Circus and Spam – Who Could Ask for More?

MUSIC & PERFORMANCE
Circus with Style

Everybody loves the circus, but when you jazz it up with a little bit of class and classical music, then we’re talking gangbuster. Head over to the Orchestra Hall this evening for a performance of Neil Goldberg’s Cirque Symphony and Cirque Populaire with the Minnesota Orchestra. This European-style circus event — banking on the success of Cirque du Soleil — combines the acrobatic spectacle of traditional circus, with the artistic bravado of Broadway-style theater — all set to the most popular circus classics played by the Minnesota Orchestra. Conducted by Sarah Hatsuko Hicks, tonight’s program includes Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival Overture,” Saint-Saëns’s “Bacchanale,” Mendelssohn’s “Dance of the Clowns,” and Stravinsky’s “Circus Polka.”

7:30 p.m. (tonight & tomorrow), Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-371-5656; $18-$48 (children 6 to 17 years old $9-$24).

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Monty Python’s Spamalot
by Christy DeSmith

Hands down, this retelling of the 1975 flick Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the Broadway hit of the decade. Its success owes to the Pythons’ pioneering formula — sketch comedy bits on flatulence, effeminate Frenchmen, and such — which, in turn, has attracted the loyal patronage of a most atypical theatergoer: the heterosexual white man aged thirty-five or thereabouts. But this production is an unapologetically slapstick, frisky, and therefore supremely escapist entertainment for all demographics. This touring production features an all-new cast of King Arthur and his knights in tights, as the original blockbuster is still going strong on Broadway. Nevertheless, the ersatz proves as popular as the first: Already Spamalot’s twenty-four St. Paul shows are nearly sold out.

8 p.m., Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., Saint Paul; 651-224-4222; $25-$65.

If It’s So Private, What’s It Doing on Stage

Also opening tonight is the Guthrie’s production of Private Lives. Noël Coward’s most celebrated comedy sets two newlyweds — who were formerly married to each other — on adjoining terraces during their respective honeymoons in the resort town of Deauville, France. Of course, they still care for each other, and it takes them the course of the play to discover and accept this. We’ll have a review for you after the weekend. In the meantime, see what Director Peter Rothstein has to say about the show.

7:30 p.m., McGuire Proscenium Stage, Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd St., Minneapolis; 612-377-2224; $24-$44.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Tuesdays with Maria
by Eeva-Liisa Waaraniemi

The past few days I’ve been stopping in at Amazon to see what material possession therein might be worthy of the $25 gift certificate that’s been smoking in my pocket. Well, until now I’d never heard of the guy or the book, but Abraham Yehoshua’s The Lover might just be “the one.” The story seems interesting enough: a husband’s search for his wife’s lover, lost during the Yom Kippur war. But it’s the customer-reviewers who inspired my booklust. One said he can’t get the book out of his head although he read it two months ago. Another: “you finish reading it and the story goes on in your head.” Isn’t this the kind of experience we’re all looking for? Engrossment that stimulates prolonged consideration? To make a long story short, this book is the topic of discussion led by University of Minnesota Professor Maria Damon at tonight’s “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature – Identity and Imagination” at Highland Park Library. You may not have read the book, or even heard of the author, but I say go for the discussion tonight and read the book later. Although some of the plot will be spoiled, your reading experience will be all the richer for it. And when I find The Lover on my doorstep (okay, mailbox), I’ll read the first page and hope that it’s so good that it won’t make it to my stockpile of unread, yet promising books.

7-9 p.m., Highland Park Branch Library, 1974 Ford Pkwy., St. Paul; 651-366-6488; free, but please call to register.

MUSIC
Mix and Match

There’s all sorts of good music playing tonight, so pick your poison.

Metal Maniacs: Sounds of the Underground, this afternoon at Myth Nightclub, features metal band GWAR with special guests Shadows Fall, Chimaira, Every Time I Die, Job for a Cowboy, Amon Amarth, The Number 12 Looks Like You, and Darkest Hour. 1 p.m., Myth Nightclub, 3090 Southlawn Dr., Maplewood; 651-779-6984; $35.

Jazz Enthusiasts: The Minneapolis Pops Orchestra is putting on a free outdoor performance this evening. 6:30 p.m., Elliot Park, 1000 E. 14th St., Minneapolis; 612-270-4772; free.

Alt. Rockers: Cary Brothers perform tonight with Stars of Track and Field and Mother Mother. 7:30 p.m., The Varsity Theater, 1308 4th St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-604-0222; $15.

Blacky will be playing this evening with the films of Sean Smuda. (Plus you can get $2.50 Margaritas all night, and 1/2 price bottles of wine til 9 p.m.) 9 p.m., 331 Club, 331 13th Ave NE, Mpls.; 612-331-1746; free.