The Rake Magazine

Theater lovers, don't delay. Today is last day of the Theater All Year Sale, so take advantage of the six-ticket package, and catch some great shows over the next four months.

Tickets also went on sale this weekend for the Kid Rock show at the Target Center on May 24th, the Melissa Etheridge show at the O'Shaughnessy on August 9th (talk about selling in advance), and the Ween show at Roy Wilkins Auditorium on July 19th, so if any of these interest you, act fast.

SPORTS
Minnesota Twins Home Season Opener

There's really no question at all about what you should do tonight. It's just a matter of whether you can get in or not; and if not, there's always the tube (and I'm not talking lightrail here). While no one is giving the Twins much of a break in the season forecasts, we still have to find a way to muster up enough excitement to give it a good run. Who knows? We've come through at some odd times in the past. We can do it again. And, believe me, the players know they have something to prove. Ten-year Major League veteran, Livian Hernandez will be pitching today's game against the Los Angeles Angels — the first American League game in his career. And Rake writer Brad Zellar will be there to relaunch his annual baseball blog, Warning Track Power. So stay tuned.

6:05 p.m., Metrodome, 34 Kirby Puckett Pl., Minneapolis; 612-375-1366.


MUSIC
Schubert Club Winners

If the Twins just aren't your thing — or if you just like to wait until you know who won to watch the game — perhaps a classical evening is in order. The Schubert Club is hosting a special presentation this evening, featuring Schubert Club Competition winners: Denis Evstuhin on piano, Jenny Berg on violin, Rolf Haas on violin, Joe Peters on oboe, Jacob Jonkers on guitar, Nicholas Donatelle on cello, and Ben Ullery on viola. Performing with them will be Hill House Chamber Players Julie Ayer, Tom Turner, and Tanya Remenikova.

7:30 p.m., James J. Hill House, 240 Summit Ave., Saint Paul; 651-297-2555.


WINE & DINE
Sicilian Wine Dinner at Bellanotte

Enjoy a delicious six-course meal paired with wines from Sicily, Italy. Dinner will begin with an amusé of caponata, paired with Lamura Rose’ Di Sicilia. This will be followed by an insalata of crisp mixed greens, raspberry vinaigrette, and poached pears, paired with Santa Tresa “Rina Ianca.” The third course, pollo, consists of slow-roasted chicken breast and fresh Roma tomatoes with bleu cheese cream sauce tossed with penne pasta; this paired with Santa Tresa “Nivuro Nero D’Avola” Cabernet Sauvignon. The fourth course, pesce, consists of seared chilean seabass topped with fennel, fresh Roma tomato, and Mediterranean mussels in a kalamata olive ragu, paired with Santa Tresa “Cerasuolo Di Vittoria.” And the entrée is a grilled marinated pork tenderloin with Peruvian purple mashed potatoes and fresh grilled vegetables topped with a basil demi-glaze; this paired with Santa Tresa “Avulisi.” And finally, for dessert, an espresso tiramisu. It doesn't get much better — or more decadent — than this! Space is limited, so call to make your reservation now.

6:30-9:30 p.m., Bellanotte, 600 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-339-7200; $65 or $120/couple.

FILM & AUTHORS
Ali Selim and Will Weaver Discuss Sweet Land

St. Paul filmmaker Ali Selim’s Sweet Land, a Minnesota-made indie labor of love that garnered critical acclaim and spawned a minor cult, was adapted from Bemidji writer Will Weaver’s 1989 short story “A Gravestone Made of Wheat.” The Rake’s Cristina Córdova will moderate the latest installment of The Talk of the Stacks series, as the auteur and the author discuss the long journey Weaver’s story took from the page to the screen. Both Selim and Weaver have interesting back stories (Selim has had a high-profile career as a director of television commercials, and in recent years Weaver has been working on a series of successful young adult novels and teaching at Bemidji State), so there should be no shortage of topics for discussion. —Brad Zellar

Friday at 7 p.m., Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-630-6174; free.

SOCIAL EVENT
Grown Up Spelling Bee

It has probably been quite a while since any of us have actually participated in a spelling bee — and I'm guessing most of us weren't drinking back then, but maybe I'm wrong. Nonetheless, leave it to the 331 Club to introduce an event like this one. Test your spelling skills, have a beer between each round (or even a shot), and see how you make out. There is great fun to be had by all.

Friday at 7:00 p.m., 331 Club, 331 NE 13th Ave., Minneapolis; 612-331-1746, $7.

MUSIC BENEFIT
Dan Jass and Others Rock the Alex White Plume Family Benefit

According to Rake writer, John Ervin, Dan Jass is "a walking encyclopedia of the rock-and-roll canon. In addition to possessing a record collection that would make most DJ’s drool, as a performer he can match the guitar stylings of every master from Eddie Cochran to Eddie Van Halen. After working a day job for twenty years at Schmitt Music’s warehouse, Dan returned to singing and songwriting full-time." See him this weekend at the Alex White Plume Family Benefit — with John Munson, Nate Dungan, Red Ponie, Dana Thompson, Patches and Gretchen, and Shit-Fi.

Saturday at 6 p.m., Wolves Den Native Coffee, 1201 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis.

Also, on Sunday catch Lalgudi Krishnan & Vijayalakshmi at the College of St. Catherine or soprano Kathleen Battle at Orchestra Hall (2 p.m.).

 

BOOKS & AUTHORS
Graphic Novel Release Party

Lars Martinson is leaving for Japan in just a few days, but before he goes he's due for a little celebration. Join him and his friend Tim Sievert this weekend, for a double book release celebration: Tonoharu: Part One and That Salty Air. Rumor has it there will be an after party of some kind, too

Saturday from 4-7 p.m., Big Brain Comics, 1027 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis612) 338-4390; free.

 

WINE & DINE
Dinner with The Rake

Join us tonight for a Dinner Party at Via's Cafe. Meet Ann Bauer and Jeremy Iggers, as well as other Rake staff and readers, and enjoy a wonderful meal of warm cheese, apricot chutney, roasted garlic, braised baby artichoke salad, organic garden greens, smoked coffee-rubbed Kobe beef brisket, fingerling potatoes, roasted baby vegetables, chocolate pot de creme, and sour cherry biscotti.

6 p.m., Via Cafe & Bar, 6740 France Ave. S., Edina; 952-928-9500; $60.

FILM
Spotlight on Naomi Kawase

Naomi Kawase was only 27 years old when she won the Camera d’Or award for Moe no Suzaku, a film she both wrote and directed. Now, eleven years later, we have a rare opportunity to see two of her more recent films, Birth/Mother (Tarachime) — a documentary about the traditional Japanese birth of her son — and The Mourning Forest (Mogari No Mori) — another award-winning film about an unlikely friendship between an old man with dementia and his young nurse. The best part, of course, is that in great Walker tradition, Kawase will be on hand to introduce her film.

5:30 and 7:30 p.m., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; the first film, Birth/Mother, is free, the second is $8 (members $6).

MUSIC
Dvorak and Rachmaninoff

Dvorak’s Cello Concerto is a romantic work of unabashed grandeur, with a lush and lyrical first movement, a pensive and ethereal middle, and a swelling, pile-driving, rondo-form finale that briefly pauses to dredge up elements of the first two movements before coalescing into a passionate crescendo. Sommerfest artistic director Andrew Litton will conduct Scandinavian cellist Truls Mork, who recorded the work with the Oslo Philharmonic for Virgin two years ago. Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances is the perfect after-intermission refresher, a neat mixture of romance, rhythm, and modernism. Like the Cello Concerto, it benefits from being one of the later works of its composer. Walton’s fun, quirky and deceptively difficult Scapino Overture leads the program. —Britt Robson

7:30 p.m., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-371-5656; $25-$72.

Bach, Vivaldi, Sierra, and Telemann — Oh, My!

Guest conductor Paul Goodwin will lead the The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra tonight — and for the next three nights — for a performance featuring Bach's Brandenburg No. 1 in F, with SPCO concertmaster Steven Copes on violin. But the clincher is guest guitarist Manuel Barrueco — probably one of the world's greatest living guitarists — performing on Vivaldi’s Concerto in D for Guitar and Orchestra and Sierra’s Folias for Guitar and Orchestra. Also on the program is Telemann’s Ouverture in C.

Tonight at 8 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater; Friday at 8 p.m., Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie; Saturday at 8 p.m., Saint Paul’s United Church of Christ, Saint Paul; Sunday at 2 p.m., Benson Great Hall, Bethel University, Arden Hills; 651-291-1144; $10 and $25, kids $5.

Girls, ya'll got one
A night that's special everywhere
From New York to Hollywood
It's ladies night, and girl, that feeling's good

Oh, yes, it's ladies night
and the feeling's right
Oh, yes, it's ladies night
Oh, what a night

Nothing like starting out with a little Kool & the Gang, eh? (I'll bet you thought I was going to say Tom Jones.)

Ok, ladies, we have some special events for you tonight, so get out your Girl Power t-shirts, with your matching pink purses, and get ready to take over the world. Or... just dress comfortably, relax, and enjoy the evening.

WORKSHOP
Front Runners: Women with Political Ambition

Has Hillary Clinton gotten votes simply due to her gender? Probably. Has she lost votes due to her gender? Certainly. I have no big arguements to make here — or candidates to support — but... it's always a gender issue. Gender is an issue; what can I say? (As is race, of course.) And for women it's still an uphill battle on the political front. Tonight, Front Runners is offering a leg up in an effort to even the playing field a bit, or at least get women more engaged. Interested in electoral politics? Join this evening's workshop for women at the State Capitol. Meet women members of the Minnesota House and Senate and take the Women's History Tour of the Capitol.

6 p.m., State Capitol Rotunda, St. Paul; free, but RSVP to Debra Fitzpatrick.

WINE & DINE
Women & Wine Party at the Guthrie

Sure, I'm no girly girl. I love a cheap whiskey in the grimey shadows of a good dive. But every now and then, a girl has just got to go out in style: a little class, a little wine, a host of beautiful people — you know the kind, the good kind, the kind with brains. Ahh. And who doesn't like a late night happy hour? Head over to the Guthrie's Target Lounge tonight for a glorious evening of wines, cocktails, music (by local female DJs, no less), and great company all around.

9-11 p.m., Target Lounge, Guthrie Theater, 818 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis; 612-377-2224; free.


FILM
The Wild Wild North

"The law of the land is the gun in your hand...the Further North you go..." reads the tagline for writer/director James Snapko's latest film. And Further North takes this pretty seriously as it explores murder through the lives of five people. Perpetrator, victim, conspirator, avenger, bystander — each one of the characters has some relationship to murder, and all of them, though traveling different paths, end up on the same road in Northern Minnesota. See the advanced screening this evening, hear from the director himself, as well as cast and crew, and follow it up with an after party at Stubb & Herbs.

7 p.m., Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-331-3134; $9, students $7, MFA members $5.

BOOKS & AUTHORS
Literary Trio

Minnesota Literature has three literary events listed for tonight that all sound rather interesting, so take your pick:

The Voice of Poetry reading features Minnesota writers reading poems in Korean, Swedish, Japanese, Yiddish, Vietnamese and Spanish. 7 p.m., Loft Literary Center, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis.

The S.A.S.E. GLBT Reading Series features Elizabeth di Grazia and Lyda Morehouse, with hosts John Medeiros and Andrea Jenkins. 7 p.m., Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis.

Playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and musician Suzan-Lori Parks will read from her work, provide commentary, perform songs on guitar, and answer questions from the audience. 7:30 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 Fourth St. S., Minneapolis.

BOOKS & AUTHORS
The Natural Wonders of Our State

Learn about the natural wonders of Minnesota and explore the human and environmental characteristics that define our home. Join University of Minnesota geography professors John Fraser Hart and Susy Svatek Ziegler this afternoon for a discussion of their new book, Landscapes of Minnesota: A Geography. Illustrated with hundreds of maps and color photographs, the book traces the development of the state’s natural environment through the lives and livelihoods of its people. Learn about "the growth and decline of Minnesota’s small towns, the expanding urban arc of the Twin Cities, and the surprising growth of a baby boomer retirement belt."

2 p.m., U of MN Bookstore, Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-626-0559; free.

WINE & DINE
The Legendary Wines of Piedmonte, Italy

Well-known as one of Italy's great wine-growing regions, Piedmonte is home for two of the best reds in the world: Barolo and Barbaresco. But it also produces fantastic Barbera, Dolcetto, and Moscato. Join the Wine After Work crowd for an evening of legendary wines, and learn about the culture and food of Piedmonte, Italy.

5:30 - 7 p.m., W.A. Frost and Company, 374 Selby Ave., Saint Paul; 651-224-5715; $40.


FILM
Blackjack: 21

Anybody that gambles dreams of finding a way to beat the house. Sure, we've all heard of counting cards. But who among us has dared (or been able) to pull it off? Throughout the 1990s a group of math students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under the tutelage of a professor, took Vegas casinos for millions through the art of counting cards. Now director Robert Luketic has taken their story to the screen in 21, starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, and Laurence Fishborne. See an advanced screening tonight.

7:30 p.m., Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-331-3134.


THEATER & PERFORMANCE
The Drowsy Chaperone

This is the last week for The Drowsy Chaperone, and I'm thinking a Tuesday trip to the Chapel sounds like a novel idea. "A totally original new musical within a comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone has 'more laughs per minute than any new show on Broadway' (WWCR-TV), the most Tony Awards® of any musical on Broadway, and the New York Drama Critics' Circle and Drama Desk awards for Best Musical" How can you go wrong? Of course, last Satuday's show included a real life wedding!

8 p.m., Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., Saint Paul; 651-224-4222; $25-$60.


MUSIC
Keston and Westdal

Today also marks the release of electronic duo Keston and Westdal's latest album, One Day to Save All Life (ODTSAL). The album is clearly quite a bit different from their previous two, but the precision and the funky guiding beats let you know who you're dealing with. "Westdal's bass is beautifully morphed and Keston's keys and digi work have stepped over the horizon with a definable expertise," writes Chris Lindsey, of Slackline Radio.