A scene from Peter Pan: A Play, starring Molly Brennan
FOR PETE’S SAKE Get tickets already. Peter Pan opens at Lookingglass this
weekend.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 10.27.10 through Tue 11.02.10:

1

theatre Peter Pan: A Play
Peter as a—gasp!—boy and the unsinkable Molly Brennan (500 Clown, Animal Crackers) as a salty pirate? Finally, someone gets this casting right. Expect plenty of airborne characters in Lookingglass’s dark and physical adaptation.
GO: Previews through Oct 29; $20–$34. Regular run continues through Dec 12; $34–$62. Lookingglass Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N Michigan. lookingglasstheatre.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: The playwrights Doug Frew and Bill Brown serve up an original dish on Julia Child, To Master the Art, at Timeline. Get tickets.
2

classical Measha Brueggergosman
While Muti’s away, the CSO will play—this week under the baton of the Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden, with the Canadian soprano Brueggergosman, whom you might remember from Vancouver 2010’s opening ceremonies, sitting in. Also on the bill: Dark Waves, by John Luther Adams, who’s in town for his Nemmers Prize residency at Northwestern and is scheduled to make a cameo at a preconcert lecture Oct 29 at 7. To which we say, “Muti who?”
GO: Oct 28­–29 at 8. $28–$207. Symphony Center, 220 S Michigan. cso.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: Or catch van Zweden for free when he conducts the Civic on Oct 31—no trick.
3

concerts The Vaselines
Championed by Kurt Cobain for good reason, this Scottish band makes infectiously catchy, gleefully primitive garage pop laced with sweet coed harmonies. Just think of it as the audio equivalent of all the candy you’ll be eating this weekend.
GO: Oct 28 at 9. $20–$22. Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln. lincolnhallchicago.com
4

farrago Zombie Walk & Pub Crawl
What’s better than ambling along at a frighteningly steady shuffle, drinking your undead way from bar to bar? Doing so in full zombie facepaint, courtesy of professional makeup artists. What’s more, this Berwyn booze stroll wraps at FitzGerald’s, where the spot’s annual Halloween bash will be in full swing. This year’s theme: Circus Freaks and Gleeks. Figure out a way to combine those two with zombies and you’ll really have a costume.
GO: Zombie Walk & Pub Crawl: Makeup application begins Oct 30 at 4:30; crawl begins at 7. $10. Location and details: rrba.biz. Halloween party: Oct 30 at 8. No cover. FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt, Berwyn. fitzgeraldsnightclub.com

ALSO THIS WEEK: For a more highbrow Halloween outing, prowl Prairie Avenue after dark when docents lead tours of the historic district Oct 30–31.
5

museums Jean-Michel Cousteau
Nope, that’s not a Steve Zissou costume. Listen as the next-gen undersea explorer discusses the past (growing up Cousteau) and the future (his society’s cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico).
GO: Nov 2 at 7:30. $15–$30. Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore. fieldmuseum.org

FREEBIES OF THE WEEK

galleries Martin Mull
Before Roseanne, before Clue—heck, even before Mr. Mom—the actor, comedian, and Chicago native Martin Mull received both his BFA and MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. He returns home this week for his fourth solo show at Hammer, a collection of paintings that are a little bit funny and a little bit creepy—now that we think of it, not unlike Mull himself.
GO: Reception with the artist Oct 29 at 5:30; exhibition continues through Dec 30. Carl Hammer Gallery, 740 N Wells. hammergallery.com

galleries Karl Wirsum
The Hairy Who-er, who scored a nod in our list of the city’s Top 40 Artistic Breakthroughs, gives a talk on his illustrious career of 150-plus exhibitions and counting.
GO: Oct 28 at 6. Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington. 312-744-6630

opera Chicago Opera Theater
Pop-up restaurants, pop-up shops. What’s next, pop-up opera? Why,
yes—and it’s free. For the second year running, COT unleashes a bevy of guerrilla performances around town.
GO: Oct 29–Nov 7. Follow COT on Twitter or Facebook for clues to where the singers might show up. chicagooperatheater.org

galleries Mischief Weekend
Hyde Park Art Center’s weekend of sanctioned rabblerousing includes a full day of family-friendly activities, featuring a Lookingglass Theatre workshop, a scary movie film fest, and an installation by our new favorite artist, Michael Rea, among others.
GO: Oct 31 from 1 to 10 (a party the previous night runs from 7 to 11; $45). Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S Cornell. hydeparkart.org

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Kate McGroarty, winner of the Month at the Museum contest at the Museum of Science and Industry
Kate McGroarty

Up next in our series of plans from notable, in-the-know locals (a.k.a. people we like): Kate McGroarty, the 24-year-old Chicagoan and 2008 Northwestern grad chosen from some 1,500 applicants to live in the Museum of Science and Industry 24/7 from Oct 20 through Nov 18. We caught up with McGroarty to hear what’s on tap for her second weekend behind the scenes.

“On Friday night, I’m going to the Blackhawks game, and I’m going to ride the zamboni. I followed the Blackhawks all through their cup win, but I’ve never been to a game in person. Then on Saturday, since it’s Halloween weekend and there are all sorts of legends and stories about the museum being haunted, we’re inviting a paranormal team to come do readings on the Pioneer Zephyr and the U-505 submarine. That’s late Saturday night—the witching hours—after the museum is closed for the evening. On Sunday, before the museum opens, I’m having breakfast with the former astronaut Jim Lovell, who went on the Apollo 8 and 13 missions [they’ll dine near the Apollo 8 capsule, which, like Kate, lives at the museum]. I’m going to be so depressed when all of this is over. It’s the experience of a lifetime.”

GO: In addition to her afterhours activities, McGroarty has a full schedule of daytime appointments around the museum. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook, and read more about the Month at the Museum project.

 

Photograph: (Peter Pan: A Play) Sean Williams