Friday 8/30 – Thursday 9/5
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31 SATURDAY It takes an IQ in the top 2 percent to qualify for Mensa membership. But you don’t have to be a genius to hobnob with Mensans–anyone with a spare sawbuck can hang at tonight’s meeting of Chicago Area Mensa, which will feature a lecture by engineer Dave Stybr on how he became a classical music composer. His presentation starts at 7:30 at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest, 3400 W. Euclid in Arlington Heights. Admission is $10, $5 for children; call 312-458-0694 or see www.chicago.us.mensa.org.
“Girl Talk,” “I Want It All,” “Bald Men,” “Not Getting Married,” “I’m Glad I’m Not Young,” “I’m Becoming My Mother,” and “We’re the Lucky Ones” are some of the gems that’ll be delivered by cabaret pros Helen Merrier, Carol Moss, Laurie Sucher, and Carol Weston as part of Woman Talk: The WTLK Radio Show. A revival of a performance mounted three years ago with a slightly different cast, it’s modeled on Dr. Laura-style call-in shows, with pianist Ester Hana playing the no-nonsense host. This final installment in the Chicago Cabaret Professionals’ summer series runs tonight at 8 and tomorrow night at 7 at the Royal George Theatre Center, 1641 N. Halsted (312-988-9000). Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors.
3 TUESDAY Maria Argyropoulos took more than 40 airplane flights and visited 17 countries on five continents during a recent yearlong backpacking trip around the world. (She also documented part of her journey at www.bootsnall.com/cgi-bin/gt/travelogues/ria/index/shtml). Before leaving Chicago she put in a lot of time researching an itinerary and visa and immunization requirements as well as what to pack and how to get the best deal on a ticket. She’ll discuss how to plan for a trip to Thailand tonight at 7:30 at Borders Books & Music, 2817 N. Clark. The free event kicks off a monthlong series organized by the Chicago chapter of Hostelling International on how to travel on a budget in southeast Asia. It continues Tuesday nights through the end of the month. For a schedule call 773-935-3909 or 312-360-0300.
