OPENS FEBRUARY 24ARTS OF JAPAN
Long know for its vast collection of Asian art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts hosts this touring show of rare Japanese ceramics, scrolls, folding screens, and more. The works, shown publicly for the first time, will be on display at the MIA through May. Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls., 612-870-3131
OPENS MARCH 19
JERSEY BOYS
Winner of a 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, Jersey Boys tells the story of Frankie Valli’s Four Seasons: how four blue-collar boys from New Jersey made it big in the ’50s with such tunes at “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Sherry.” Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-673-0404
CLOSES MARCH 30; MARCH 1 TO 23
THIRD AND 9 PARTS OF DESIRE
Here’s your chance to see the work of two local favorites in one month at the same theater. Casey Stangl directs Sally Wingert in Third, the final play written by Pulitzer and Tony award-winner Wendy Wasserstein, while Joel Sass directs the one-woman show, 9 Parts of Desire, starring Katie Eifrig (pictured at right). Guthrie Theater, 818 Second St. S., Mpls., 612-377-2224
MARCH 1
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
There are a plethora of options for galas beginning this spring, but an arts community favorite is “Southern Exposure,” which raises money for the Southern Theater. This year, expect music from local bluegrass band Spaghetti Western String Company, abbreviated dance performances from such groups as Black Label Movement and Live Action Set, plus a live auction and hors d’oeuvres. Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S., Mpls., 612-340-1725
MARCH 1 TO 9
THE FORTUNES OF KING CROESUS
This rarely performed 300-year-old German Baroque opera—a tale of misdirected love and bloody battlefields—makes its American premiere this month, performed by the Minnesota Opera and accompanied by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, 651-224-4222
MARCH 2
WINTER JAZZ FEST
This year, the Winter Jazz Fest is being held at the MacPhail Center for Music’s new building in Minneapolis’s Mill District. Headlining the program is saxophonist and flutist Sonny Fortune, famed for his work with Miles Davis. MacPhail Center for Music, 501 Second St. S., Mpls., 651-209-6689
MARCH 6 AND 7
ALFRED BRENDEL
It’s been speculated that pianist Alfred Brendel will announce his retirement sometime this year, so catch one of his performances while you can. This show features Brendel playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, accompanied by the Minnesota Orchestra. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-371-5656
MARCH 9 TO 14
SPIRITUAL ART FESTIVAL
The highlight of the Twin Cities’ largest exhibition of spiritual art is the Juried Art Show, which, last year, brought in more than 1,000 visitors. Now in its ninth year, the show features about 50 pieces in various genres and mediums but each with a singular influence—such as the oversized cross previously bought by a local church for $50,000. Salvation Army, 2727 Central Ave. NE, Mpls., 612-789-6527
MARCH 14 AND 15
MAYA ANGELOU
Rise
up Osmo! Author and poet Maya Angelou comes to Orchestra Hall to read from her poetry during a Friday lecture, then narrates Debra Frasier’s On the Day You Were Born for Saturday’s Target Family Concerts. Illustrations from the book will be projected behind the orchestra, which will play from Mozart’s and Debussy’s repertoires. Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-371-5656
MARCH 15 AND 16
TOM JONES
Need we say more? It’s Tom Jones. The Vegas icon performs at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, in a newly remodeled showroom that will host such luminaries as Etta James, Engelbert Humperdink, and, uh, Kansas, in upcoming months. Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake, 952-851-7250
MARCH 16
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Yes, Bruce was born to run—back to St. Paul. After selling out three shows at the Xcel last fall, the Boss returns with his E Street Band for one more. Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, 651-989-5151
MARCH 18
BON JOVI
Come for the hair if not the music. The rockers bring their feathered locks to the Xcel as part of their most recent tour (the band’s newest album, Lost Highway, debuted at number-one on the Billboard charts). Xcel Energy Center, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, 651-989-5151
MARCH 20 TO 30
STUART PIMSLER
The Ritz Theater frequently hosts edgy, modern-dance masters. This month, it brings the audience Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater’s world premiere of Ways to Be Hold, followed by a revival of The Ends of Love, a successful Pimsler piece that sold out last year at the Guthrie. The Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE, Mpls., 612-436-1129
CLOSES MARCH 22
FISHTANK
Written by (and starring) Steven Epp, Nathan Keepers, and Dominique Serrand, Fishtank offers avant-garde performances, with characters that interact in classic Jeune Lune—style—a physicality that’s often easier to describe than define. Soprano Jennifer Baldwin Peden joins the cast. Theatre de la Jeune Lune, 105 First St. N., Mpls., 612-333-6200
MARCH 28
WILL WEAVER & ALI SELIM
St. Paul screenwriter and director Selim joins Weaver, whose novella inspired Selim’s award-winning Sweet Land, to discuss making films, writing fiction, and adapting stories for the screen. Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-630-6174
MARCH 31
HOTEL CAFÉ TOUR
Fresh off the success of his first solo album, Free Life, and winning a Song of the Year Grammy for writing the Dixie Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice,” Minneapolis native Dan Wilson returns to his hometown to perform with guests Ingrid Michaelson and Joshua Radin. Fine Line Music Café, 318 First Ave. N., Mpls., 651-989-5151
Send event information to agenda@mnmo.com.
