Arts Alerts: 'Hamilton Homicide' at Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; 'Laughs and Libations' at Five Points

ART EXHIBITS

First Friday on Nov. 1 features studio tours and receptions at local galleries around metro Peoria.
View Nina Gospodin’s “Uninsulated” at Bradley University’s Heuser Art Center until Nov. 26.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Mackinaw Valley Vineyard presents Mackinaw Vineyard holiday cheer and homemade market, opening Nov. 2-3. The Vineyard also will host “The Hamilton Homicide,” a murder mystery dinner, on Nov. 15 and 16. Lastly at MVV, a cookie and wine tasting event is set for Nov. 17.
“Whisper and Shout,” an open mic night for poetry, is scheduled for Nov. 7 at the Contemporary Art Center.
“Laughs and Libations,” a night of comedy, music, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, premieres at Five Points Washington on Nov. 16.
Opera Illinois League is planning a bus trip to the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Nov. 17.
Second City performs “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Sweater” at the Illinois Central College theater on Nov. 30.

MUSIC

Opera Illinois League presents its autumn recital on Nov. 2.
Heartland Festival Orchestra presents Chaplin’s “The Kid” and “The Count” on Nov. 9 at ICC’s Performing Arts Center.
Past and current members of some of Motown’s greatest recording artists will present “Motown Christmas” on Nov. 13 at the Peoria Civic Center Theater.
The Peoria Symphony Orchestra will have its “Season at the Cathedral” on Nov. 16 at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
The Bradley Symphony Orchestra will perform Nov. 17 at BU’s Dingeldine Music Center.
“Playing with Fire,” Illinois Central College’s hard bop jazz band concert, will be performed on Nov. 18.
“It’s only rock ’n’ roll” — a live tribute to 60 years of the Rolling Stones, will be presented in two different shows on Nov. 29 and 30 at the 3300 Event Center.

DANCE

“The Snow Queen Ballet” by the Grand Kyiv Ballet will be performing on Nov. 5 and 6 at the Peoria Civic Center Theater.

THEATER

Corn Stock Theatre’s production of “The Haunting of Hill House” continues Nov. 1-3.
“Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers” is set for Nov. 7-10 and Nov. 14-17 at the Meyer Jacobs Theatre at Hartmann Center on BU’s campus.
Peoria Players Theatre presents “The Sound of Music” on Nov. 8-10 and Nov. 14-17.
A Christmas Story” will be performed Nov. 7- 10 by Chillicothe Players Theatre.

CLASSES & LECTURES

The Peoria Art Guild is offering a Palette Knife Painting class on Nov. 6 and a Paper Quilled Cards class on Nov. 9.
On Nov. 14 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, the Fine Arts Society of Peoria is offering a presentation by Art Lien, a sketch artist in the U.S. Supreme Courts for decades. He’ll discuss the history of courtroom sketching and the stories behind the sketches.

— For more information and details, check out the full calendar at artspartners.net.

SCREENS

Nov. 1 — Lucas Bravo (“Emily in Paris”) stars in “Freedom,” a heist/romance picture based on a charming, nonviolent thief in France in the 1970s and ’80s. Think “Thomas Crown Affair” with accents, streaming on Prime.

Nov. 8 — With Denzel Washington executive-producing, son Malcolm behind the camera and son John David the protagonist, “The Piano Lesson,” is a family-affair about a family feud over selling a household heirloom to claim their land during the Great Depression. Another adaptation of an August Wilson play, it co-stars Samuel L. Jackson and Ray Fisher, on Netflix.

Nov. 12 — “St. Denis Medical” is a 21st century “Scrubs” from creator Justin Spitzer (“The Office”). The comedy features David Alan Grier, on NBC.

Nov. 12 — “PBS News Weekend” has scheduled a program looking at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a political battle in Washington, and the ripple effects of falling Mississippi River levels, on WTVP.

Nov. 14 — “Cross” is another version of James Patterson’s Alex Cross, a forensic psychologist and detective. Aldis Hodge (“Leverage”) is the title character, following film depictions by Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry, on Prime.

Nov. 17 — Billy Bob Thornton stars in “Landman,” a 10-episode series about a Texas oil boom and the blend of billionaires and roughnecks working the rigs. Jon Hamm is featured, on Paramount+.

Nov. 22 — Director Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” is set in London during World War II, when a youngster is sent to safety but insists on returning home, on Apple+.

Nov. 22 — “Gladiator 2” is Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel to his Oscar-winning 2000 action yarn, with Paul Mescal starring as Maximus’ son. Also featured are Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and Connie Nielsen, in theaters.

Nov. 22 — Based on the Broadway musical, “Wicked” (at least part 1) stars Ariana Grande as the woman who’ll become Glinda the Good and Cynthia Erivo as the future Wicked Witch. Featured are Bowen Yang and Jeff Goldblum, in theaters.

Nov. 27 — The animated “Moana 2” reunites Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson in a follow-up to the 2016 movie, here about Moana’s new journey in the South Seas. Alan Tudyk is featured, in theaters.

— Bill Knight