27 and 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand. Tickets: $36, free for 2 and under. Visit navypier.org/events/.