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
The final Pops Staples album is streaming
Fifteen years after his death, Roebuck "Pops" Staples's final record Don't Lose This is finished and streaming a week early via NPR. Pops's original tracks, half-finished at the time of his death and given to daughter Mavis to complete, now feature guitar and bass by Jeff Tweedy, drums by Spencer Tweedy, and vocals by Mavis, Yvonne, and the late Cleotha Staples. [NPR]
The Lyric announces its 2015–16 lineup
The Lyric Opera's 2015–16 season—its first fully under the thumb of general director Anthony Freud—will run from September 26 through May 22 and feature pieces by Mozart, Rossini, Alban Berg, and more. [Tribune]
Chicago is getting two new pilots
Following 20th Century Fox's filmed-in-Chicago hit Empire, the studio will film two new pilots at Cinespace Studios in North Lawndale—an NBC drama called "Love Is a Four Letter Word" produced by Diana Son, and another Fox drama, "Runner" (Peter Horton), based on a Turkish show about arms dealers. Both episodes will film in March. [Tribune]
Spring Awakening announces its lineup
The monster EDM festival last week announced its lineup, which includes headliners Diplo, Tiesto, Afrojack, and Zedd. The fest runs June 12–14 at Soldier Field, and is 18-and-up this year.
Chicago Fire and Chicago PD are returning…
…for fourth and third seasons respectively. [Variety]
Chicago chef documentary For Grace will premiere at SXSW
Mark Helenowski and Tribune food critic Kevin Pang's documentary For Grace, which follows chef Curtis Duffy through the process of opening Grace (652 W. Randolph) in 2012, will get its premiere at South By Southwest in March. [Tribune]
U of C Folk Fest is nigh
The University of Chicago's annual folk festival runs February 13–15 at Mandel Hall (1131 E. 57th). DNAInfo has a list of the dozen-plus performers, whose sets range from $10–$25.
Opening
February 12: 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).
February 12: First Date, which sets two hopelessly mismatched singles together just in time for Valentine's Day. Royal George Theatre (1641 N. Halsted).
February 12: Ordinary Days: New Yorkers prod their neuroses in song. Heartland Studio Theatre (7016 N. Glenwood).
February 13: Game of Thongs: A Game of Thrones Burlesque. Breasteros. Yep. Gorilla Tango Theatre (1919 N. Milwaukee).
February 13: Cold, in which two near-shut-ins fumble their way into a relationship. Dream Theater Company (5026 N. Lincoln).
February 13: 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 14: A Map of Virtue, Cor Theatre's take on Erin Courtney's Obie-winning mystery. Rivendell Theatre (5779 N. Ridge).
February 15: Keys to the Kingdom. Evangelical mega-churcher meets East-Coast atheist. Hilarity ensues. Stage Left at Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont).
February 15: Waiting for Godot—for two acts and 145 minutes. Court Theatre (5535 S. Ellis).