Best Bets: Patinkin, Grody at the MAC, Maniscalco at United Center, Winkler in Woodstock
Chatting with Kathryn and Mandy
Mandy Patinkin and his wife and fellow actor/writer Kathryn Grody share stories from their personal and professional lives during “A Conversation With Kathryn Grody & Mandy Patinkin,” moderated by their son, Gideon Grody-Patinkin. The chats take place at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. $75-$100. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10
Music at the crossroads
Mandala South Asian Performing Arts presents “At Crossroads: Qawwali & Gospel,” a concert that integrates Black gospel music with South Asian Qawwali, devotional music rooted in Sufi Islam. Musicians Sonny with Riyaaz Qawwali and Seaux Chill perform at the Madden Theatre at North Central College, 171 Chicago Ave., Naperville. Free. mandalaarts.org/upcoming-events/. 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8
Sebastian Maniscalco live
Arlington Heights native and stand-up comedian/actor Sebastian Maniscalco (“Bookie,” “Somewhere in Queens,” “The Irishman”) brings his “It Ain’t Right” tour to the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago. Pat McGann and Pete Correale open Friday; Correale opens Saturday. $35.50-$171. sebastianlive.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9
Meet Henry Winkler
Emmy Award winner Henry Winkler (“Barry,” “Arrested Development,” “Parks and Recreation”), who gained fame as The Fonz on “Happy Days,” shares stories and offers insights during a confab at the newly renovated Woodstock Opera House, 121 W. Van Buren St., Woodstock. $75-$300. (815) 338-5300 or woodstockoperahouse.com. 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9
New MCA exhibition
The Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, presents an intergenerational, international group exhibition titled “The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970-2020.” The exhibition refutes the “painting is dead” claim by showcasing artists who have used different methods to advance and challenge the medium, the practice of painting and the role of painters over the last 50 years to confirm “that painting remains in a constant state of renewal and rebirth.” Chicago residents: $19 adults, $10 students, teachers, seniors. Nonresidents: $22, $14 students, teachers, seniors. (312) 280-2660 or mcachicago.org. Saturday, Nov. 9, through April 13, 2025
Lyric Opera rom-com
Chicago Shakespeare Theater founder and longtime artistic director Barbara Gaines helms Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.” It’s a romantic comedy about the wily servant Susanna, who on the day before her wedding to her beloved Figaro uses deception and disguises to evade the unwanted advances of the Count and reunite him with his wife, the Countess. Tickets start at $42. (312) 827-5600 or lyricopera.org. Saturday, Nov. 9, through Nov. 30
Classical stars in the suburbs
• Pianist Joyce Yang, silver medalist in the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, joins the Elgin Symphony Orchestra to perform Edvard Grieg’s “Piano Concerto in A Minor” this weekend. The program devoted to 19th-century composers also includes Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Overture to The Song of Hiawatha.” Performances take place at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Tickets start at $20 for adults, $10 for kids. (847) 888-4000 or elginsymphony.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10
• The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra welcomes violinist Rachel Barton Pine, who performs Johannes Brahms’ only violin concerto, the Violin Concerto in D Major, under conductor Stephen Alltop. Titled “Beethoven, Brahms and Barton Pine,” the program also includes Gioacchino Rossini’s “Overture to The Barber of Seville” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Performances take place at the Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, 149 W. Brush Hill Road, Elmhurst. Adults $35-$45; seniors $32-$42; students $12. (630) 941-0202 or elmhurstsymphony.org. 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10
‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ in concert
The Auditorium Theatre’s Philms Concert Series, featuring film scores performed by members of the Chicago Philharmonic orchestra, continues with the 1992 retelling of the vampire legend “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” The film will play in its entirety accompanied by 110 instrumentalists, the Chicago Chamber Choir and vocalist Cheryl Wilson. Diego Navarro conducts. Performances take place at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago. Tickets start at $89. (312) 341-2300 or auditoriumtheatre.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9
Orion Ensemble’s season continues
The Orion Ensemble welcomes guest violist Stephen Boe and guest violinist Mathias Tacke to perform works by three composers, including the Chicago premiere of “La Alborada de la Esperanza (The Dawn of Hope),” which recognizes the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I by Mexican American scientist/composer José Elizondo; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s cantata “The Song of Hiawatha,” based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem; and Dmitri Shostakovich’s early chamber piece Quintet in G minor for Piano and String Quartet, Op. 57. $30, $25 for seniors, $15 for students. (630) 628-9591 or orionensemble.org. 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, at the New England Congregational Church, 406 W. Galena Blvd., Aurora; 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, at PianoForte Studios, 1335 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago; and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston