Offering an escapist antidote to the country’s current bout of high anxiety is a celebration of the best of Rodgers and Hammerstein delivered by Noble Fool Theatricals at Pheasant Run.
 
The upbeat musical revue introduces first-timers to the standards penned by the legendary Broadway duo, while fans will find themselves enveloped in a nostalgic cocoon spun by a talented cast of five vocalists accompanied by pianist and funny man Tom Clear.

In a musical coup for two dynamic orchestras, world-renowned violinist Midori will be calling the western suburbs home during a five-day residency jam-packed with teaching clinics and arts advocacy events, capped by concerts.
 

After her star-making turn in "Dreamgirls," playing a part and singing as one-third of a Motown-era group, it sure would have been great to see Jennifer Hudson take a similar path with her self-titled solo debut, as fellow R&B artists Raphael Saadiq and Amy Winehouse have done lately with excellent results. Instead, she makes a decent stab at the top of the pop charts, employing production from Ne-Yo, Stargate, T-Pain, Missy Elliot and several others who give her a warm, soul-infused – if a bit predictable – palette to stretch her ample vocal cords.

Ikey Owens’ keyboard work adds another corrosive sonic layer to the prog-rock sound of the Mars Volta. 2Mex puts out indy hip-hop as a member of West Coast collective the Visionaries. Put them together with a smattering of talented musicians from all corners of the musical universe, and what do you end up with? Well, you end up with "Suffer In Style," which hops from genre to genre but still manages to stay grounded.

DJ Premier. Buckwild. Hi-Tek. Pete Rock. Large Professor. I don’t know who this Termanology guy is, but his production roster reads like the liner notes for the greatest mid-‘90s hip-hop album you never heard. Turns out, so does the album, combining battle-rap aesthetic with classic East Coast beats.

The Fine Line Creative Arts Center will present an opening reception in the Kavanagh Gallery for mixed-media artist Cheryl Holz from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3. The exhibit titled “…in the name of the flora and the fauna” runs from Oct. 3 to Nov. 15 at 6N158 Crane Road, St. Charles.

One is called “Grand Ol’ Gang.” The other “True Blues.” Both political oil paintings, created by Andy Thomas, have Republicans and Democrats buzzing.

Nineties-R&B fans probably know Raphael Saadiq better as one-third of Tony Toni Tone. Along with his slinky bass, Saadiq’s sugar-sweet tenor was the group’s main voice, and their Motown influence could be heard bubbling under the surface. "The Way I See It," however, goes all the way back to the Funk Brothers compositions of the mid-'60s, creating the greatest old-school soul record you never heard.

Greg Kinnear recently spoke about his lead role in “Flash of Genius,” the based-on-fact story of college professor Bob Kearns, the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper, only to have it stolen away from him by Ford Motor Company.

Ed Harris' first stab at directing was directing himself in “Pollock,” and now he returns with the rip-snorting, old-fashioned Western “Appaloosa,” in which he pulls off a hat trick of directing, co-starring and co-writing the script (with Robert Knott), an adaptation from the Robert B. Parker novel.

If you only know Otis Redding from hearing "Dock of the Bay" on the local oldies station, you're in for a whole new beast on "Live!" as one of the true giants of soul music destroys audiences across the pond and takes his rightful place as one of the '60s greatest entertainers.

"Motion to Rejoin" is largely cut from the same cloth as Brightblack Morning Light's self-titled major-label debut: woozy blues dirges with just a hint of gospel and electronic elements. The new record could maybe use a little more propulsion and percussion, but they once again succeed at creating an excellent soundtrack for sinking deep into the couch.

People Under the Stairs follow up their excellent 2007 disc, "Stepfather," with a continuation of their love for old-school hip-hop that takes the Beastie Boys' sense of fun and gives it a mellow California makeover. "Fun DMC" is a refreshing blast of high-energy rap and nimble lyricism.

Dear Uncle Eric, I hate to take such a familiar tone with you right off the bat, seeing as we haven't had the pleasure of meeting, but as someone who bought and read your autobiography, I feel like I know you.

Glory Harper is stuck in a wheelchair with a broken leg –– the result of a skateboarding accident that caused a multi-car pileup. She has nothing more to do than watch the new neighbors move in. Glory has one problem –– it doesn’t seem anyone will take her seriously when she reports the foot she saw dangling from the end of a carpet as it was carried into the new neighbors' house.