Comedy, drama and music on stage, plus unusual exhibits.
by John Cain
In LaPorte County, the Lubeznik Center for the Arts presents “Work Local: Speak Global,” February 7-April 18. This exhibit unites local artists, craftsmen and graduate students from IIT in Chicago with local producers of materials, products and/or services that will celebrate the possibilities of local talent in fields as diverse as fine arts and industrial manufacturing and design. “Work Local: Speak Global” is curated in collaboration with Lubeznik exhibit director CarolAnn Brown and Paul Pettigrew, architect and professor at IIT Chicago. Visit www.lubeznikcenter.org for information.
Festival Players Guild at Main Street Theatre will present “The Player King,” a one-man performance piece inspired by the lives of Edwin Booth, Junius Brutus Booth and John Wilkes Booth, set during the year following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Edwin Booth, perhaps the greatest Shakespearean actor in American history, has been forced to quit the stage because of his brother's heinous crime. This is a one-man show but, under the spell of playwright-performer Darin Dahms, it will seem as if there are three distinct men on stage, all fully realized and fascinating. The show runs March 20-29. Learn more at www.festivalplayersguild.org.
Footlight Players will present “Consider the Oyster,” February 6-15. During the celebration of a Detroit Lions Super Bowl victory, Gene Walsh impulsively proposes marriage to the love of his life. When she joyously accepts, he tumbles over the coffee table. This chance fall begins a hilarious cascade of startling twists that turn the happy couple's future upside down and inside out. Visit www.footlightplayers.org.
Chicago Street Theatre will celebrate its 60th season by presenting “The Angels of Lemnos,” the drama that began the group's foray into producing new and original works and launched Jim Henry's career as a professional playwright. Poignant and funny, “The Angels of Lemnos” tells the story of Nathan Spandrel, a homeless man who has fallen through the cracks of society until finding an infant he believes he must return to heaven. The show runs April 10-25. Online information at www.chicagostreet.org.
In Lake County, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra invites you to kick off your Valentine's weekend with passionate music on February 13, with “Big Romance.” Back for a second year by popular demand, pianist Winston Choi will play the beloved “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini” and the unique “Concerto for Left Hand.” The symphony's “piano-cam” will showcase Choi's intricate musicianship. Passionate Spanish themes from “Capriccio Espagnol” and the heart-pounding rhythms of “Carmen” will also be performed on this concert. Visit www.nisorchestra.org.
The Munster Concert Association presents Al Simmons in a one-man show in the tradition of Danny Kaye and Spike Jones on March 1. This world-renowned, critically acclaimed, comedian delivers classic vaudevillian comedy and musical humor, including instruments, props and costumes. Learn more at www.munsterconcerts.org.
South Shore Arts reminds you to visit its online Regional Art Calendar at www.SouthShoreArtsOnline.org for listings of local arts events. The calendar lists exhibits, concerts, plays, lectures, film series, dance performances and more, all taking place in your neighborhood. Don't forget the South Shore Arts Facebook page, where you can also keep up to date on exhibit schedules and opening receptions, class signups, outreach programs and special events. Local artists also post their events and share local art experiences.
John Cain has served South Shore Arts as executive director since 1993 and as executive director of the Northwest Indiana Symphony since 2008. Find out more about area arts activities and events by watching Lakeshore Public Television's “Eye on the Arts,” every Friday evening at 7 p.m. on “Lakeshore Report.”
