The art of Laszlo Moholy-Nagy should be well known to Chicagoans, given that he founded both the New Bauhaus and the Institute of Design here. But his early figurative work–postcards, drawings, paintings–is scarcely known, and it’s the subject of the large exhibition that’s in its final days at the State of Illinois Gallery, 100 W. Randolph St. It is one of the most ambitious shows ever mounted by the gallery, and it continues only through Friday. (312-814-5322)
– Alan G. Artner
CLASSICAL: QUARTET QUA NON
One way to make Chicago a national center of chamber music performance is to bring the very finest players to the city and to provide them with rewarding outlets for their talents. That is precisely what the DePaul University School of Music did last year when it formed the Chicago String Quartet, a resident ensemble of experienced solo musicians. Violinists Joseph Genualdi and Stefan Hersh, violist Rami Solomonow and cellist Jerry Grossman will make their formal concert debut at 8 p.m. Saturday at the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave. Their program holds Mozart’s Quartet in D, K.575; Bela Bartok’s Quartet No. 2; and the Ravel Quartet in F. Proceeds will benefit the music school’s scholarship fund. (312-325-7900)
– John von Rhein
JAZZ: THE ELLING SWING
The adventurous Chicago singer Kurt Elling will reach out to a new audience next weekend when he plays the Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. Elling’s concert, at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, will mark the first major jazz event at the rock club. The singer will be joined by an all-star Chicago band, featuring pianist Laurence Hobgood, drummer Paul Wertico, bassist Rob Amster and trumpeter Orbert Davis. (312-489-3160)
– Howard Reich
TV: MOSES OF THE MINISERIES
Unflagging in its earnestness and also just plain unflagging, “Moses,” Ted Turner’s latest biblical epic, spreads its story over two nights (Sunday and Monday, 7 p.m., TNT) and invents for its hero a tough childhood in the house of the Pharoah. Ben Kingsley plays Moses as an at-first reluctant mouthpiece in this movie, which is sluggish at the beginning and end, more gripping as the patriarch leads his people out of Egypt.
– Steve Johnson
ROCK: WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’
At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert last year, Jerry Lee Lewis had the spotlight: a prime spot in a stadium full of fans backed by Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Lewis didn’t exactly seize the moment; instead, he looked as though he would have preferred to be back home sipping a cup of soup. The word “mercurial” doesn’t do justice to this extravagant talent, who has essayed everything from rock ‘n’ roll to gospel and country in his storied career. Backed by a veteran five-piece band that includes guitar great James Burton, Lewis may be inspired by the more intimate confines of Cubby Bear, where he headlines Wednesday. Or he may not. Still, it’s worth a shot. (312-327-1662)
– Greg Kot
THEATER: AVAST! AND GOOD NIGHT
Some interesting women team up for “A Pirate’s Lullaby,” a drama about 18th Century female buccaneers, opening Monday in the Goodman Studio Theatre. The cast includes Cynthia Orthal, co-creator of the acclaimed Hystopolis Puppet Theater; performance artist Paula Killen; and “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” regular Lusia Strus. The playwright is Jessica Litwak, and Goodman literary manager Susan Booth is the director. (312-443-3800)
– Sid Smith
