Friday, February 15
A House Divided
WHAT: Other Desert Cities
WHERE: Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
An adult play in almost every sense, this finalist for the Pulitzer Prize last year is the kind of smart, witty, verbose family drama that would have starred Alan Alda a generation ago. In this production, directed by Peter Rothstein, Sally Wingert stars with Michelle Barber and David Anthony Brinkley. Learn more at guthrietheater.org
Friday, February 15
Movie Madness
WHAT: Completely Hollywood (abridged)
WHERE: Burnsville Performing Arts Center, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
Chameleon Theatre Circle, the resident troupe of the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, stages this wild ride through a hundred years of Hollywood history: 187 films, four actors. Supposedly, they’re only enacting the greatest films of all time, but we all know there aren’t 187 of those, so actual greatness may vary. Learn more at burnsvillepac.com
Saturday, February 16
Call of the Drums
WHAT: Ilimaq and Martin Dosh Collaboration
WHERE: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
WHEN: 8 p.m.
Wilco drummer Kotche, quite an experimental percussionist, performs an ambitious rendering of the operatic contemporary solo work Ilimaq, involving 19 instruments, electronics, and natural sounds recorded in Alaska. In the second part of the evening, he’ll be joined by local experimental pop drummer Martin Dosh in a commissioned collaboration involving sound loops, samples, and various instruments. Learn more at walkerart.org
Saturday, February 16
Hot For Art
WHAT: Valentine’s Iron Pour
WHERE: Franconia Sculpture Park, Franconia
WHEN: noon to 5 p.m.
The spunky Franconia Sculpture Park holds another of its memorable iron pours with 15 artists facilitating the moldmaking amid 2,500-degree heat, an ideal date for those whose passions flow toward the molten. (Or have kids.) And that’s not even the bonfire, which comes later. Visitors can watch and make their own art in the comfort of the indoors. Learn more at franconia.org
Sunday, February 17
A Song Called Love
WHAT: Dennis Spears’s “(I Love you) For Sentimental Reasons”
WHERE: Capri Theater, Minneapolis
WHEN: 3 p.m.
Dennis Spears has the most supple vocal cords in town, aiding his incredible impersonation of Nat “King” Cole. On Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, he reprises the smooth singer once again, in a concert with the Wolverines Jazz Trio, a warm Valentine’s show on a cold weekend. Learn more at thecapritheater.org
Sunday, February 17
Denver in Minneapolis
WHAT: John Denver: A Rocky Mountain High Concert
WHERE: State Theatre, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7 p.m.
John Denver hasn’t appeared on stage since 1997. Until now. With the aid of some funky video technology, Denver will appear at the State Theatre in archival footage, backed by members of his old touring band and strings. Learn more at hennepintheatretrust.org