Best of the Week: Pink, Benedict Cumberbatch as 'Hamlet,' Curio Dance, k.d. lang, more

Even though she had a nasty cold, Pink gave impressive performances in Minneapolis last month at both the Super Bowl (the national anthem) and the Armory (a full concert). Her new album "Beautiful Trauma" hasn't been on fire (though we like "What About Us"), but Pink remains pop's most believable balladeer and most daring performer. Her midair tumbling while singing is breathtaking. And her self-love songs and conversation elevate her to hero status. Her last tour led to my concert of the year in 2013 and 2014. Yes, two years in a row, she was that great. JON BREAM

7:30 p.m. Mon., Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, tickets start at $62.95, ticketmaster.com

The name that will be on most theater-at-the-moviegoers' minds at National Theatre Live's "Hamlet" is Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the titular sourpuss. But local theater fans may want to check out the work of hot director Lyndsey Turner, who staged this 2015 "Hamlet" and who will make her Guthrie Theater debut next month with Henrik Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People." Ciaran Hinds also is excellent as the dastardly Claudius.

CHRIS HEWITT

7 p.m. Mon., 1 p.m. Wed. & 1 p.m. Sat., St. Anthony Main Theatres, Mpls., $20, mspfilm.org.

Minnesota's Curio Dance serves up a delectable mix of ballet, global styles and hip-hop with "Drop the Mic." This show features favorites from the company's first several seasons including 2013's classical music-filled "Central Park" and the 2014 break-dancing standout "Disco Fever." Other pieces include 2015's acrobatic "Metamorphosis" and 2010's "Buscala" with Twin Cities hip-hop artist Maria Isa performing music from her upcoming album.

SHEILA REGAN

Canada has given us its share of revered songwriters including Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. Its most treasured pop singer has to be the sublime k.d. lang. She is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her bestselling album, "Ingenue." She will sing the record in its entirety, including her hit "Constant Craving" and "Miss Chateleine." Let's hope lang, who hasn't released a solo album since 2011, also does her version of Cohen's "Hallelujah." It's stunning.

JON BREAM

7:30 p.m. Wed., State Theatre, Mpls., $55-$353, ticketmaster.com

One of Verdi's most musically memorable operas, "Rigoletto" concerns a court jester's efforts to defend his daughter from sexual predation that ends in tragedy. Minnesota Opera's production gives this a contemporary spin, framing it instead as a study of "power without consequence, men who abuse and have no moral judgment," according to director Austin Regan. This production concludes Michael Christie's six-year tenure as music director.

TERRY BLAIN

The truly one-of-a-kind Boston pop-punk vet who gave us the rowdy classic "Roadrunner" and other cult-loved gems with the Modern Lovers, Jonathan Richman first played the Cedar in 2004 when First Avenue was closed by bankruptcy. He's making an overdue return there with help from former First Ave guru Steve McClellan. Richman's rich local history still plays a back seat to his sardonically edgy and often infectious recent tunes and his peculiarly vibrant stage show.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

8 p.m. Fri., Cedar Cultural Center, Mpls., $18, thecedar.org.

"Let's Go" features a charming selection of 30 works by local, national and international artists. Minnesota represents with "Selfie" by Julie Buffalohead, an acrylic and ink graphite on paper of a dainty deer and a dress-wearing bunny taking a selfie. In Ryan Hughes' "Cokes," a bottle of Coca-Cola next to a matching bottle with just "Coke" across it are painted side by side. There are pieces by Sabina Ott, Sam Durant, Joan Miro and many more.

ALICIA ELER

The Minnesota Orchestra continues its investigation of Mahler's symphonies, an ongoing project with Swedish record label BIS. Next up is Symphony No. 1, with music director Osmo Vänskä leading three performances this week. These concerts open, imaginatively, with Kurt Weill's Violin Concerto, featuring concertmaster Erin Keefe as soloist.

TERRY BLAIN

11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Orchestra Hall, Mpls.; $12-$101, minnesotaorchestra.org

When the daughter of Irish immigrants, Mary Theresa Mehegan, met and married James Jerome Hill, a Canadian immigrant of Scottish and Irish blood, the two became wealthy through their railroad endeavors. In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, take Irish-themed tours of the Hill mansion, learn a few songs and hear tales of the Hill family and their servants, many of whom were Irish. There also will be needlepoint and lace-making demonstrations.

MELISSA WALKER