Time to Celebrate Life. May in Chicago
Frank Brichetto
Chicago Correspondent
Ladies and gentlemen, friends and dear readers, this is MAY! Winter is long past, Spring is running headlong towards Summer, and the weather is refreshing, with warm, sun-drenched days and star-filled nights. We will be exceptionally busy. As we begin our monthly excursions, please remember to plan ahead, call or go online to reserve tickets, and always check the weather. Let us get started!
This morning, Sunday, May 3rd, please bring the kids and meet us at about 10:00am at Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave., home to the Chicago Children’s Museum. The kids will truly enjoy visiting the I AM WILD: A Charley Harper Exhibit, https://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/i-am-wild. We’ll take in six distinctly different habitats—Desert, Ocean, Rainforest, Sky, Woods and City—through the eyes of modernist artist, the late Charley Harper. His work brilliantly reflected his humor and playfulness through modernist paintings. We see animals and their natural surroundings from a much different perspective, one designed to encourage understanding and genuine appreciation for biodiversity and interdependence.
We can let the children get excited as they move through multi-sensory Interactive Habitat Poster Kiosks, play ‘hide-and-seek’ with different animals in the Woods, use the Canopy Calliope to create natural music from different bird calls, act out and “be wild” as their favorite creatures. (Hey, that’s fun. Will they let us join in?) There’s even an Art Studio where they can explore and practice making art in the same “minimalist” style that Mr. Harper used.
OK, all you gamers, tonight, Friday, May 8th, is for you. It’s time for us all to visit EXP, 9900 Berwyn Ave., Rosemont, for Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue. It promises to be “an epic experience that invites longtime Minecrafters, new players and families of all ages to step into the world of Minecraft and become real-life heroes on a thrilling quest that combines advanced technology with an insatiable love for Minecraft under one roof.” Tonight is opening night for this new EXP adventure, so let’s get together and grab a family-pack of tickets at www.MinecraftExperience.com, as soon as possible.
What an experience this will be; we’ll each be holding a glowing Orb of Interaction to guide us along, as we test our wits with and against various Minecraft dolphins, pandas, spiders, creepers, skeletons, and whatever else lurks here. Our mission is to craft a life-saving potion for the villagers. Our journey takes us through Overworld to search for and gather the materials and resources we need, and deliver the potion in time. After we succeed, we can “celebrate our heroic feat with the purchase of a Minecraft memento at the Trading Post.” Or have dinner at one of the many restaurants right nearby.
This evening, Saturday, May 9th, please join us at Chicago’s Apollo Theater, 2550 N. Lincoln Ave., https://www.apollochicago.com/, where there is a new-to-Chicago musical review onstage: “Going Bacharach: The Songs Of An Icon”, http://goingbacharach.com/. Bacharach’s music is not on any of my playlists, but look through the many songs he’s written, and the warm, personal, flavor comes through. This year, at this time, it will be easy to embrace an evening of gently loving, and very familiar tunes. Burt Bacharach, actually has a huge songbook, and we’ll be presented with many of them: “Alfie,” “Close to You,” “What the World Needs Now,” “That’s What Friends Are For” and many more.
“Going Bacharach” puts three powerhouse vocalists, and an accomplished five-piece band on stage. They promise to take us on a joyful, melodic and illuminating journey through Bacharach’s extraordinary career, offering fresh, sophisticated and original interpretations of some of his best-loved compositions.
Tonight, Friday, May 15th, please, please, please join us at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Dr. when Hubbard Street Dance Chicago will close their 48th season with “vigor and verve”. It promises to be spectacular; “a powerhouse program featuring two World Premieres from two dynamic leading choreographers, plus two works presented in collaboration with The Verdon Fosse® Legacy.”
The familiar and famous Fosse and Verdon creation, “Sweet Gwen Suite” starts the evening, followed by Fosse’s “Percussion IV”. Both are visually open and musically approachable, wonderfully expressive, graceful and athletic. “Atlas”, by C. DaSilva, is a world premier, offering us the chance to see the dynamic range of talent in this company.
Another world premier, “LubDub”, by Resident Artist Aszure Barton, provides the climatic finish to tonight’s presentation. The dancers of this company continually amaze us with their grace, strength and athletic abilities, which seem to have no upper limit. With this piece, Ms. Barton is continuing to stretch and pull their artistry “to astonishing new depths,” guaranteeing that this performance will leave us amazed and entranced for a long time to come.
This afternoon, Sunday, May 17th, we’ll be heading to the MAC, because the fine actors and directors of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble are presenting “Birthday Candles.” This intricate and intimate play introduces us to Ernestine Ashworth, who spends her 17th birthday agonizing over her insignificance in the universe. Soon enough, it’s her 18th birthday. Even sooner, her 41st. Her 70th. Her 101st. Five generations, an infinity of dreams, and one cake baked over a century. This poignant and funny play takes its audience through the highlights, heartbreaks and extraordinary moments that make up one woman’s ordinary life. “For my money, Birthday Candles is precisely why people go to the theater.” says the Chicago Tribune. The MAC, www.atthemac.org, is the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., at the College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn.
Friday, May 22nd, looks to be the perfect afternoon to take a cruise. For 2026, Chicago Line Cruises, https://www.chicagoline.com/, is sailing the main, north and south branches of the Chicago River, under the care of some folks who really know Chicago’s amazing contributions to architectural design and engineering that are so evident in many of our buildings. For over four decades, they have provided visitors and locals alike with well-presented and thoughtful stories as well as close-up views of our dramatic and beautiful skyline. Our 4:00pm cruise will depart from the Ogden Slip, located at River East Plaza, 465 N McClurg Ct., and we trust that you will be aboard with us.
Today, Saturday, May 23rd, let’s visit our favorite immersive experience theater, Germania Place, 108 West Germania Pl., and “Set sail on Titanic: A Voyage Through Time in Chicago!” We’ll be donning Virtual Reality (VR) goggles, then begin our experience by diving to the wrecked hull of this massive ship, lying almost 2.4 miles deep in the ocean. Traveling back to 1912, as our ocean liner departs Southampton, England, we can wander through lavish dining halls, walk the Grand Staircase, stroll the deck, and uncover the real, personal stories of the passengers onboard. Here we can experience history in intimate detail, almost first hand, reliving this heartbreaking voyage through characters based on real crew and real passengers, with visually stunning historical detail and realism. Don’t you wish that history could have been taught like this in your classroom? Our tickets are for 12:20pm, so call us and we can get a group bundle! Check out the whole thing online: https://titanicexperiencevr.com/chicago.
Today, Monday, May 25th, is Memorial Day. We’ll be honoring America’s fallen downtown, at the eternal flame in Daley Plaza, Washington and Dearborn Sts., at 11am. After the prerequisite speeches, a wreath will be laid in remembrance of those who died serving in the US armed services, and the Memorial Day Parade will march down State Street (from Lake to Van Buren streets) beginning at noon. Come with us to join the crowds lining the street, waving flags, and paying their respects as part of this Chicago tradition, which dates all the way back to 1870.
Saturday, May 30th, is a great day to celebrate “Maifest”, https://www.maifestchicago.com/, in Lincoln Square, 4700 N. Lincoln Ave. at Leland Ave. Maifest is the traditional German celebration of the arrival of spring, still celebrated throughout Germany with the maypole (maibaum) decorated to show off the history and crafts of the local village or town. German celebrations like this are always welcoming, light-hearted, and fun. There’s non-stop music, plenty of activities to interest the kids, and, of course, excellent German food, beer, music, dance and Gemütlichkeit. The festivities will start today at 12:00 noon, and continue through 10:00pm. We’ll arrive mid-afternoon, and hope to see you.
Today, Sunday, May 31st, is Memorial Day. Spend it, please, with friends and family, say a few prayers for those in your family who served in the Armed Forces and are no longer with us. Then rejoice in the company that surrounds you, and the blessings that we have every day.
This will be a great day, because this evening, Saturday, June 6th , we’ll be at one of our favorite venues, the beautifully restored Studebaker Theater, , https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/studebaker/, 410 S. Michigan Ave. The Champions Of Magic, https://championsofmagictour.com/, are bringing their blockbuster illusion spectacular to the stage for “two hours of mind-twisting, logic-defying entertainment” (London Review). They are bringing their largest and most ambitious illusions ever, combining cutting-edge visual effects, high-energy performance and signature humor into an immersive theatrical experience for all ages. The Studebaker Theatre has only 600 seats, so the scale, suspense, and astonishment (Can you tell that I really like magic shows?) will be quite personal.
Well, WOW! Wasn’t that a fabulous finish to a truly exciting month of adventure? I’m exhausted! Don’t worry, we will meet again next month for another round of whirlwind exploits.
