Friday 8
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The London Observer called it “an immensely enjoyable pop Hamlet”; the Manchester Guardian said it was “expressionistic, thrilling . . . operatic and emotional [with] a theatrical dynamism and energy which is usually lacking from our own cerebral, austere and word-bound stages.” They’re all talking about the Theatre of Moscow-Southwest’s Russian-language version of the lonely prince’s story, which along with their Romeo and Juliet (both translated by Boris Pasternak) will be at UIC for two weeks of repertory performances. Hamlet shows tonight and next Saturday, October 16, at 7:30, and next Sunday, October 17, at 2:15 PM. Romeo and Juliet shows tomorrow night at 7:30, Sunday at 2:15, and next Thursday and Friday, October 14 and 15, at 7:30. Tix are $18, $30 for both plays; $12 or $20 for UIC faculty and staff; and $6 or $10 for students. The shows are at the UIC Theatre, 1040 W. Harrison, and headphones will be available for the simultaneous translation provided by UIC Russian students. Call 996-2939 for more info or reservations.
Air-It-Out, a new four-on-four flag-football tournament sponsored by the National Football League, allows participants to raise money (in this case, the $25-per-player contribution goes to the Chicago Sun-Times charities) and lets spectators watch them make fools of themselves in this no-contact, no-tackling game. Deadlines for playing today are past, but you can register by October 8 for games October 16 and 17, or watch the games near the baseball diamonds in Grant Park (11th Street and Lake Shore Drive) from around 9 to 6 today and tomorrow and next Saturday and Sunday. There will be passing, kicking, and running contests for spectators, too. It’s free to watch. Call 883-0194 for more.
In Len Jenkin’s Limbo Tales “Two guys, an anthropologist and an encyclopedia salesman, give a vitriolic assessment of their pasts, and a dry and acerbic view of whatever future they might have.” Or so says Empty Houses Productions, which is putting on the show. It opens tonight at 9 at Cafe Voltaire, 3231 N. Clark, and runs Mondays and Tuesdays through November 2. The cast includes J. Michael Brennan, Craig Bryant, Julie Cohen, Victor D’Altorio, and Stephen Spencer. Tix are $7. Call 528-3136 for more.
If you’re interested in the Theatre of Moscow-Southwest’s Russian takes on a couple of Shakespeare plays, currently in production at the UIC Theatre (see Friday), the Friends of American Writers have a companion event to offer. Valery Romanovich Beliakovich will deliver a talk on Shakespeare and the Modern Theater Through Russian Eyes. It’s at noon in the Wedgewood Room on the seventh floor at Marshall Field’s, State Street and Randolph; $14 gets you lunch and the talk. Call 708-587-5446 for reservations.
