Books
Have a yen for writing? Join the writers group that gathers at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday at the Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Ave., and receive constructive criticism of your works in progress. For information, contact ronn0062@umn.edu or jdcellette@aol.com.
Theater
Six Points Theater is presenting three new plays in filmed-on-stage readings via pay-per-view through March 20. The festival includes The Book of Vashti, a play by Barbara Field that turns the Old Testament story of Esther on its head; Jessica Fechtor’s Book of Hours, a meditation on loss, grief, love and living; and Groupthink, Mathew Goldstein’s fast-paced satire on business, politics and being human. Tickets at $12 for each show or $30 for all three. Visit sixpointstheater.org or call 651-647-4315.
Saint Paul’s new Mariah Theatre makes its stage debut with The Big Blue River, a dark comedy about a psychotherapist who draws on her clients’ confidential sessions for her new endeavour as a writer of fiction. Written and directed by West End resident Patrick Coyle, the drama is playing at 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, now through March 27, at North Garden Theater, 929 W. Seventh St. Gini Adams, Jim Cunningham and Derek Long star. Tickets are $20-$35. Visit mariahtheatre.com or call 651-805-3710.
Waitress, a touring production of the Broadway musical that celebrates friendship, motherhood and the magic of a well-made pie, is being performed from March 8-13 at the Ordway Music Theater. Waitress tells of a hard-working woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. Jisel Soleil Ayon stars as Jenna, Dominique Kent plays Becky and Gabriella Marzetta is Dawn. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $44. For reservations and information on COVID protocol, visit ordway.org or call 651-224-4222.
Thurgood, a one-man show about the first Black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, will open on March 10 at Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent St. Lester Purry stars as Thurgood Marshall, renowned jurist, storyteller and architect of the case that desegregated American public schools. Lou Bellamy directs. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays through March 27. Tickets are $15-$40 reserved. Visit penumbratheatre.org or call 651-224-3180.
Orlando, an adaptation by Sarah Ruhl of the novel by Virginia Woolf, will be performed by Theatre Pro Rata from March 12-27 at the Crane Theater, 2303 Kennedy St. NE in Minneapolis. Directed by Carin Bratlie Wethern, the drama addresses gender, sexuality, identity and freedom in ways both blithe and earnest. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and Monday, March 14. Tickets are priced on a sliding scale from $5-$61. Reservations are required. Visit theatreprorata.org.
Jelly’s Last Jam, the story of Jelly Roll Morton, the classically trained pianist who spread the sounds of ragtime, blues and jazz from the back alleys of New Orleans to the dance halls and clubs of Chicago and New York, will open on April 2 at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE in Minneapolis. The remake of the Tony Award-winning musical is being produced by Theatre Latté Da under the direction of Kelli Foster Warder. Reese Britts stars as Jelly Roll Morton, and Andre Shoals plays the Chimney Man. Following previews at 7:30 p.m. March 30-April 1, 32 evening and matinee performances are scheduled through May 8. Tickets start at $35. Call 612-339-3003 or visit latteda.org.
Film
Don’t Break Down, the 2017 documentary about the influential American punk band Jawbreaker, will be screened by Sound Unseen at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, at Trylon Cinema, 2820 E. 33rd St. in Minneapolis. Eleven years after the band’s breakup in 1996, members Blake Schwarzenbach, Chris Bauermeister and Adam Pfahler reunite in a recording studio to reminisce, listen to their music and perform together. Tickets are $12. Visit soundunseen.com.
Music
The Minnesota Sinfonia will be joined by Israeli pianist Alon Goldstein in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 19 in F Major on March 11 and 12. The free concerts will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at Roseville Lutheran Church, 1215 Roselawn Ave., and at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Basilica of Saint Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis. Children are welcome. Visit mnsinfonia.org.
The legendary rock band Journey will bring its Freedom Tour 2022 to the Xcel Energy Center at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 14. Special guest is Toto. For tickets, visit xcelenergycenter.com.
Djembe Joy, a class in hand drumming for beginners, will be offered from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, at the Women’s Drum Center, 2242 University Ave. The cost is $10. Drums are provided. Masks are required. Visit womensdrumcenter.org.
Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka’s Requiem will be performed on Saturday, March 19, by the Lyra Baroque Orchestra and the Grinnell Singers under the direction of John Rommereim. Two concerts are scheduled— at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. in Sundin Hall, 1531 Hewitt Ave. Soloists include Linh Kauffman, Jeffrey Brich, Suzanne Lommler and Nicholas Miguel. Tickets are $5-$30. Visit lyrabaroque.org or call 651-321-2214.
Ginkgo Coffeehouse, 721 N. Snelling Ave., will play host to concerts by singer-songwriter Ellis Delaney celebrating her latest album, “Ordinary Love,” at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19 (tickets are $20); versatile multi-instrumentalists Moors & McCumber at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 24 ($25); and folk trio House of Hamill at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 26 ($20). Call 651-645-2647 or visit ginkgocoffee.com.
The Seward Concert Band will roll out the red carpet with music from stage and silver screen on Friday, March 25. Orchestral classics, operatic gems and cartoon scores will all be performed in concert at 7 p.m. in Sanford Middle School, 3524 42nd Ave. S. in Minneapolis. Admission is by the suggested donation of $6, $5 for seniors, $4 for students. Call 612-454-0119.
Flamenco guitarist Grisha Goryachev will perform compositions by Paco de Lucia, Sabicas and other masters in a Minnesota Guitar Society concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26, in Sundin Hall, 1531 Hewitt Ave. A native of Saint Petersburg, Russia, Goryachev is helping to revive the tradition of solo flamenco guitar, performing masterpieces that otherwise can only be heard on recordings. Tickets are $10-$25. Visit mnguitar.org or call 612-677-1151.
Czech pianist Lukáš Vondráček will perform works by Schubert and Schumann in a Chopin Society recital at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 27, in Mairs Hall in the Fine Arts Center at Macalester College. Tickets are $40, $20 for students if available 30 minutes prior to the show. Call 612-822-0123 or visit chopinsocietymn.org.
Organist David Hurd of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square will perform an eclectic program of compositions and improvisations at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 27, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 3045 Chicago Ave. S. in Minneapolis. A reception will follow the recital. Admission is free, though donations will be taken. Visit mountolivechurch.org.
Black Violin, the Grammy-nominated duo known for its blend of classical and hip-hop music, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at the Ordway Music Theater. Violist Wil B and violinist Kev Marcus’ distinctive sound has been described as “a classical boom.” Tickets for their show start at $45. Visit ordway.org or call 651-224-4222.
Family
Travel to Peru without leaving Saint Paul. Landmark Center’s Urban Expedition program will immerse folks in the music, dance, cuisine and crafts of that South American country from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, March 20. Admission is free. Call 651-292-3063 or visit landmarkcenter.org.
Exhibits
“Reverberating Bodies,” the work of Vietnamese-American artists Christine Nguyen and Dao Strom, is being displayed through March 20 in the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at Saint Catherine University. Nguyen pairs large paintings with a porcelain mobile to illustrate the interconnectedness of nature and the cosmos. Strom combines poetry, music, imagery and video to address displacement, myth and memory. A reception for the artists will be held from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Visit gallery.stkate.edu.
“Art Speaks,” an exhibit of more than 150 paintings, sculptures, photographs and other objects from the Minnesota Historical Society collection, is being displayed through July 31 at the Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. The display includes portraits, landscapes, abstract and contemporary art by Charles Beck, Cameron Booth, Patrick DesJarlait, Mike Kareken, Clara Mairs, Teo Nguyen, Carolyn Olson, Patricia Olson, Bobby Rogers and others. Admission to the History Center is $12, $10 for seniors and college students, $6 for children ages 5-17. Visit minnesotahistorycenter.org or call 651-259-3000.
“Documenting a Reckoning: The Murder of George Floyd” will open on March 17 at the Mill City Museum, 704 Second St. S. in Minneapolis. Through 54 images taken by professional and amateur photographers, the exhibit illustrates 11 long months in the history of the Twin Cities, from the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, to the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on April 20, 2021. An opening reception will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 1. It will include a panel discussion with New York Times photo editor Brent Lewis, photographers Octavio Jones and Gene Garvin and others whose work is featured in the exhibit. Hors d’oeuvres and cash bar will be available. The exhibit will remain on view through June 5. Admission is free.
A craft fair featuring the works of more than 30 artisans will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at Edgcumbe Recreation Center, 320 S. Griggs St. Admission is free.
More than two dozen artists working in painting, photography, pottery, jewelry and fiber will display their art for show and sale from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 26, in the Olympic Room at the Oval skating center, 2661 Civic Center Drive in Roseville. Admission is free.
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