Entertainment

Best Bets: New Kids convention, Stars on Ice, Cirque du Soleil's 'Corteo' and more

Posted May 24, 2023 6:00 am

Barbara Vitello

Brian Shamie

Follow @ThatShamieGuy

Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood head to Rosemont for Blockcon, the first New Kids on the Block fan convention of its kind, running Friday through Sunday, May 26-28. Associated Press

Hangin' tough

Calling all Blockheads! The New Kids on the Block are drawing fans for a weekend full of events at Blockcon this weekend in Rosemont. Starting with an intimate concert Friday at the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, the celebration of the pop group continues Saturday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. 5555 N. River Road, with panels, exhibits and appearances, culminating in the “I'll Be Lovin' You Forever: NKOTB Prom”-themed party. Sunday morning, the Kids host a farewell event with fans. Tickets for the weekend run $379 to $1,499 at nkotb.com. Friday through Sunday, May 26-28

Ralph Covert puts a twist on alt-rock when he headlines Hey Nonny with a string section Friday, May 26. Courtesy of Hey Nonny

Ralph's realm

Glen Ellyn musician Ralph Covert has range. He's rocked nationally with The Bad Examples. He's played for kids with his popular Grammy-nominated Ralph's World. And this week he's playing with a string section at Hey Nonny, 10 S. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights. Tickets are $20-$55 at heynonny.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 26

Wendy & DB share the blues at a Patio Kids Series concert at FitzGerald's Saturday, May 27. Courtesy of Wendy & DB

Wendy, DB and the blues

Chicago's kid-tested, Grammy-nominated blues duo Wendy & DB brings their lively, family-friendly and musically educational show to Berwyn for a jubilant Saturday morning blues session conjuring the magic from their latest release, 2022's “Into the Little Blue House.” Tickets for the Patio Kids Series concert at FitzGerald's, 6615 Roosevelt Road, are $25 per family at fitzgeraldsnightclub.com. 10 a.m. Saturday, May 27

In remembrance

Chicago Opera Theater presents an evening of one-act operas at the Athenaeum Center, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Produced in association with Music of Remembrance, an organization dedicated to remembering the Holocaust through music, the program consists of “Another Sunrise,” about an Auschwitz survivor's struggle to find words to express her experience, and “For a Look or a Touch,” about two lovers torn apart by the Nazis. Tickets are $20-$90. cot.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 28

Soprano Caitlin Lynch stars in Chicago Opera Theater's "Another Sunrise," about an Auschwitz survivor's struggle to find words capable of describing her harrowing experiences. Courtesy of Chicago Opera Theater

Cruisin' on the river

City Cruise Chicago fireworks cruises resume this weekend from Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Prices start at $106 for the lake and river cruises that include dinner, music and fireworks (weather permitting). (800) 459-8105 or cityexperiences.com. Beginning Saturday, May 27

Chicago by night

Mercury Chicago's Skyline Cruiseline offers a 90-minute cruise of the lakefront departing from Chicago's Riverwalk at 112 E. Upper Wacker Drive, Chicago. Tickets are $47 (general boarding), $55 (priority boarding for adults); $22 (general boarding), $27 (priority boarding for kids), and free for kids younger than 5. mercurycruises.com. 8:15 p.m. select nights May 27 through Sept. 2

Libido Funk Circus kicks off Rosemont's Rockin' in the Park concert series Sunday, May 28. Courtesy of Village of Rosemont

Libido Funk Circus

Rosemont's Rockin' in the Park concert series kicks off this weekend with a performance by Libido Funk Circus at Parkway Bank Park, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont. Enjoy dance, disco and rock hits under the stars, followed by a fireworks show. The show is free, and food and drinks will be available for purchase from vendors around the park. See the full series lineup at rosemont.com/thepark. 7 p.m. Sunday, May 28

Highland Park native Jason Brown skates with Stars on Ice at Rosemont's Allstate Arena Tuesday, May 30. Courtesy of U.S. Figure Skating

Stars on Ice

Figure skating superstars take to the ice as Olympic champ Nathan Chen and U.S. Olympic medalists Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, Madison Chock and Evan Bates and Highland Park native Jason Brown head an international lineup of performers when the 2023 Stars on Ice hits the Allstate Arena, 6920 Mannheim Road, Rosemont. Tickets start at $55 at rosemont.com. 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 30

Cirque du Soleil brings "Corteo " to the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates June 1-4. Courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil returns

A clown looks back on the most memorable moments of his life in Cirque du Soleil's “Cortero,” which has a brief run at the Now Arena, 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates. Tickets start at $44. cirquedusoleil.com/corteo. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 1-2; 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 3; and 1 p.m. Sunday, June 4

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