A scene from ‘Sister Act’
JOYFUL NOISE Sister Act, the Tony Award-winning musical, opens in Chicago.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 11.07.12 through Tue 11.13.12:

1

theatre Sister Act
Singing nuns and a gangster’s girlfriend on the run, Sister Act is one of theatre’s truly ebullient musicals. The Tony Award-winning show comes to Chicago with the ridiculously talented Hollis Resnik in the role of mother superior.
GO: 11/13–12/2; $28–$103. Broadway in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E Congress. broadwayinchicago.com
2

jazz Umbrella Music Festival
From local stalwarts William Parker, Harrison Bankhead, and Mars Williams to the famous global jazzer Daniele D’Agaro, this cold weather fest is an improvisational buffet. And with Pitchfork’s Mike Reed at the helm, expect nothing but the best.
GO: 11/7–11; Free–$20. Details: umbrellamusic.org
3

rock Matt & Kim
Dispel your notion that indie rock is emo—this Brookyln-based duo is anything but. Their catchy, hi-fi songs are a blur of drums, keyboards, and pure pop energy.
GO: 11/10 at 6:30; $24. Congress Theater, 2135 N Milwaukee. congresschicago.com
4

theatre James Joyce’s The Dead
It’s neither jolly nor showy, but this adaptation by the playwright Richard Nelson and the composer Shaun Davey is an enchanting telling of Joyce’s elegiac Christmas tale.
GO: 11/8–12/9; $45–$65. Court Theatre, 5535 S Ellis. courttheatre.org
5

farrago Dose Market
It’s certainly not a bargain bucket, but there’s plenty of reason to indulge at the well-edited monthly artisan market. Items range from hand-rolled pasta to speaker systems built into vintage suitcases. It may sound a bit Zoe Deschanel twee, that’s because it is.
GO: 11/11 at 10; $10. River East Art Center, 435 E Illinois. dosemarket.com

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Charlie Vinz
Charlie Vinz

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Charlie Vinz, the architect, designer, and building operations director at Theaster Gates’ non-profit, Rebuild Foundation.

“Friday I’ll head to the Midway Art Fair Vernissage at Mana Arts in Pilsen. And of course, after the party, I’ll go to Skylark for the Friday night fish fry. It’s a very Catholic, and very Wisconsin, tradition to not eat meat on Friday nights. I’ve been going to Skylark since it opened, I like it because it feels inclusive even when it’s overrun by hipsters. It never feels too cool for school.

“Saturday, I’ll spend the morning leading workshops for Rebuild Foundation’s Art of Placemaking conference. Later, I want to head to the open house at the High Concept Laboratories, where the artists Sara Black and Jillian Soto are showing work—some of which I worked on with them. Then I’ll come back to the South Side to see the Low Tide Dance at the Southside Hub of Production. SHoP is this really amazing community arts space housed at the Fenn House in Hyde Park. The project is run primarily by Laura Shaeffer, but the space gets programmed almost on a daily basis by various people.

“Sunday morning I’d like to go to jazz brunch at the Parrot Cage. It’s a training restaurant inside the South Shore Cultural Center, so it’s a gorgeous spot with really nice Southern, soul-inspired food. Later, since the Packers aren’t playing, I’ll try to check out the tail end of the Umbrella Music Festival.” —As told to Elly Fishman

FREEBIE OF THE WEEK

art Mark Porter
It’s alive! In his latest show Autohaemorrhaging Actuator, the Chicago-based artist will install sculptures that double as drawing machines. The installations will spray soap and pigment onto the walls throughout the month-long installation.
GO: 11/9 at 6. Mission Gallery, 1431 W Chicago. themissionprojects.com

 

Photography: (Sister Act) Joan Marcus; (Vinz) courtesy of Charlie Vinz