14 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Weekend
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 6, 2015 3:20PM
Courtroom drama 'Never The Sinner' opens at Victory Gardens Theater on Friday. Photo via the theater's website.
You might think the weekend is for resting, until you see the list of events we've got lined up. Music, theater, film and more beg to be added to your weekend plans.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6
LUNCH PARTY: Wired Fridays, the city’s lunchtime electronic DJ event, has it’s monthly date at the Chicago Cultural center at noon. Derrick Carter, coming off a residency at Smart Bar, will provide the beats. Free.
BUT I LOVE THIS ARTIST: One of this year’s biggest breakout music acts, The Weeknd, plays the United Center at 7:30 p.m. The Madness Fall Tour takes us through his debut album, Beauty Behind The Madness, that makes everything bad for you sound so good. Banks and Travis Scott also play. Tickets start at $39.50.
THEATER: Chicago has plenty of horrific murder tales in it’s history, but only one is called the crime of the century. Never The Sinner, which opens Friday night at Victory Gardens Theater, follows the courtroom drama that unfolded after the chilling 1924 murder of Bobby Franks by two wealthy college students. The bizarre relationship between the accused—Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb—is at the center of the story. Tickets are $20-$60. The play runs through Dec. 6.
DANCE LEGEND: Twyla Tharp's 50th Anniversary Tour makes its Chicago stop this weekend on the Auditorium Theatre stage. The theatre and Ravinia Festival have co-commissioned two new works from the renowned ballet and modern dance choreographer that will make their Chicago premiere tonight. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening, with two more performances scheduled for the weekend. Tickets begin at $33.
MONTY PYTHON COMEDIAN: Actor and The Monty Python co-founder John Cleese performs at Athenaeum Theatre in support of his auto-biography, So, Anyway. The famed Brit will take fans on a walk down memory lane with material from the book. 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $55.
ROCK + AUCTION: Foundations of Music hosts the 27th Annual Rock for Kids Auction at Park West beginning with entertainment and a pre-party at 6:30 p.m. The nonprofit provides music education for underserved students in Chicago Public Schools. There will be a a live auction, silent auction and super silent auction with items up for bid ranging from trip packages for two to the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards, to a Foo Fighters Limited Edition Lithograph signed at Wrigley Field. Tickets are $150 per person or $100 per person for guests under 30.
Jessica Lang Dance. Photo via Harris Theater's facebook.
DANCE + ARCHITECTURE: Jessica Lang Dance performs a full-length program that includes the premiere of Tesseracts of Time tonight at Harris Theater. The new collaboration between choreographer Jessica Lang and architect Steven Holl was commissioned by the Chicago Architecture Biennial and merges the two worlds in four stages: Under, In, On and Over. 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35.
BOURBON + BURGERS: If you ask us, bourbon goes with anything, but it goes especially well with burgers. Rockit Burger Bar thinks so too, so they’re hosting a four-course beer, burger and bourbon dinner from Chef Amanda Downing with beef sliders at the center of the menu. The ‘BBB’ series dinner will feature drink pairings with each course. Tickets are $50.
COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL: New 400 Theater hosts the Chicago Comedy Film Festival all weekend in Rogers Park. Grab a drink at the fest’s opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. before the first round of films, including tonight’s feature, Winning Formula. No ticket necessary for the reception, but tickets for screenings start at $12 each.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7
GEAR SWAP: Attention musicians (and those of us who perhaps had musical aspirations at some point): Schubas Tavern is holding a gear swap today at 11 a.m. Bring in that old gear you’ve got laying around and make some cash or trade up. Local vendors will also be buying and selling. Revolution Brewing will provide the brews while you swap.
THEATER: Immigration is a hot-button political issue, but we don’t often hear how the people living it are affected, especially the kids. “New Kid” from Adventure Stage Chicago tells a story of coming to America from the perspective of a sixth grader. The play opens at Vittum Theater Saturday at 4 p.m. and the run continues through Nov. 21. Tickets are $17 for adults, $12 for kids.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 8
David Mitchell. Photo courtesy of Unabridged Bookstore.
AN EVENING WITH: Unabridged Bookstore and Music Box Theater have teamed up to present an evening with bestselling author David Mitchell and writer/director Lana Wachowski (The Matrix Trilogy, Bound, V for Vendetta, Sense8). They’ll discuss Mitchell’s latest novel, Slade House, as well as literature and art. The pair worked together in the past to bring Mitchell’s novel, Cloud Atlas, to the screen. 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 with a copy of Slade House.
POP UP MARKET: Grab lunch (and a boozy float) while you start your holiday shopping early. New Logan Square sandwich shop Wyler Road has teamed up with Amuse Market for a special holiday Pop Up Market. A dozen local artisans will be selling wares including house wares, jewelry, textiles and more. 12 to 5 p.m. Free.
PRESIDENTIAL BUS TOUR: Forgotten Chicago hosts a bus tour exploring the rise of Barack Obama in Chicago. The tour will visit spots from his beginnings as a community organizer in Altgeld Gardens and Pullman to Hyde Park where he taught at the University of Chicago and won his first election. Tour begins at 10 a.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center downtown. Tickets are $65 and include lunch at Valois, one of Obama’s favorite restaurants.