Rhino Theater Fest: POWER brecht-down 2004

A new Bertolt Brecht revue, adapted by Stefan Brün. Part of the Rhinoceros Theater Festival. "Jenny Magnus and Beau O'Reilly break down power for you in a new revue devoted to this, unfortunately, so timely poet and playwright. POWER brecht-down 2004 includes texts and songs never before translated into English as well as The Beggar or the Dead Dog, Money Medley and an excerpt from Brecht's Training Manual for War. Part of Curious’s Rhino ’04 look back at the masters who influenced us." 7pm, Curious Theatre Branch, 7001 N Glenwood. $12 or pay what you can. Call 773-274-6660 for reservations.

Spooky Music @ Ackerman Center

Come out this afternoon for a Spooky Halloween Concert beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Ackerman Center 2235 W. Irving Park Road the corner of Irving Park and Bell). Come hear conductor Matt Wolka and the Ravenswood Community Orchestra play spooky orchestral music! Selections include the "Danse Macabre" by Saint-Saens, "Pavane pour une infante defunte" by Ravel, "Funeral March of the Marionettes" by Gounod and "Symphony No. 5 in C minor" by Beethoven. There will be Trick or Treating at intermission, costumes are encouraged, and post-concert wine and cheese will also be served! Call (773) 501-2108 for more information.

Halloween Edition of TMLMTBGB

30 Spooky Plays in 60 Creepy Minutes at the NeoFuturarium. That’s 29 more surprise endings then "The Village." Come in costume. Win prizes! The Neo-Futurists turn their theater into a spooky-torium.  Roll! dice to determine your fate.  Jump! out of your seat for audience participation.  Scream! for numbers till you are hoarse, because no one will hear you.  Ok, they'll hear you and do the plays in the order you choose. At The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland (at Foster Ave.) on Sunday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 plus the roll of a single six-sided die. ($6 - $11). For more information call 773-275-5255 or visit their website.

Biggest book EVER @ W. Chicago Library

When are you going to get a chance to see the world's largest book (as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records)? Not too many times, I'll bet. "Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom" measures 5 feet by 7 feet when opened, and contains enough paper to cover a football field. It goes on display today at the West Chicago Public Library, and you can go see it! A reception to unveil the book starts today at noon, and the event is free and open to the public. West Chicago Public Library: 118 W. Washington, West Chicago.

Graceland Halloween Tour

Graceland Cemetery is one of the city's most beautiful; it's dotted with mausoleums by Louis Henri Sullivan and Laredo Taft for such luminaries as Daniel Burnham, the Palmers and Marshall Field. The Chicago Architecture Foundation conducts its last walking tour of the year today at 2pm, starting from the entrance at Clark and Irving Park. Since it's Halloween, reader Mike Hanline and friends will be dressing like zombies for the cemetery tour, then heading to McGee's Halloween Pub Crawl. If you care to join them, email michaelhanline at yahoo.com.

Haunting History in Evanston

This Halloween, Evanston’s Charles Gates Dawes House will once again take on a spectacularly spooky atmosphere as magician and Halloween expert David Parr returns to lead visitors on eerie interactive tours of the historic mansion. From Oct. 22 through 31, at 7 and 8 p.m. nightly, Parr will lead small groups on dramatic tours of the mansion during which each room offers an encounter with the uncanny and supernatural. Objects move on their own accord, cryptic messages are written by invisible hands, and shadowy forms lurk in hallways. Equal parts history and mystery, Parr’s spooky tours offer visitors a side of the historic home that few ever encounter. The Dawes House, built in 1896, is an essential part of the show. The three-story historic mansion, once the home of U.S. Vice President Charles Gates Dawes, is distinguished by its dark oak woodwork and majestic stained glass. Chosen because of its massive, foreboding appearance to be the home of mob boss John Rooney (portrayed by Paul Newman) in the feature film Road to Perdition, the house’s vast spaces, dim lighting, and shadowy corridors make it the perfect setting for Parr’s type of eerie Halloween event. The Charles Gates Dawes House is located at 225 Greenwood St., Evanston. Performances are at 7 and 8 p.m. nightly, with additional performances at 9 p.m. Oct. 28–31 and at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31. Spectators attending performances at 8 p.m. or later should park only on Greenwood Street. Tickets are $20 per person. For reservations or more information, call 847-475-3410, email evanstonhs@northwestern.edu or visit Parr's website.