“Wicked” Continues Benedum Run; “The Mountaintop” at City Theatre (CPs Tues., 1/28/14)

1) There are two sides to every story, and we get to hear the “other side” of one of the most well-known tales of all time in Wicked. Now playing at the Benedum, it’s the tale of the Emerald City we didn’t get to see in The Wizard of Oz. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the critically acclaimed musical follows Elphaba (before she got tagged as Wicked Witch of the West) and her extremely “Popular” roommate, Galinda (before she dropped the “a” to become simply Glinda). With music and lyrics written by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Children of Eden), the show has taken Broadway by storm and has since won a Grammy and three Tony awards. Moving music like “Defying Gravity” and gripping plot lines will leave audiences cheering for a villain we never actually liked. 7:30 p.m. Runs through Feb. 9. 237 Seventh St., Cultural District.

2) Set on what would tragically be the final afternoon of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning play The Mountaintop features just two characters: Dr. King and Camae, a young African-American maid working at the now-infamous Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Directed by Peter Flynn, the play contains only dialogue between two people in a hotel room. Within their conversation, though, is a span of commentary about struggle, race relations, and uncertainty as King considers his legacy and Camae, one of the benefactors of his life’s work, contemplates some of the same issues. With Albert Jones and Bianca LaVerne Jones filling the two roles, City Theatre is putting on the play for a four-week run through Feb. 9. 7 p.m. 1300 Bingham St., South Side.

3) Getaway to the tropics with a trip to Brillobox for Tropical Tuesdays. There you’ll feel the trade winds (heating ducts) soothe your overdue vacation bones. Here’s a sampling of their specials: $3 select craft cans, $4 frozen drinks, $10 California bubble bath, $10 Eva Peron, $7 Fernet con cola, and $6 Coronita Margaveza. You can also sop up the island drinks with $7 pineapple soy-glazed chicken or tofu skewers served with Caribbean sweet potato salad. Shoes and shirt required. 5 p.m. – 2 a.m. 4104 Penn Ave., Bloomfield.

4)  Leonardo DiCaprio continues to dazzle audiences as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, now in theaters. The story follows Belfort and stock market corruption in the 1980s. Alongside DiCaprio are A-listers Rob Reiner, Jonah Hill, and Hollywood newcomer Margot Robbie (we’ll be seeing more of her in 2014). Under the direction of Martin Scorsese, the film encompasses many of the seven deadly sins, most notably how greed can make a man do just about anything. See Fandango for theaters and showtimes.

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