Friday, February 4
New Year’s, part II
WHAT: Chinese New Year
WHERE: Midtown Global Market, Minneapolis
WHEN: 5 to 8 p.m.
If you didn’t quite get started on your new year’s resolutions, worry not: For much of the world, the new year is just starting, and this celebration is likely to top anything you did to celebrate earlier: the famous Lion Dance, martial-arts demos, fortune tellers, and, of course, terrific food. FYI, it’s the year of the rabbit. Learn more at midtownglobalmarket.org
Friday, February 4
Somewhere ogre the rainbow
WHAT: Shrek: The Musical
WHERE: Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis
WHEN: various times, through Feb. 6
We can’t explain the Shrek phenomenon anymore than the green monster himself could. But at least this Broadway musical version puts the popular series in its proper surreal context: We’re in love with a big, ugly ogre and what could be more logical than to have him sing for us? Learn more at hennepintheatretrust.org
Saturday, February 5
Great actors, greatest playwright
WHAT: A Winter’s Tale
WHERE: Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
It’s one of Shakespeare’s most elegant plays, and a perfect complement to a real Minnesota winter. But the real draw here is the white-hot talent onstage: returning Guthrie favorite Helen Carey (most recently onscreen in Julie and Julia), along with Tony-nominated Michael Hayden, fellow Broadway actor Michael Thomas Holmes, and local stars Christina Baldwin, Ansa Aykea, Raye Birk, and others. Learn more at guthrietheater.org
Saturday, February 5
String theorists
WHAT: The Kronos Quartet
WHERE: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
WHEN: 8 p.m.
The most accomplished, and charismatic, string quartet in the country plays two nights at the Walker Art Center as the Kronos Quartet x 2: Friday’s program will highlight selections from their new recording of adventurous Middle-Eastern music; on Saturday, they’ll play new work from the worlds of indie-rock (Damon Albarn), electronic music, and new jazz (Maria Schneider). Learn more at walkerart.org
Sunday, February 5
Bow down before Titian
WHAT: Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting
WHERE: Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Some of the richest, most masterful art in the world goes on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts today, fulfilling every expectation of great European art-ogling: massive canvases, symbolism galore, and heaps of fleshy nymphs and such. Plus, the MIA will unveil its latest acquisition: an extremely rare map of Venice acquired last December for seven figures. Learn more at artsmia.org
Sunday, February 5
Music of love
WHAT: Bakken Trio
WHERE: MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis
WHEN: 4 p.m.
Minnesota Orchestra members Celine Leathead, Ken Freed, and Arek Tesarcyk play romantic music composed by Robert and Clara Schumann, possibly inspired by the third member of their historic love triangle, Johannes Brahms. Learn more at bakkentrio.org
