Things to do in Chicago May 13-19: chocolate in Long Grove, Lyric’s Andrew Davis – Chicago Sun-Times

May 12, 2021 Kim Martel

All about chocolate

Long Grove’s annual homage to the cocoa bean returns with “For the Love of Chocolate.” The event May 14-16 may be on a smaller scale to comply with COVID-19 health and safety guidelines but it won’t skimp on everything chocolate. Included are food vendors, live entertainment and kid’s activities. Opening night includes an artist hand carving a sculpture of Frank Sinatra while singer Tony Ocean performs. Advance online registration is required to attend. Downtown Long Grove, 308 Old McHenry Rd. Tickets: $10-$45. Visit longgrove.org.

Playing it live

Robert Falls (center) directs John Drea and Mary Beth Fisher in a rehearsal for “The Sound Inside.”

The Goodman Theatre’s series of three livestreamed plays gets underway with Adam Rapp’s “The Sound Inside,” the play’s first live production since its Tony Award-nominated Broadway run. Artistic director Robert Falls directs Mary Beth Fisher and John Drea in Rapp’s drama about a creative writing professor who finds herself opening up to a reclusive, mysterious student with lofty literary aspirations. (Upcoming plays are Adrienne Kennedy’s “Ohio State Murders” June 17-20 and Ike Holter’s “I Hate It Here.”) “The Sound Inside” streams May 13-16. Tickets: $30, $60 for all three plays. Visit goodmantheatre.org/live.

Dance & sing along

An in-person weekend music fest for kids and families gets underway at Chicago Children’s Theatre. “Little Jams: A Parking Lot Performance” is an interactive 60-minute revue featuring a lineup of CCT’s favorite musicians and performers including Ralph Covert (Ralph’s World), who kicks off the fun May 15-16. Food trucks will be on site as will half a dozen industrial-strength bubble machines that are sure to make any child (and adult) very happy. “Little Jams” takes place at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays through June 6. Tickets: $55/pod, car or walk-in; advance reservations required. Visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org/event/littlejams.

Saluting a legend

The Lyric Opera of Chicago presents a free stream of “Celebrating Sir Andrew Davis: From Mozart to Stravinsky” at 6 p.m. May 16. The tribute features the departing music director leading members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra and soloists in a concert that celebrates his remarkable career. The program includes selections from Mozart’s beloved comedy “The Marriage of Figaro” — the first opera Davis conducted at Lyric — and Stravinsky’s English-language masterpiece “The Rake’s Progress” — the last opera he would have conducted as music director this spring — with personal narration from some of your favorite Lyric artists. Visit lyricopera.org.

Challenging the norm

“The Etymology of My Symptoms,“ a “Dis-” piece by Katie O’Neil.

The Chicago Printmakers Collaborative presents a new exhibit, “Dis-,” which features the advocacy work of artists with disabilities. “The prefix ‘dis-‘ in the English language has meant ‘apart’ since its early Latin roots,” says the show’s curator Matt Bodett. “The artists in this exhibition challenge that prefix, instead showing us how ‘dis-‘ can be a force of identity, empowerment, and community.” The artists are Bri Beck, Justin Cooper, Timotheus “TJ” Gordon Jr., Riva Lehrer, Katie O’Neil, Reveca Torres, Sandie Yi and Momenta Dance Company. The exhibit runs to June 26 at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, 4912 N. Western. Visit chicagoprintmakers.com.

Latin rhythms

As the June 5 opening date for the “Frida Kahlo: Timeless” exhibit at the Cleve Carney Museum gets closer, the New Philharmonic presents “A Salute to Frida,” a concert celebrating the rhythms of Hispanic culture. Pieces performed include Manuel Ponce’s “Estrellita,” Latin Grammy winner Armando Manzanero’s “No Se Tu,” Rafael Mendez’s “La Virgen de la Macarana,” Jesus Gonzalez Rubio’s “Mexican Hat Dance,” Arturo Marquez’s “Danzon No. 2” and more. Guest tenor is Jesse Donner. Streams May 15-June 15. Tickets: $40. Visit atthemac.org

Musical moments

Jeff Award-winning director Christopher Pazdernik helms the sixth annual Belting for Life concert, a benefit for Howard Brown Health, which features 30 musical theater artists performing songs from favorite musicals as well as pop songs. The performers include Angela Ingersoll, Missy Aguilar, Lucy Godinez, Jacquelyne Jones, Neala Barron, Sawyer Smith, Honey West and many more. Streams from May 16-31. Tickets: $20. Visit howardbrown.org/beltingforlife. … The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus presents an LGBTQ+ spin on a classic with its new show “The Wizard of Oz: Debbie Does Dorothy,” featuring original music by artistic director James Morehead and a book by Ashlee Hardgrave. Streams at 8 p.m. May 14-15 and 3 p.m. May 16. Tickets: $15-$40. Visit cgmc.org/oz.

Virtual stage

The latest edition of “Hershey Felder Presents – Live from Florence” is “Anna & Sergei,” with actor-pianist Felder portraying Sergei Rachmaninoff. A memory play, it’s the story of a little-known real-life meeting between the famed Russian composer-pianist and Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaievna Romanov (portrayed by Ekaterina Siurina). Livestreams at 7 p.m. May 16 and on demand to May 23. Tickets: $55. Visit porchlightmusictheatre.org. … Northlight Theatre presents a free reading of Kareem Fahmy’s “A Distinct Society,” at 6:30 p.m. May 16 and available on demand to May 20. Visit northlight.org. … PrideArts reading series continues with Paul Rudnick’s comedy “Jeffrey” at 7 p.m. May 18. Tickets: $10. Visit pridearts.org.

Mary Houlihan is a Chicago freelance writer.