There are plenty of events happening this week—of the music, theater, and trivia variety. Here’s some of what we recommend:
Mon 3/19: Brooklyn’s Pill, touring behind their no-wavey noise-rock masterpiece Aggressive Advertising, will be playing the Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia). The Reader‘s Luca Cimarusti says of the band’s 2017 album, “Pill lay down tracks that never stay in one place for too long, brilliantly shifting between blistering punk, creepy controlled hush, explosive saxophone skronk, and frantic, reckless synth. And they never skip a chance to make their manic chaos catchy or mind-blowing.” 9 PM, $10
Mon 3/19: The Harold, iO’s (1501 N. Kingsbury) signature long-form improvisational format, is always worth a revisit. New Harold teams are regularly added to the roster, each with its own take on how to interweave story lines. 10:30 PM, $5-$14
Tue 3/20: At the monthly Talk Show Presents at the Public House Theatre (3914 N. Clark), Paula Scaggs and Megan Stalter host performances by comedians, drag queens, musicians, and more, plus a “wild-card” guest performer every month. 8 PM, $10
Tue 3/20: Named after the 1966 Bruce Brown surf movie, “Endless Summer,” the exhibition currently running at the Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago) displays minimalist art influenced by the surf culture of 1960s southern California. 10 AM, $15
Wed 3/21: The Reader‘s Albert Williams writes of the play Bunny Bunny at Mercury Theater (3745 N. Southport), “Alan Zweibel’s wonderful 1997 memory play, which he adapted from his own book about his 14-year friendship with comedian Gilda Radner, is funny and poignant in equal measure in director Warner Crocker’s beautifully acted staging.” Catch the show before it closes next week. 8 PM, $30-$55
Wed 3/21: The weekly quiz night Trivia Mafia at North Bar (1637 W. North) comes with cheap drinks, popcorn, and pizza and is hosted by WBEZ’s Amy Wielunski. Also, you can catch some cool bands and comedy acts after the trivia. 7 PM, free
Thu 3/22: Adam Morgan, publisher of th Chicago Review of Books, discusses the local comic-book scene with artists and one cultural anthropologist at Comic Book Chicago, taking place at the Chicago Literary Alliance (641 W. Lake). 7-8 PM, free
Thu 3/22: The Death of Stalin, a new film by Veep creator Armando Iannucci, is recommended by our film editor J.R. Jones, who writes that it ” . . . mines laughs from one of the most brutal and frightening regimes in modern history.” Various times, various locations
For more things to do this week—and every day—visit our Agenda page.