Critics' picks: The 8 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

Semisonic

Making up for lost time, the "Closing Time" hitmakers aren't just returning to the main room of their youth to revisit the old glory days or to make good on a pair of gigs postponed in September 2021. The Twin Cities-reared trio's first shows since 2019 are also the first since their 19-year recording lull ended with the hopeful, magnetic, classically poppy five-song 2020 EP "You're Not Alone." What's more, Grammy-winning songwriter Dan Wilson is also coming home with even newer Semisonic tunes to test-drive. Chastity Brown opens both shows, which are doubling as indie/local music booster 89.3 the Current's 18th birthday parties. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., sold out except for resale tickets, first-avenue.com) Read a review from the show at Icehouse here.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Lake Street Dive

Last seen opening for Brandi Carlile at Xcel Energy Center, this jazzy, alt-soul/pop ensemble is returning in a cozier, more appropriate setting. They're coming back without trumpeter and guitarist Mike "McDuck" Olson, the former Minnesotan who knew about Lake Street dives. He left the group in May 2021, two months after the release of "Obviously." Then last fall, LSD dropped "Fun Machine: The Sequel," an EP of covers of Bonnie Raitt, Shania Twain and Dionne Warwick, among others. Meanwhile, lead singer Rachael Price just issued a new duo album with Rachael & Vilray, the Tin Pan Alley-ish "I Love a Love Song." Lots of new material to choose from over two nights. Monica Martin opens. (7 p.m. Fri. & Sat. Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $40.50-$76, axs.com)

JON BREAM

'Tha Chink-Mart'

Ray Yamanouchi's play features five Asian American kids grappling with school in New York, where they're told they are "too Asian," and with home, where they're told they're "too American." Available to stream online, the play is part of the Playwrights' Center's Ruth Easton New Play Series. (Through Wed., free but make reservations at pwcenter.org.)

CHRIS HEWITT

Minnesota Orchestra

The orchestra will mark the Lunar New Year with works from China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, the U.S. and Italy. With Junping Qian on the podium, the concert will feature as soloists baritone Joo Won Kang and Yiwen Lu, one of the world's great virtuosos on the erhu, the violin's two-stringed Chinese cousin. Among the offerings are Tan Dun's groundbreaking "Internet Symphony 'Eroica'" and selections from Bao Yuankai's folk song suite, "Chinese Sights and Sounds." (8 p.m. Sat., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.; $34-$77; 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org.)

ROB HUBBARD

Green Room opening party

The former Pourhouse/Coup d'Etat location in Uptown is being reborn as a full-time music venue, and the opening-night bash demonstrates why there's optimism that the 300- to 400-person space really could mark a stronger return of live music in that once-vibrant corner of Minneapolis' nightlife district. Punky pop rockers Gully Boys top off the lineup with new tunes and a revised sound to unleash, including their impressive electro-pop-flavored new single "See You See." They'll be preceded by an eclectic roster of other local buzzmakers of the day, including dramatic groove-rockers FenixDion, scorching punk band Scrunchies and radio-friendly pop/rocker Colin Bracewell. (7 p.m. Green Room, 2923 Girard Av. S., Mpls., $15-$20, greenroommn.com)

C.R.

'Cumar'

West African and Irish rhythms converge in this show that brings together dancers and musicians from Duniya Drum & Dance and the Celtic Junction Arts Center. Both traditions feature complex rhythms and footwork. See what happens when cloggers move to the beat of the Guinean drums, and African dancing meets Irish tunes. Family members Fode, Fara and Sana Bangoura will blend West African drumbeats to music by clarinetist Sean Egan, vocalist Laura MacKenzie, fiddler Jode Dowling and banjo player Morien McBurnie. Also, eight dancers will showcase what happens when styles from different parts of the world find their points of connection. (7:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Av. S., Mpls., $25, southerntheater.org)

SHEILA REGAN

Huge 12th Anniversary Show

Many troupes boast about doing improv but end up relying heavily on rehearsed sketches for laughs. Huge Improv Theater sticks to the craft's true format: unscripted routines based largely on audience suggestions. It's a high-wire act best performed by masters, several of whom will be onstage for this special celebration. It's expected to be the last time the gang celebrates its birthday at its current location as it plans to move down the street to bigger digs later this year. (8 p.m. Sat., 3037 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., $20, hugetheater.com)

NEAL JUSTIN

Framed

Visitors to the Minnesota Children's Museum will get an art appreciation lesson with its new exhibit "Framed: Step Into Art." Experience famous paintings from a different vantage point by enjoying a pretend meal inside Grant Wood's "Dinner for Threshers" or add corn husks to the flower tower in Diego Rivera's "The Corn Festival." Other artists included in the show that ends May 7 include John Singer Sargent and Clementine Hunter. (9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Sat.; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. $16. Minnesota Children's Museum, 10 W. 7th St., St. Paul. 651-225-6000. mcm.org.)

MELISSA WALKER