The Five

Don’t-miss picks for Wednesday, February 11 through February 17, 2015

1 Unique Voices

Dance: Don’t miss this trio of Joffrey premieres—including James Kudelka’s acclaimed paen to Johnny Cash, The Man in Black.
2/11–2/22. $32–$155. Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. joffrey.org

2 Wynton Marsalis

Jazz: The trumpeter’s big brass band, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra,  pays tribute to the giants—Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillsepie, and Dave Brubeck—in its annual winter trip to the city. 
2/13 at 8. $48–$173. Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan. cso.org 

3 Chicago Botanic Garden’s Orchid Show

Seasonal: Escape the winter doldrums by hoofing it to the ’burbs to admire more than 10,000 orchids in bloom.
2/14–3/15. $6–$10. 1000 Lake Cook, Glencoe. chicagobotanic.org

4 Fases & Vaces I’ve Been

Art: No, this exhibition’s name is not a typo. L.A. painter Ryan Fenchel subverts still lifes of jugs and vases by turning them into abstract Cubist art.
2/13–3/28. Free. Carrie Secrist Gallery, 835 W. Washington. secristgallery.com

5 The First Wives Club: The Musical

Musicals: Before she makes her Broadway debut later this year, Christine Sherrill, an elementary school teacher turned musical theater powerhouse, stars in this show based on Olivia Goldsmith’s best-selling novel and subsequent all-star movie. She joins Carmen Cusack and Tony winner Faith Prince in a feel-great story packed with music by Motown’s Holland-Dozier-Holland team.
2/17–3/29. $64–$140. Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph. firstwivesclubthemusical.com

What I’m Doing This Weekend

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: writer and improviser Kevin Sciretti. #DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment runs Thursday, February 12 through Sunday, February 22.

“I like to go shopping for vintage toys and comic books, so on Friday, I’ll go to this store called Toy de Jour. They’ve got a good collection and the owners, Liz and Sam, are great.

“Friday night is our second performance of #DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment at Up Comedy Club. It’s a two-act show, rooted in an experiment that L.A. comedian Robin Norris conducted. She created 38 ‘undateable’ OKCupid profiles to see what responses they would get. There’s multimedia aspects, videos, and audience participation too. It should be a lot of fun.

“After my show, I’ll check out the Neo-Futurists and their flagship show Too Much Light Makes a Baby Goes Blind. The goal is for the actors to do 30 very short plays in an hour and the audience gets to shout out what play they want to see. Then I’ll head over to the bar Owen & Engine. They have the best cheeseburgers in the city.

“Saturday, I’ll have brunch with my girlfriend at Rockwell’s Neighborhood Grill. Then we’ll go to the Paper Machete at the Green Mill at 3 p.m. It’s a live magazine salon put on by Christopher Piatt. No matter what day you go, it’s awesome. Then Sunday, I’ll stick close to home in Lincoln Square and get breakfast or lunch at Fork. Then I’ll do some grocery shopping at Gene’s Sausage Shop, this fantastic two-floor grocery story with a great wine and beer selection.” —As told to Tomi Obaro

Freebie of the Week

Driftless: Can’t See the Forest for the Trees

Art: This anticipated solo exhibition by the Chicago sculptor Nancy Lu Rosenheim includes large-scale, surreal works that replicate the experience of being watched in a forest at midnight.
Through 3/13. Free. Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis. neiu.edu