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
Oprah is closing Harpo Studios
The West Loop complex that launched a thousand Oprahs will reportedly close by the end of the year. Oprah herself was in town today laying out a timeline for how that'll go. More to come. [Tribune]
Tink has a new song…
…in which she skewers various acts of Millennial tomfoolery. Stream the Timbaland-produced cut below.
Kanye also has a new song!
And thankfully, it's really good. After performing "All Day" at the BRIT Awards last week, 'Ye yesterday premiered the track on Hot 97. Among the 19 (!) artists with production credits are Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, and Chicago dude Vic Mensa. Stream the track at his website now.
Patti Smith is coming
America's punk-poet laureate and Just Kids author will play a two-night stand at Old Town School of Folk next month. Tickets for the April 2–3 shows are on sale for the not-so-punk price of $73–$75 here. [DNAInfo]
Madonna will play the United Center
The singer announced yesterday that she'll hit Chicago September 28 as part of a world tour behind her new album Rebel Heart. Tickets range from $40–$355 and go on sale March 9 at 10 a.m. [Tribune]
August Wilson to take over Chicago
Ahead of the Goodman's March 7 revival of Two Trains Running, the theater will mount a citywide August Wilson retrospective including concert readings, panel discussions, a monologue competition, and other toasts to the playwright. The festivities will run through April 18 and can be studied up on here.
Broadway in Chicago announces the rest of its 2015–16 season
Among the shows joining the previously announced A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder and newbie Gotta Dance are Dirty Dancing, Cabaret, If/Then, and Matilda. Tickets go on sale March 8. [Tribune]
King Louie is making moves
Amid rumors of a deal with Drake's OVO label, local rapper King Louie last week shared a new smoke-filled video for "Right Now." Check that out below. [Fader]
Empire keeps ballooning…
…in a truly unprecedented way. The Chicago-filmed megahit aired to 13.8 million pairs of eyeballs last week, up for the seventh consecutive week in a row. As the Tribune puts it, "…this never happens. Like, actually never. It's record-breaking." So, you know, the show will probably be back for a second season. [Tribune]
Opening
March 5: Dear John Hughes, a musical mash-up of iconic scenes from Hughes flicks. Broadway Playhouse (175 E. Chestnut)
March 6: Scenes from an Execution, in which a 16th century Venetian artist is commissioned to commemorate a war victory and goes rogue with the project. Royal George Theatre (1641 N. Halsted)
March 6: Traces, un urban faerie tale charting the travails of 20-something Chicagoan Jenny. Feast Productions at the Frontier (1106 Thorndale)
Open Now: The Hammer Trinity, Nathan Allen and Chris Mathews's six-hour BYO marathon play. The House Theatre of Chicago at Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division)
Open Now: Antigonick, Anne Carson's modern-day, free translation of Antigone. Sideshow Theatre at Victory Gardens (2433 N. Lincoln)
Open Now: The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by the unerring Kimberly Senior. Writers Theatre at Books on Vernon (664 Vernon, Glencoe)
Open Now: Dunsinane, David Greig's imagined Macbeth sequel featuring members of the National Theatre of Scotland and Royal Shakespeare Company. Chicago Shakespeare Theater (800 E. Grand)
Open Now: Four, Christopher Shinn's lusty summertime drama. Jackalope Theatre at Broadway Armory Park (5917 N. Broadway)
Open Now: Marie Antoinette, David Adjmi's hyper-modern take on the young French queen's tale. Steppenwolf Theatre (1650 N. Halsted)
Open Now: Really Really, which features a group of jaded undergrads reconstructing a party turned violent. Interrobang at the Athenaeum (1936 N. Southport)
Open Now 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)
Open Now: 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: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, the Other Theatre Company's inaugural show, which focuses on the 1992 LA race riots. The Other Theatre Company at 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: Sondheim on Sondheim, a musical revue of the maestro's best work. Porchlight Music Theatre at Stage 773 (1225 W. Belmont)
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
March 4: A Night at the HuHot, a restaurant comedy that sets a Wisconsin couple against an army of wily chefs. Public House Theatre (3914 N. Clark)
March 6: Chasing Posada, in which 19 printmakers toast José Guadalupe Posada. The Annex at Sputnik Press (1821 W. Hubbard)
March 7: Alteregos, A group show by artists at Chicago's Conservation Center. The Conservation Center (400 N. Wolcott)
March 7: Barely Committed to Three Dimensions, abstract paintings by Rebecca Shore. Corbett vs. Dempsey (1120 N. Ashland, 3rd Floor)
March 7: Expressionist Portraits, historic works by 1940s printmaker Eleanor Coen. Corbett vs. Dempsey, West Wing (1120 N. Ashland, 3rd Floor)
March 7: Mossy Cloak, Third Object's group show on camouflage. Roots and Culture (1034 N. Milwaukee)
March 7: Sophont, a multimedia solo show by Desirée Holman. Aspect/Ratio (119 N. Peoria, Suite 3A)
March 7: The World Is Mystical, Dangerous and Delicious, group work by Elijah Burgher, Dana Carter, Pamela Fraser,Leah Mackin, Dutes Miller, Rachel Niffenegger, Corkey Sinks, and Deb Sokolow. Western Exhibitions (845 W. Washington)
March 8: Boeing Boeing, in which a man's three fiancees—all flight attendants—end up in the same place at the same time. Mary's Attic (Hamburger Mary's, 5400 N. Clark)
March 8: Cold, in which two near-shut-ins fumble their way into a relationship. Dream Theater Company (5026 N. Lincoln)
March 8: A Nice Indian Boy, Victory Gardens's self-proclaimed "comic take on love, marriage, gender, and ethnicity." Victory Gardens Biograph Theater (2433 N. Lincoln)
March 8: Baby With the Bathwater, Fury Theater's take on the world's most ill-fitted parents. Fury Theater at Indian Boundary Park (2500 W. Lunt)
March 8: The Next Thing You Know, a musical about that ever-ripe comedic space, one's twenties. Refuge Theatre at the Den (1329 N. Milwaukee)
March 8 Samsara, a snapshot of modern parenthood through the lens of surrogacy. Victory Gardens Theater (2433 N. Lincoln)
March 8 Anne Collier, the photographer's first show, spanning her career from 2002 'til now. Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago)