Check this out! Our writers pick the best for the weekend
"Les Miserables," 8 p.m. today and Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. $45-$55. (847) 634-0200 or www.marriotttheatre.com.
It's been years since I first saw "Les Miz" downtown, and I've been itching to see it again ever since. The folks at Lincolnshire's Marriott Theatre faced some constraints in bringing the musical adaptation of Victor's Hugo novel to their in-the-round stage, but rose gloriously to the challenge. The cast is strong, and you won't soon forget the amazing John Cudia as Jean Valjean.
-- Lisa Friedman Miner, assistant features editor
Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday through March 16 (open until 8 p.m. on March 13 and 14) at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont. $12-$14. (773) 435-1250 or www.chicagoflower.com.
Here's one place you can stroll through gardens of real flowers, plants and trees -- in March. See what's new for your home and garden. And hear talks about plants that interest you from cacti to trees and shrubs.
-- Deborah Donovan, homes writer
"Dann and Raymond's Movie Club," 7:30 p.m. today at the Schaumburg Township District Library, 130 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg. Free. (847) 985-4000 or www.stdl.org.
Join me and novelist/film historian Raymond Benson for an overview of the most significant science-fiction films from 1898 through 1968 Included: "Invasion of the Bodysnatchers," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "2001: A Space Odyssey" and others.
-- Dann Gire, film critic
The Smothers Brothers, 8 p.m. Saturday at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets are $75. (847) 673-6300 or www.centreeast.org.
The showbiz brothers of Tom and Dick Smothers were famously booted from CBS TV in 1969 because of their irreverent humor that was frequently critical of the government. But nowadays, it's hard to find too much to object to from this duo. Go see if they're still trotting out their famed catch phrase: "Mom always liked you best!"
-- Scott C. Morgan, staff writer
"Crimes of the Heart," opens at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Comedy Shrine, 22 E. Chicago Ave., Suite 205, Naperville. Runs 5 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through April 19. $12, $20. (630) 803-2845 or go to groundedtheatre.org.
The Grounded Theatre presents Beth Henley's pleasantly offbeat domestic comedy about three estranged sisters reuniting at their childhood home to rediscover the undefined "something" that binds families together.
-- Barbara Vitello critic at large
The 11th annual European Union Film Festival, today through April 3 at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 164 N. State St., Chicago. (312) 846-2600 or www.siskelfilmcenter.org.
The fest presents its largest crop of features, 61 movies from 26 nations. Opening night offers "Estrellita" from Slovenia with Ireland supplying the closing night film, "Kings." This is the largest festival of European Union cinema in North America.
-- Dann Gire, film critic