Books
The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives will be discussed by author David Mura from 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 8, at the Minnesota Humanities Center, 987 E. Ivy Ave. The book unmasks how the stories whites tell about race attempt to erase the brutality of the past and prop up systemic racism in the present. A book signing will follow. Admission is free, but registration is required. Visit mnhum.org/events/.
Author Eme McAnam will launch her novel Freefalling on Saturday, February 11, at the Commodore, 79 N. Western Ave. The program begins at 2 p.m. with refreshments and a cash bar. McAnam will discuss this story of senior romance at 3 p.m. A book signing will follow at 4 p.m. Admission is free, but reservations are requested at freefalling.eventbrite.com.
Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., will present a free reading and discussion with Minneapolis author Beth Obermeyer and her book, When Winter Came: A Doctor’s Journey to Fight the Flu Pandemic of 1918, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 15. Visit nextchapterbooksellers.com or call 651-225-8989.
Dance
Beginner square dance lessons are being conducted by the Triple T Square Dance Club from 6:30-8 p.m. on Mondays at Saint Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church, 550 W. Seventh St. Singles, couples, families and children are welcome. No partner is necessary. The cost is $5 per evening, but the first night is free. For information, call 651-503-7040.
Dancers from Ballet Co.Laboratory will perform in a free program beginning at noon on February 14 and March 14 in the Landmark Center cortile. For more information. visit landmarkcenter.org or call 651-292-3063.
Music
Pianist Steven C. Anderson and guests will present Valentine’s concerts from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, February 10-11, at the Commodore Bar & Restaurant, 79 N. Western Ave. Joining him will be singers Jack Cassidy and Jillian Gubash and violinist Nate Wilson. Singer Kathryn Budzien will take part in the show on Friday. Singer-songwriter Jeff Arundel will also be featured on Saturday. Tickets start at $20. Visit eventbrite.com.
Ginkgo Coffeehouse, 721 N. Snelling Ave., will host concerts by singer-songwriter Steffi Brill at 6:30 p.m. Friday, February 10; finger-style guitarist Pat Donohue, 8 p.m. Saturday, February 11 (tickets are $20); and folk and country artist Eric Peltoniemi, 8 p.m. Saturday, February 25 ($20). Admission is by donation unless otherwise indicated. Call 651-645-2647 or visit ginkgocoffee.com.
“For the Love of…,” a Valentine’s Day concert featuring some of the finest female performers in the Twin Cities, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 14, at the History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St. From folk to pop to Broadway to opera, these women will deliver their musical thoughts on what love is really all about: Judi Vinar, Ginger Commodore, Rachel Holder, Erin Schwab, Joan Griffith, Maria Jette, Jen Maren, Ellis Delaney and Lori Dokken. For ticket information, call 651-292-4323 or visit historytheatre.csstix.com.
The Minnesota Guitar Society will present an evening of jazz and finger-style guitar on Wednesday, February 15, in Fingal’s Cave at MetroNOME Brewery, 289 E. Fifth St. Ben Abrahamson will play from 6-7 p.m. followed by national champion Tim Sparks from 7-9 p.m.
“Far from the Triumphing Court,” radical music from 17th-century England by such composers as John Dowland, William Lawes and Thomas Morley, will be performed on Friday, February 17, by Phillip Rukavina on lute, Ginna Watson on violin, Julie Elhard on viols and Curtis Foster on recorders. The concert will begin at noon in the Baroque Room, 275 E. Fourth St., Suite 280. Tickets are $5-$20. Visit lyrabaroque.org or call 651-321-2214.
The award-winning Salzburg Guitar Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 25, in Sundin Hall, 1531 Hewitt Ave. For tickets, priced at $10-$25, visit mnguitar.org.
Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” will be performed live in its entirety by Classic Albums Live at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 25, in the Ordway Concert Hall. Tickets start at $33. Visit ordway.org or call 651-224-4222.
A contemplative service of lessons and carols for Lent will be presented by the Mount Olive cantorei and organist David Cherwien at 4 p.m. Sunday, February 26, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 3045 Chicago Ave. S. in Minneapolis. Admission is free and open to all. Call 612-827-5919.
Hot Club of San Francisco violinist Evan Price will be featured on Sunday, February 26, in a program of original compositions, jazz and folk music and a Mozart string quintet. The concert is sponsored by the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota. It will begin at 4 p.m. in Sundin Hall, 1531 Hewitt Ave. Tickets are $15-$25. Visit chambermusicmn.org.
Film
Lee Fields: Faithful Man will be screened at 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 8, at Trylon Cinema, 2820 E. 33rd St. in Minneapolis. The documentary tells of the blues and soul singer who toured the legendary Chitlin’ Circuit in the 1970s alongside some of the biggest names in music and then disappeared, only to enjoy hard-won success decades later. Tickets are $13. Visit soundunseen.com.
Theater
Rent, the rock opera loosely based on Puccini’s La Boheme, is being performed on February 8-11 by Theatre 55. Twenty actors ages 55-75 turn this angst-ridden, youth-focused drama into an equally thought-provoking production about the impact of aging in America. Show times are 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at Gremlin Theatre, 550 N. Vandalia St. Tickets are $10-$40. Visit theatre55.org.
’Til Death: A Marriage Musical has returned to Art House North, 793 Armstrong Ave. A production of Jeremiah and Vanessa Gamble’s Bucket Brigade Theater, the musical comedy tells of a couple in mid-life whose marriage is further strained when they are snowbound in a remote cabin with a young couple that is head over heels in love with each other. Joining the Gambles on stage are two real-life couples who alternate as the newlyweds: Nathan and Stephanie Cousins and Damian and Anna Leverett. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. February 10, 11, 13, 14, 17 and 18, and 3 p.m. February 11. Tickets are $30, $25 for students and seniors. Call 612-547-9839 or visit bucketbrigadetheater.com.
The Root Beer Lady, a one-woman show about Dorothy Molter, the last person to have a private home in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, is playing through February 19 at the History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St. Bucking the norms of the 1930s and ’40s, Molter moved into a cabin on Knife Lake and became famous for the root beer she brewed with lake water and served to thirsty canoeists. The play was written and is performed by Kim Schultz. It explores Molter’s independence, fortitude and love of nature and pushes back against the notion that she was the “loneliest woman in America,” as the Saturday Evening Post claimed in 1952. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, visit historytheatre.com or call 651-292-4323.
The Book Club Play, a light-hearted comedy about books and the people who love them, is playing through February 19 at Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Ave. S. in Minneapolis. Shanan Custer directs this play by Karen Zacarias about a tightly wound bibliophile who has it all until her cherished club becomes the focus of a documentary film. Show times are 2 p.m. Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are $25, or $18 for book clubs of six or more who come as a group. Call 612-333-3010 or visit theatreintheround.org.
Exhibits
“Defying Sameness,” 56 works by 56 artists who disrupt expectations and allow their imaginations to break free, are being displayed through March 26 at Argyle Zebra Gallery, 308 Prince St., Suite 130. A reception for the artists with live jazz and light refreshments will be held from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, February 18. Admission is free and open to all. Visit theazgallery.org.
Artists Angela Two Stars and Jaime Black are displaying their works through March 19 in the Catherine G. Murphy Galleries at Saint Catherine University. Black, in her installation “She Holds Water,” seeks to dissolve the borders between body and land, and between inner and outer geographies. In “(Re)Connected,” Two Stars addresses the causes of trauma for Native American women and highlights their strength, beauty and resilience. She will perform “Healing is a Process” at 6 p.m. February 16, March 2 and 16. Admission is free.
“Terms of Engagement,” a collection of paintings by David Amdur, and “Folk Magic,” featuring the pottery of Alana Cuellar, will be displayed from February 17 through April 2 at Raymond Avenue Gallery, 761 Raymond Ave. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Admission is free. A public reception for the artists will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, February 17. Call 651-644-9200.
Family
Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., will present storytime with author Amanda Henke and her picture book, Not a Book About Bunnies, at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, February 11. Admission is free. Call 651-224-8320 or visit redballoonbookshop.com.
Tour the Philippines without leaving Saint Paul from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, February 12, at Landmark Center. The free Urban Expedition program is sponsored by the Cultural Society of Filipino-Americans. It will feature the live music, dance, food and crafts of this island nation. For more information, call 651-292-3276 or visit landmarkcenter.org.
Venture up the fjords of Norway without leaving Saint Paul. Take part in an Urban Expedition from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, February 26, at Landmark Center. Sponsored by the Sons of Norway, the free program will feature the music, dance, food and crafts of this Northern European nation. For more information, call 651-292-3276 or visit landmarkcenter.org.
Et cetera
Classics Lost ’n’ Found Theater will conduct auditions on February 13 and 15 for its production of The Petrified Forest by Robert Sherwood. Tryouts will be held from 7-9 p.m. that Monday and Wednesday at Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church, 1620 E. 46th St. in Minneapolis. Rehearsals begin on March 20. The play will be performed on May 5-6 and 12-13. For more information, call 612-724-4539.
COMMENTS TERMS OF SERVICE
MyVillager welcomes comments from readers. Please include your full name and the neighborhood in which you live. Be respectful of others and stay on topic. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be profane, rude, insulting or hateful. Comments will be reviewed before being published.
