By Philip Vidal
My home office looks over DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan, and when I began writing this column in late October, the lake was as calm as a mill pond. But November is considered the stormiest and deadliest month on the Great Lakes. The freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank with its entire crew of twenty-nine on November 10, 1975, during a fierce storm on Lake Superior. The sinking was immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 hit song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Praised by filmmaker Ken Burns, John U. Bacon’s “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald” was published last month.
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel’s first appearance on WTTW’s “Opening Soon at a Theater Near You” with weekly film screenings at the Chicago Cultural Center, November 5-25. Photo by Chicago Cultural Center.
This month also marks a happier 50th anniversary, when film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel first appeared together on WTTW’s “Opening Soon at a Theater Near You,” later known as “Sneak Previews.” The two later appeared in “At the Movies” and “Siskel & Ebert.” The City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Chicago Film Office are hosting “Siskel & Ebert at 50,” a series of weekly film screenings with post-screening conversations and a live performance at the Chicago Cultural Center, November 5-25.
Patti Smith’s debut album “Horses” was released fifty years ago. The Chicago-born singer, songwriter, poet and artist performs “Patti Smith and her band on the 50th anniversary perform Horses,” at The Chicago Theatre, November 17-18. Smith referenced her religious upbringing in her poetry and songs.
This month a new special exhibit “American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture” opens up at the American Writers Museum. Photo credit to Amaze Design.
The new special exhibit “American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture,” opening November 21 at the American Writers Museum, looks at the influence of religion in the work of famous writers, as well as in comedy, film and music. Programing in conjunction with the exhibition includes music journalist Alan Light presenting “Spirituality and Song: Leonard Cohen to Fleetwood Mac,” at the museum, November 24.
Just north on Michigan Avenue, the Chicago Architecture Biennial (September 19-February 28, 2026) opens an exhibition “SHIFT: Ecologies” at its fifth site at 840 North Michigan Avenue on November 7. Featuring more than thirty installations from over thirty-five participating artists and studios from around the world, the exhibition is spread across four floors of a former retail building. This retail block formerly housed Barnes & Noble, Crate & Barrel, H&M, I. Magnin, Uniqlo, and a Waterstone Bookstore at different points in time.
Explore art through your senses! “EmotionAir: Art You Can Feel” is a family-friendly activity at The Field Studios that features nearly 20 balloon-based installations. Photo by EmotionAir.
I remember my parents taking my sisters and me to the park in the Marshall Field & Co. warehouse complex at Diversey and Pulaski back in the early 1970s. We strolled on wooden boardwalks over duck-filled ponds and marveled at the enormous waterfall, something you don’t normally see in Chicago’s very flat terrain. These days families and contemporary art lovers head to the former warehouse complex for special exhibitions. The complex has been redeveloped into The Field Studios, a recording, rehearsal and film production studio and the site of the Balloon Museum’s “EmotionAir: Art You Can Feel,” a family-friendly, multi-sensory exhibition featuring nearly 20 large-scale balloon-based installations that runs through April 6, 2026. The exhibition’s previous venues include San Francisco, London, Brussels and Düsseldorf.
November marks the beginning of the holiday season, with Thanksgiving at the end of the month. It also marks the League of Chicago Theatre’s “It’s Theatre Season,” a buy one, get one half off promotion on hottix.org that continues through November 24. With over fifty performances, it’s a great way to explore Chicago’s vibrant theater, music, dance and comedy scenes.
The Chicago/Midwest premiere of “As You Like It” a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” continues at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe through December 14. Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, Kokandy Productions’ musical “Jekyll & Hyde,” performed with a live 15-piece orchestra, continues through December 21 at the Chopin Theatre.
Based on the original play by Patrick Hamilton, “Gaslight” is a turn-of-the-century Victorian mystery destined to intrigue audiences. Performances at the Northlight Theatre start November 28 into early January 2026. Photo courtesy of Northlight Theatre.
Northlight Theatre’s 50th anniversary season continues with its presentation of “Gaslight” by Steven Dietz based on Patrick Hamilton’s original play, November 28-December 27. The play and movie coined the verb ‘to gaslight.’ Robert Falls, the Tony Award®-winning Goodman Theater director, makes his Steppenwolf Theatre Company debut directing Peter Shaffer’s Oscar®- and Tony Award®-winning “Amadeus” as part of Steppenwolf’s 50th anniversary season, November 6-January 11. A new addition to Chicago’s theater scene is Wild Door Theater. The troupe’s inaugural production is Noah Haidle’s “Smokefall” about three generations of a Midwestern family and runs November 10-December 21 at Theater Wit.
Featuring a haunting score and a mesmerizing projection design, “The Capulets” is a full-length ballet reimaging the story of Romeo and Juliet. Photo courtesy of Chicago Repertory Ballet.
There’s also lots of terrific non-holiday dance and music in November. Joffrey Ballet is celebrating its 70th season and 30th anniversary in Chicago. The Joffrey moves from its usual home, the Lyric Opera House, to the Harris Theater and joins The Main Squeeze and the Chicago Philharmonic in “Joffrey at the Harris: Matters of the Heart” (November 6-9), which features two new works: “Wabash & You” a Chicago love story, and “Broken Wings,” which is a tribute to artist Frida Kahlo. Deeply Rooted Dance Theater 30th Anniversary Opening Performance is at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, November 7-8. Chicago Repertory Ballet presents the world premiere of Wade Schaaf’s “The Capulets” at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, November 7-16. Ensemble Español, marking its 50th anniversary, performs on November 15 at the Auditorium as part of its “Celebrating Women Leaders in Dance” featuring five female-led companies.
Guarneri Hall presents two concerts in its “1945: At War’s End” series marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II: “Resilience” on November 4 and “Remembrance” on November 5.
This special presentation event has played to sold-out houses in the Chicagoland area! Season of Concern Chicago presents “Blacklisted: Songs McCarthy Didn’t Want You To Hear” on November 6 with performances from some of Chicago’s best cabaret artists. Photo courtesy of Season of Concern Chicago.
To benefit Season of Concern Chicago, some of Chicago’s best cabaret artists come together at Columbia College Chicago on November 6 to perform “Blacklisted: Songs McCarthy Didn’t Want You To Hear,” a concert featuring songs written or made famous by blacklisted artists such as Leonard Bernstein, Lena Horne, Zero Mostel, and Pete Seeger.
More than 225 artists perform Carl Orff’s bold epic masterpiece “Carmina Burana” at the Lyric Opera House, November 14, 16 and 18. The Lyric Opera House also hosts the world premiere of Billy Corgan’s (of the Smashing Pumpkins, which was formed in Chicago) “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness,” November 21-30. The new work marks the 30th anniversary of the Smashing Pumpkins’ critically acclaimed album of the same name.
The tradition continues! Music Box Theatre’s annual “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long” runs November 28-30 and December 3-4. Photo courtesy of Music Box Theatre.
Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the movie, “The Sound of Music” at the Music Box Theatre’s annual “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long.” This is a Thanksgiving holiday tradition for many and runs November 28-30 and December 3-4.
And with Thanksgiving this month, I give my thanks to my editor Judy Bross and publisher Megan McKinney for the opportunity to write for Classic Chicago Magazine since its first issue ten years ago.
I’ll focus on more holiday events in my December column, but if you plan on going to any of the wildly popular holiday outdoor light shows, such as the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lightscape (November 14-January 4, 2026) or the Brookfield Zoo’s Holiday Magic (November 21-January 4, 2026), make your reservations now!
Dates, times, locations and availability are subject to change.
