Winter Guide 2012: Things to do this winter

Theater: Ameriville
January 27–February 26
New artistic director Chay Yew puts his first stamp on Victory Gardens' programming with this piece by the performance group Universes. Ameriville, which Yew also directed in its 2009 debut at Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival, uses a collage of music, spoken word, video and dance to explore issues of race, class, immigration and poverty through the lens of post-Katrina New Orleans.

Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N Lincoln Ave (773-871-3000, victorygardens.org). Jan 27–Feb 26; $20–$50.

Music: Rumer
Feb 2
Burt Bacharach's new muse is poised to be next Adele. But despite her ode to “Aretha,” Rumer is far from retro-soul. She’s in a funk, not funky. Rumer, born Sarah Joyce in Islamabad, Pakistan, soothes with an aloe-like contralto, pipes that can not avoid comparison to Karen Carpenter. The wonderfully tranquilizing lounge pop tunes within her debut, Seasons of My Soul, are the kind of soft tragedies Ali McGraw used to die to.
Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln Ave, (773-525-2501, lincolnhallchicago.com). Feb 2 at 9pm; $13 ($15 at door).

Shopping: Randolph Street Markets
Feb 4, 5
To entice hibernators out of their lairs, this thrifters’-approved flea promises more than its usual spread, which includes vintage clothing, jewelry, furnishings and art. New this year: Style bloggers and writers help you avoid the hazards of rummaging (read: purchasing items you don’t want or need). If shopping’s not your vice and someone dragged you out to carry his or her bags, chill in the Super Bowl big-screen TV lounge. Not into sports? No problemo. Get crafty and make your honey a V-Day card at the love-letter writing station. No flame? Warm up with a bowl of chili. Market vendors are also slinging comfort foods.
Beaux Arts Plumbers Union Hall Building, 1340 W Washington Blvd (312-666-1200, chicagoantiquemarket.com). Feb 4, 5, noon–6pm. $10, online $8.

Theater: American Idiot
February 7–19
Take a stroll down the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams": The Broadway entertainment inspired by Green Day's 2004 concept album, crafted by band frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and director Michael Mayer using the songs from that album and others from Green Day's catalog, hits town on its national tour. A film version is due next year.

Oriental Theatre, 24 W Randolph St (800-775-2000, broadwayinchicago.com). Feb 7–19; $27–$95.

Art: "This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s" at the MCA
Feb 11–Jun 3
While we have to mock the decade that gave us stirrup pants and Ronald Reagan's presidency, the 1980s yielded some phenomenal art. Robert Mapplethorpe, Doris Salcedo and Felix Gonzalez-Torres are among the heavyweights in this exhibition, which examines how feminism, multiculturalism, the AIDS crisis and other issues transformed contemporary art. 

220 E Chicago Ave (312-280-2660, mcachicago.org). Tue 10am–8pm; Wed–Sun 10am–5pm, Feb 11–Jun 3; $12 suggested admission, seniors and students $7, kids under 12 free. Tuesdays free for Illinois residents.

Film: Margaret
February 17–23
Mired in editing and legal troubles, You Can Count on Me director Kenneth Lonergan’s masterpiece Margaret didn’t reach screens until six years after production wrapped. And even then, it tanked, despite the rhapsodic praise of a few reviewers (us included). A Twitter campaign and some year-end accolades later, this rich, volatile, endlessly debatable movie—a portrait of an emotionally turbulent high-school teen (Anna Paquin) who inadvertently causes a bus accident—is finally starting to attract the attention it deserves. The Siskel has booked an encore run from February 17–23. Don’t miss it: You might have to wait another six years. 

Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State St (312-846-2600, siskelfilmcenter.org).

Theater: Show Boat
Feb 24
The Lyric Opera looks to new audiences with its foray into Broadway. Not sure a Jerome Kern musical from 1927 will rake in the Glee set, but it'll be fascinating to follow the initiative, which could send the subscribers with fur coats and pearl binoculars into a tizzy. Hear "Ol' Man River" deeper than you've ever heard it. These are mighty bassos.

Civic Opera House, 20 N Wacker Dr (312-332-2244, lyricopera.org). Feb 12–Mar 17; $54–$224.

Nightlife: Damian Lazarus at Spy Bar
February 24
Never one to follow trends, club land's challenger of the status quo Damian Lazarus returns to Chicago for an aural excursion at Spy Bar. Proprietor of the fittingly named Crosstown Rebels label, Lazarus is a key player behind the careers of some of the hottest current acts in underground tech-house, including Art Department, Dinky, Jamie Jones and Visionquest. If you're a seeker of that "next" sound when you head out on the dance floor, you need look no further than this veteran selector.

Spy Bar, 646 N Franklin St (312-587-8779, spybarchicago.com). Feb 24 at 10pm; $20, free before midnight with R.S.V.P. at clubtix.com.

Music: Zed's Dead + araabMUZIK + Dillon Francis + Midnight Conspiracy at Congress Theater
March 2
As far as the "brostep" brand of dubstep goes, Zed's Dead falls to the more tolerable side of the sound. The duo mixes heavy amounts of soul samples into its speaker-rattling bass stompers. Another cross-genre talent, MPC wizard araabMUZIK looks to the euphoric side of dance music for his source material, sampling acts like Kaskade and flipping it into some of the most potent hip-hop beats coming out. Diplo discovery Dillon Francis has his roots in dubstep, but has recently taken a liking to the emerging moombahton sound, stripping away the Latin-heavy side of the midtempo dance sound and giving it a potent pop makeover. Kicking the whole night off, local electro-step duo Midnight Conspiracy rolls out a new live show based around the humongous LED screen you might have seen at one of its earlier gigs this year.
Congress Theater, 2135 N Milwaukee Ave (773-486-6672, congresschicago.com). Mar 2 at 7pm; $25, discounts in advance at clubtix.com. 17 and up.

Comedy: Jerry Seinfeld
March 3
We've got to hand it to Seinfeld, various recent successes like the Seinfeld reunion on season seven's Curb Your Enthusiasm and directing Colin Quinn in last year's Long Story Short haven't stopped the man from doing what he loves best, stand-up comedy. Seinfeld continues to be a ubiquitous face on the touring circuit, and his appearances on late night have showcased a man at the top of his game.

Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N River Rd (847-671-5100; rosemonttheatre.com). Mar 3 at 7, 10pm; $45–$75.

Dance: Batsheva Dance Company
March 17, 18
Two of 2011’s best dance premieres were made by choreographers from Tel Aviv’s Batsheva, for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. The Israeli company itself follows up on its brilliant 2009 Chicago visit with a double bill of choreography by Ohad Naharin, MAX and B/OLERO. It’d be hard to overstate how excited we are for this. 
Auditorium Theatre (50 E Congress Pkwy, 312-922-2110, auditoriumtheatre.org). Mar 17 at 7:30pm, Mar 18 at 2pm; $30–$90.