Through April 13
Exhibit
A Japanese Legacy: Four Generations of Yoshida Family Artists . Here’s an unusual opportunity, from both an artistic and cultural standpoint: This exhibit follows the careers of one Japanese family, the Yoshidas, through 100 years of artistic development. We follow the careers of eight artists, all working in wood-block printing, as they span a century, and what a century it was! From the end of the 19th century to the present, we follow the development of new techniques of coloration and abstraction, but aside from watching the 20th century unfold on the canvas of one family of artists, we also watch as they elaborate their own personalities in this exacting medium. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (till 9:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday); noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 3rd Ave S, Mpls.; (612) 870-3000
through March 31
Theater
Contact. This play won the 2000 Tony for Best Musical, despite the fact that its music is entirely cannedñno onstage performer sings, no musician plays, and the music is prerecorded and, in many cases, taken directly from CD (the Squirrel Nut Zippers, as an example, are represented by their song “Put A Lid On It.” But this is really a dance recital, and the Tonys have no category to shower such a thing with deserved laurels, so Best Musical it must be. And why not? It’s a grand old time, consisting of three unrelated vignettes that cover about 100 years of time. In the first, a trio of flouncy aristocrats in 19th century garb enjoy an afternoon tryst on a swing; in the second, a bullied housewife imagines herself into a ballet-styled fantasy of liberation and revenge; and, in the last, a despondent television producer, failing a suicide attempt, wanders into a swing club, where he catches the attention of a mysterious dancer in yellow. It’s an awful lot of fun, and furthermore has the potential to re-ignite the burned-out lounge scene. $29-$60. Call for showtimes. Every W-SU at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St, St. Paul; (651) 224-4222
Through April 15
Trippy Light Show
Space Dreams. Now you can discover why there always seem to be large groups of teenagers malingering around the library downtown, dressed in hemp clothes and occasionally clutching their eyes, crying out “The lights, the lights!” Yes, it’s the Minneapolis Planterium, which takes full advantage of its superb gadgetry to produce … well, essentially the sort of laser shows that play behind acid rock bands (think Pink Floyd or The Strawberry Alarm Clock). The 16 bus will take you right there, man, so head on downtown, pay your admission price, lean back, and dig the lights, baby. 2:15 pm Sat-Sun; 7:00 pm Thu. Minneapolis Planetarium, 300 Nicollet Mall (Minneapolis Public Library), Mpls.; (612) 630-6150.
Through May 26
Exhibit
Norman Rockwell’s 322 Saturday Evening Post Covers. Here is Americana at is most popularñso popular, in fact, that a selection of Rockwell’s paintings were stolen and the thieves absconded to Brazil, where you would hardly think that images of boys in bowler hats pushing baby prams would be popular. But the subject matterñinevitably detailing a fantastical American everyplace of apple-faced youngsters and happy afternoonsñis certainly less important now than the price tag: three recently recovered paintings are valued at nearly a million dollars. Here, then is the complete Rockwell: All of his Saturday Evening Post covers, many of which you have undoubtedly seen reproduced on your grandparents’ refrigerator. The painting are swell, but their prices are sweller. Minnesota Museum of American Art, 75 W 5th St, Ste 202 (Landmark Center), St. Paul; (651) 292.4355
Ongoing
Gangstas
St. Paul Gangster Tours. It’s hard to believe that St. Paul was once a den of iniquity, but the facts are that Tommy-gun toting gangsters once prowled the winding streets of Pig’s Eye. Learn the true history of our embarrassing past in this engrossing tour. Straw boaters, hip flasks, pin-striped double-breasted suits and hidden razor blades optional. $20. Noon. Daily at the Wabasha Street Caves, 215 S. Wabasha St., St. Paul; (651) 292.1220
