For your consideration

A quartet of activities for the coming week

New this week on video

Shakespeare turns out to have been a bit of a poser in the historical drama “Anonymous” and Santa Claus turns out to be a bit of a stoner in “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.”

BFF ‘Divas’ in concert at Northlight

The best of friends off stage, “The 3 Divas” have finally found a way to put their chemistry to work for an audience. Don’t let the name fool you, though. “The diva thing is tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek,” said Susie McMonagle, who will share the stage with her …

BFF ‘Divas’ in concert at Northlight

The best of friends off stage, “The 3 Divas” have finally found a way to put their chemistry to work for an audience. Don’t let the name fool you, though. “The diva thing is tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek,” said Susie McMonagle, who will share the stage with her …

Park Ridge orchestra salutes romance

Love and discovery are the themes of the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra’s “Valentine Romance” concert on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m. at the Pickwick Theatre. Love, of course, because Valentine’s Day is nigh, and in the immortal words of Shakespeare, “If music be the …

Charlene Brooks offers a Streisand valentine

Barbra Streisand taught Charlene Brooks how to sing. That’s the multitalented Skokie performer’s story and she’s sticking to it. “I was a latchkey child so I was home alone a lot. My parents had their own business and they both worked all day,” Brooks related. …

Burning dialogue doesn’t warm up ‘Hesperia’s’ plot

Do a quick Google on “born again porn stars” and you’ll find there’s a surprising number of Evangelicals who gave up so-called sins of the flesh upon finding Jesus. Yet despite its grounding in an apparently not uncommon phenomenon, Randall Colburn’s “Hesperia” strains credulity. The …

Chicago a cappella sings spirituals in Evanston

“Wade in the Water” is the name of one of the more well-known African-American spirituals, and it is also the title of the latest concert from Chicago a cappella. Chicago a cappella performs at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., …

Circle puts on McNally’s ‘Ritz’

Circle Theatre puts quirky characters, dance numbers, and an imaginative, yet sticky situation on stage when performing Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally’s “The Ritz.” “It’s a fun, wacky farce,” said Bob Knuth, director and set designer for the production. “It’s a comedy that keeps moving. …

Arts and entertainment calendar for Feb. 9

Stage

“Black Pearl Sings!”, through Feb. 19 at Northlight Theatre, located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie. Featuring a cappella renditions of rare American folk songs, the play tells the Depression-era story of two women dependent on one …

New troupe offers magic of ‘Bell, Book and Candle’

Paradise Playhouse presents a bewitching tale of tricks and treats with its production of the rarely produced “Bell, Book, and Candle” by John Van Druten at Oak Park’s Open Door Theatre, Feb. 10-26. “It’s a great show,” said director Jim Leonard. “For a lot of …

Parenting can be murder

For William Landay, 48, of Boston, writing a book was on his “bucket list.” It’s very much a goal he can cross out and consider a done deal now. “At age 30, I decided to begin writing fiction just to see if I could do …

Acrofabulous to fire up Skokie audiences

Fire-breathing performers are among the attractions at the Acrofabulous Spectacular Saturday. Also, Kenyan music, dance and acrobatics, a family concert in Northfield and a dance party in Niles.

For your consideration

A quartet of activities for the coming week

Art pops up in Evanston

A “Pop Up Art Show,” hosted by Chicago area art gallerist Joy Horwich and her daughters, Jill Bernstein of Highland Park and Penny Keeshin of Deerfield, from Feb. 7-19 in the storefront at 1627 Chicago Ave., Evanston. The gallery will be open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. …