A scene from 'Shut Up and Play the Hits'
FINAL DAYS OF LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Shut Up and Play the Hits (above) brings
LCD Soundsytem’s final concert to the big screen.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 7.18.12 through Tue 7.24.12:

1

film Shut Up And Play The Hits
There are few groups who walk away from the limelight at their peak of fame, but LCD Soundsystem was one of them. Tonight, the rock documentary that captures the group’s final 2011 performance premieres across the country. It opens in select theaters for a limited time only.
GO: 7/18. Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport. Schedule, ticket prices: musicboxtheatre.com
2

theatre The American Plan
An early work by playwright Richard Greenberg’s, The American Plan is an exquisitely written story about a codependent mother-daughter relationship. It’s a portrait familial dysfunction and repression.
GO: Previews 7/20–21; $15. Regular run through 8/26; $28–$32. Artistic Home Theatre at Stage 773, 1225 W Belmont. theartistichome.org
3

dance Magical Night
Although this children’s dance show is not new, this week marks its American debut. Choreographed by Chicago’s T. Daniel Productions, Magical Night is a modern telling of Kurt Weill’s 1922 pantomime, Die Zaubernacht.
GO: 7/19; $10–$60. Martin Theatre, Ravinia, Lake Cook and Green Bay, Highland Park. ravinia.org
4

festivals Roscoe Village Burger Fest
If you haven’t had your fill of the grill this summer, make up for it this weekend. For the third year in a row, this carnivore-friendly fest features two full days of music and 11 Chicago burgers vendors including Butcher & the Burger, Hamburger Mary’s, and Cortland’s Garage.
GO: 7/21–22; 11–10, $6 recommended donation. Belmont and Damen. chicagoevents.com
5

folk Square Roots Festival
The banjo-cranking fest may have been renamed, but at its heart Square Roots is still the Old Town School of Folk Music’s Folk & Roots Festival. Highlights this year include Garland Jeffreys and gypsy-rock group, Elephant Revival.
GO: 7/20, at 5, 7/21 at 12, 7/22 at 12; $5–$10 suggested donation. N Lincoln between Montrose and Wilson. squareroots.org

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Fred Sasaki
Fred Sasaki

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Fred Sasaki, associate editor of Poetry magazine and one of the organizers behind Columbia College’s 8th annual Printers’ Ball—a literati fest with music, readings and lots of free paraphernalia.

“Friday evening I normally meet my family at Welles Park for free family swim—it’s a great chance to jump in the pool. There’s a place nearby that I absolutely love, La Boca della Verita. It’s a wonderful, warm place—they once invited my son into the kitchen to help them bake bread. And if I have time of Friday, I’ll check out the Space Vulture Worship Project, it’s a bunch of printers and performers making crazy art stuff at the Happy Dog Gallery. And of course the Printers’ Ball and an after party at Reggie’s Rock Club.

“On Saturday, I’ll start my day by listening to Vocalo's Morning AM on 89.5 FM with Brian Babylon and Molly Adams, it’s the best morning show in the universe! Later, I’ll take my son to the build-your-own Lego city at IIT. It’s a one-time event that’s totally free and looks awesome. For the remainder of the day, we’ll probably get Harold’s Fried Chicken and eat it at the Kathy Osterman Beach—which my family calls a ‘beachnic.’ It’s a very friendly, scenic beachfront surrounded by the great North Side skyline.

“Sunday mornings I play basketball with guys from Time Out Chicago, Newcity, and Numero Group in Eckhart Park. Later, in the afternoon, I’ll go to outdoor swim in Chase Park. We’ll probably have dinner at Sun Wah, I love all of their barbeque and particularly their roast pork. Oh and their Peking duck is amazing.” –As told to Elly Fishman

FREEBIE OF THE WEEK

jazz Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz
The Thursday night series kicks off with the towering tenor saxophonists Edward Wilkerson Jr. and Ari Brown reprising last December’s JazzCity program Blowing in From Chicago, an homage to the 1957 hard-bop classic.
GO: 7/19; Pritzker Pavilion Millennium Park, Michigan and Washington. millenniumpark.org

 

Photography: (SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS) Courtesy of Oscilloscope; (SASAKI) Jacob S. Knabb