Redmoon's latest extravaganza, Spectacle '09, runs through Sunday at Belmont Harbor.
SWAN SONG  Redmoon provides the shadow puppets; CSO provides the notes in a collaborative take on Swan Lake.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 12.16.09 through Tue 12.22.09:

1

classical Tales from Tchaikovsky
The CSO pairs up with the creative minds behind Redmoon Theater for Swan Lake—with shadow puppets. How will the eclectic-as-they-come troupe’s hands transform Odette from bird to total babe? Given the mastery of their prior marionette maneuvering, we’re guessing with pizzazz.
GO: Dec 16 at 6:30; Dec 17, 19 at 8; Dec 18 at 1:30. $18-$199. Symphony Center, 220 S Michigan. cso.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: On Dec 18, the legendary American soprano Kathleen Battle joins the Chicago Children’s Choir in a concert that should leave even the grinchiest among us grinning with glee.
2

film Found Footage Festival
One person’s trash is another person’s cinema paradiso: The guys behind FFF return with new clips harvested from trash bins, Dumpsters, and thrift stores, including a workout video starring Milton Berle.
GO: Dec 18 at 7:30 and 10:30. $12. Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N Broadway. lakeshoretheater.com

ALSO THIS WEEK: Santa leads carols from his perch at the organ prior to screenings of White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life, Dec 18-24 at the Music Box.
3

lit/lectures Mortified Chicago
Remember, back in sixth grade, when your mom said you’d be able to laugh about the unjustness of junior high one day? That time is now. Listen in as folks share their most embarrassing memories, equal parts cringe- and giggle-inducing, supported by actual archival material: tear-stained diaries, love notes stashed in doodle-covered Trapper Keepers, and the daydream marginalia of 12 year olds.
GO: Dec 17 at 8:30. $12-$15. Beat Kitchen, 2100 W Belmont. getmortified.com/live
4

concerts Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah!
When Woody’s daughter Nora turned her legendary dad’s Hanukkah-themed lyrics over to The Klezmatics, a merry band of Jewish hipsters, the result was this unique amalgam of Okie charm, New York attitude, and boisterous klezmer.
GO: Dec 19 at 8. $48. Centre East, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie, Skokie. northshorecenter.org
5

film Award Season Contenders
For those, like us, who missed just about every Oscar hopeful this year, the Siskel presents a second-chance roundup: screenings of (500) Days of Summer, Julie & Julia, Inglorious Basterds, A Serious Man, and Bright Star—and no, that’s not the same as Wicker Park’s new It Bar.
GO: Dec 18-30. $7-$10. Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State. siskelfilmcenter.org

ET CETERA

Find out how to win tickets to Dreamgirls, open exclusively to subscribers of the Chicago Guide.

FREEBIE OF THE WEEK

lit/lectures I Slept with Joey Ramone
And bringing a little punk rock to the holiday season: Joey’s brother, Mickey Leigh, and the rock ‘n’ roll journalist (and Friend of Joey) Legs McNeil read from and sign copies of their new memoir, I Slept with Joey Ramone. You know, the perfect stocking stuffer for Great-Aunt Marge.
GO: Dec 17 at 7:30. Barbara’s Bookstore, 1218 S Halsted. 312-413-2665