Courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust
Minnesota, am I right? Don’t let snow win in April. Here are your best bets throughout the Twin Cities area, this weekend and into early next week:
Fabric Free-for-All
What: World’s Largest Textile Garage Sale
When: Thursday, April 11-13
Where: Textile Center, 3000 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis
A big warehouse in Minneapolis is currently brimming with for-sale fabrics, yarn items, books, sewing machines, tools, and more. That’s thanks to crafters, church groups, textile guilds, and other artists who have laden the shelves with fiber arts for the 2,000-plus shoppers expected on Saturday. Last year, more than 3,000 artisans helped the Textile Center raise almost $100,000 in sales. It’s as big a fiber-arts fest as you’ll find. Learn more.
Baby Blues
What: Cry It Out
When: Friday, April 12-May 12
Where: Yellow Tree Theatre, 320 Fifth Ave. SE, Osseo
The latest in Yellow Tree’s recent output of original productions is a send-up of parenthood. The play, promising to get “gruesome,” “unsexy,” “taboo-ish,” and “hilarious,” stars a couple of neighbors. Both cloistered on maternity leave, they form a friendship over backyard coffee breaks. When a wealthy mom from a nearby mansion drops in, the comedy looks deeper into how socioeconomics impact parenthood. Learn more.
The Healing Power of Music
What: A Shared Evening: Brooklyn Rider and Ragamala Dance Company
When: Friday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.
Where: The O’Shaughnessy, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul
The Twin Cities’ renowned Indian dance company Ragamala teams with a New York-based, avant-garde string quartet. Named Brooklyn Rider, the four-person ensemble opens the night inspired by music’s healing abilities. In the second half of the show, Ragamala presents their magical-realistic Nocturne, dreamily dipping into classical Indian myth. Learn more.
A Shot of Shakespeare
What: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]
When: Friday, April 12-14
Where: Merrill Arts Center, 4200 Pioneer Dr., Woodbury
It’s become a standard theater gimmick: dramatically truncating Shakespeare for laughs. The 5-Hour Energy drink of high culture. But, really, it’s not a bad formula, tailoring Elizabethan masterpieces to a modern audience without fuss. A Merrill Arts community-theater cast run through 37 plays in 97 minutes. Learn more.
Hello Again, Dolly
What: Hello, Dolly!
When: Tuesday, April 16-28
Where: The Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
Early this year, actor and singer Carol Channing died at 97. The beacon-faced Broadway legend embodied the unsinkable Hello, Dolly!, a 1964 musical that hits the Orpheum Theatre stage on Tuesday, April 16. On a national tour, it stars Betty Buckley, known for her Tony-winning turn in Cats. Learn more.
