The coming week should be an enticing one for listeners who savor the work of female singers. Spider Saloff, a nationally noted Chicago cabaret artist, will present her Gershwin tribute, “The Memory of All That,” at 7 p.m. Monday in the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-935-6100. And Cassandra Wilson, the pre-eminent jazz diva of the `90s, will offer her “Tribute to Miles Davis” at 8 p.m. Friday in Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-294-3000.
– Howard Reich
THEATER: DOUBLE FEATURE II
Mary Zimmerman is enjoying a revival fever, with two of her more celebrated works brought back for reprise engagements. Lookingglass Theatre is offering an acclaimed revival of “The Arabian Nights,” and now the Goodman Studio is bringing back the unusual “The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci,” a performance piece inspired by the artist’s actual notebooks. A big hit for the Studio originally in 1993, the piece later played the “Serious Fun! Festival” at Lincoln Center. Zimmerman restaged this revival, opening Monday, at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. 312-443-3800.
– Sid Smith
ROCK: AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
Yule tunes, a good cause, four top-drawer area bands–not a bad way to spend a weeknight during holiday season. The fifth annual Christmas concert by Busker Soundcheck is Tuesday at Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., with the high-flying guitar pop trio expected to play an assortment of adrenalized Christmas classics and tracks from a forthcoming album. Donations are requested for Chicago public school tutoring programs. The opening acts are all legitimate headliners: guitar-jam maestros Spelunkers, the big nasty himself–Wesley Willis–and indie-rock tunesmiths Motorhome. 773-549-0203.
– Greg Kot
TV: LOOK BACK IN HUMOR
Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” is one of the sharper-witted efforts out there, a smart-alecky, almost nightly take on the news that serves as both antidote to seriousness and amplifier of hidden meanings. Host Craig Kilborn’s show has put together a special, hourlong, somewhat premature year-in-review program that highlights that wit as it looks at business, celebrity and more. The show, which debuted last week, repeats Sunday at 9 a.m. and again on Dec. 31.
– Steve Johnson
CLASSICAL: RAINBOW OF STARS
Each December since 1990, Evanston-born soprano Nancy Gustafson has invited fellow opera singers to join her in a concert to benefit Evan-ston’s Over the Rainbow Association, which helps people with severe physical disabilities. The eighth “Celebration” benefit concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22 at Northwestern University’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, promises to light up the holiday season. In addition to Gustafson, artists scheduled to take part include tenor Jerry Hadley, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore and bass-baritone William Powers. The program holds classical, popular and holiday favorites. Tickets range from $50 to $250, and there will be a post-concert reception for those holding $150 and $250 tickets. 847-328-1607.
– John von Rhein
ART: FULL-FORCE FABRIC
The Textile Society at the Art Institute of Chicago, which has been enriching the permanent collection for 20 years, will have all its acquisitions on display beginning Saturday at the museum, 111 S. Michigan Ave. Specialists will, of course, get the most out of the show, but there’s also much to be said for the way it sets an example for generalists who collect but have not yet given to the institute with the generosity of this particular support group. 312-443-3600.
– Alan Artner
