Weekend Best Bets: May 25-27

Friday, May 25

The Things They Carried

WHAT: Memorial Day
WHERE: St. Anthony Main Cinema, Minneapolis
WHEN: Various screenings
This well-made movie about two wars, fought by two generations of soldiers and recalled back home in Minnesota, was filmed a couple years ago in southern Minnesota with the cooperation of the National Guard, and is now making its debut. (It was named Souvenirs then.) Learn more at mspfilmsociety.org
 

Friday, May 25

Step by Step

WHAT: A Mile in Our Shoes
WHERE: Shoebox Gallery, Minneapolis 
WHEN: 4-8 p.m.
Works Progress hosts this hyper-local exhibit with broader implications of place and mobility: an exhibit of shoes paired with the stories of people who travel around the Lake Street neighborhood. During the reception, guests can take a mile-long walk around the area. Learn more at worksprogress.org
 

Saturday, May 26

Flour Bombs

WHAT: FLO(we){u}r
WHERE: Soap Factory, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7 to 11 p.m.
The exhibit of artist-created ceramic “bombs” filled with flour, a nod to actual World War I training practices, closes with a reception and plaster mold sale. Learn more at soapfactory.org
 

Saturday, May 26

A Funeral Celebration

WHAT: Preservation Hall Jazz Band
WHERE: Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis
WHEN: 8 p.m.
One of the last concerts at Orchestra Hall, this downriver showcase ceremonially shutters the joint with two bands (PHJB and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, led by Irvin Mayfield) and a traditional New Orleans funeral procession—literally closing the doors. Learn more at mnorch.org
 

Sunday, May 27

Women of the Woods

WHAT: Vasa Lisa
WHERE: Minnesota Opera Center, Minneapolis
WHEN: 4 p.m.
It’s your last chance to see a terrific cast (Sally Wingert, Luverne Seifert, Jim Lichtscheidl, Tracey Maloney, Elise Langer) in the new play by Kira Obolensky. Based on Russian folk tales, it follows a young woman into the woods to confront a witch. Learn more at tenthousandthings.org
 

Sunday, May 27

The French Laugh Best

WHAT: An Absolute Turkey
WHERE: Gremlin Theatre
WHEN: 4 p.m.
This classic French farce (the French called it Le Dindon) is something we haven’t seen much around here since the demise of Theatre de la Jeune Lune, bless its lunatic soul. Here, we get the usual array of eccentrics—the wry playboy, the pompous authoritarian, the cuckold husband—with an unusually deft cast. Pure fluff, well done. Learn more at gremlin-theatre.org