In between parades and marches, March offers plenty of ways to feel productive while sitting down with the following must-see shows. Happy Women’s History Month!
Must-Experience Dance
Giordano Dance Chicago debuts “Flickers” by choreographer Marinda Davis in its Spring Engagement program at the Harris Theater at Millennium Park (March 22-23).
“This piece is about searching for the light in your darkest hours, believing it’s right around the corner, hanging on to the flickers, and trusting that no matter anyone’s opinion or doubt, your dream and story will unfold when you are most qualified to tell it and the universe is most ready to hear it, but it has to find you authentic and working,” says Davis.
Also this month: Alvin Ailey American Dance Company (pictured) marks its 60th anniversary (and the 50th anniversary performing at the Auditorium Theatre) with favorite pieces and Midwest premieres, including an Auditorium co-commissioned number by hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris (March 6-10), while the Joffrey Ballet presents “2019 Winning Works” at the Museum of Contemporary Art (March 8-10), and Red Clay Dance Company showcases choreography by African-American women in its La Femme Dance Festival (March 14-16) at the Green Line Performing Arts Center.
Must-Enjoy Comedy
The Second City’s all-female variety show “She the People” introduces updated material and a new cast in “The Resistance Continues” (Thursdays-Sundays) at Chicago’s UP Comedy Club.
“Our goal is, and always has been, to satirize the woes of being a woman in this wild world while also empowering the audience to take a stand and make real change,” says the comedy show’s director and head writer Carly Heffernan. “It’s a call to action bundled up inside a party, and we’re all proud to be part of it.”
Also this month: Maria Bamford, of Netflix’s “Lady Dynamite,” performs stand-up at the Den Theatre’s Heath Main Stage (March 14-17).
Must-Hear Music
Following its CD release of “Project W: Works by Diverse Women Composers” on March 8, the Chicago Sinfonietta presents “In Darkness We Rise” at Naperville’s Wentz Concert Hall (March 23) and Chicago’s Symphony Center (March 25).
“This concert is going to draw audiences in with iconic and cerebral pieces that allow for introspection and truly incite feelings of love and loss,” says soprano Twyla Robinson, who performs in the program. “Guests should expect to feel fully immersed from start to finish!”
Also this month: Singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff takes the City Winery Chicago stage, as does JD Souther, for two performances on March 3.
Must-See Theater
An all-female cast provides a new spin on “Heart of Darkness” in the Midwest premiere of Wolfram Lotz’s “The Ridiculous Darkness” at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater (March 24-April 28). The company’s artistic director Jonathan L. Green says it’s “a hilarious, take-no-prisoners indictment of world history, of cruelty, of ourselves.”
Also this month: Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Sweat” makes its Chicago premiere at Goodman Theatre (March 9-April 14); “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf” (pictured) appears at Court Theatre (March 14-April 14); and Jacaranda Collective’s “My Name is Rachel Corrie” opens at the Den Theatre Chicago (March 22).
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Top image courtesy of Alvin Ailey Dance Company
Bottom image courtesy of Court Theatre