ART
ULRIKE OTTINGER
A three-chapter video on the artist’s trip from Poland to the Black Sea; opens Sunday at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, 5811 S. Ellis Ave.; free; 773-702-8670.
CHICAGO DREAMS: AN INSTALLATION BY ALAN STONE
Viewer-activated projections of Chicagoans recounting their dreams; closes Sunday at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.; free; 312-744-6630.
LISA ERF
Portraits by the Chicago-area artist; opens Thursday, Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst. $4. 630-834-0202.
–Alan G. Artner
CLASSICAL
CHAMBER MUSIC
The Jupiter Trio performs piano trios by Dvorak, Ives and Martin Bresnick at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the DePaul University Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave.; and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Ave.; $15 and $6, respectively; DePaul and Roosevelt students admitted free; 312-566-9318. The Pacifica Quartet, artists in residence at the University of Chicago, offer string quartets by Haydn, Dvorak and faculty composer Marta Ptaszynska’s “Mosaics”; 8 p.m. Friday in Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th St.; $10 general admission, $5 for students; 773-702-8068.
MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE
Principal guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer leads an intriguing program of contrasting concertos. Along with works by J.S. Bach and Handel, he will juxtapose Michael Tippett’s 1953 “Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli,” with the Corelli concerto grosso (Opus 6, No. 2) on which the British composer based his work; 7:30 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church, 1630 Hinman Ave., Evanston; and 8 p.m. Monday at Old St. Patrick’s Church, 700 W. Adams St.; $22-$46; 312-551-1414.
GARRICK OHLSSON
One of America’s finest pianists presents a recital as part of the Jewel Box Series. His program includes works by Handel, Haydn, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 32 in C Minor and Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 in B Minor; 8 p.m. Thursday in Northeastern Illinois University’s Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, 3701 Bryn Mawr Ave.; $25; 773-442-4636.
NEWBERRY CONSORT
Soprano Ellen Hargis and lutenist Paul O’Dette will present “The Birth of Song,” a program of early Italian Baroque vocal music by Monteverdi and others; 8 p.m. Friday at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St.; 8 p.m. Saturday at Grace Episcopal Church, 924 Lake St., Oak Park; and 3 p.m. Nov. 23 at Lutkin Hall, Northwestern University, 700 University Pl., Evanston. There’s also an open rehearsal at 3 p.m. Thursday at Chicago Sinai Congregation, 15 W. Delaware Pl.; $20-$37, $10 for rehearsal; 312-255-3700.
–John von Rhein
JAZZ
CHRIS POTTER
One of the most dynamic and versatile young reedists in jazz leads a quartet; 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at the Jazz Showcase, 59 W. Grand Ave.; $20; 312-670-2473.
ROSCOE MITCHELL
The great reedist-composer-improviser leads a relatively new quartet staffed by Tom Buckner, Jerome Cooper and Harrison Bankhead; 9 p.m. Friday at HotHouse, 31 E. Balbo Drive; $20; 312-362-9707.
–Howard Reich
MOVIES
THE THIRD MAN
More Top Picks Best Lazy Susans
Named in a recent critics’ poll as the best British movie ever made, director Carol Reed’s and writer Graham Greene’s 1949 classic is a thriller about failed romance and friendship, the black market in post-war Vienna and the mysterious “death” of Harry Lime (Orson Welles). With Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli and Trevor Howard. The movie, part of International Dinner and a Movie, will be introduced by Jonathan Rosenbaum; 8 p.m., Tuesday, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Dinner at 7 p.m., $22 for dinner and film. Reservations required; 312-742-8497 or 312-744-6630.
–Michael Wilmington
ROCK
FIERY FURNACES
Sibling duo from Oak Park has made one of the year’s thorniest rock albums, “Gallowsbird’s Bark”; Monday at Empty Bottle, with Hidden Cameras, 1035 N. Western Ave.; $8; 773-276-3600; and Wednesday with Scotland Yard Gospel Choir at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave.; $8; 773-525-2508.
RODNEY CROWELL
Once the king of new country, Crowell actually has gotten better as he has explored a more intimate style of songwriting; Friday at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25; 773-728-6000.
ELEVENTH DREAM DAY
To mark the re-release of its long-unavailable 1988 indie-rock masterpiece, “Prairie School Freakout,” Eleventh Dream Day will reassemble its most ferocious twin-guitar lineup, with Baird Figi rejoining Rick Rizzo, Janet Bean and Doug McCombs; Saturday at Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave.; $12; 773-489-3160.
–Greg Kot
THEATER
THE SECRET IN THE WINGS
Rich, strange and often darkly beautiful, adapter/director Mary Zimmerman’s deftly acted exploration of six lesser-known fairy tales builds upon a 1991 production dating to the early days of Lookingglass Theatre. Now, in the Lookingglass Water Works space on North Michigan Avenue, Zimmerman has reworked the stories to strong imagistic effect; through Nov. 23 at Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan Ave.; $30-$55; 312-337-0665.
–Michael Phillips
GREAT SOCIETY
Set in 1964, the Chicago-themed comedy focuses on the smaller, paranoid cogs in the Richard J. Daley machine. It’s sharp, carefully researched and penned with panache by Barbara Wallace and Thomas R. Wolfe. The work of the Famous Door Theatre Company, it has plenty of good belly laughs; through Jan. 4. at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave; $16-$32. 773-327-5252.
— Chris Jones