Chicago
Journal
Center Stage
Symbol and Substance: The Elaine
Ehrenkranz Collection of Japanese Lacquer Boxes,
through April 6. One of the most elegant and diverse assemblages
of lacquer boxes outside Japan, this collection ranges in
date from the late 14th to the late 19th century. The exhibition,
organized by the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Harvard University,
introduces the aesthetic refinement and symbolism of Japanese
lacquers, as well as the intricate planning, painstaking
labor, and supreme artistry that went into constructing
the boxes. Smart Museum of Art, 773/702-0200.
Nora and Edward
Ryerson Lecture: “Casanova’s Lottery,”
March 6, 5:30 p.m. Stephen M. Stigler, the Ernest DeWitt
Burton distinguished service professor in statistics and
the College, speaks on the social history of gambling from
1750 to 1840, including ideas of probability and risk, and
describes how to statistically investigate such issues over
the distance of time. Max Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall,
773/702-2513.
New Classic Singers,
March 14, 8 p.m. Lee R. Kesselman directs the Ars Viva Orchestra
in a performance of James MacMillan’s Seven Last
Words of Christ, Samuel Barber’s Adagio for
Strings, spirituals from Michael Tippett’s A
Child of Our Time, and other music for voices and strings.
Rockefeller Chapel, in cooperation with the McAninch Arts
Center at the College of DuPage, 630/942-4000.
The Romance
Cycle: Parts 1 and 2, March 28–June 1.
Artistic director Charles Newell adapts Shakespeare’s
Cymbeline and Pericles into a two-part performance.
In Part 1 a banished husband bets a rogue that the husband’s
wife cannot be seduced. In Part 2 the prince of Tyre finds,
loses, and regains his wife and daughter. Boxed meals available
during an extended break. Court Theatre, 773/753-4472.
Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano,
and Malcolm Martineau, piano, April 11, 8 p.m. Graham
makes her recital debut with songs by Dvorâk, Berg,
and Debussy. The University of Chicago Presents, 773/702-8068.