The 3CR Guide to a Better February

Your Guide to a Better February Each month the intrepid writers of Third Coast Review compile our favorite events for the month. We come together as an eclectic group of locavores and choose the best collection of worthy events the month has to offer. We try to focus on the happenings you might not hear about from other publications. Happy February! Lit Incendium by the Chicago Slam Works’ House Ensemble Fridays 8:15p.m. Jan 29- March 4 The House Ensemble performs at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont. This is a poetry, music, and dance-filled show co-written by J.W. Basilo who consistently churns out clever, touching and provocative work. This show’s plot centers on a cabaret in the underworld, exploring themes of redemption, memory and the unknown. Tickets are $20. Poetry off the Shelf: The Poetry of Bolaño, Marquez and Galeano Monday February 29, 7:30p.m. This is a free event at the Poetry Foundation, 61 W. Superior, in which actors from the Goodman Theatre perform pieces from each Latin-American writer. The space is beautiful, the actors are sure to be talented, and the poetry is undoubtedly fantastic. Music The Hungry Brain hosts experimental music Most Sundays @ 9pm Beloved Roscoe Village bar, the Hungry Brain, has reopened after closing last year. They’re hosting jazz and experimental music performances most Sunday nights. Music Frozen Dancing: a winter block party Saturday February 27 @ 1pm The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, is hosting a winter block party featuring outdoor performances from Black Lips, The Spits, Meat Wave, & Muuy Bien. DJs K Marks and Dustin Drase will be spinning inside. The event is free and features Dark Matter coffee and hot cider. Stages Neo-Futurists stage Pop Waits February 4-March 12, Thurs/Fri/Sat @ 7:30pm Starring Malic White and Molly Brennan, this sketch show at the NeoFuturarium, 5153 N. Ashland, features monologues, movement pieces, and music from a live band. Through a combination of their favorite artists Iggy Pop and Tom Waits and a whole lot of audience participation, each performance promises to write a brand new song. $10 - $20 Rhinofest January 16-February 28 @ Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston All manner of thespians, musicians, playwrights and performers get an opportunity to showcase their new works. Eugene Ionesco’s work is the theme, and there will be a full staging of Ionesco’s 1959 play Rhinoceros this year. There will also be music on Tuesdays and a Faux Lecture Series on Mondays, which promises to be very entertaining. Tickets are $15 per show or pay what you can. Reservations are recommended. Screens 70MM Film Fest Feb. 19-March 10 @ Music Box Theatre If you’ve been viewing films in digital form or on your smartphone, your first 70mm film will be an amazing visual experience. The Music Box, 3733 N. Southport, which is showing Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight roadshow edition in 70mm, will screen 15 films on its new 41-foot screen during its 70MM Film Fest. You can see everything from Ghostbusters and Vertigo to Lawrence of Arabia and 2001: A Space Odyssey. And Starman and Cleopatra! See our story and the theater’s schedule. 70mm film festival @ the music box Homemade Meal Sharing App in Chicago Try out Uber for food if you’re adventurous and you enjoy homemade cooking that you don’t have to cook. Most of the meals are $12 each and require that you pick them up, but often you can buy large meal items that will last several meals or stand as your contribution to a potluck dinner. You simply have to request meals and set the date when you’d like them delivered. Your neighbor chef has the right to accept or deny the request depending on their schedule. Give it a whirl, it’s free on the itunes app store. Art Cosmic Body February 4-7 @ MCA Initiating the importance of interactive and immersive performance art, Cosmic Body pulsates and creates patterns through light, symbols and color. Ingri Fiksdal has collaborated with EDM artist Ingvild Langgård and visual artist Signe Becker, to exhibit Cosmic Circle. "Provident Hospital: A Living Legacy" The International Museum of Surgical Science, 1524 N. Lake Shore Dr. Provident Hospital was the first private hospital in Illinois to provide opportunities for black physicians and training for black women. The International Museum of Surgical Science will be featuring the powerful and influential story of the institution through images, records and archives in February. Food Paczki: Where to get your Fat Tuesday fix on with filled Polish pastries now and before February 9. We didn’t list all the options, simply our favorite places. Our advice is to order ahead. Alliance Bakery (Wicker Park) Bennison’s Bakery (Evanston) Bridgeport Bakery (Bridgeport) Dinkel’s Bakery (Lakeview) Kolatek’s bakery (Elmwood Park) Roeser’s Bakery (Humboldt Park) Swedish Bakery (Andersonville) The Northman Cider bar slated to open The Northman was supposed to open in the spring of 2014 in the Lincoln Square/ Ravenswood area. The Northman springs from the people behind the Fountainhead (Ravenswood) and loosely Bar on Buena (Buena Park) as well. It will serve Chicago’s widest selection of cider with 100+ varieties available. English Bistro style lunch and dinner served. 4337 N Lincoln Ave Beyond Blacklisted: A concert of songs made famous by blacklisted artists February 8 @ The Skokie Theatre @ 2pm Chicago cabaret singers perform songs written by blacklisted artists like Leonard Bernstein, Lena Horne, and Pete Seeger. Tickets are $20 Half Day Brewery in Lincolnshire There’s a new brewery now open in Lincolnshire off Olde Half Day Road. The beer selection and food is pretty great and potentially worth the drive! 200 Village Green, Lincolnshire