THEATER
– Main-floor tickets to the reputable national touring production of “Twelve Angry Men” (starring Richard Thomas and George Wendt) can be had for $41, in honor of Super Bowl XLI. And some mezzanine and dress circle tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show at the LaSalle Bank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., are priced at $20 in honor of the Chicago Bears’ victory during Super Bowl XX. Call 312-902-1400 and mention the code BOWL.
– The same number and code also can get you tickets to the stellar Chicago production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” for $29 (instead of the usual Sunday night price of $57). But a warning: You can expect some Super Bowl-themed words in the 6:30 p.m. show, performed at the Drury Lane Theatre at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St.
– “Uncle Vanya”: You can’t remove yourself further from Super Bowl fever than witnessing Anton Chekhov’s sardonic tale of middle-age ennui: at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 200 E. Chicago Ave. Charles Newell’s production is top-notch. And on Sunday afternoon and evening, tickets are half price. Call 773-753-4472.
– Tickets to “The Sparrow,” the hit House Theatre of Chicago show about an unusual teenager with strange powers, have been virtually imposible to snag on weekends. But artistic director Nathan Allen says there is plenty of availability for the 7 p.m. Sunday show. “Those are about the only tickets we have left,” Allen said. The House performs at the Viaduct Theatre, 3111 N. Western Ave. Call 773-251-2195.
– Chicago’s two big resident theaters have shows on Sunday. The Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., is presenting August Wilson’s emotional final play, “Radio Golf.” For two-for-one tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show, either call the Goodman box office at 312-443-3800 and say “Go Bears,” or visit GoodmanTheatre.org and enter the code GO BEARS. That discount will also work for the 2 p.m. performance of the Congo Square production of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” also at the Goodman.
– Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., has moved its sold-out Sunday night opening performance of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal” (a title that may or may not prove apt, depending — if you care — on how things go in Miami) to 2 p.m. that afternoon. But you can get half-price tickets to the 3 p.m. performance of “Sonia Flew” by calling the Steppenwolf box office at 312-335-1650 and mentioning the unevocative code 2803.
— Chris Jones
MOVIES
– If you want a football experience without committing to watching the game, try renting a football-themed movie, or at least a film with some football-related jokes. Here’s a good place to start: Odd Obsession Movies, 1822 N. Milwaukee Ave. At this place you can rent Rene Clair’s classic French comedy “Le Million” (1931), which concerns a mad scramble for a lottery ticket (watch for the gridiron-inspired melee near the end). Or “Horse Feathers” (1932), one of the Marx Brothers’ pips from the Paramount era, which ends with Huxley College’s big game. Or, closer to our own time, “M*A*S*H” (1970), from which my wife quotes frequently: “Oh, my God, they shot him!” Odd Obsession is so wonky and interesting in its selection it even has “Father Was a Fullback” (1949), starring Fred MacMurray as a coach with domestic troubles up the yin-yang. Sunday store hours, noon to 9 p.m. Call 312-573-9910.
– If you’re up for a mind-bender of an odyssey in which football plays absolutely no role whatever, brave David Lynch’s “Inland Empire” if you dare, now at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave. Catch the 4:40 p.m. screening Sunday and, who knows, you may end up getting put on some sort of deportation list. No matter: If you subject yourself to this three-hour tour of various strata of the Lynchian subconscious, your brain will have left the country hours earlier. Call 773-871-6604.
– Chicago’s own gypsy-jazzbo group Swing Gitan is led by Old Town School teacher Alfonso Ponticelli. The music-soaked doc “Gypsy-Jazz Odyssey” lets us get to know Ponticelli and what makes his Flamenco-inspired rhythms tick. Or tock, even. Director Eric Hentemann will introduce his film right around kickoff time, 5 p.m. (repeats 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8), at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. Call 312-846-2800.
— Michael Phillips
– To be completely contrary, you might want to use game time to see a good subtitled art film in a theater. The best in town are the Spanish-language, Franco-era fantasy-thriller “Pan’s Labyrinth,” by Guillermo del Toro — a great, spellbinding picture nominated for six Oscars –and Clint Eastwood’s extraordinary Japanese-language World War II drama, “Letters From Iwo Jima,” nominated for four.
– The hard-core movie buff’s answer to whatever else is on TV is that nonpareil cable film source, Turner Classic Movies. Now in the midst of its month-long Oscar series, TCM will air (at 5 p.m.) that whimsical, highly polished and celestial romantic comedy “The Bishop’s Wife,” with Cary Grant as Hollywood’s sexiest angel, and David Niven and Loretta Young as the bishop and his wife. At 7 p.m., you can watch the cinephile’s Italian delight, Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1990 “Cinema Paradiso”– the shorter version with Philippe Noiret as the cinema’s most lovable projectionist.
— Michael Wilmington
TV
– So far, “Extras” (9 p.m., HBO) is the funniest program of the new year. In its second season, “Extras” (the chronicle of semi-successful actor Andy Millman) is consistently hilarious. In Sunday’s episode, Coldplay’s Chris Martin does a self-parodying turn as a humorless, self-absorbed rock star, who wants to know if the starving Africans in the charity ad he’s shooting could hold up copies of his band’s greatest hits album.
– Adrian Monk (“Monk,” 9 a.m., USA Network) is certainly at the other end of the TV-watching extreme. USA airs 14 “Monk” episodes in a row (interrupted by one episode of “Law & Order: SVU” at 10 p.m.).
– A marathon of four great episodes of the late, lamented Fox comedy “Arrested Development” (5 p.m., G4) includes the classic episode in which Buster Bluth’s hand is bitten off by a shark.
– The first two episodes of “Dresden Files” (8 p.m., Sci Fi), the cable network’s new wizard-detective drama, are followed by repeats of the two most recent “Battlestar Galactica” episodes.
– The world’s most mindless marathon, naturally, is on Spike TV at 1 p.m. “World’s Scariest Explosions Caught on Tape,” “Train Wrecks,” “When Animals Attack 3,” “When Animals Attack 4,” “When Good Pets Go Bad” and, of course, “When Good Pets Go Bad 2.” All that is followed by a triple bill of three installments of “World’s Most Shocking Moments: Caught on Tape.” I dare you.
— Maureen Ryan
ART
– Become acquainted with the large-scale abstract paintings of Chicago artist Scott Short, who generates them by an elaborate process involving a photocopier and chance, at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, the school arguably least concerned with football in the Chicago area. Noon to 5 p.m., 5811 S. Ellis Ave. Free. 773-702-8670.
– “Figures of Thinking: Convergences in Contemporary Cultures” is a new exhibition of 14 international artists who explore common issues despite cultural and geographical distances, at the Chicago Cultural Center, the only art museum in town open until 6 p.m., 30 minutes past kickoff time. 78 E. Washington St. Free. 312-744-6630.
— Alan G. Artner
DANCE
– “OPENPORT: Realtime Performance, Sound & Language” is a month-long, multidisciplinary arts series that begins this weekend, seeking to foster innovation and explore live movement art, performance writing, experimental sound and electronic poetry. The evening includes an Ohio artist billed as jUStin!katKO presenting “fleSh,” a music video and talk performance inspired by the album “Queen’s Greatest Hits.” At 7:30 p.m. at Link’s Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield Ave.; $12; 773-281-0824.
— Sid Smith
JAZZ
– For the past several months, the explosive Chicago drummer Isaiah Spencer has been presiding over one of the most viscerally exciting jam sessions in town — and not even the Super Bowl can stop it; 9 p.m. at the Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak Rd.; $5; 312-791-9050.
– At least Spanish musical culture doesn’t dance to the beat of the NFL — the ongoing Chicago Flamenco Festival will feature “Roots, Rhythm and Culture,” a work that merges art with flamenco choreography; 6:30 p.m. at the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake; $20; 847-543-2678.
— Howard Reich
ARCHITECTURE
– At the Art Institute of Chicago’s Gallery 227, there’s “Young Chicago,” an adventurous new exhibition about 16 of the city’s hot young architects and designers. In Gallery 24, the museum has a small show of original pencil drawings from legendary architect Louis Sullivan’s “A System of Architectural Ornament,” an influential book about Sullivan’s nature-inspired decoration. Then there’s the extraordinary collection of architectural fragments, many from destroyed Sullivan buildings, that line the walls of the museum’s skylit atrium. And don’t forget the sublimely meditative space of the Asian art gallery designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
— Blair Kamin
CLASSICAL MUSIC
– You can have it both ways at Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra. Music director Alan Heatherington promises periodic game updates from the podium. The terrific program of 20th Century masterpieces includes William Schuman’s Fifth Symphony; with its rushing violin lines and muscular punts by the cellos and basses, the piece is like experiencing a football game in musical sound. 7:30 p.m. (repeated at 7:30 p.m. Monday); $15-$60. North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie; 847-673-6300.
– OK, for those of you who must watch the game but want to balance muscle with Mozart, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra has a solution. The orchestra has moved the curtain time for its Classic Series concert from the scheduled 3:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Conductor/violinist Scott Yoo will be playing Mozart and the program (which holds Schumann’s “Rhenish” Symphony and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3) also offers blessed aural escapism for classical buffs. ; Hemmens Theatre, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin; 847-888-4000.
– The Rembrandt Chamber Players is presenting a 60th birthday salute to the great American composer John Adams, featuring his “Shaker Loops” and “Gnarly Buttons,” with clarinetist J. Lawrie Bloom as soloist. An excerpt from Bach’s “Musical Offering” completes the program. Score updates and a “victory celebration” are planned as a sop to Bears fans. 4 p.m.; Music Institute of Chicago, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston; $6-$30; 312-360-3145. The program will be repeated at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Gottlieb Hall, Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St.
— John von Rhein
INTERNET
– SuperBowl-Ads.com reduces the NFL championship game to its mercenary essence: the commercials. Site visitors can see previews of this year’s spots, links to news about the ads and a deep library of Super Bowl ads through history. All without having to watch one down of football. URL: www.superbowl-ads.com.
– If you are going to read on the Web (or just want to have a fling with it), there are few better jumping-off points than Arts & Letters Daily, an incredibly rich compendium of links to articles about, mostly, arts and letters. The site motto, from Seneca, is “Veritas odit moras,” truth hates delay. But so much immediate truth can be overwhelming at first, so start with the links in the keenly curated “Nota bene” section down the left-hand rail. URL: www.aldaily.com.
— Steve Johnson
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WAIT, THERE’S MORE
– PIE IN THE SKY
Most tough-to-getreservations restaurants will be closed for the Super Bowl. But if there’s a place you always wanted to get into, give it a shot. For instance, when we called, there were tables available at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center. “We have no TVs. Just a wonderful view,” said Bella Villa, reservations clerk. 312- 787-9596.
– VERY HIGH FIVES
Just one floor below the Signature Room is the Hancock observatory, which is open until 11 p.m., with the last elevator at 10:45 ($6.50 to $10.25 plus amusement tax). The view down on the city is from 1,000 feet up. Even farther up is the Sears Tower Skydeck at 1,353 feet (open until 8; last elevator up is at 7:30, $8.50 to $11.95). Look at all the condo windows. Are those big-screen TVs flickering? Is that Urlacher knocking the ball loose? Did we recover in the end zone? Can’t those people sit down so we can see?
– PLAIN FOLK A scheduling conflict put the University of Chicago Folk Festival head to head with the big Bowl. Festival spokeswoman Kate Early said the conflict pushed organizers to put together a Sunday night show that would be “as hot as possible.” There is, for just one hot example, a klezmer band, Veretski Pass. Also there’s the Cajun- Creole-zydeco band the Pine Leaf Boys. “Last year,” Early said, “they had the audience rockin’ and rollin’ in the aisles.” 6 p.m., Mandel Hall, 1135 E. 57th St. 773-702-9793. www.uofcfolk.org
– CHEAP SKATE On most weekends, the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park is uncomfortably crowded. Probably not this Sunday night, when it will be open until 10 p.m. “Unfortunately, yes, I’ll be here,” said Mike Vasilevich, the rink manager. “I’m hoping there’s nobody here and I can watch the game on TV.” Skating is free; rentals are $7.
– THE REALLY NAKED BACKFIELD For fans who can multitask, there’s the Naked Bowl featuring porn star Exotica (from such films as “Big Butt Smackdown #2” and “Your Face or Mine”). This bowl grinds from 3 p.m. to 3 the next morning at Polekatz Gentlemen’s Club in Bridgeview. “It’s a huge night for us,” said Joe, who claimed the last name Lance and who answered the phone. “We’re calling in all our girls, 200 of them.” 7337 W. 100th Pl., Bridgeview. 708-599- 1111.
– BREAKOUT If you decide not to be a prisoner of the TV, you are free to wander wherever your imagination takes you. For instance, there are the IKEA stores in Schaumburg and Bolingbrook, where, on this one, magical night (open until 8), you might actually be able to see the building from your parking spot. 1800 E. McConnor Pkwy., Schaumburg, 847-969-9700, and 750 E. Boughton Rd., Bolingbrook, 630-972-7900.
— Compiled by Charles Leroux
