JITNEY AT THE COURT THEATRE
Pulitzer-winning playwright August Wilson’s play about a broken-down gypsy cab company is a tightly wound drama—sometimes violent and always emotionally charged.
DETAILS:
Starts 9/6–10/14 The director Ron O.J. Parson and the playwright August Wilson are as close to a can’t-miss combination as you’re apt to find this season. Like most of Wilson’s plays, Jitney is set in Pittsburgh Hill district. This 1970s segment of the playwright’s epic Century Cycle is both the very specific story of jitney (unlicensed) cabbies and (at the risk of sounding totally cheesy) a universal story of human struggle and hope. $45–$65. Court Theatre, 5535 S Ellis. courttheatre.org.
Photograph: Henry DiRocco
JACOB HASHIMOTO AT RHONA HOFFMAN GALLERY
The School of the Art Institute alum returns with a project so large, it practically swallows this West Loop gallery.
DETAILS:
Starts 9/14 Using techniques similar to those of traditional kitemakers, Jacob Hashimoto string s together hundreds of delicate, bamboo-framed paper circles in densely layered collage paintings and wave like installations suspended from the ceiling—an incredibly labor-intensive process that yields breathtaking results. 118 N. Peoria. rhoffmangallery.com.
Photograph: Courtesy of the Artist and Rhona Hoffman Gallery
THE MAGIC FLUTE
Mozart’s most performed opera—a love-driven fairy tale—gets an update from the Chicago Opera Theater and acclaimed director Michael Gieleta. One new take: Onscreen constellations are used to represent the animals in the show.
DETAILS:
Starts 9/15–23 COT’s general director, Brian Dickie, finishes his 13th and final season with the company with Mozart’s The Magic Flute. A new production, this Little Prince–indebted version of Flute promises to tamp down the camp and the Masons and play up the philosophical-awakening story. Sung in English. 9/15, 19, 21 at 7:30; 9/23 at 3. $25–$125. Harris Theater, 205 E Randolph. chicagooperatheater.org.
Photograph: teekid/istockphoto
COVER BAND
Five modern dance groups honor and reinvent the best performances from Chicago Moving Company’s 40-year history in an event complete with costume and photo retrospectives.
DETAILS:
9/20–21 Once mistaken for a U-Haul rental company, the local iconic modern dance troupe kicks off its 40th anniversary season. One of the most anticipated pieces is Atalee Judy’s uncompromising take on Crash and Burn, a brick-hurling, fence-rattling anthem on urban violence and its ability to strike when least expected. 9/20, 9/21 at 7:30. $12–$15. Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Theater, 3035 N Hoyne. chicagomovingcompany.org.
Photograph: Erika Dufour
THE AVETT BROTHERS
Don’t miss your chance to see the North Carolina indie folk-rockers take over the Charter One Pavilion on their brief swing above the Mason-Dixon Line. Can’t make the show? The new album, The Carpenter, drops September 11.
DETAILS:
9/28 When the group headed by the North Carolina siblings keep things under control, their mix of ramshackle acoustic guitar shuffles and plaintive piano ballads results in winning rustic rock. At 7:30. $45–$160. Charter One Pavilion, 1300 S Lynn White. ticketmaster.com.
Photograph: Crackerfarm