The Five

Don’t-miss picks for Wednesday, January 21 through January 27, 2015

1 Wendy Whelan

Dance: One of New York City Ballet’s principals for 23 years (she retired in October), the contemporary-ballet star mounts Restless Creature, a modern dance performance originally scheduled for last March. Hubbard Street Dance’s Alejandro Cerrudo is one of four choreographers tapped to perform a pas de deux with Whelan.
1/21 at 7:30. $10–$95. Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph. harristheaterchicago.org

2 Rapture, Blister, Burn

Theater: On the heels of her Broadway debut, director Kimberly Senior takes on Gina Gionfriddo’s Pulitzer finalist about the middle-aged fallout that results from choices made in one’s youth.
1/17–2/22. $25–$81. Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn. goodmantheatre.org

3 Tosca

Classical: The soprano Tatiana Serjan, a favorite of Riccardo Muti, seemed like she could barely contain her physical expressiveness when tied to a music stand for the CSO’s concert version of Macbeth last season. Now she can let loose in her Lyric debut as the star of the first cast of a new production of the famous Puccini opera.
1/24–2/5. $20–$329. Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker. lyricopera.org

4 The Vaselines

Rock: In their first iteration in the late ’80s, this Cobain-lauded Scottish duet wrote one classic record and broke up (both romantically and musically) before it was released. Now, 20-plus years later, they’re getting a second wind, sparked by 2010’s comeback album, Sex with an X. Their third album, V for Vaselines, finds them picking up where they left off in 1989: on the edge of penning one of the catchiest Scot-pop records in recent memory. Better late than never.
1/21 at 9. $20. Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western. ticketweb.com

5 Outreach: Jaime Davidovish, 1974–1984

Art: Why have so few visual artists ventured into broadcast television? This historical survey highlights the formative moves of art-TV pioneer Jaime Davidovich and includes an appearance by the fictional Dr. Videovich—a TV addiction specialist.
1/23–3/21. Free. Threewalls, 119 N. Peoria. three-walls.org

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: Maya Goldberg-Safir, co-host of Third Coast Festival’s Podcast Therapy.

“On Friday, I’m going to the Promontory in Hyde Park. I’ve been there before, but I’ve never been to their music venue on the second floor. I’m planning on seeing the R&B duo Kindred the Family Soul.

“On Saturday, there’s an exhibition at Comfort Station. This artist named Kate McQuillen has a paper installation that she’ll be setting on fire. They’re going to project it on a screen outside so it will look like Comfort Station itself is on fire. Uncharted Books across the street will also be doing a reading in conjunction with the exhibition about public vs. private space.

“Sunday, I plan to go to the indoor farmer’s market in Logan Square. It’s smaller in the winter and there’s not as much produce but you get to actually talk to the vendors which I like. Then later, if I can figure out how to get out there, I’m going on a sound walk in Ryerson Woods. The World Listening Project and the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology are collaborating to play winter soundscapes at the Brushwood Center out there. It’s a one-time only event.

“Then in the evening, I’m co-hosting Podcast Therapy at the Hideout. My co-host Sarah Geis and I have 30 short clips from different podcasts queued up so if someone has a problem, we can prescribe them a podcast. Say you’re having a problem fixing your door, for example, we’ll have a DIY podcast or design podcast for you. It’s a golden age for podcasts and we want to introduce people to new ones.” —As told to Tomi Obaro

Freebie of the Week

Guts & Glory

Readings: The popular live lit show has a great lineup this week—it includes humor writer Claire Zulkey and The Kates host Kelsie Huff.
1/21 at 7. Free. Schubas, 3159 N. Southport. facebook.com/gutsandgloryshow