Critics’ picks: The 15 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

The longtime country superstar doesn’t seem to slow down. Last August, he released his 16th studio album, “Standing Room Only” (with the title track rising to No. 2 on the country chart), and then in November he dropped a six-song EP, “Poet’s Resumé.” Don’t forget that he co-starred in the popular Old West TV miniseries “1883″ in 2021. McGraw last performed in the Twin Cities in 2021 at the State Fair, where he has been a semi-regular. Opening are newcomer Randall King and the excellent, Grammy-winning Carly Pearce, who will preview her June album “Hummingbird,” which features her hit duet with Chris Stapleton “We Don’t Fight Anymore.” (7 p.m. Sat., Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $65-$185, ticketmaster.com)

JON BREAM

After her redemptive 2020 album “St. Cloud” turned into many listeners’ aural security blanket during the pandemic, Alabaman indie-rocker Katie Crutchfield became known as one of the great Americana songwriters of the day, with tender but tough echoes of Lucinda Williams and Conor Oberst. She sounds a bit happier and more confident on the successful follow-up, “Tigers Blood,” recorded with an all-star crew including Megafaun’s Phil and Brad Cook and drummer Spencer Tweedy. After a media blitz around its release last month, she’s kicking off her tour in Kansas City the night before her St. Paul gig. Australian duo Good Morning opens. (8 p.m. Fri., Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $40-$60, axs.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

While Beyoncé is letting the world know that Black women can find a home in country music, Brown has been proving that for Black men for nearly a decade. He’s scored 12 No. 1 songs, including “I Can Feel It” (which quotes Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”); the hit is slated for Brown’s upcoming fourth album. Opening are the group Parmalee of “Take My Name” fame and Tyler Hubbard, who is gaining momentum in his post-Florida Georgia Line solo career with “5 Foot 9″ and “Back Then Right Now.” (8 p.m. Fri., Target Center, 600 1st Av. N., Mpls., $59-$299, axs.com)

J.B.

After an early burst of airplay support from the Current, this hotly hyped, melodic Australian rock duo is giving Twin Citians a first crack at judging its prowess on stage stateside. Named after co-leaders Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell, the band is kicking off its U.S. tour here after the February release of “Pratts & Pain,” a stylish debut LP produced by the same guy as Wet Leg’s record. Songs like the excitedly danceable single “Fried Rice” and “Foam” recall the hazy synth-rock sounds of MGMT and local faves Solid Gold. Opening band Girl and Girl is also Australian and newly signed to Sub Pop. (8 p.m. Tue., Amsterdam Bar & Hall, 6 W. 6th St., St. Paul, $15-$18, axs.com)

C.R.

When the Twin Cities’ foremost new music ensemble presents its annual “Early Music Festival,” “early” is a relative term. The festival is customarily devoted to the compositions of one particular modernist from the mid 20th-century or later, but this year’s edition — presented in collaboration with the 10th Wave Chamber Music Collective — is a three-day feast of works by Asian and Asian American composers, all written between 1960 and 2008. Among those represented are Yoko Ono, Toru Takemitsu, Fred Ho and Jin Hi Kim. (7 p.m. Fri. and Sat, 1 p.m. Sun., Studio Z, 275 E. 4th St., St. Paul, $15-$25, zeitgeistnewmusic.org)

ROB HUBBARD

The Schubert Club’s Music in the Park Series season closes with a concert by an English string quartet that won the chamber music category at the 2016 Gramophone Awards for an album of Michael Tippett works (beating out Renée Fleming and the Emerson Quartet in the process). The increasingly renowned foursome will perform a J.S. Bach piece and string quartets by Joseph Haydn, 20th-century Dutch composer Henriëtte Bosmans and Erich Korngold. (4 p.m. Sun., St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, 2129 Commonwealth Av., St. Paul, $23-$33, students and children free, 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)

R.H.

The Tony and Emmy winner opens a two-concert stand Friday at St. Paul’s Ordway Center. The “Homeland” star nabbed a Tony for playing Che in “Evita” and an Emmy for playing Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on CBS’ “Chicago Hope.” He celebrates “Being Alive” with a concert of show tunes, including from Sondheim, whose “Company” song gives this tour its title. Patinkin originated the role of Georges Seurat in Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George.” He also will draw from the songbooks of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Harry Chapin, among others. (7:30 p.m. Fri. & 2 p.m. Sun., Ordway Center, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $68-$150, 651-224-4222, ordway.org)

ROHAN PRESTON

Fresh off his celebrated Broadway run of “Purlie Victorious,” the Tony and Grammy winner breezes into Minneapolis Sunday for “An Evening With Leslie Odom Jr.” at Pantages Theatre. Both Odom’s Tony and Grammy wins are for his work on “Hamilton,” where he played Aaron Burr opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda’s title character. A magnetic showman, Odom was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Sam Cooke in “One Night in Miami.” (7 p.m. Sun., Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $61-$110, hennepintheatretrust.org)

R.P.

Inda Craig-Galván’s new comedy takes us to a Hollywood hothouse where a Black writer on the rise is accused of plagiarism by a white former graduate school classmate. Expectations around representation and privilege get sent up for laughter in Shá Cage’s production that’s headlined by Ashawnti Sakina Ford, Gabriel Murphy and Vinecia Coleman, last in Penumbra’s “Wine in the Wilderness.” (7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Masks required for Wednesday performances. Ends May 19. Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. Pay-as-you-are. 612-822-7063, jungletheater.com)

R.P.

Playwright Siddeeqah Shabazz’s revised comedy centers on an idealized TV family, the Douglasses, whose secrets belie their shellacked, made-for-TV image. The play is set in the 1990s, the decade after “The Cosby Show” was at its zenith, and both mental illness and sexual assault factor into the plot. “Teal Ribbons” is being produced by Full Circle Theater and is staged by Minneapolis College of Art and Design professor Lester Mayers. (7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Masks required for Sunday performances. Ends April 28. Gremlin Theater, 550 Vandalia St., St Paul. Pay-as-you-are. fullcircletheatermn.org)

R.P.

Jay Goede, who originated the title role of Frog in 2002 in Minneapolis before taking it to Broadway, returns to the stage where this Reale Brothers musical began. He again plays the easygoing amphibian opposite worrywart best friend Toad (Reed Sigmund) at the Children’s Theatre Company. The show was nominated for three Tonys. Now its serving as artistic director Peter Brosius’ swan song. (7 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends June 16. Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls. $15-$87. 612-874-0400, childrenstheatre.org)

R.P.

Collide Theatrical is known for dance works that emphasize theatrical storytelling, presenting evening-length works that weave together a narrative. This weekend, the company takes a different approach for just three performances, where it showcases some of Broadway’s iconic dance numbers. Artistic director Regina Peluso choreographs the shows, with numbers from such beloved musicals as “West Side Story,” “Sweet Charity” and “A Chorus Line.” (2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Luminary Arts Center, 700 N. 1st St., Mpls. $45-$55, 651-395-7903, collidetheatrical.org)

SHEILA REGAN

Choreographer Nic Lincoln and dancer Gemma Isaacson are teaming up again for “Escalade,” after premiering an earlier version of the piece last year. In the work, Isaacson’s performance pushed against physical and societal constraints with patterned, architectural and lyrical dancing, book-ended by a theatrical/personal monologue by Lincoln and a performance by Venus DeMars. Since its premiere, Lincoln has made changes to the work, though its focus on bodily autonomy remains a central theme. (8 p.m. Fri., A-Mill Artist Lofts, 315 SE. Main St., Mpls., $25-$35, eventbrite.com)

S.R.

Feminist fiber arts collective The Snips presents a limited-run show that considers the textile’s adverse impact on the natural world, while also celebrating plants and animals that make fiber art possible. More than 20 artists showcase their work. Ends April 20. (5-8 p.m. Thu. masks required, 5-8 p.m. Fri., 3-7 p.m. Sat., Squirrel Haus Arts, 3450 Snelling Av. S., Mpls., $10 in advance, $15 at the door, 612-669-8712 or squirrelhausarts.com)

ALICIA ELER

Open Eye Theatre co-founder and former University of Minnesota theater arts professor Michael Sommers takes his 45 years of experience from theater arts to just visual art. In his solo exhibition, he’s curious about rediscovering materials, letting them be repurposed and reused, retaining some semblance of hope. Although he says he’s retired from the theater, Michael will never actually retire from the arts. (Noon-5 p.m. Thu.-Sat., NE Sculpture Gallery, 1720 NE. Madison St. #14, Mpls., free, 612-743-6664 or facebook.com/northeastsculpture/)

A.E.

Lowry Nature Center pays tribute to our planet with a day of educational experiences. Join a naturalist for a guided walk looking for spring plants and returning birds. Step onto the enchanted trail to find magical nature kingdoms. View a raptor presentation and visit booths with exhibits and information on energy efficiency, water quality and more. (10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., free, 7025 Nature Center Drive, Victoria, threeriversparks.org)

MELISSA WALKER