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When the Polyphonic Spree named its latest disc Together We’re Heavy, they weren’t kidding—there are twenty-nine people in the band. Risen from the ashes of Dallas psychedelic-grunge group Tripping Daisy, the greatly expanded ensemble now takes the stage decked out in robes like they’re headed for a river baptism, whipping up a heady cross between … Read more

Just when we’re realizing that our knowledge of the Middle East has grown far too reliant on CNN—thankfully, along comes Jawaahir’s summer show, devoted to the Arab world’s most popular diva, Um Kalthoum. We’ll take a stab at explaining her significance by saying that during the fifties and sixties, she was to Egypt and indigenous … Read more

Don’t you wonder some-ti-i-i-imes… ’bout sound and vision? Sure, David Bowie goes to fashion shows and produces Modern Painters magazine, but Christian Marclay has based much of his career on the deeper connections and intersections between the aural and the visual. He’s been working in residency at the Walker for the past few months, resurrecting … Read more

If American history makes your mouth water and the James J. Hill House turns you on, then prepare for still more fantasies fulfilled at the MIA’s latest exhibit. Currents showcases about a hundred and fifty objets d’art, from paintings and photographs to furniture and silver, all hailing from Mississippi River regions in the 1850s. That … Read more

One of our favorite local galleries, MCP is moving from Uptown to a Northeast Minneapolis space that should be open by the end of August. But that hasn’t stopped it from mounting exhibitions—its latest is on view in guest quarters on the U of M West Bank (alongside an intriguing display of Japanese ironwork kettles). … Read more

We’ve always thought Mary Pickford was quite a fabulous dame, and we were even more impressed to discover recently that she built her own personal mini-golf course inspired by the surrealist Max Ernst. Leave it to the Walker to reunite art and mini-golf eighty years later, as part of the consolation package for its year-long … Read more

Fact may be stranger than fiction, but fictionalized fact often makes for the best story. In The Dazzle, playwright Richard Greenberg (of Tony-winning Take Me Out fame) fictionalizes the already strange tale of the Collyer brothers, Depression-era America’s answer to Howard Hughes. Homer and Langley are the stuff of urban legend: As the family fortune … Read more

Spooky! The Manningham family has recently moved into a new house full of old secrets. While husband Jack struggles to conceal his past trangressions, wife Bella drifts toward insanity, as the house’s gaslights flicker and footsteps echo in the attic. Even Scotland Yard makes a signature appearance. Does the mix of plot-driven whodunnit and dark … Read more

In the realm of legendary twentieth-century blondes, who looms largest, Madonna, Marilyn, or Mae? We’d vote for the brassy, bossy, up-front-and-in-control Ms. West. So, apparently, would Claudia Shear. In her 2000 play Dirty Blonde, the early-American sex bomb inspires a connection between a librarian, Charlie, and an actress, Jo, who explore their love for each … Read more

Antiques Roadshow fans beware: The Orpheum’s production of Phantom contains graphic scenes depicting violence against excessive ornament. Broadway’s most beloved romantic tragedy moves to Minneapolis, along with its ten-story, half-ton chandelier, which, during the performance, crashes onto the stage and shatters to bits. And you thought Prince smashing his nonsensical symbol-shaped guitar was dramatic! For … Read more