Entertainment

Best Bets: Dance Chicago celebrates romance while Second City skewers it

Posted February 05, 2024 3:57 pm

Barbara Vitello

The Second City brings its timely revue “With Love, From The Second City” to the McAninch Arts Center. Courtesy of Timothy Schmidt

Love-inspired laughs

The Second City skewers romance in its timely comedy revue “With Love, From The Second City” at The McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. $40-$48. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org. 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10

The hybrid 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is among the vehicles on display during the 16th Chicago Auto Show. Courtesy of Chevrolet

Chicago Auto Show

The Chicago Auto Show, the largest event of its kind in North America, returns this weekend to the McCormick Place, 2301 S. King Drive, Chicago. On display are domestic and imported passenger cars, trucks, sport-utility vehicles and minivans along with experimental and concept cars. The latter includes the GMC Hummer EV EarthCruiser, which converts to a motor home, and the Ford Bronco Wildland Firefighting Command Rig, an SUV built to traverse extreme terrain and aid in wildfires. $17 for adults, $12 for kids 4-12 and 62 and older. (630) 495-2282 or chicagoautoshow.com. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, and Feb. 12-18; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 19

More than 10,000 blooms make up The Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Orchid Show of Wonders” running through March 24. Courtesy of the Chicago Botanic Garden

All about orchids

More than 10,000 blooms make up the Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Orchid Show of Wonders,” which was inspired by carnival and circus attractions, at 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. Adults: $10 members, $21 nonmembers; kids: $7 members, $14 nonmembers. chicagobotanic.org/orchid. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, through March 24; late hours some evenings

Cocoa crawl

Long Grove hosts the seventh annual Cocoa Crawl during which participants can enjoy complimentary hot cocoa samples at outdoor cocoa tents and enjoy cocoa-inspired creations and merchandise courtesy of local vendors selling cocoa-themed food and drinks. Free. A map of participating stores and restaurants is available at the Long Grove Visitor's Center, 145 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove. longgrove.org/festivals/cocoa-crawl. Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10

Chinese New Year celebration

Chinese New Year festivities, including cultural performances, commence this weekend at Fashion Outlets of Chicago, 5220 Fashion Outlets Way, Rosemont. They include lantern crafting, Chinese calligraphy and dance, Kung Fu and a children’s choir. Free. fashionoutletsofchicago.com/Events/LunarNewYear2024. 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10

Madrid's Compañía Nacional de Danza performs at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre. Courtesy of Compañía Nacional de Danza

International dance

For their Chicago debut, the Madrid-based Compañía Nacional de Danza performs classical, neoclassical and contemporary dance at The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago. The program includes the new work “Passengers Within” set to Philip Glass’ music and choreographed by artistic director Joaquín De Luz. Tickets start at $40. auditoriumtheatre.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10

‘Dances From the Heart’

Dance Chicago celebrates Valentine’s Day with “Dances From the Heart,” featuring Chicago-area ensembles performing romantic works. Participating ensembles include: Visceral Studio Company, the Gus Giordano Company, Hromovytsia Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Comedy Dance Chicago, Culture Shock Chicago and Wheatland Dance Theater, among others. The performance takes place at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. $25-$45. (847) 673-6300 or northshorecenter.org. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10

Mark Sanders channels Barry Manilow during a tribute concert at the Raue Center for the Arts. Courtesy of the Raue Center for the Arts

Just for Swifties

It’s Taylor Swift like you’ve never seen her, courtesy of the Triton College Cernan Earth and Space Center, 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove, whose “Laser Taylor Swift” cosmic light show unfolds to the singer/songwriter’s greatest hits. $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and kids. triton.edu/cernan. 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 10, 17 and 24

Barry Manilow tribute

The Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake, hosts a tribute to singer/songwriter Barry Manilow featuring actor/singer Mark Sanders performing such favorites as “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs” and “Copacabana.” Tickets start at $30, $21 for RaueNOW members. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org. 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11

Journey through the universe

The Adler Planetarium, in cooperation with Action Lines Productions and The Joffrey Ballet, presents “Cosmic Rhythms,” an immersive film event pairing dance, animation and computer-generated images with commentary from Adler astronomers to take spectators on a journey through the universe at the planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Tickets are $15, plus regular admission fees, which start at $19 for adults and $8 for kids. adlerplanetarium.org. Wednesday, Feb. 14, through April 17

The Joffrey Ballet presents “Studies in Blue,” with Victoria Jaiani and Dylan Gutierrez, Feb. 15-25 at the Civic Opera House. Courtesy of Todd Rosenberg Photography

Joffrey Ballet premiere

The Joffrey Ballet presents “Studies in Blue,” a program pairing original work choreographed by Liam Scarlett and Andrew McNicol and a world premiere of Stina Quagebeur’s contemporary ballet “Hungry Ghosts.” Performances take place at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Upper Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets start at $36. (312) 386-8905 or joffrey.org. Thursday, Feb. 15, through Feb. 25

Comedian Alex Edelman brings his solo Broadway show to Steppenwolf Theatre. Courtesy of Jenny Anderson

Stand-up at Steppenwolf

Comedian Alex Edelman brings his Broadway show “Just For Us” to Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, for a limited run. After experiencing antisemitic attacks online, Edelman covertly attended a meeting of White Nationalists and came “face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards.” That experience inspired “Just For Us.” $52-$88. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org/justforus. Thursday, Feb. 15, through Feb. 25

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.