Best of the week: Femi Kuti, 'Under the Gaslight,' Sarah Jarosz, more
July 7, 2016 at 11:33PM
The eldest son of late Nigerian legend and recent Broadway musical subject Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti got his start playing sax in his dad's band Egypt 80 at age 15; he's been fronting his own thickly funky Afrobeat band since 1986. He has long since gotten out from under his dad's giant musical shadow. He has also nobly carried the Kuti activist torch in recent years as an Amnesty International ambassador and more. Minneapolis' Afrocentric hip-hop/acid-funk collective Zuluzuluu opens to celebrate the release of its debut album, "What's the Price." Chris Riemenschneider
8 p.m. Fri., Cedar Cultural Center, $50-$55, thecedar.org
The University of Minnesota has said it will end the Centennial Showboat program after this summer. If that indeed holds up, this is your last chance to catch students performing a melodrama in a jewel box theater on a summer's night. The show is "Under the Gaslight," directed by John Miller Stephany. Musical olios, as always, break the scenes. Mark the end of an era.
graydon royce
Ends Aug. 27; Centennial Showboat, Harriet Island mooring, St. Paul; $21-$25, theatre.umn.edu
Nominated for a best folk album Grammy in 2013 when she was a mere 22, singer Sarah Jarosz from Austin, Texas, has been coming to Minnesota often of late for regular appearances on "A Prairie Home Companion." This time, she's bringing along her own band and settling in for two nights to tout another mellow but mesmerizing new album, "Undercurrent."
Chris Riemenschneider
7 p.m. Tue.-Wed., the Dakota, $30-$35, dakotacooks.com
Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen can afford to indulge his enthusiasm for pretty much anything, including art. His omnivorous taste for landscape paintings includes 400 years of works by top-draw names from Jan Brueghel the Younger (1600s) to Canaletto (1700s), Manet, Monet and Cezanne (1800s), Hopper, Klimt, Hockney and O'Keeffe (1900s) and so on. Forty paintings from Allen's hoard are featured in a traveling show that's sure to be a summer highlight.
Mary Abbe
Opens Sun. Ends Sept. 18. Minneapolis Institute of Art, $20 adults, artsmia.org
Three years ago, director and adapter Greg Banks went pre-Disney, back to Carlo Goldoni, for his adaptation of "Pinocchio." His production was a thing of imaginative beauty as everyday objects were transformed into wondrous things. Banks brings back much of that cast for this summer revival, with Elise Langer as the puppet and Dean Holt as the Blue Fairy.
ROHAN PRESTON
Opens 7 p.m. Friday. Ends Aug. 12. Children's Theatre, Mpls., $15-$30, childrenstheatre.org
A four-time Grammy winner with the duo known as the Civil Wars, John Paul White went solo two years ago when the group split up. His first solo album in eight years, "Beulah," is due in Aug. 19. A preview suggests a tuneful, moody collection that evokes the Jayhawks, John Hiatt and some of Americana's finest. The harmonious Secret Sisters open.
Jon Bream
7 & 10 p.m. Bryant-Lake Bowl, Mpls., $20, bryantlakebowl.com
Among American choral directors only the late Robert Shaw can claim a career as storied as that of St. Olaf alumnus Dale Warland. Now in his mid-80s, Warland returns to the Minnesota Beethoven Festival for concerts this weekend with the Festival Chorale. The program ranges from Renaissance to modern, with works by Stephen Paulus, Arvo Pärt, John Tavener and outstanding Scottish composer James MacMillan.
terry blain
3 p.m. Sun., St. Mary's University, Winona, $21-$25, mnbeethovenfestival.org
Breathe in fresh air and take part in a variety of activities including fishing, canoeing and archery at Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park. Participate in a pond study or turn flips in inflatable bouncers. The New Prague Community Band and Concertina Club will provide live music. Celebrate with free ice cream while viewing the Credit River Antique Tractor Show.
Melissa Walker
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Free. Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park, New Prague, threeriversparkdistrict.org
The Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company descends on the Lake Harriet Band Shell for a concert version of "The Mikado" next weekend. One of the most popular in the G&S canon, the operetta will be performed by chorus and soloists and accompanied by the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra.
GRAYDON ROYCE
7:30 p.m. Sat., 5:30 p.m. next Sun; Lake Harriet Band Shell, Mpls.; free.
The Australian rock hero will play the Armory with his old band supporting their new album, “Wild God.”
