Friday, January 13
King of the theater
WHAT: The Lion King
WHERE: Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis
WHEN: 8 p.m.
The show that put Minneapolis’s theatre scene on the map is back, 15 year later, having become one of the most successful Broadway shows in history. The puppetry still feels ahead of its time; the music, of course, is timeless. Learn more at hennepintheatretrust.org
Friday, January 13
French kissing
WHAT: Dangerous Liaisons
WHERE: Torch Theater, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
Stacia Rice, perhaps our most alluring actress in the Twin Cities, returns to the stage a year after having a baby—and back to form, playing the seductive Marquise in this devilish play of manipulation and sex. Learn more at torchtheater.com
Saturday, January 14
Theatre overnight
WHAT: 24:00:00 Xtreme Theatre Smackdown
WHERE: Anne Simley Theatre, St. Paul
WHEN: 7 p.m.
How good can a play be if it’s created in just 24 hours? You can find out when Theatre Unbound hosts this annual challenge in which local troupes have a day to conjure a full show out of several pre-determined elements (lines of dialogue, props, etc.). Learn more at theatreunbound.com
Saturday, January 14
Is it hot in here?
WHAT: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
WHERE: Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Williams’s most overheated play gets a welcome airing at the Guthrie, finding the sweet spot between sympathy and disgust for a pair of selfish lovers trying to stay together amid the repression of place and parents. Learn more at guthrietheater.org
Sunday, January 15
Nice ice
WHAT: Art Shanty Projects 2012
WHERE: Medicine Lake, Plymouth
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A new year of art shanties barely got off the ground, or rather the water, this mild winter. But they’re out there again, about a dozen artfully designed shanties, all of them family friendly, from the Shantay Shanty, featuring fashion shows and a photo booth, to the Naughty Shanty, featuring a fortune-teller and goofy peep-holes. Learn more at artshantyprojects.org
Sunday, January 15
Pop goes the park
WHAT: Pop-up Park
WHERE: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Now that the holiday stuff has been cleared out of the MIA, you can go for another reason: the funky, tropical green space in the lobby. Complete with palm trees and swaying grasses, it’s billed as a pop-up park, part of a nationwide vogue for short-lived green spaces. Now that winter has finally arrived, there’s no better time. Learn more at artsmia.org