Arts & Entertainment Recommendations

John Neumeier’s beautifully haunting interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 folktale follows the tormented mermaid on a journey between the divergent worlds of land and sea. With sets and costumes of the grandest scale and an original score by composer Lera Auerbach, this heartbreaking tragedy, based on Andersen’s original and complex themes, makes its long-awaited Chicago debut. The show runs April 19, 21, 22, 27, 28, & 29 at 7:30 p.m., and April 22, 23, 29, & 30 at 2 p.m. at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Lower Wacker Drive. Tickets are $36+ at joffrey.org/performances-and-tickets

"Invest in our planet" is the theme of the 53rd anniversary Earth Day celebration, April 22 at the Chicago Cultural Center. Join One Earth Film Festival, the City of Chicago's Office of Climate & Environmental Equity, and their partners working on environmental and climate justice initiatives. Enjoy refreshments and learn about environmental groups and events around Chicago. This free event starts at 12:30 p.m. and includes a screening of the U.S. premiere of the movie “Biocentrics” at 2 p.m. in the Claudia Cassidy Theater of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Registration is recommended at biocentricsculturalcenter.eventbrite.com

For one night only, New York-based tap dance company Dorrance Dance joins two of Chicago’s finest: Trinity Irish Dance Company, and tap dance company M.A.D.D. Rhythms. The thunderous evening will celebrate American tap dance and Irish step and the similarities they share with a past full of resistance and hope. The evening presents individual company works, riveting premiere pieces, and never-before-seen collaborations that will celebrate the intersections of tap and Irish step, their rhythmic sensibilities, and a history of rebellion. This performance will be at 7:30 p.m. April 22 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive. Tickets are $25+ at auditoriumtheatre.org

Explore the different themes of the American empire, and how historians write about the complex histories of U.S. foreign relations, in this conversation between authors Nicholson Baker and Daniel Immerwahr. Baker and Immerwhar will discuss how literature and historical writing have shaped understandings of American power. The 6 p.m. April 27 event will be in-person at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., and livestreamed on Zoom. FREE with advance registration required at at www.newberry.org/calendar/writing-about-empire

Chicago A Cappella, Chicago’s unique vocal ensemble, concludes its season with “American Songbook.” Enjoy the witty tunes and ballads of Gershwin, Porter, Kern, and Rodgers & Hammerstein and see why many call this “America’s classical music.” Four performances will be at 8 p.m. April 22 at Ganz Hall, 425 S. Wabash Ave., 4 p.m. April 23 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 8 p.m. April 28 at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, and 4 p.m. April 30 at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St., Oak Park. Tickets are $35+ at chicagoacappella.org/tickets-subscriptions

Monique and her daughter Sam are on the run. From what, they will not say. The family is forced to consider what must be sacrificed to raise a child in an often-cruel world. “Last Night and the Night Before” is a heartbreaking and poetic portrait of love (Black, queer, familial) and a bold tribute to the enduring promise of tomorrow. This Chicago premiere will run April 6 - May 14 at Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. Showtimes are 3 or 8 p.m. on various days. Tickets are $20+ at www.steppenwolf.org/ticketsevents/seasons-/2022-23

Center Day is a family-friendly day of intergenerational art making, artist workshops and talks, open studios, exhibition celebrations, and community collaborations at the Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Art-making activities and community collaborations will be inspired by the exhibitions on view. Visit with resident artists, Eric Perez, Sofía Fernández Díaz, Kushala Vora, and Rhonda Wheatley, and Creative Wing Studio Artists, Heather Smith, Candace Hunter, Juarez Hawkins, and Malaika Jackson. This free event is 1 - 4 p.m. April 22. More information is available at www.hydeparkart.org/event

The “Under the Dome” concert series returns to the Chicago Cultural Center presenting musical performances under Preston Bradley Hall’s Louis Comfort Tiffany art glass dome – the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world. This April, the concert series returns with two acclaimed Chicago artists: NNAMDÏ (pictured) and Jodi. This free event is at 6:30 p.m. April 27 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Reservations are recommended but not required at www.chicago. gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/dome.html

“Indecent” is inspired by the true events surrounding the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch’s “God of Vengeance,” a play seen by some as a seminal work of Jewish culture and by others as an act of traitorous libel. Talkback with director Kelsey Leigh Ervi and Rabbi Rachel Weiss and facilitated by Dramaturg Noah Marcus is scheduled for April 27 following the show. The show runs April 21 - 30 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Josephine Louis Theater, 20 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Tickets $10+ at wirtz.northwestern.edu/indecent

Porchlight’s series is inspired by a set of musical revues produced from 1934-1968 entitled “New Faces,” which introduced emerging talents that have subsequently become well known. Now in its eighth season, Porchlight Music Theatre’s “New Faces Sing Broadway” series takes audiences on a musical journey from the start to the finish of an entire Broadway season in 90 minutes. “New Faces Sing Broadway 1984” will be at 7:30 p.m. April 25 at Evanston SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston; and at The Den, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., at 7:30 p.m. April 26. Tickets are $37 at porchlightmusictheatre.org/events

Compiled by Emma Murphy