Omicron causes another slew of theater and concert postponements in Twin Cities

As the new year begins, Twin Cities arts organizations are having to alter plans, for the same reason their schedules shifted at the end of 2021: the COVID-19 pandemic and, specifically, the omicron variant.

If you have tickets to just about anything this weekend, it's a good idea to double-check to make sure the event is happening and learn about refunds and exchanges. Here are some schedule changes:

The Guthrie Theater has canceled the first three preview performances of "A Raisin in the Sun" and plans to begin previews Jan. 12 instead. Opening night is scheduled for Jan. 14.

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has canceled rehearsals and performances through Sunday. SPCO is "exploring the possibility" of rescheduling the four concerts by flutist Alicia McQuerrey while it implements a new testing protocol for its musicians and staff.

Bloomington's Artistry canceled its production of "Into the Woods," which was scheduled to open Jan. 22. Taking what the theater describes as a "brief intermission," performances will resume with "Memphis," which opens in April.

Walker Art Center has postponed "KLII," Kaneza Schaal's show that was to launch its annual Out There series Jan. 12.

"We made the call with Kaneza just as people were supposed to be getting on airplanes," said Philip Bither, Walker senior curator of performing arts. "We commissioned this piece and we're committed to having it when it's safer to do so for our artists and audiences."

Wordplay, the writers festival begun by the Loft Literary Center in 2019 and then forced online for the past two years by the pandemic, announced Wednesday that it will go on hiatus for 2022.

The Loft is in the middle of a transition, with a new executive director arriving in March. Citing the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, acting director Beth Schoeppler said that rather than making compromises and asking "an already exhausted staff to spread themselves thinner, we decided to take a break and then focus with renewed energy" on an in-person festival next year.

Red Eye Theater has postponed this weekend's dance piece "Honey" to July 15-17. For those who want a taste now, a dance-on-film take on "Honey" is streaming on Vimeo.

"Stone Baby," a concert/play collaboration between rock band Kiss the Tiger and Trademark Theater that was to have been performed Wednesdays in January at Icehouse, will begin March 9 instead.

While live music in clubs and bars is scaled back this time of the year anyway, First Avenue has postponed its annual Best New Bands showcase — with seven acts needing backstage accommodations — from Friday to March 4 out of safety.

At First Ave's sister venues, Friday's Folios gig and Sunday's Admiral Fox show at 7th St. Entry are both canceled. So are the first two installments of Andrew Broder's January residency gigs (Wednesday and Jan. 12) at the Turf Club, where Turn Turn Turn's appearance Friday also is canceled. Residency gigs at the Turf by Charlie Parr on Sunday and the Cactus Blossoms on Monday are still on for now.

Other music cancellations this week include Thursday's tribute to Bruce Springsteen featuring Mick Sterling at Crooners, Saturday's acoustic David Bowie tribute show at the Hook & Ladder and Saturday's Johnny Cash tribute at the Eagles Club Minneapolis. The Dakota is postponing Mayyadda's concert Sunday and Tina Schlieske's Jan. 15 to later dates.

Local derailments weren't the only ones announced Wednesday. The Grammy Awards have been postponed for the second consecutive year, with no new date announced. Variety.com reported that the Los Angeles event's venue, Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center), is pretty much booked with concerts, basketball and hockey games until mid-April; the Grammys usually require a 10-day window for production purposes.

Last year, the Grammys were postponed from Jan. 26 until March 14 and presented without an audience at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Staff writers Chris Riemenschneider, Rohan Preston, Laurie Hertzel and Jon Bream contributed to this report.