March 2013 Arts Calendar

What you need to do, see, and hear this month

Theater

Yellow Fever • Rick Shiomi, who received the Lifetime Achievement Ivey Award last year, channeled his parents’ experience in the internment camps of the 1940s to write this comic mystery. In the Dowling Studio, he’ll direct Mu Performing Arts as a swan song—he’s stepping down two decades after co-founding the Asian-American company. • 3/8–24, guthrietheater.org

[THE RUNNERS-UP]

Jackie and Me • Time travel and baseball—every kid’s dream—starring Ansa Aykea as Jackie Robinson. • 3/12–4/14, childrenstheatre.org

Spamalot Three chances to laugh until it hurts. • 3/15–16, hennepintheatretrust.org

The Light in the Piazza • Real-life lovers Jessica Fredrickson and Aleks Knezevich star in this Tony Award-winning romance. • 3/14–4/7, ordway.org
 

Zola Jesus

Music

Shawn Colvin • The Lilith Fair superstar released a memoir last summer that laid out what haunts her: anorexia, depression, addiction, and men. Lots of men. (And you thought folkies were chaste.) Not to mention peeing herself while dancing on TV with ’N Sync. Expect plenty of banter about all of that during this three-night stand at the Dakota. • 3/5–7, dakotacooks.org

[THE RUNNERS-UP]

Dar Williams • The singer-songwriter plays the Cedar. • 3/9, thecedar.org

Zola Jesus • The evocative pop singer performs at the SPCO Center with a local string quartet and electronics musician. • 3/27–28, thespco.org

Dolly, Linda, Patsy, and Me • Ivey Award-winner Monica Heuser channels great female country-music stars at the Chan. • 3/15–16, chanhassendt.com
 

Film

Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival • It’s not a Jewish film festival without Woody Allen. Here, he narrates Paris-Manhattan. The 17 other  offerings—from seven countries—range from Arab Labor, voted Israel’s best TV show, to the award-winning The World Is Funny, which closes the festival at the Walker Art Center.  • 2/28–3/17, mplsjff.org

[THE RUNNERS-UP]

Ain’t In It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm • An intimate look at The Band drummer’s 2007 comeback album, Dirt Farmer. • 3/13, take-up.org

Gilda • Rita Hayworth seducing as only she can. • 3/4, heightstheater.com

2013 Student Film Festival  • Spot the next Spielberg among these films by University of Minnesota students. • 3/1–3, sua.umn.edu
 

Dance

grupo corpo
Photo Courtesy of Grupo Corpo

Ímã, Sem Mim • It’s been 10 years since Brazilian dance stars Grupo Corpo graced a Twin Cities stage. They’ll make it up at the Orpheum Theatre with two premieres: a ballet about women awaiting the return of their lovers and an exploration of attraction and repulsion set to the music of Brazilian trio +2, headed by Moreno Veloso, son of tropicália pioneer Caetano. • 3/5, northrop.umn.edu

[THE RUNNERS-UP]

Dinner for Seven • Beyond Ballroom Dance Company reprises its witty debut to celebrate 10 years of theatrical dance. • 3/1–3, thecowlescenter.org

Black Grace • New Zealand’s best contemporary dancers school us in Pacific traditional culture. • 3/19, ordway.org

Wildspace • Shapiro & Smith Dance let loose with physicality and emotional depth. • 3/28–30, thecowlescenter.org
 

Visual Arts

Allen Downs Life and Work: Winter Quarter in Mexico • In 1972, U photography and film professor Allen Downs took his students to Mexico, starting a 40-year tradition. Downs’s drawings, photos, paintings, and videos will be shown at the Katherine E. Nash gallery, while his daughter, singer Lila Downs, will perform on March 10 at the Ted Mann Concert Hall. • 3/5–30, art.umn.edu/nash

[THE RUNNERS-UP]

Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Autoconstrucción Suites • One of Mexico’s top sculptors. • 3/23–9/22, walkerart.org

Charles Lyon • The intricacies of light and color revealed via peonies and dahlias. • 3/15–5/4, grovelandgallery.com

I’ve Tried to Let Truth Be My Prejudice • The work of LIFE photographer W. Eugene Smith, at the Weinstein Gallery. • 3/8–4/27, weinstein-gallery.com
 

Events

Cheryl Strayed • It would be easy to begrudge Cheryl Strayed, who grew up off the grid in Minnesota and arguably made a mess of her life before hitting the Pacific Crest Trail and writing about it in Wild, a best-seller that made her an Oprah buddy. But she’s funny, uncompromising, and, frankly, quite nice. She’ll read at the Central Park Amphitheater and Galaxie Library. • 3/19–20, clubbook.org

[THE RUNNERS-UP]

Joan Rivers • The queen of red carpets at Mystic Lake. • 3/14, mysticlake.com

Tracy Morgan: Excuse My French • The 30 Rock star brings his stand-up act to the Burnsville Performing Arts Center. • 3/20, burnsvillepac.com

Red House Records: A 30th Anniversary Concert • Lucy Kaplansky, Claudia Schmidt, Heather Masse of The Wailin’ Jennys. • 3/1, oshaughnessy.stkate.edu