Best Bets: Laugh it up with Second City at The MAC, stand-up at the Raue Center
How about a few laughs?
• The Second City’s red touring company performs the best-of show “Laugh Harder Not Smarter” at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. $32-$49. (630) 942-4000 or AtTheMac.org. 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14
• Comedians Maggie Hughes DePalo and Jim Flannigan and host John DaCosse serve up laughs related to love, relationships and parenting this weekend at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Tickets start at $43, $27.30 for RaueNOW members. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org/. 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13
Glam rock at the Arcada
Brett Michaels, former frontman for the 1980s glam-rock band Poison, headlines a pre-Valentine’s Day show at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. Michaels’ set list includes such Poison hits as “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Nothing But A Good Time,” “Talk Dirty To Me,” “Unskinny Bop” and more. $89-$238.75. (630) 962-7000 or arcadalive.com. 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13
Cinderella tale
Chicago City Opera presents Jules Massenet’s fairy tale opera “Cendrillon,” about a mistreated young woman who, with assistance from her fairy godmother, attends a royal ball where she captures the eye of a charming prince. Sopranos Hayley Fox and Valerie Beck star as Cinderella and Prince Charming, respectively, in the performances at The CheckOut, 4116 N. Clark St., Chicago. $30, $40. thecheckout.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14
Teddy bears for needy kids
The Chicago Wolves invites fans attending its Valentine’s Day game against the Colorado Eagles to purchase teddy bears (as part of a ticket package) to toss onto the ice after the Wolves score their first goal. All the stuffed animals will be collected and donated to children in need. The game is at Allstate Arena, 6920 Mannheim Road, Rosemont. Ticket packages start at $17.60. chicagowolves.com. 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14
Mardi Gras at Hey Nonny
Hey Nonny, 10 S. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights, hosts a Mardi Gras party consisting of a New Orleans-inspired menu featuring jambalaya, brisket lasagna, and shrimp and grits along with entertainment by Zydeco Voodoo playing a mix of zydeco, Cajun and New Orleans-style music. Tickets start at $32. (224) 202-0750 or heynonny.com. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17
Dance, dance
• The Joffrey Ballet continues its 70th anniversary season with the “American Icons” program, showcasing works that shaped the history of American dance. They include co-founder Robert Joffrey’s “Postcards”; co-founder Gerald Arpino’s “Kettentanz,” set to music by Johann Straus and Johann Mayer; Joffrey alum Glen Tetley’s “Voluntaries,” set to Francis Poulenc’s Concerto in G Minor for Organ, Strings and Timpan; and dance pioneer Martha Graham’s 1962 work “Secular Games.” Performances take place at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Upper Wacker Drive, Chicago. $46-$201. (312) 386-8905 or joffrey.org. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 19-20 and 26-27; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21 and 28; and 2 p.m. Feb. 22 and March 1
• Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre commences its spring season with “Nuestras Voces (Our Voices)” at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4545 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The program includes works by emerging Latino choreographers: “Los Immigrantes” by Ruben Andrés Castillo Gomez and “La Guerrera” by Lilia Castillo Gomez, which is inspired by her female family members who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba. $23-$25. CerquaRivera.org. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19