The Ten
Don’t-miss picks for May 25 through May 30, 2017
1 Robert Frank
Photography:Catch the final days of the Art Institute’s Robert Frank pop-up exhibition, a rare chance to see work by the legendary 92-year-old photographer.
Through 5/25. $16–$25. Art Institute of Chicago. artic.edu
2 Closing Reception: A People’s History of Chicago
Art/Reading:Poet Kevin Coval wraps the gallery show A People’s History of Chicago, mounted in tandem with his April poetry collection of the same name. Purchase work by various Chicago artists, and hear readings by Coval and rappers Matt Muse and Lyriq the Mi$fit.
FREE 5/25 at 7 p.m. Chicago Truborn. chicagotruborn.com
3 Bright Half Life
Theater:More than 40 years pass in the lives of the lesbian couple at the heart of Tanya Barfield’s award-winning drama. But since the play’s structure shuttles between past and present, the audience’s view is colored by hindsight. Keira Fromm helms an intricate story of two lives intertwined, from courtship to mortality.
5/26–7/1. $10–$40. About Face Theatre at Theater Wit. aboutfacetheatre.com
4 House Music Conference
Conference:The Chicago Cultural Center toasts this city’s most cherished music genre with a two-day conference, featuring panels, performances, and workshops with titles like “From Drum Machines to Laptops” and “Sound of the City: Ableton for House Music.”
FREE 5/25–26. Chicago Cultural Center. cityofchicago.org
5 China Miéville
Reading:English fantasy writer China Miéville reads from his acclaimed new book October: The Story of the Russian Revolution.
FREE 5/27 at 7 p.m. University Church Chicago. haymarketbooks.org
6 Ragtime
Theater:The musical take on E.L. Doctorow’s novel captures early 20th-century America and the culture clash between monied WASPs, newly mobile African Americans, and off-the-boat Jewish immigrants. Composer Stephen Flaherty’s score is a brilliant combination of syncopation and soaring harmonies; Terrence McNally’s book spins the story of America at a crossroads.
5/27–7/16. $30–$39. Griffin Theatre at Den Theatre. griffintheatre.com
7 Bike the Drive
Recreation:Once a year, Chicago’s signature thoroughfare becomes a pedaler’s paradise (at least for those willing to saddle up at the crack of dawn). Cyclists take the right of way for five hours of family-friendly exercise.
5/28 at 5:30 a.m. $17–$65. Lake Shore Drive. bikethedrive.org
8 Zappa and Varèse
Experimental:Experimental composer Edgar Varèse influenced a generation of musicians, among them Frank Zappa. The Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra and Contemporary Music Ensemble pay homage to Varèse and Zappa in this free concert at Millennium Park.
FREE 5/28 at 6:30 p.m. Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park. events.music.northwestern.edu
9 Third Coast Percussion
New Music:Having won a Grammy for last year’s Steve Reich album, this energetic quartet now hosts violinist Annika Socolofsky, who premieres a new piece, Bellow.
5/28 at 8:30 p.m. $20. Constellation. constellation-chicago.com
10 Aja Monet
Reading:Hear Afro-Cuban poet Aja Monet read from her new poetry collection, My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter.
FREE 5/29 at 7 p.m. Colure Meridian Studio 214. haymarketbooks.org