The Mix: Chicago Shakespeare streaming, Restaurant Week and more fun things to do March 18-24Mary Houlihan – For the Sun-Timeson March 17, 2021 at 11:33 pm

There’s much to do in the week ahead in Chicago.

All about Shakespeare

Chicago Shakespeare Theater has a new batch of plays for its Chicago ShakesSTREAM series beginning with a newly edited film of its 2017 staging of the playful romantic comedy “Love’s Labor’s Lost” (March 15-28). This is followed by two recently filmed solo shows by Tim Crouch inspired by Shakespeare’s supporting characters: “I, Banquo” (March 22-April 18) reexamines “Macbeth” through the eyes of the title character’s murdered friend, and “I, Cinna” (April 5-May 2) follows the apolitical and doomed poet in “Julius Caesar” as he explores words and actions, protests and power. Rounding out the online season are two new audio plays — “Measure for Measure” and “Twelfth Night” (both streaming April 19-May 6) — and “We Are Out There” (May 24-June 20), a digital prologue to Joe Kinosian, Kellen Blair and Daniel Schloss’ new musical “It Came From Outer Space,” which will have its world premiere next year. Tickets: $25, $100 for entire series. Visit chicagoshakes.com.

Get growing

Courtesy of City Grange

It’s time to start thinking about what’s going in that garden you’ve been thinking about all winter. The Great Grow Along, presented by the garden center City Grange (locations in Lincoln Square and Beverly), is a three-day virtual garden festival from March 19-21 featuring more than 40 sessions with authors and gardening experts. Topics range from edible gardening and DIY landscaping to urban gardening and caring for houseplants. Tickets: $29.95 (the sessions will be available to attendees for six months). Visit greatgrowalong.com.

Eating it up

With the past year so hard on local restaurants, it’s now time to show more support to your favorite eateries and even discover a new one to add to that list. Chicago Restaurant Week, the 17-day celebration of the Chicago area dining scene, runs March 19-April 4. For the first time, the popular event will include pickup and delivery, in addition to limited indoor and al fresco dining. Restaurants will offer prix-fixe menus for lunch or brunch ($25) and dinner ($39 or $55). For more information and a list of participating restaurants, visit www.choosechicago.com/chicago-restaurant-week/.

New dance film

Matthew Gregory Hollis

Winifred Haun and Dancers’ interesting new work “Press on, regardless” is now streaming. Filmed in various locations at Links Hall (doorways, a dressing room, a closet and the seating area), it features seven company members in a series of solos, duets and group performances. In the vignettes, Haun “explores circular, inverted movement that creates a disorienting but ultimately calming visual journey.” Stream the performance free at https://vimeo.com/520197021. The company also is hosting a free Wine with Wini online event (6 p.m. March 19), which takes an inside look at the making of “Press on.” To register, visit winifredhaun.org.

Latino theater fest

Courtesy of Water People Theater

Water People Theater presents “FIT 2.0,” an international online festival of Latino Theatre running March 18-27. More than a dozen plays are featured including Miguel De Cervantes’ “El Merolico en el Encierro (The Merolico in the Confinement),” about a charlatan salesman who reflects on human nature; Eduardo Pardo’s “La Chica del Paraguas Rojo (The Girl with the Red Umbrella),” in which two people discuss love in modern times, and Catherine French’s “Memorias de una Presidiaria (Memories of a Convict),” about a woman wrongly convicted of a crime who reflects on family ties, love and life. Audience members can help select the three winners of this year’s festival. Tickets: $7 per play. For a full schedule of plays, visit waterpeople.org.

Explore Marvel’s world

Sandro Vannini

Super heroes get the museum treatment in a new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes” celebrates Marvel history with more than 300 artifacts including original comic book pages, sculptures, interactive displays and costumes and props from Marvel’s popular films. Fans can dig into the origins of Spider-Man, Black Panther, Hulk and Captain Marvel to see how the characters have evolved over the past 80 years to become a pop-culture mainstay. To Oct. 24 at Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive. Tickets: $12.95, $21.95 (museum entry); $9-$18 (“Marvel” exhibit). Visit msichicago.org.

Virtual stage

In addition to some great performances, Porchlight Music Theatre’s annual benefit “Chicago Sings Rock & Roll Broadway” includes the presentation of the Guy Adkins Award to Tony Award-nominated actress Felicia P. Fields. Streams at 7 p.m. March 20 and on demand to April 18. Tickets: $25+. Visit porchlightmusictheatre.org. … Lifeline Theatre presents a six-part audio drama adaptation of Christopher M. Walsh’s “Miss Holmes,” inspired by the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Streams to April 30. Tickets: $20 or pay-what-you-can. Visit lifelinetheatre.com. … Hate crimes against Asian Americans are the focus of next episode of Collaboraction’s monthly talk show “Crucial Connections.” Streams free at 8 p.m. March 18. Visit collaboraction.org. … The Goodman Theatre offers a free reading of Ada A.’s “Tokens of Promise,” a satire about modern-day job searching. Streams at 7 p.m. March 20. Visit goodmantheatre.org. … Sideshow Theatre presents a reading of Ellen Steves’ “Thin Mints,” which follows a troop of Bonfire Girls during a five-day jamboree as they prepare for an important election. Streams at 7 p.m. March 19. Tickets: $10 or pay-what-you-can. Visit sideshowtheatre.org.

Mary Houlihan is a local freelance writer.

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