Entertainment

Best Bets: Puddles Pity Party, ‘A Love Supreme’ at Elmhurst Art Museum and more

Posted January 17, 2024 10:16 am

Barbara Vitello

Brian Shamie

Follow @ThatShamieGuy

Puddles the Singing Clown brings Puddles Pity Party to the Genesee Theatre and Norman Teague’s solo exhibition, “A Love Supreme,” opens at the Elmhurst Art Museum this weekend.

Puddles the Singing Clown brings Puddles Pity Party to the Genesee Theatre on Friday, Jan. 19. Courtesy of Matt Peters

Puddles Pity Party

The saddest of clowns with the most velvety of voices, Puddles’ operatic spin on popular tunes earned him appearances on “America’s Got Talent” and video collabs with Postmodern Jukebox. But you can see him on stage when he plays the Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan, for a night of music and comedy. Tickets start at $27. geneseetheatre.com. 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19

Disney on Ice

An all-star cast of Disney performers in Disney On Ice presents “Magic in the Stars” take over the Allstate Arena, 6920 Mannheim Road, Rosemont, this week before moving to the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago, next week. See classic characters such as Mickey and Minnie journey through magical stories, songs and dances along with Woody, Buzz, Tiana, Moana and the cast of “Frozen 2” and “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Tickets start at $20 for rosemont.com/allstate and $30 for unitedcenter.com. Allstate Arena: 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, and 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 20-21. United Center: 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25; 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 27-28

Anna meets Olaf in Disney On Ice presents “Magic in the Stars,” which comes to Rosemont’s Allstate Arena before moving to Chicago’s United Center. Courtesy of Feld Entertainment

Jazz-inspired exhibition

Jazz great John Coltrane and his seminal 1964 album “A Love Supreme” inspired designer Norman Teague’s solo exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst. Also titled “A Love Supreme,” the exhibit examines how improvisational jazz and Black aesthetics inspired artists of color. It’s paired with an adjoining installation, “A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined,” which showcases 35 BIPOC artists and designers and highlights jazz influences on Chicago design. $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for students, $5 for kids. (630) 834-0202 or elmhurstartmuseum.org. Saturday, Jan. 20, through April 28

"Sinmi Stool" by Norman Teague Design Studios is among the works included in Elmhurst Art Museum's new exhibition "A Love Supreme." Courtesy of Tony Smith

Urban life on display

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art presents “Unearth,” a new exhibition showcasing local painters Karen Perl, Emily Rapport and Gwendolyn Zabicki, who find beauty and meaning in Chicago’s ordinary urban landscape. The artists work in the tradition of early 20th-century American painters who captured moments from daily life, as depicted in Perl’s “5400 N. Clark,” Zabicki’s “Man Watching Baseball” and Rapport’s “Damen Ave Nocturne.” The exhibition is at The McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Free. (630) 942-2321 or ccma.org. Saturday, Jan. 20, through March 10

"Damen Ave Nocturne" by Emily Rapport is among the paintings by Chicago artists included in the Cleve Carney Musuem of Art’s new exhibition “Unearth.” Courtesy of The Cleve Carney Museum of Art

Lyric’s fairy tale

Vasilisa Berzhanskaya plays Angelina (Cinderella) and Jack Swanson plays her charming prince in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Gioachino Rossini’s 1817 opera “Cinderella (La Cenerentola).” Lyric revives French director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s 1969 commission of the tale about a downtrodden young woman treated as a servant by her family who enchants a young prince. Performances take place at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets start at $39. lyricopera.org/cinderella. Sunday, Jan. 21, through Feb. 10

Opera + puppets = magic

Ancient Chinese fables inspired “Book of Mountains and Seas,” a theatrical event whose Chicago premiere comes courtesy of Chicago Opera Theater, in partnership with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. About the creation and destruction of the earth, the production features 12 singers, two percussionists and six puppeteers performing to librettist/composer Huang Ruo’s score, with staging by puppeteer Basil Twist. Performances take place at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. $40-$95. chicagooperatheater.org/season/book. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 26-27, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28

Chicago Opera Theater, in partnership with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, presents the Chicago premiere of “Book of Mountains and Seas,” a work inspired by ancient Chinese fables. Courtesy of Olafur Steinar Gestsson

Welcome to Unicorn World

The family-friendly Unicorn World, an immersive, interactive event featuring animatronic unicorns, comes to Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. The event also includes a bounce house, balloon bubble house, face painting and rides. $40 timed, dated tickets available for advance purchase only. theunicornworld.com. Noon to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27; and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28

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