Critics’ picks: The 14 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

Classically trained at Juilliard, James is a soul singer who has done Broadway (“Addams Family,” “Godspell,” “Motown: The Musical”) and cabaret (shows about Paul Simon as well as Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King). Because one of her cabaret presentations is a tribute to the great vocalist/activist Nina Simone, James is a natural to accompany the veteran JazzMN Orchestra, under the direction of Pete Whitman, in its salute to the “Young Gifted and Black” singer. (6:30 & 8:30 p.m. Thu., the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $35-$50, dakotacooks.com)

JON BREAM

After eight years of standing proudly behind his kid sister Billie Eilish, the pop megastar’s chief co-writer, producer and sideman is stepping into the spotlight. He skipped out on Billie’s 2024 tour to focus on his second solo album, “For Cryin' Out Loud,” which has earned favorable reviews and some viral traction with a stylish, sometimes dramatic pop sound that’s equal parts Harry Styles and Coldplay. His biggest solo tour to date features fellow L.A. rockers Bad Suns as openers. (7:30 p.m. Thu., the Fillmore, 525 N. 5th St., Mpls., resale tickets only, fillmoreminneapolis.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

After a vibrant run in the 2010s that saw them playing big fests like Coachella and touring with Bon Iver, ethereally voiced singer Channy Leaneagh and her doubly percussive — and still guitarless! — whir-rock band have kept a low profile in the 2020s because of the pandemic and essential bassist Chris Bierden’s brain cancer battle. A reconfigured lineup with electronics guru Alex Nutter has been sporadically gigging of late and plays its biggest hometown show yet for the Bangers-Only Ball, celebrating the kickoff to Minnesota United FC’s season. High-energy Afrobeat/hip-hop/rock blender Papa Mbye also performs. It’s a great chance to catch two innovative and electrifying Twin Cities acts at a low price and early start time. (6:30 p.m. Thu., First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., $15, axs.com)

C.R.

It’ll be a marathon of pickin’ and grinnin’ with more than 36 hours of programming over three days in Plymouth. About 30 Minnesota bluegrass groups will perform, including Roe Family Singers, Potential New Boyfriend and Mother Banjo. The headliners are Virginia’s old-time duo Adam Hurt & Beth Hartness on Friday and Colorado’s bluegrassers Stillhouse Junkies on Saturday. Between the concerts and the workshops, there will be enough high lonesome sounds to cure whatever ails you. (Fri.-Sun. Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West, 3131 Campus Drive, Plymouth, $25 and up, minnesotabluegrass.org)

J.B.

The company casts a welcome spotlight upon the talent within its ranks during a three-day mini-festival of concerts. It starts with four of its resident artists singing Neapolitan music, the kind of Italian popular song that could be called the first “classical crossover.” On Friday, the sopranos and altos of the Minnesota Opera Chorus perform scenes with a feminine focus from multiple operas. And a rising star, soprano Ann Toomey, ties a bow on it all with a Saturday recital. (Resident artists, 7 p.m. Thu.; Minnesota Opera Chorus, 7 p.m. Fri.; soprano Ann Toomey, 7 p.m. Sat.; Luminary Arts Center, 700 1st St. N., Mpls., $25, 612-333-6669 or mnopera.org)

ROB HUBBARD

Because of his way with the solo works of Frederic Chopin, this Argentine pianist is as celebrated in Poland as in his native country. He also has won France’s highest honor for classical recordings (the Diapason d’Or) for albums full of Chopin and Claude Debussy. He’ll offer some of the latter as part of a Chopin Society recital that also features works by Maurice Ravel and a second half devoted to the focus of his latest album, Franz Liszt. Past visits have shown him to be a deeply involving performer. (3 p.m. Sun., Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, 130 S. Macalester St., St. Paul, $20-$40, 612-822-0123 or chopinsocietymn.org)

R.H.

Cleverly designed and directed, and suffused with nifty tunes, the world premiere musical by Christian Magby and Christian Albright follows a kid who uses reveries and a sketchbook to escape his long subway ride. Director Mikael Burke elicits fine performances from his cast, including a charming turn by Toussaint Francois Battiste, best known for playing Jessica Chastain’s son on Apple TV’s “The Savant,” as the title character. The ensemble includes John Jamison II, Antonisia Collins and China Brickey, all helping to make the stage adaptation of Matt de la Peña’s children’s book an inventive ride. (7 p.m. Thu.-Fri., 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat., 2 & 5 p.m. Sun. Ends March 9. Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls. $15-$78. 612-874-0400, childrenstheatre.org)

ROHAN PRESTON

Success has given British playwright Lucy Prebble a new middle name — “Succession,” after the HBO show she co-wrote and co-produced. Known for crafting pithy, complex characters, Emmy winner Prebble recently revised her 2012 play, which is about a relationship that develops between two people involved in a clinical trial for an antidepressant. Is their passion true love or the side effect of a powerful drug in a world where sickness is increasingly medicalized for profit? In a rarity, Jungle Theater artistic director Christina Baldwin gets back on the stage in a production that also features Kamani Graham, Becca Claire Hart and Greg Watanabe under the direction of Alison Ruth. (7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends March 30. $15-$95 or pay-as-you-are. Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. Jungletheater.com)

R.P.

Out on a Limb Dance Theater Company takes its version back to the original plot line by author Hans Christian Andersen. With a cast of 50 performers who act and dance, director Kim Martinez navigates the de-Disneyfication of a classic tale with elaborate costumes by Jessica Branby and Gretchen Gasterland-Gustafsson. The cast stars Ameya Morrow in the title role as Narina and veteran lead dancer Allie Causin Myrvold, who narrates the story as a fairy character. (7 p.m. Tue. & Wed., O’Shaughnessy, 2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul. $40 adult, $37 child, 651-690-6700, oshag.stkate.edu)

SHEILA REGAN

Dancer, choreographer and performer Nic Lincoln is bringing a dance and music performance celebrating human rights to Minneapolis and Duluth in the latest iteration of the show. The work features dancer Gemma Isaacson, who keeps the feminist-leaning work’s eye toward architectural shapes. Lincoln acts as a kind of emcee for the evening while Venus de Mars performs a music set. (7 p.m. Tue. & Thur., The Southern Theater, 1420 S. Washington Av., Mpls., $35, southerntheater.org, plus March 22+23 at Studio 4 in Duluth: escaladeduluth.eventbrite.com)

S.R.

Japanese copper printer Yōzō Hamaguchi was a master of the mezzotint, a type of printmaking technique used before the creation of photography to enlarge tiny details. It was invented in the mid-17th century, but Hamaguchi learned the technique in the 1930s when he visited Paris. This quiet exhibition features his vividly colorful prints of effervescent butterflies, glowing cherries, mystical rolling fields and more. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue., Wed., Fri.-Sun., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thu., Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls, free, new.artsmia.org or 612-870-3000)

ALICIA ELER

In the basement of Hair + Nails Gallery, four leather sculptures shaped like oversized plugs with nonfunctional car exhaust pipes rest elevated on pedestals. Each is named after a relatively banal American name — Jessica, Ashley, Erin, Catherine — all of which the artist adapted at various times of her life. Lean in close and you’ll hear the story of South Korean-born artist Dahn Gim’s various experiences with changing her name as part of her immigration experience. Ends March 9. (1-5 p.m. Thu.-Sun., 2222½ E. 35th St., Mpls, free, hairandnailsart.com or 415-987-3037)

A.E.

Immerse yourself in Italian culture during the four-day, 12-movie 16th Italian Film Festival. “Il tempo che ci vuole” (“The Time it Takes”), about an evolving relationship between popular Italian director Luigi Comencini (“Pinocchio”) and his daughter Francesca, kicks off the festival Thursday. The 7:45 p.m. screening will be preceded by an opening reception at 6 p.m. Friday features two U.S. premieres — “Semidei” (“Flesh and Bronze”; 2 p.m.) and “Un altro ferragosto” (“Another Summer Holiday”; 8:30 p.m.),” a sequel to the 1996 comedy “Ferie d’agosto.” The screening of “Tutto quello che vuoi” (“Friends by Chance”; 6 p.m.) will feature a Q&A with director/screenwriter Francesco Bruni. Saturday’s screenings include “Familia” (2 p.m.), which won best actor in last year’s Venice International Film Festival, and “C’è ancora domani” (“There’s Still Tomorrow”; 7;30 p.m.), a box office winner in 2023. The fest ends Sunday with four screenings, including “Il Postino” (“The Postman”; 11:15 a.m.), which was nominated for five Oscars in 1996 and stars Massimo Troisi, and “Gloria!” (7:30 p.m.), set in 1800s Venice. (Screenings begin at 7:45 p.m. Thu., 2 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m. Sat., 11:15 a.m. Sun. The Main Cinema, 115 SE. Main St., Mpls. $5-$40. https://mspfilm.org/italian-film-festival/)

COLLEEN COLES

Take a break from the usual winter outdoor activities as Little Ember Co and NorthUp Saunas heat up the back lot of Forgotten Star Brewing Co. Guests are invited to warm up for the 75-minute sessions inside a wood-fired sauna then cool down in the winter air. In between sessions, they can visit the vendor market, do yoga and try beer poking. The Hodgepodge food truck will stop by and guests can stay hydrated with unlimited tea and water as well as get a token for a beer, kombucha and other drinks. (11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat.-Sun. $39. Forgotten Star Brewing, 38 Northern Stacks Dr., Fridley. littleemberco.com)

MELISSA WALKER