Deeply Rooted, Malapert Love, and more

The Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) offers a full slate of conversations and programming exploring art and culture today at the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport). Highlights include a (sold out) conversation with filmmaker Jim Jarmusch at 1 PM; a 35mm screening of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 silent The Kid accompanied by a live performance from guitarist Marc Ribot (4 PM, tickets here); and “Whistleblower,” a conversation between activist Chelsea Manning and artist and activist Nadya Tolokonnikova of the group Pussy Riot. Manning will discuss her recent memoir README.txt and talk with Tolokonnikova about political activism, trans rights, and institutional transparency (7 PM, tickets here). A full schedule of upcoming CHF events is available at the festival’s website. (SCJ)

Facets presents the 39th annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival through November 20, and today’s offerings include Afro-Futurism, a special family program geared toward those ages eight through ten (2 PM, Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th). It’s an hour-long presentation of six short films, including writer and director Ebony Blanding’s Jordan (2022), in which a tween mermaid enthusiast discovers an ailing water creature, and makes a magical wish. This is a non-ticketed event, but festival passes and information about online and in-person screenings is available at the CICFF website. (SCJ)

Here are some concert options for tonight with links to past coverage by our music writers:

Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins are scheduled at the United Center with Perry Farrell’s Jane’s Addiction (read a 1988 preview of their show that year at the then-named Cabaret Metro here), and the android pop of Poppy (6:30 PM, 1901 W. Madison, $79-$185, all-ages, tickets at Ticketmaster).
Will Sheff of Okkervil River appears at Old Town School of Folk Music’s Maurer Concert Hall tonight; Mmeadows opens (8 PM, 4544 N. Lincoln, $26-$28, all-ages, tickets at the venue’s website).
Elastic Arts executive director Adam Zanolini presents compositions inspired by Phil Cohran with a new ensemble including Zanolini on bass, piano, flute, and more; Fred Jackson on saxophone, flute, percussion, and voice; and Naydja Bruton on drums. Pianist and arranger Sharon Udoh will perform a solo set (3429 W. Diversey, second floor, $15, all-ages, tickets available at the door).
Local “trash-blues necromancers” Tijuana Hercules play Reggies Music Joint tonight. They open for blues-rock band Left Lane Cruiser, and the James Dean Joint is also on the bill (9 PM, 2105 S. State, $15, tickets at Ticketweb).
The indie-rock duo OK Cool perform at Burlington Bar tonight; space rockers Dreamjacket, the folk-rock of Joe Baughman & the Righteous Few, and Chicago’s Jacob on the Moon (aka artist and producer Jacob Dinneen) are also scheduled. (9 PM, 3425 W. Fullerton, 21+, $10 at the door). (SCJ)

Deeply Rooted Dance Theater takes the stage tonight at 7:30 PM at the Auditorium Theatre (50 E. Ida B. Wells) with a program of four pieces, including the world premiere of Q After Dark, a celebration of Quincy Jones created by four Deeply Rooted company members—artistic director Nicole Clarke-Springer, associate artistic director Gary Abbott, creative/executive director Kevin Iega Jeff, and Joshua L. Ishmon—with live music by a super ensemble of musicians led by Sam Thousand. The other pieces are Vespers by Ulysses Dove (accompanied by an electronic score by Mikel Rouse); an excerpt of Madonna Anno Domini by Clarke-Springer, featuring music by Culoe De Song and Aretha Franklin; and a revival of Aisatnaf, choreographed by Iega Jeff, in which “a woodland creature frolics to ‘Ballet Fantasy for Strings and Harp’ by Lee Holdridge.” Tickets are $25-$69 at auditoriumtheatre.org. (KR)

Siah Berlatsky’s gender-bending spoof of Shakespearean romances, Malapert Love, got an outing this past August with the Artistic Home as part of their developmental Summer on the Patio series. Now the playwright (who graduated this past spring from ChiArts) gets a full run of her comedy with the Artistic Home, opening in previews tonight at 8 PM at the Den Theatre (1331 N. Milwaukee.) As Berlatsky (who is trans) told the Reader this past summer, “I’ve interacted with Shakespeare for a long time, and I’ve always adored all of the tropes and the stock situations that are used in those plays to sort of advance the language and the poetry. And obviously the queerness and the homoeroticism has always really interested me. So really what the play started out as was that I wanted to make a response to a Shakespeare comedy specifically with all of those tropes that I love so much and make it a more explicitly modern piece.” Julian Hester directs. Malapert Love runs through 12/11, Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sun 3 PM (no show 11/24); tickets are $15 for previews through 11/9, $35 during the regular run 11/11-12/11 ($15 students/seniors). Information and reservations at theartistichome.org. (KR)

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