👋🏽 Hi, it's Monica jumping in with a weekend rec.

Ever since I saw "Madama Butterfly" for the first time at the Lyric in 8th grade, I've had problems with the Puccini opera.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for those who don't know "Butterfly's" ending.

The problem: As a half-Asian woman, I've long taken issue with the opera's central plot of an American sailor marrying a Japanese teen in Nagasaki and abandoning her for three years, only to return and drive her to suicide because he has a new American wife.

• The ending has always left me feeling depressed and demoralized.

Yes, but: Lyric's latest production, directed by Japanese American Matthew Ozawa and guided by a Japanese American female production team, has shifted the lens of this story, creating an exhilarating finale.

Between the lines: Ozawa's production casts the American sailor Pinkerton as a 2026 anime gamer and orientalist fetishizer who delves into Asian fantasies through a VR headset.

• He dreams up Butterfly and his marriage to her in Japan as a game.
• But by the end, it's Pinkerton, not the Japanese teen he's concocted, who is defeated. In fact, "Butterfly's" final act feels more like liberation than death.

If you go: The production runs through April 12 and tickets start at $95.

What else to expect

Catch a festival of Asian cinema, sample different coffees and head to the South Side for community building.

🎤 Cardi B

• Snag a last-minute ticket if you can because the New York rapper is coming to town for one night only, but it will cost you.
• Saturday at the United Center on the West Side.
• Tickets start at $350.

🍴 Andersonville Restaurant Week

• Explore the classics and new spots in the North Side neighborhood, including Fiya, Kopi Cafe, Tala House and more. View the full list.
• Now-March 29.
• Restaurants offer $30/$45/$60 special prix fixe menus.

☕ Lakeview Coffee Stroll

• Sample coffee and small bites while supporting local businesses. Tickets come with a souvenir ceramic tasting mug and complimentary rides on a bike cab through the neighborhood.
• 10am-1pm Sunday, starting at 1409 W Addison.
• Tickets start at $44.

🎞️ Asian Pop-Up Cinema

• Screen a variety of Asian films at the 20th edition of the Chicago-born festival. 👀 View the full lineup.
• Times vary, Friday — April 12 at various locations, including AMC Newcity, Alliance Française de Chicago and One Rotary Center in Evanston.
• Tickets start at $15.

💡 Woodlawn Community Summit

• Join elected leaders and local residents to connect, network and discuss ways to improve housing and development in the South Side neighborhood.
• 8am-12:30pm Saturday at Edith Abbott Hall in Hyde Park.
• Free, but RSVP.

🎶 A Chosen Few DJs Event

• Jam to House music by DJs Mike Dunn, Terry Hunter and Wayne Williams.
• 3-9pm Saturday at Soundbar in River North.
• Tickets start at $19.

Here are a few new titles you don't want to miss on streaming this week:

"Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man" — available Friday on Netflix

• Gang leader Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) returns for the movie after six seasons of the British period drama.
• Situational awareness: The film, which is also screening in select theaters, has a casting update: Murphy's "Dunkirk" co-star Barry Keoghan plays Shelby's son.

"Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat" — available Friday on Prime Video

• The unexpectedly sweet show that first followed one regular guy who unknowingly starred on a sitcom with a number of paid actors is back.

"Imperfect Women" — available now on Apple TV+

• Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara are the titular stars in this thriller that takes off after one of the three friends is found dead.
• Zoom in: The series is based on the Araminta Hall novel that examines the question: Do we truly know the people we love?

"Wicked: For Good" — available Friday on Peacock

• Fans are saying thank goodness for the ability to stream the blockbuster — and a sing-along version — from home.

What premiered last week