Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat Â
If you possessed a certain frame of mind (such as mine) as a child, the linguistic anarchy and visual weirdness of Dr. Seuss opened up the idea that embracing the strange and loving disorder would be lasting strategies—and his chaos-loving Cat was pretty much the Pied Piper. This production at Children’s Theatre Company consistently walks the line between cuddly and dangerous, and it’s perfect for the restlessness of summertime and kids and parents who understand the inherent silliness that’s part of the roles we all play. *Through July 27, childrenstheatre.org.
Talking Volumes: Elizabeth Gilbert
It’s been nearly a decade since Eat, Pray, Love sold more than 10 million copies and garnered both intense devotion and criticism for privileged navel-gazing: Suffice it to say that many found resonance in her memoir of soul-searching after a difficult breakup. She appears at the Fitzgerald to talk about her new novel, The Signature of All Things, another meditative tome about love and meaning (and botany in the 19th century).
• 7/11, fitzgeraldtheater.publicradio.org.
Tosca
This year’s offering from the Mill City Summer Opera is Puccini’s gripping tragedy set in Rome in 1800; it’s a work that has a place on anyone’s short list of the all-time greats. The MCSO, now in its third season, also has been on a short list of the hottest summertime tickets in town, with high-level productions performed under the stars in the courtyard of the Mill City Ruins for the kind of experience one savors in memory throughout the winter.
• 7/12–22, millcitysummeropera.org.
National Camera: Celebrating 100 Years of Cameras and Photography
This exhibit at the Minneapolis Photo Center features a collection of cameras and photos dating back to 1910 and extending all the way up to the demolition of the Metrodome—for those in love with the machines, from the very beginning up to the digital smartphone, as well as the images they capture.
• opens 7/18, mplsphotocenter.com.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
This madcap comedy is both a send-up and homage to Chekhov’s finely wrought observational drama. It pulled down a Tony Award last year and enjoyed a sold-out Broadway run. The setup: A quiet man and his adopted sister see their bucolic calm disrupted by their movie-star sister and her young male companion—with a sense of propriety the primary victim. It’s a summer comedy for those looking beyond Eliza Doolittle and My Fair Lady playing on the other side of the lobby.
• 7/19–8/31, guthrietheater.org.