Welcome back to Chicago's Tuesday culture roundup, a quick and dirty guide to what's opening, closing, and buzzing in local arts each week. Note that this isn't a curated event list like Chicago's in-print Go Listings or weekly Chicago Guide—just a roundup of what's coming, going, and breaking throughout the city. Got a tip, quibble, or sweet nothing? Let us know in the comment section.
News
Pitchfork announces its 2015 lineup
What's routinely the summer's best music festival last week announced its lineup, featuring sets by locals Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Wilco, Jimmy Whispers, and Ryley Walker. Other squee-inducing names include Sleater-Kinney, Run the Jewels, Waxahatchee, How to Dress Well, Chvrches, Kurt Vile, and New Pornographers. See the full lineup here, and read Chicago's guide to all the 2015 summer festivals here.
Kanye performs a new song at SNL 40
After a soft-premiere at his New York Fashion Week event, Kanye West performed his newest song "Wolves" at SNL 40 on Sunday. Collaborators Vic Mensa and Sia joined him for the curiously horizontal performance. Watch:
Lyric Opera boss Kenneth Pigott has died
The president and CEO of Chicago's Lyric Opera passed away Friday after suffering cardiac arrest. He sat on the opera's board for 13 years before becoming president and CEO in 2011, and is credited with bringing marquee soprano Renee Fleming and new general director Anthony Freud to the organization. [Tribune]
Hannibal to roast the Biebs
Chicagoan Hannibal Buress is the latest comic added to next month's #bieberroast on Comedy Central. Here's betting he has more to say about the singer than the last time he was asked about him. [TMZ]
A Frankie Knuckles biopic is coming
The late DJ will get his own film in the not-so-distant future, produced by Robert Teitel (Barbershop) with help from Billy Dec, entertainment attorney Randy Crumpton, and Metro owner Joe Shanahan. In addition to Knuckles's life, the film will commemorate Chicago's early house scene—specifically the Warehouse, the West Loop club where Knuckles and his contemporaries birthed house music. [Tribune]
'Nother new Chance song
Another week, another single from Chance the Rapper and the Social Experiment. This one, "Lady Friend," was released on Valentine's Day, and appears to be about, well, the singer's Valentine. Still no word on a release date for the gang's debut LP Surf, but at this rate, we'll have heard most of its songs by the time it drops.
The Congress Theater is getting a $55 million makeover
Now under ownership by Michael Moyer—one of the Cadillac Palace Theatre's restorers—the one-time cineplex and defunct concert venue in Logan Square is set for a $55 million restoration. Construction will begin in April with a 2017 open-date for the 4,900-capacity concert venue. [Tribune]
Tim Kinsella is this year's Joyful Noise artist in residence
Local art rocker, Featherproof Books boss, and all-around good guy Tim Kinsella is this year's Joyful Noise Recordings artist in residence—which basically means he'll be marathon-creating for the next 10 months. Among the goodies available to 300 lucky Kinsella fans are a new book, a handful of vinyl LPs, and a "special art object" (no clue), all enclosed in a wooden box set. Neat! [Joyful Noise]
AC/DC is playing Wrigley Field
For the first time in half a decade, AC/DC is touring, and they'll hit Wrigley Field on September 15. Tickets went on sale yesterday and are already sold out, but can be bought at variously ludicrous markups via StubHub—for those about to rock, etc.
Pat McGann performs on Letterman
Local comic and Zanies emcee Pat McGann visited New York last week for his second Letterman set in just over a year, this time with another kid's worth of joke fodder. His bit, below.
Rib Fest is happening again
Chicago's greaziest street fest returns to North Center June 12–14 for a 17th year of finger-food and indie rock. The lineup, which always features at least one gem (Lydia last year), should come soon. [Tribune]
Opening
February 17: Marie Antoinette, David Adjmi's hyper-modern take on the young French queen's tale. Steppenwolf Theatre (1650 N. Halsted)
February 19: Really Really, which features a group of jaded undergrads reconstructing a party turned violent. Interrobang at the Athenaeum (1936 N. Southport)
February 20: Boeing Boeing, in which a man's three finances—all flight attendants—end up in the same place at the same time. Mary's Attic (Hamburger Mary's, 5400 N. Clark)
February 20: Endgame:Beckett's classic through the eyes of Halena Kays, who served as the Hypocrites' artistic director during founder Sean Graney's recently ended three-year hiatus. The Hypocrites at Den Theatre (1329–1333 N. Milwaukee)
February 20: The Real World: Space Edition—set in 2153 and likely 2153 times funnier than the actual filmed-in-Chicago Real World currently airing. Public House Theatre (3914 N. Clark)
Open Now: The Trial of Moses "Fleetwood" Walker, a look at the first-ever black baseball player's 1891 murder trial. Black Ensemble Theater (4450 N. Clark)
Open Now: A Kid Like Jake, which follows two parents' quest to land their gender-nonconforming son into a top Manhattan school. Greenhouse Theater Center (2257 N. Lincoln)
Open Now: First Date, which sets two hopelessly mismatched singles together just in time for Valentine's Day. Royal George Theatre (1641 N. Halsted)
Open Now: Ordinary Days: New Yorkers prod their neuroses in song. Heartland Studio Theatre (7016 N. Glenwood)
Open Now: Game of Thongs: A Game of Thrones Burlesque. Breasteros. Yep. Gorilla Tango Theatre (1919 N. Milwaukee)
Open Now: Cold, in which two near-shut-ins fumble their way into a relationship. Dream Theater Company (5026 N. Lincoln)
Open Now: Samsara, a snapshot of modern parenthood through the lens of surrogacy. Victory Gardens Theater (2433 N. Lincoln)
Open Now: Red Bud, a cringeworthy dramedy about a group of 40-somethings trying to salvage their friendship on a motocross getaway. Signal Ensemble Theatre (1802 W. Berenice)
Open Now: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, the Other Theatre Company's inaugural show, which focuses on the 1992 LA race riots. Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division)
Open Now: Fur Elites, a parlor musical about a boy surrounded by nutters in the fur shop where he works. Annoyance Theatre & Bar (851 W. Belmont)
Open Now: Barely Committed to Three Dimensions, abstract paintings by Rebecca Shore. Corbett vs. Dempsey (1120 N. Ashland, 3rd Floor)
Open Now: Expressionist Portraits, historic works by 1940s printmaker Eleanor Coen. Corbett vs. Dempsey, West Wing (1120 N. Ashland, 3rd Floor)
Open Now: Bawdy Bedtime Stories, Plan 9 Burlesque's R-rated take on your favorite fairy tales. Public House Theatre (3914 N. Clark)
Open Now: Sondheim on Sondheim, a musical revue of the maestro's best work. Porchlight Music Theatre at Stage 773 (1225 W. Belmont)
Open Now: Bates, a send-up of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho set to 80s tunes. Public House Theatre (3914 N. Clark)
Open Now: Redlined, an interdisciplinary show in which Chicago Slam Works uses the Red Line to riff on violence, wealth disparity, and gentrification. Chicago Slam Works at Stage 773 (1225 W. Belmont)
Closing
February 21: Princess Mary Demands Your Attention, a War and Peace–inspired identity quest. Victory Gardens Theater (2433 N. Lincoln)
February 21: Look Long, Look in Vain, a bottle-centric show by sculptor Michael Kaysen. 65Grand (1669 W. Grand)
February 21: Subterranean, collaborative paintings by graffiti artist Lewis Graham Taylor (YAMS) and Christie Chew-Wallace. Elephant Room, (704 S. Wabash)
Gradually: Rhinofest. Though the 26th annual fringe fest technically runs through March 1, a number of shows (Lotus Position, Sand Castles, Next Door Gay-bors, The Penelopiad) close this week. See the full schedule here. Prop Thtr (3502 N. Elston)