5 things to do today: Wednesday, June 5
ART & DESIGN
"Laura Aldridge, Sara Barker, Sue Tompkins" Liz Mulholland organized this exhibition by three U.K.-based artists. Viewable by appointment only. Contact tha gallery to schedule a viewing. Shane Campbell Gallery. Noon–6pm.
BOOKS
Susan Nussbaum Nussbaum reads from her acclaimed novel Good Kings Bad Kings, which won the 2012 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. It follows the trials and triumphs of a group of young adults with disabilities who live in an institution on Chicago's South Side. Women and Children First. 7:30pm.
5 comedy shows to see this week
Lili-Anne Brown and Timothy Sniffen in The Second City Guide to the Opera
1. Chicago Women's Funny Festival
After the inaugural fest's success in 2012, Stage 773 hosts a second go-round of this celebration of ladies in comedy, encompassing sketch, standup, improv and more. Stage 773. June 6–9. Various shows hourly. $14–$15.
2. The Second City Guide to the Opera
This collaboration between unlikely bedfellows Second City and the Lyric Opera works as both intro course and master class. Read our new review. Civic Opera House. Through June 30. Thu, Fri 7:30pm; Sat 7pm; Sun, Mon 7:30pm. $35–$75.
3. Dummy + Cook County Social Club
Expert duo Dummy (Colleen Doyle and Jason Shotts) and stalwart quartet Cook County Social Club team up for a joint session of high-octane improv. iO Cabaret. June 7. 8pm. $14.
4. Same Sex, Different Gays
The pH musical sketch show about LGBT relationships returns for a summer run. pH Comedy Theater. June 8. 9:30pm. $15, students $10.
5. Here Is Your Alibi
This new monthly comedy showcase, first Fridays in a storefront space just off the Thorndale stop on the Red Line, looks promising. Plus, it's free and BYOB. The inaugural lineup includes Ian Abramson, Tim Barnes, Rebecca O'Neal, Chris Condren and Candy Lawrence. The Frontier. June 7. 8pm. Free.
Pride Month: Your guide to the gayest month of the year
The 43rd Annual Pride Parade, June 24, 2012
Pride Month is underway: For LGBTQ Chicagoans, June is bustin' out all over with celebrations, culminating in the city's 44th annual Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30. We've put together a one-stop guide to the month's big gay events, our picks for Chicago's best gay bars, queer nightlife, theater, comedy and more. We'll even help you decide where to brunch the day of the parade. So many reasons to be proud.
Summer festival calendar for Chicago 2013
Summer festivals: Don't get lost in the crowd this year.
Festival fatigue is like a seasonal allergy in this city.
Back in 2010, I examined the Chicago phenomenon of neighborhood street fest déjà vu—"why every weekend, all summer long, you end up eating the same vendor food, drinking the same overpriced beer, watching the same old ’80s cover bands and rubbing shoulders with the same 'Whoo!'-ing bros." This year, without really trying, you could wander into several sets by Sixteen Candles and Wedding Banned. (I dig "Livin' on a Prayer" as much as the next red-blooded American with his six-string in hock, but once annually live is my limit.)
The quickest cure for the creeping familiarity? Staying informed. Check out Time Out's comprehensive 2013 Chicago summer festival guide. In addition to a monthly fest calendar, you'll find Lollapalooza recommendations, a Pride month (yes, month!) companion, tips on surviving the Taste of Chicago and a rundown of which Just for Laughs events deserve your funny money. A little fest planning goes a long way toward keeping your summer from turning into a really sweaty Groundhog Day.
RECOMMENDED: Chicago events calendar of things to do in 2013.
Little Goat Bread opening at the French Market on Friday
Shrimp sandwich at Little Goat Bread
There always have been diamonds in the fluorescent rough that is the French Market (like this pastrami, for one), but with the opening of a location of Stephanie Izard's Little Goat Bread this Friday, the indoor food marketplace seems to finally be achieving its potential. The French Market location, sandwiched between Eat Out Award–winning Wisma and Fumare Meats, will serve a selection of the same breads, soups and sandwiches available at the West Loop flagship, along with Stumptown coffee and the line of sauces and rubs dubbed The Flavor, by Stephanie Izard.
Little Goat Bread (French Market, 131 N Clinton St, 312-207-2346, frenchmarketchicago.com) will be open Mon–Fri 7am–7:30pm and Sat 8:30am–5:30pm (closed Sun).
Album of the week | Disclosure - Settle
Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence are U.K. house duo Disclosure.
It's been a wonderful summer for dance music. Daft Punk and "Get Lucky" are atop the charts. Pharrell is proving his enduring powers with Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." Electric Daisy Carnival came to Chicago. Now the house gods have delivered Disclosure's Settle. The album of the week soars on the back of a few perfect club cuts. If you haven't heard "White Lies" or "You & Me," well, you're likely to, either as part of Pride Month or on the radio if there's any justice left in music.
Disclosure hits town for Lollapalooza, both the main fest and an after-party at the Mid. Study up and read my review.
Endgrain opening today
Endgrain's Enoch Simpson is famous for his namesake doughnuts.
Endgrain, Enoch's Simpson's Roscoe Village enclave for doughnuts, fried chicken, biscuits and more, opens today! Check out our slide show.
Lollapalooza announces its official after-shows for 2013
Kendrick Lamar
Today Lollapalooza announced its list of official Lollapalooza Aftershows. No major headliners are playing club concerts, but as always there are big names in relatively cozy venues:
Lana Del Rey visits House of Blues on Thursday, August 1.
The Lumineers bring their pop-folk hits to Vic Theatre on Friday, August 2.
Kendrick Lamar hits Aragon with Baauer (of "Harlem Shake" one-hit-wonderdom) and BJ the Chicago Kid on Saturday, August 3.
Alt-J plays Lincoln Hall on Sunday, August 4.
Lincoln Hall will also play host to the Smith Westerns, Father John Misty, Jessie Ware and Haim.
Schubas, Empty Bottle, Metro, the Mid, Subterranean, Reggie's, City Winery, Bottom Lounge, Double Door and Park West house after-parties with names like Wavves, Matt & Kim, Two Door Cinema Club and Flux Pavilion. It's a magnanimous gesture toward local venues and bookers for Lollapalooza producer C3 Presents.
See the complete list of events here. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am. I don't need to remind you that they go very fast.
Jeff Awards: winners list and recap from the 2013 Non-Equity Jeffs
The 40th annual Joseph Jefferson Awards for non-Equity theater were presented tonight at Park West. Though the Den Theatre's City of Dreadful Night and Circle Theatre's Reefer Madness led the nominations with seven each, it's Circle's When the Rain Stops Falling that tied Dreadful Night for the most wins, with three. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's production of the Leiber & Stoller revue Smokey Joe's Café also earned three wins.
The atmosphere was as celebratory and egalitarian as ever, with many recipients paying verbal tribute to the sense of community and supportiveness in the city's non-Equity scene. In consideration of the big round number in front of this year's ceremony, much attention was paid to remembering the rich history of Chicago's non-Equity companies.
5 things to do today: Tuesday, June 4
Julia Thecla, Cave Entrance, 1955.
AROUND TOWN
“Jellies” Are you ready for these jellies? Inside brightly colored, bulbous display cases, groups of jellies bewitch with pulsating rhythms and odd assortments of appendages. Learn about the truly strange creatures and why recent spells of overpopulation, stemming from climate change, are harming the oceans. The popular show was recently extended through 2013. Shedd Aquarium. 9am–5pm.
ART & DESIGN
"Gertrude Abercrombie/Julia Thecla" Corbett vs. Dempsey showcases two masters of Midwestern surrealism: Abercrombie, who churned out small paintings—barren landscapes, self-portraits—from her home studio in Hyde Park (until her death in 1977), and Thecla (1896–1973), whose captivating magical realist paintings incorporate fairytale-like creatures and heavenly bodies. Corbett vs. Dempsey. 10am–5pm.
