Best Bets: Illumination: Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum and Lightscape at Chicago Botanic Garden
Light nights
• Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum returns for its 13th year to 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle. New this year are four colorful animal sculptures from the arboretum’s latest exhibition, “Vivid Creatures,” by artists Heather BeGaetz and Fez BeGaetz along with 19 immersive light displays. Timed, dated tickets start at $18.50. (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org. Saturday, Nov. 15, through Jan. 3
• Also at the Morton Arboretum this weekend is the adults-only IllumiBrew, a combination beer tasting and preview where participants can sample seasonal brews, ciders and meads along the Illumination trail. Snacks and hot beverages will be available for purchase at a warming concession tent. $85 members, $95 nonmembers; $45 designated driver members, $50 designated driver nonmembers. (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org. 5:30-10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14
• The Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe, presents Lightscape, its seventh immersive holiday spectacle. The display includes Singing Trees from the United Kingdom’s ITHACA Studio that perform favorite holiday songs; Light a Wish from Israel artist OGE Design Group, consisting of large, fuzzy-like seeds that dangle in the air and appear to breathe; and Illusion Hole, an installation where it appears that water formed by light is flowing into a black hole. Jingle Jam Family Nights are Dec. 16-18, and Cocktails Under the Lights for 21 and older are Nov. 19, Dec. 4 and Jan. 2, with special pricing for both. General tickets: Adults: $26 members, $29 nonmembers; kids 3-12: $14 members, $16 nonmembers. Free for kids 2 and younger. (847) 835-6801 or chicagobotanic.org. Select dates Friday, Nov. 14, through Jan. 4
Groovin’ at the Metropolis
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, and Artist’s Lounge Live host “Let’s Hang On: A Rock ’N Soul Party” featuring “Jersey Boys” and Under the Streetlamp veterans performing hits such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Proud Mary,” among others. Headliners include Michael Ingersoll, Eric Gutman, John-Mark McGaha and John Michael Dias. $40. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15
Hubbard Street at Steppenwolf
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago returns to Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, this weekend for its fall residency. The program includes Ohad Naharin’s “Black Milk”; “Percussion IV,” originally choreographed by Bob Fosse for his Broadway show “Dancin’”; resident artist Aszure Barton’s duet “A Duo”; and Johan Inger’s “IMPASSE.” $20-$95. hubbardstreetdance.com/season48. 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Nov. 14 and 21; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, Nov. 15 and 22; 2 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 16 and 23; and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20
Beatles tribute
Liverpool Legends bring “The Complete Beatles Experience!” to the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, 1250 W. Wilson St., Batavia, this weekend. George Harrison’s sister Louise Harrison narrates the “magical mystery tour” chronicling the band’s rise from its early days of “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” to the final studio album “Let It Be.” $52-$84. (630) 937-8930 or bataviafineartscentre.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14
A tail-waggin’ good time
Rescue pups turned canine comedians Mutts Gone Nuts return to the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg. Scott and Joan Houghton created the family-friendly “celebration of second chances,” which consists of dogs performing elaborate tricks and more. $24-$39. (847) 895-3600 or prairiecenter.org. 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15
Also in Schaumburg …
The internationally acclaimed ensemble Simply Three — a string trio whose members play classical music infused with pop — headlines the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg. The trio will be accompanied by members of the Schaumburg Youth Symphony and Concert Orchestras. $43-$50. (847) 895-3600 or prairiecenter.org. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16
‘Carmina Burana’ at the Lyric
Music director Enrique Mazzola conducts Lyric Opera of Chicago’s company premiere of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” at 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Based on a series of medieval poems, the choral/orchestral piece features soprano Jasmine Habersham, tenor David Portillo, baritone Ian Rucker and the Uniting Voices Chicago children’s choir. $86-$397. lyricopera.org. 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16; and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18
Three comedians, thousands of laughs
Comedian and former WGN radio host Steve Cochran joins fellow Chicago-area favorites Mike Toomey and Tim Benker for a stand-up comedy showcase at the Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. $41.08, $75.43 for onstage VIP table. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com. 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15
A classic revived
The Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, the oldest ensemble of its kind in the United States, celebrates its 50th anniversary at The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago. The program includes “Boléro,” choreographed by founding artistic director Dame Libby Komaikor and danced by the only remaining original dancers of this ballet from its 1993 premiere: longtime ensemble member Irma Suárez Ruiz and executive director Jorge Perez. Flamenco musicians provide the musical accompaniment. Tickets start at $35. (312) 341-2300 or auditoriumtheatre.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15
New MCA exhibition
“Firelei Báez,” the first North American survey exhibition showcasing the artist’s paintings and installations embracing folklore, fantasy, mythology and science fiction, opens this weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. In the exhibition, Báez emphasizes resilience and creative agency, especially among marginalized communities who have found ways to create refuge and power in defiance of systems of repression. Chicago residents: $19 adults, $10 students, teachers, seniors; $22 nonresidents, $14 students, teachers seniors. (312) 280-2660 or mcachicago.org. Saturday, Nov. 15, through May 31, 2026
Lesley Ann Warren hosts ‘Clue’
Actress Lesley Ann Warren hosts the 40th anniversary screening of the comedy whodunit “Clue” at the Studebaker Theatre, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Warren played Miss Scarlet in the 1985 board game-inspired film about six strangers lured to a remote mansion where their host is murdered and each of them is a suspect. The evening includes a Q&A with Warren. $64.50-$184.50. fineartsbuilding.com. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16