Out & About: The critic's choices
"Meet Me in St. Louis," begins previews today at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens Oct. 25. Performances at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursdays; 8:30 p.m. Fridays; 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 16. $25-$50. (630) 530-0111.
Drury Lane's season continues with the quaint confection "Meet Me in St. Louis," adapted from the 1944 MGM musical starring Judy Garland as a plucky young, turn of the 20th century girl in love with the boy next door. Jessie Mueller, fresh from CST's terrific "How Can You Run With a Shell on Your Back?" plays Garland's role in the production directed by Jim Corti, with a top-notch creative team of Brian Sidney Bembridge (set), Jesse Klug (lighting), Tammy Mader (choreography) and Tatjana Radisic (costumes).
-- Barbara Vitello, critic at large
Barn Burner BBQ, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Lambs Farm, Route 176 east of I-94, near Libertyville. (847) 362-4636 or www.lambsfarm.org.
Grab a handful of wet wipes and bite into championship barbecue from 30-plus teams during this Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event running in conjunction with Lambs Farm's Haunted Harvest. Besides the 'cue and plenty of beer for washing it down, there will be music, kids entertainment and barbecue demos. No admission fee; food and drink prices vary by vendor. On Saturday, chili joins the menu and for $3 you can taste professional and amateur batches and vote for a winner.
-- Deborah Pankey, food editor
Pumpkinfest at Didier Farms, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Oct. 31; shops open until 7 p.m. 16678 Aptakisic Road, Prairie View. (847) 634-3291 or www.didierfarms.com.
To make your kids' childhood complete, you need a photo of them playing in a vast sea of orange pumpkins. At Didier's, they can also get lost in the corn maze, take a tractor hayride to the pumpkin patch, feed animals, go on kiddie rides, shop for costumes and eat snacks in the cafe. On Sunday, the Jan's Clan Puppet Show performs at 1 and 3 p.m. The corn maze and hay ride cost $3 each. Some parents love this place as much as their kids do.
-- Pam DeFiglio, staff writer
The Chicago International Festival of Israeli Cinema, today through Oct. 28 at the Pipers Alley Theaters, 1608 N. Wells St., Chicago, and the Wilmette Theater, 1122 Central Ave., Wilmette. Tickets are $10 per show. For schedules and tickets, go to www.chicagofestivalofisraelicinema.org or call (847)675-FEST.
The opening night movie "Someone to Run With" is already sold out. So move quickly if you want to catch the rest of the fest, which offers features and documentaries as well as visiting filmmakers.
-- Dann Gire, film critic
The Chicago International Children's Film Festival, today through Oct. 28 at Facets Multimedia, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago; the Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago; the Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central Ave., Wilmette; the Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701 S. King Drive, Chicago. Tickets cost $8 for adults; $6 for children. Call (773) 281-9075 or go to www.cicff.org.
The 24th annual Children's Film Fest presents 220 kid-friendly movies from 41 nations. Chicago's teen stars Maestro Harrell, Kay Panabaker and Ashlei Taylor are among the attending celebrities. The fest uses movies to promote international understanding and cultural enrichment.
-- Dann Gire, film critic
The Joffrey Ballet's "Giselle" 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 28 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. Tickets run $25-$140. (312) 902-1500 or www.joffrey.com.
Choreographer Frederic Franklin draws upon the best of differing versions of the 19th century ballet "Giselle" for The Joffrey Ballet's very first production of this classic ghost story of love and redemption. Be a part of ballet history and see "Giselle."
-- Scott C. Morgan, staff writer