WHIP IT REAL GOOD: Teatro Ciertos Habitantes’ Monsters and Prodigies

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss events for Wed 03.18.09 through Tue 03.24.09

1

theatre  Monsters and Prodigies*
Who knew eunuchs could have sex? Turns out women flung themselves at these archetypes of altered manhood throughout the 18th century. This and other factoids about the bygone culture of castrati come courtesy of the Mexico City-based avant-garde troupe Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes.
GO: Mar 20-22. $25. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago Ave. mcachicago.org

2

concerts  Fred Anderson’s 80th Birthday Celebration*
Symphony Center rolled out the red carpet when saxophonist Von Freeman turned 80 in 2002 and again when Jazz Showcase impresario Joe Segal hit the same milestone in 2006. But when the Velvet Lounge proprietor and tenor sax player Anderson flips his odometer to the big 8-0, the bash will take place in his own club—which suits us just fine. A week of special guests culminates with a birthday-night concert, when the man of honor will likely do what he has on countless nights: welcome patrons at the door, collect their cover, then jump onstage and blow the history of Chicago jazz through the back wall.
GO: Mar 15-22. $10-$15. Velvet Lounge, 67 E Cermak. velvetlounge.net

3

classical  London Symphony Orchestra*
One of the world’s most recognized orchestras hops across the pond for a Prokofiev-packed program, brought to you from the baton of the new principal conductor, the fiery Russian Valery Gergiev.
GO: Mar 22 at 3. $41-$113. Symphony Center, 220 S Michigan. cso.org

4

theatre  The Wonderful World of Dissocia
Two acts, two utterly different views of mental illness. Anthony Neilson’s drama follows a woman through the hallucinatory wilds and heavily medicated realities of a psych ward. Expect another small masterpiece of moodiness from the theatre that does disturbed like no one else.
GO: Previews Mar 20-24; $15. Regular run $25-$30. Profiles Theatre, 4147 N Broadway. profilestheatre.org

5

concerts  Les Claypool, Devotchka, Saul Williams
A true alternative to conventional rock. Former Primus bassist Claypool specializes in wiggy art-funk weirdness that would be hopelessly self-indulgent if it weren’t so damnably catchy. Devotchka, which scored the soundtrack for Little Miss Sunshine, mixes gloom rock’s brooding vocals with Eastern European and mariachi stylings. And Williams sets cerebral rap to industrial-rock accompaniment.
GO: Mar 21 at 7:30. $31.50. Riviera Theatre, 4746 N Racine Ave. ticketmaster.com.

FREEBIE OF THE WEEK

farrago  Maple Syrup Festival
Tap into something sweet: See how syrup is made before sampling the final product. Yum.
GO: Mar 21, 22 from 10 to 3. North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N Pulaski Rd. chicagoparkdistrict.com

*ET CETERA

Watch a castrato in Monsters and Prodigies get his comeuppance … Download free mp3s of birthday boy Fred Anderson (click “music”) … Learn to speak like a Brit in honor of the LSO (tip: headphones recommended)

 

PHOTOGRAPH: Eugenio Cobo