Barbara Robertson in 'The Detective's Wife'
WORKING GIRL Barbara Robertson, fresh off a run in Working at the Broadway
Playhouse, stars in The Detective’s Wife at Writers’ Theatre.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 06.15.11 through Tue 06.21.11:

1

theatre The Detective’s Wife
The much-anticipated follow-up to Keith Huff’s A Steady Rain—a detective story, in which said detective has been murdered, leaving behind a widow determined to solve the crime—debuts at Writers’ Theatre, with Gary Griffin directing. Prepare for the critical flood.
GO: Through 7/31. $50–$65. Writers’ Theatre at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon, Glencoe. writerstheatre.org
2

rock/pop Robert Plant
The rock legend plays songs dating from his Led Zeppelin days through his more recent folk-rock forays, abetted by a band featuring the superb country-rock guitarist Buddy Miller and the angelic Patty Griffin. Want more superb—and cherubic? See “Sondre Lerche,” below.
GO: 6/16 at 8. $22–$80. Ravinia, Lake Cook and Green Bay, Highland Park. ravinia.org
3

rock/pop Sondre Lerche
The Norwegian singer-songwriter’s self-titled new release—a collection of acoustic pop that rolls together gauzy 1960s pop, cabaret, and new wave into one cohesive, sophisticated, compelling whole—may be his best yet.
GO: 6/18 at 10: $20. Schubas, 3159 N Southport. schubas.com. 6/19 at 8: $20. Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln. lincolnhallchicago.com
4

parties Summer Lovin’
What? You’ve got something better to do than saunter around the MCA, sipping cocktails and soaking up summer amid the city’s best-looking crowd? We didn’t think so. Chicago’s annual bash celebrating our most-eligible-singles list—on newsstands 6/16 and on our website now—takes over the museum on Friday. The event, cosponsored by the Auxiliary Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, benefits stroke research at NMH.
GO: 6/17 at 7. $85–$105. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago. summerlovin.net
5

sports/rec Hooked on Fishing
Already found the best catch in the sea? Spend Father’s Day with your brood of aspiring anglers at the Morton Arboretum; BYO pole, bait provided.
GO: 6/18, 19 at 7:30 a.m. $17. Morton Arboretum, 4100 Rte 53, Lisle. mortonarb.org

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Joe Meno, author, playwright, Nelson Algren Literary Award winner, native South Sider, and writing instructor at Columbia College
Joe Meno

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: the author, playwright, Nelson Algren Literary Award winner, native South Sider, and Columbia College writing instructor, Joe Meno.

“This is my third active Father’s Day—I have a daughter who’s three and a half and a son who’s eight months—so we’ll be celebrating on Sunday.

“On Saturday, I’m taking my daughter to a kids’ party, the kid of an old friend of mine. Friends from my 20s who are now in their 30s and mid-30s are having kids, so we’re going to a luau. Sunday, we’ll probably have some brunch. Since we have little kids, my wife and I don’t go to movies that often, but later on Sunday, we’re going to go see that movie Beginners, from Mike Mills. It’s supposed to be pretty autobiographical, about the experience of having a dad who comes out of the closet late in life.

“I’m a huge fan of Mike Mills. He’s mostly known for his album covers, but he’s also a fine artist, and we have a monoprint of his. And he did that move Thumbsucker several years ago now, so I’ve been waiting for another. This looks really smart and honest, I think with him drawing directly from his own life. So it’s going to be a very dad-oriented weekend.”

GO: Hear Meno, along with Simone Muench, Bayo Ojikutu, and Kathleen Rooney, at The New Chicago Style, a reading celebrating the 50th issue of the literary journal Another Chicago Magazine, 6/16 at 6. Admission is free, but RSVPs are encouraged. Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E Randolph. chicagopublishes.com

FREEBIES OF THE WEEK

beer Hop Juice Festival
Two Brothers taps the kegs on its annual summer release: a big, green, tangy party in your mouth—and, also, in the parking lot of the brewery. Admission is free; beer is for pay (in addition to Hop Juice, beer geeks can try the one-day-only Hop Juice Black); and live-music offerings include our own 2009 pick for Chicago’s best new bluegrass band, Bubbly Creek. And speaking of beer, have you seen our July issue? Pick it up on newsstands starting 6/16.
GO: 6/18 from noon to 11. Two Brothers Brewing Company, 30W315 Calumet, Warrenville. hopjuicefestival.com

classical Make Music Chicago
From the creators of Rush Hour Concerts comes this 14-hour marathon on the longest day of the year. Artists of all ages and skill levels gather to make beautiful music together at public spaces citywide—Daley Plaza, the Chicago Cultural Center, and more—before members from the CSO and the Lyric Opera Orchestra step in to show how the pros do it.
GO: 6/21 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Pro concert: 6:30 at St. James Cathedral, 65 E Huron. Full schedule: makemusicchicago.com

ALSO THIS WEEK: Year 77 of the Grant Park Music Festival kicks off with Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and the pianist Jean-Philippe Collard playing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G (6/15), followed by the Grant Park Chorus singing Schönberg’s Friede auf Erden (6/17–18).

sports/rec Bike to Work Week
A critical mass of events feting Chicago’s 110-plus miles of bike lanes includes a Grant Park screening of the 1979 classic Breaking Away (seriously awesome) and a morning commuter rally (free breakfast).
GO: Breaking Away: 6/16 at dusk. Grant Park, Columbus and Balbo. Bike to Work Rally: 6/17 at 7:30 a.m. Daley Plaza, 50 W Washington. Full schedule: bikechicago.us

 

Photography: (THE DETECTIVE’S WIFE) Liz Lauren; (MENO) Joe Wigdahl