ARCHITECTURE
GENERAL MOTORS TECHNICAL CENTER
An exhibition covering Eero Saarinen’s General Motors Technical Center on the outskirts of Detroit appears through March 13 at the Graham Foundation, 4 W. Burton Pl. Curated by Brian Carter, dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the State University of New York at Buffalo, the exhibition features specially commissioned photographs, as well as construction drawings;.10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday; free; 312-787-4071.
— Blair Kamin
ART
KERRY JAMES MARSHALL
A selection of early works from 1982-1992. Paintings, drawings and collages by a celebrated Chicago artist; opens Thursday, University of Illinois, Addams Hall, Room 207, 830 S. Halsted St. Free; 312-996-9549.
TERRA MUSEUM
A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago.
In the final week of this exhibition, the museum’s development is told through works from its permanent collection. Terra Museum of American Art, 666 N. Michigan Ave. Free; 312-664-3939.
BAMBOO MASTERWORKS
In its final fortnight, this exhibit presents more than 100 baskets from the late 19th and 20th Centuries; Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. $10; 312-665-7100.
— Alan G. Artner
CLASSICAL
UCHIDA AND GRIMAUD
Two outstanding pianists of their generation will appear in separate recitals this week. Mitsuko Uchida performs solo works by Schubert, Schumann and Schoenberg at 3 p.m. Sunday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. Helene Grimaud will join flutist Emmanuel Pahud in a program mostly of sonatas originally written for other instrumental combinations by Mozart, Schumann, Poulenc and Brahms. Grimaud and Pahud’s concert will be at 8 p.m. Friday in Mandel Hall, University of Chicago, 1131 E. 57th St. $11 and $30; 773-702-8068. Tickets to Uchida’s recital are $18-$37; 312-294-3000.
SYMPHONY II
Concertmaster David Perry will join music director Larry Rachleff and the orchestra (consisting mainly of Lyric Opera orchestra musicians) for Mendelssohn’s E-Minor Violin Concerto at 7 p.m. Sunday in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University, 1977 S. Campus Drive, Evanston. Brahms’ First Symphony and the Four Sea Interludes from Britten’s “Peter Grimes” complete the program. $24-$47; 847-866-6888.
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PROKOFIEV FESTIVAL
Pianist Alexander Toradze and six young proteges from the Toradze Piano Studio at Indiana University South Bend, will take part in a two-day festival commemorating the 50th anniversary of Sergei Prokofiev’s death. The student pianists will perform all nine sonatas in a marathon concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Toradze will join conductor Lawrence Rapchak and the orchestra for Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in the second concert at 4 p.m. Feb. 16. Sheely Center for the Performing Arts, 2300 Shermer Rd., Northbrook. $5-$30; 847-272-0755.
HAMPSON AND BARENBOIM
Baritone Thomas Hampson, who won recent acclaim for his Athanael in Lyric Opera’s “Thais,” will team up with pianist Daniel Barenboim for the second concert of a seasonlong series marking the centenary of the death of the great German song composer Hugo Wolf. They will perform selections from Wolf’s “Moerike Lieder” at 8 p.m. Saturday in Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. $23-$42; 312-294-3000.
–John von Rhein
JAZZ
AACM LARGE ENSEMBLE
The all-star big band of the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians includes Ari Brown, Nicole Mitchell, Steve Berry and Malachi Favors, among others; 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Free; 312-744-6630.
TWO FOR BRAZIL
This excellent Chicago duo, featuring saxophonist Greg Fishman and guitarist Paulinho Garcia, plays at 8 and 10 p.m. Thursday at the Jazz Showcase, 59 W. Grand Ave. $20; 312-670-2473.
–Howard Reich
MOVIES
MUHAMMAD ALI THE GREATEST
William Klein’s ultra-hip documentary shows the young Cassius Clay becoming the public Ali and then jumps ahead to the 1974 Zaire “Rumble in the Jungle” against George Foreman. The supporting cast includes Malcolm X, Angelo Dundee, Norman Mailer and the Beatles; it’s one of the best and most provocative of all movie portraits of the champ. 2, 4:15, 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. Sunday; 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday, at Facets Cinemateque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. $7; 773-281-4114.
CASQUE D’OR
Starting off a monthlong series devoted to French director Jacques Becker is this little-seen 1952 classic. Becker’s most famous film in France, it made a star of the young Simone Signoret — as a gangster’s sexy moll torn between a handsome carpenter (Serge Reggiani) and a vain gang boss (Claude Dauphin). It’s a pungent period noir and tragic romance set in Paris’ Belle Epoque underworld. It will be shown in French, with English subtitles, in a new 35 mm print. 6 p.m. Monday, the Siskel Center, 164 N. State St. $8; 312-846-2600.
— Michael Wilmington
ROCK
IBRAHIM FERRER
This master Cuban singer who was rediscovered with the Buena Vista Social Club project is now a star in his own right; Wednesday at Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St. $31-$46; 312-902-1500.
DEAD PREZ
Public Enemy’s militant hip-hop is a clear inspiration for this Florida crew; Thursday at Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. $13-$15; 773-489-3160.
GODSPEAKS
Both a reunion and a farewell show for these Jane’s Addiction-style metal marauders, one of the city’s best unsung bands of the early ’90s, Friday at the Bottom Lounge, 3206 N. Wilton St. $7; 773-975-0505.
APPLES IN STEREO
Psychedelic popsters sharpen their garage-rock edge in concert; Friday at Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace St. $10-$12; 773-478-4408.
— Greg Kot
THEATER
BOURBON AT THE BORDER
Two battle-scarred veterans of the ’60s civil rights movement, one of them direct from psychiatric rehabilitation, face their demons in Pearl Cleage’s alternately predictable and absorbing drama. E. Milton Wheeler and Velma Austin add feeling and weight, while Cheryl Lynn Bruce and A.C. Smith juice up the comedy. Through March 2 at Victory Gardens Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. $30-$35; 773-871-3000.
IN THE BLOOD
An exquisitely good performance from Karen Aldridge guides this overdue local premiere. Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks takes a page from Hawthorne’s “Scarlet Letter” in her sleekly structured modern tragedy about a homeless single mother of five. It’s a wrenching but surprisingly lively play, splendidly cast by director Lisa Portes. Through March 2 at Next Theatre Company, Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. $18-$29; 847-475-1875.
MACHINAL
Sophie Treadwell’s fascinating Jazz Age artifact follows an ordinary stenographer (Mechelle Moe, resembling a D.W. Griffith silent movie heroine) from miserable marriage to ecstatic affair to the electric chair. The Hypocrites offer an intriguing production staged by Sean Graney; not all its multimedia elements mesh, but Treadwell’s vision of one woman versus a cold partriarchal society remains clear-eyed. Moe and her best cohorts find lots of juice in this harsh, exotic fruit. Through Feb. 16 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. $12-$15; 312-409-5578.
THE THREE LIVES OF LUCIE CABROL
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A lovely dream of peasant life, harsh and atmospheric. The tale of Lucie Cabrol (from a John Berger novella) was brought to the stage initially by London’s splendid Theatre du Complicite; the Vitalist Theatre staging by director Elizabeth Carlin Metz owes a lot to the frisky, stylized Complicite brand of storytelling, but this show’s far more than a replica. It’s proof that not all page-to-stage adaptations need stick to the usual mode of doing things. Through March 2 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.; $20; 773-327-5252.
— Michael Phillips
THE FANTASTICKS
Thanks to the savvy and experienced directing team of James Harms and Rudy Hogenmiller, Pegasus Players’ revival of the long-running off-Broadway musical is a sweet, dignified and intensely moving production; through Feb. 23 at Mercury Theatre, 3745 N. Southport Ave.; $28-$34; 773-325-1700.
THE GUYS
A rotating group of celebrity actors perform Anne Nelson’s moving and skillfully crafted two-character play that’s smart enough to keep its emotional and political canvas restricted to the sacrifices made on Sept. 11 by firefighters and other selfless workers. It’s a careful and dignified piece of writing. Through Feb. 16 at Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway Ave.; $31-$46.50; 773-472-3492.
GYPSY
In Michael Weber’s splendid, richly nuanced revival of this perennially powerful musical, Paula Scrofano shows a steely center as a stage mother with dangerous dreams; through Feb. 23 at Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Rd., Munster, Ind.; $25-$30; 219-836-3255.
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
Lou Contey’s revival of Abby Mann’s telling courtroom drama is a splendid ensemble production. It’s remarkable for its lineup of mature male actors delivering performances rich with experience and vulnerability. The way Contey creates pictorial depth and epic scale in this tiny theater space is nothing short of astonishing; through March 2 at Victory Gardens Theatre, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., $20-25; 773-871-3000.
— Chris Jones