Friday 1
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To celebrate their seventh anniversary the Neo-Futurists are offering a special show of 1995’s greatest hits. Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind sees the comedic ensemble attempting to roar through “30 plays in 60 minutes,” with the lineup of miniplays shifting a bit each week to keep the mix fresh. Beginning tonight and running through next weekend the group’s regular Friday and Saturday shows at 11:30 will be joined by additional ones at 8. Admission is $3 plus the roll of a single die. The Neo-Futurarium headquarters is at 5153 N. Ashland. Call 275-5255 for more.
Saturday 2
“French cuisine goes well beyond the body of recipes that comprise it,” write the organizers of a conference on the subject. “Eating not only sustains the body, it is an act of profound–if at times obscure–psychological, social, religious, economic, and political significance.” La Bouffe: French Food, French Culture, French Identity is a daylong investigation of this theory that includes a series of talks by historians. Things kick off today at 10 at the Alliance Francaise de Chicago, 810 N. Dearborn. Admission is $20, $17 for alliance members, $10 for students, and includes lunch, which will be catered by Kiki’s Bistro and Albert’s Cafe. Call 337-1070.
The Makropulos Affair is a strange story fashioned by composer Leos Janacek about a woman who’s been kept young by an elixir for centuries. Her concern that the elixir is wearing off prompts an ultimately tragic search for its original formula, invented by her father 370 years before. The opera is one of a trio of Janacek’s works with women characters thought to be based on an unrequited love. You can get the full story behind the Lyric Opera’s latest offering at a free lecture and preview tonight at 6 at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton. Call 255-3700.
The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois marks its 25th birthday with a lunch meeting of the Friends of Downtown today. The council’s executive director will talk about the economic importance of landmarks in Chicago and the group’s current imbroglio over Michigan Avenue’s McGraw-Hill building. It’s a free meeting at noon on the fifth floor of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. Call 726-4031.
