Valentine's Day conveniently falls on a Friday this year, thus making the whole weekend a V-Day celebration. We asked our theater writers to suggest some romantic theater and dance events for you and your plus-one.
Sophisticated Ladies. Photo: Michael Courier
Musical Theater and Flowers Too
Bob Benenson says:
For theater, I'd recommend Duke Ellington's
Sophisticated Ladies by Porchlight Music Theater at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Great music, dancing, lots of fun.
The Lyric Opera is presenting Puccini’s
Madama Butterfly on Valentine's Day, a classic love story.
For flower givers, I recommend
Flowers for Dreams, which gives a quarter of its net profits to a different charity each month. (Their flowers are beautiful too.)
The Romance of Dance
Angela Allyn says:
In Dance, head to the ultimate romantic venue of the Auditorium Theatre and hit the
Joffrey Ballet. Don’t want to dress up and do something different? Head to Hyde Park and catch the 60th Annual
University of Chicago Folk Festival. No less than Studs Terkel MC’d the first one and this year they will feature an all female Mariachi band. There’s blue grass and Cajun too!
Dance Chicago presents DC 2020 Dances from the Heart: Saturday, February 15, at 8pm
Dances From the Heart showcases the most romantic works from DANCE CHICAGO performers featuring an amazing array of dance styles such as aerial, tap, urban fusion, jazz, contemporary, Irish, Mexican folkloric, hip-hop and more. The night is a beautiful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend and Chicago dance. Audience members will also receive complimentary treats courtesy of Eli’s.
The Boys in the Band. Photo by Michael Brosilow.
Love Stories at the Theater
Nancy Bishop says:
See one or both of the plays by Audrey Cefaly, both of them love stories about two women, one pair long-time partners, the other pair lost souls wounded by life. They're both lovely, beautifully staged and well-performed productions. See
The Gulf by About Face Theatre at Theater Wit thru February 15 and
Alabaster by 16th Street Theater at the Berwyn Cultural Center thru March 1.
And for more talk about same-sex love and lust, see the fabulous and fabulous-looking production of
The Boys in the Band at Windy City Playhouse. Sit on a comfy crimson bench on the perimeter of a midtown Manhattan apartment in 1968 and listen to the witty repartee of the party guests. You’ll even be served drinks and a snack by the staff.
Alabaster. Photo by Brian McConkey.
