Because there’s too much love to contain within one Hallmark holiday, Chicagoans can celebrate Valentine’s Day all month with movies, movement, music, magic and more!
❤️ MOVIES
Hollywood heartthrob Cary Grant romances Rosalind Russell in the 1940 classic His Girl Friday (Feb. 1-2) as well as Katharine Hepburn in 1938’s screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby (Feb. 8-9) thanks to Music Box Theatre’s Silver Fox matinee series which showcases the films of Howard Hawks.
Starting on Feb. 4, Good Bad Things (2024) can be streamed online. Shane Stanger’s award-winning indie film follows a dynamic photographer (Jessica Parker Kennedy) who starts dating a man (Danny Kurtzman) with muscular dystrophy.
Love hurts in Heart Eyes (2025). The humorous horror flick about a killer who slashes romantic couples opens on Feb. 6 at Regal Webster Place and Regal City North, following its Jan. 31 launch at Landmark at the Glen.
Time Passages (2024) — documentarian Kyle Henry’s love letter to his mother — will be screened at the Gene Siskel Center (Feb. 7-9) in Chicago and at the Block Museum (Feb. 13) in Evanston.
Helen Fielding’s beloved characters Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger), Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) are back in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025). This fourth installment of the rom-com franchise includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Emma Thompson, Isla Fisher, and Leo Woodall. It begins streaming via Peacock on Feb. 13 and opens in selected cinemas on Valentine’s day.
Veteran actress Françoise Fabian plays a woman redefining herself at 79 years of age in Rose (2021). Aurélie Saada’s French film opens at Wilmette Theatres on Feb. 14.
❤️ MOVEMENT
Complexions Contemporary Ballet marks its 30th anniversary season with For Crying Out Loud set to the music of U2 at the Auditorium Theatre (Feb. 7).
Solo and group pieces by choreographers Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn are featured in Anne Collod/Moving alter-natives at MCA Chicago’s Edlis Neeson Theater (Feb 13-15).
The Lyric Opera House is the place to be to see the Joffrey Ballet perform Golden Hour (Feb. 20-March 2). The repertoire program includes the world premiere of “Princess and the Pea” choreographed by Dani Rowe and the return of Cathy Marston’s “Heimat” set to the music of Richard Wagner.
Lookingglass Theatre Company joins forces with Actors Gymnasium Circus School and Theatre Company for Circus Quixote (through March 30). Adapted and directed by Kerry and David Catlin, the energetic show blends the timeless dreams of “Don Quijote” (1605) with Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi’s circus.
Cirque du Soleil’s family-friendly revamp of OVO performs at the NOW Arena (Feb. 13-16) in Hoffman Estates, following MOMIX dance company’s Alice at the McAninch Arts Center (Feb. 2) in Glen Ellyn.
❤️ MUSIC
Violinists Geneva Lewis and Stefan Hersh, pianist Adam Neiman, celloist Bion Tsang, and Teng Li on viola will interpret Proust’s Salon: Tracing the Spiral of Time through music at Guarneri Hall (Feb. 10).
Jeffrey Osborne of “On the Wings of Love” fame will share his R&B music with fans at the Auditorium Theatre (Feb. 14). The following night (Feb. 15), Grammy-winner Jason Isbell will perform his heartfelt songs in the historic venue.
Michael Feinstein will serenade audiences with “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and “The Best is Yet to Come” in Because of You: My Tribute to Tony Bennett (Feb. 16) at the MAC in Glen Ellyn.
On Feb. 4, Exile in Bookville and Chicago’s Fine Arts Building present a conversation with Grammy-nominated musician Neko Case about her new memoir “The Harder I Fight the More I Love You” (2025) at the Studebaker Theater. Tickets include a pre-signed copy of the book.
Katie Spelman directs Michelle Lauto, Teressa LaGamba, and Kelly Felthous in the Midwest Regional Premiere of Broadway’s hit musical Waitress (Feb. 12-Mar 30) at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
❤️ MAGIC
Kids will be inspired to to build bridges instead of walls after seeing Manual Cinema’s The Magic City at Chicago Children’s Theatre (through Feb. 16).
Magician Dennis Watkins will interlock wedding rings and read the minds of couples during The Magic Parlour’s special Valentine’s shows (Feb. 13-16) at Petterino’s — which offers diners “The Relationship” (a four-course Valentine’s sensory journey).
❤️ MORE
Enjoy Dinner with Roger and James Deakins (Feb. 25) at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture. The benefit includes cocktails at the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition, a gourmet dinner, and a Q&A with the award-winning cinematographer and his collaborator/wife.
Those who indulge in tasty Valentine’s Day offerings at Marisol will receive 2-for-1 admission to MCA exhibitions — from Andrea Carlson to Wafaa Bilal.
The work of artists Barbara Cooper, Beth Lipman, Edra Soto, Olivia Block, Rebecca Beachy, and others is included in A Tale of Today: Materialities at the Driehaus Museum (Feb. 7-April 27).
After buying their first home, an expecting couple (Sofia Tew and Richard Gomez) clash with their new neighbors (Kelli Walker and Frank Butley) over a property line in Native Gardens. The 90-minute comedy by Karen Zacarías is performed by Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at the McAninch Arts Center (through March 2) in Glen Ellyn. On Feb. 15, the MAC will show the funny side of love in The Best of The Second City (Feb. 15).
Caroline Neff is featured alongside Cliff Chamberlain, Tim Hopper, and Nick Gehlfuss in a revival of Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love at Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater (through March 16). Shepard starred in Robert Altman’s film version of the play in 1985 with Kim Basinger and Harry Dean Stanton.
Netflix welcomes back the romance shows Sweet Magnolias (Feb. 6) and Love is Blind (Feb. 14) hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, while Hulu marks the long-awaited return of The Kardashians (Feb. 6). In the 6th season, fans will find out if Khloe reunites with ex-hubby Lamar Odom.
