Weekend Best Bets: December 14-16

Friday, December 14

Naughty But Nice

WHAT: A John Waters Christmas
WHERE: Mill City Nights, Minneapolis
WHEN: 6:30 p.m.
At a surprisingly early hour—cocktail hour, perhaps—John Waters will launch into a mile-a-minute monologue about Christmas, as he’d prefer it. That means anecdotes about decorating an electric chair for the holidays and musings about taking crackheads caroling. It’s sweeter than it sounds: there’s no malevolence in Waters, just whimsical boundary-pushing. Learn more at millcitynights.com
 

Friday, December 14

Soul Women

WHAT: The Chastity Brown Band and Sophia Shorai
WHERE: Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant, Minneapolis
WHEN: 8 p.m.
For an absurdly affordable price, a true double bill of alluring vocalists. Brown works toward jazz from gritty, soulful folk, while Shorai arrives via breathy pop and standards. Both are darn near hypnotists, with audiences fully under their command. Learn more at dakotacooks.com
 

Saturday, December 15

Feed Your Mind

WHAT: Eat: An Exhibition by Wing Young Huie
WHERE: The Third Place Gallery, Minneapolis
WHEN: 12 to 5 p.m.
The veteran documentary photographer hosts an open house in his studio to showcase his latest work, an exploration into food: how it’s made, sold, consumed, and absorbed into our cultural identity. The work includes new images and shots culled from past trips, ranging from families at the dinner table to the racially charged signage of old restaurants. Learn more at wingyounghuie.com
 

Saturday, December 15

Building a Museum

WHAT: Community Huddle with the Minnesota Museum of American Art
WHERE: Pioneer Endicott Building, St. Paul
WHEN: 12 to 5 p.m.
The so-called Project Space of the formerly peripatetic MMAA officially opens to visitors in January. But a new exhibition, Painting the Place Between, is already up, augmenting Minnesota landscape studies by four contemporary painters with classic works by George Morrison, Dewey Albinson, and others. Check it out before chatting with the MMAA’s director during an informal “community huddle,” suggesting the kind of programming you’d like to see. Learn more at mmaa.org
 

Sunday, December 16

The Forger at 30,000 feet

WHAT: Catch Me If You Can
WHERE: Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis
WHEN: 1 and 6:30 p.m.
The true story of con man Frank W. Abagnale, Jr., as embodied onscreen by Leo DiCaprio, is one of Jet Age glamour, girls, and, well, some serious check forgery and impersonation, including an unlikely gig as a PanAm pilot. This Broadway version, scripted by Full Monty author Terrence McNally, tracks the FBI’s ongoing cat-and-mouse game with Abagnale, while frequently pausing to celebrate the era of leggy stewardesses and postwar, er, confidence. Learn more at hennepintheatretrust.org
 

Sunday, December 16

Roast His Chestnuts

WHAT: A Comedy Roast of Mr. Scrooge
WHERE: Cabaret Theater at the Camp Bar, St. Paul
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
A tradition at the Camp Bar for four years running, this comic roast assembles the fictional acquaintances of Ebenezer Scrooge for a rather creative (and not undeserved) mocking. The roasters this time around include Zach Coulter, Adam Fielitz, and the great Chris Knutson (winner of Acme Comedy Club’s “Funniest Person in the Twin Cities” contest in 2010) as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Learn more at camp-bar.net/cabaret