‘Hamilton’ is postponed until 2023; Jungle Theater co-presents ‘The Catastrophist’

It was always too good to be true, the idea that “Hamilton” would return to the Orpheum in July. That’s three short months away. Broadway tours have been dormant for more than a year, and you can’t just flip a switch to start them up again. Shows must be cast and rehearsed, sets built and costumes made. Cities must be ready and venues must be open; a Broadway tour takes a network of cities, all on the same page. Who knows how many people will be vaccinated by then, and what new COVID variants we might be facing?

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today that “Hamilton” has been rescheduled for April 4 through May 7, 2023. Season ticketholders will be automatically moved to the rescheduled date(s) and contacted directly by email with further information.

The Hook adds more Under the Canopy shows

Around the same time the Hook & Ladder started adding more concerts to its summer outdoor concert series, Under the Canopy, it got a bump from the New York Times, which put it first on a list of live cultural events happening outside of New York City. “Pandemic willing,” wrote Julie Besonen, “live shows will be back across the United States this spring and summer. (A patchwork of them, anyway.).” Cornbread Harris, Davina and the Vagabonds, Keller Williams and Dale Watson were singled out.

The added concerts? Venus DeMars’ All the Pretty Horses with Mayda (June 17), Matt Wilson & His Orchestra (Aug. 6), Malamanya (Aug. 14), Tina and the B-Sides (a second night, Aug. 19) and Zeppo (Aug. 27). Public on-sale starts today (Friday, April 9) at 10 a.m. Some shows are already sold out. FMI and tickets (scroll down).

Heads up, poets

Honoring the legacy of a young poet who died in 2016, shortly before Milkweed Editions published his first collection, the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize is the most lucrative first-book prize in the U.S. The winner receives a $10,000 cash award and publication by Milkweed, a highly respected indie literary press located in Minneapolis. The judge is Pulitzer Prize finalist Henri Cole. Submissions close May 31. FMI.

The 2021 winner is St. Paul-based poet Michael Kleber Diggs. His book, “Worldly Things,” will be published in early June.

Jake Skeets, another poet published by Milkweed, just won a $10,000 award from Claremont Graduate University for his collection, “Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers.” The Kate Tufts Discovery Award, also given annually, honors a book from a poet of promise.

The picks

V is for virtual, L is for live and in person.

L and V Now through June 12: Textile Center: “Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist.” For most of us, quilts are things to curl up under, to sleep beneath, to share with people we love. They’re soft and warm and comforting. The 63 quilts in this show, curated by Carolyn Mazloomi, founder of the Women of Color Quilters Network, have a different job to do. Each is a story of resistance, fierce and uncompromising, especially powerful as we close in on the first anniversary of the killing of George Floyd. Many of the quilts are on loan from the collections of the artists. View the virtual exhibition or see them in person by appointment. Free.

V Tonight and Saturday, April 9 and 10, 7 p.m.: Ten Thousand Things Theatre Company: Artist Created Work. Core members of the respected theater will discuss and perform snippets of three works in development. Meghan Kriedler, George Keller and T. Mychael Rambo created a three-song piece called “On the Rocks,” reimagining the Greek tale of a sailor and sirens. Joy Dolo, Marcus Quinones and Brian Bose collaborated on “F.E.A.R.” (False Evidence Appearing Real), an exploration of fear and humanity in 2021 told in movement. Aimee K. Bryant, Elise Langer, Tracey Maloney and Karen Wiese-Thompson came up with four vignettes and called them “Everything Sucks & Everything Is Hilarious.” These new works might grow into bigger things, or you might never see them again. Either way, seeing these actors do what they do will be a treat. Both nights are livestreams. Free; reserve here.

V Saturday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.: 113 Composers Collective: New Music for Piano. Founded in 2012, led by Artistic Director Tiffany Skidmore, 113 (One Thirteen) is a Twin Cities-based group of composers and performers. To date, it has presented more than 100 world premieres, so new means really new. Saturday’s livestream will feature work by Chaya Czernowin, Anthony Donofrio, Raphaël Languillat, Joshua Musikantow and Skidmore. Here’s a trailer. Free on 113’s YouTube channel.

V Monday, April 12, 4:30 p.m.: UMN English Writers Series: Douglas Kearney. Award-winning poet, essayist, and U of M faculty member Kearney has published six books. This event will feature his new poetry collection, “Sho,” which NPR described as “raucous theater, a party whose rhythms contain a meditation on what it means to have a body in public space.” Kearney will be in conversation with poet and scholar Evie Shockley. Free with registration.

V Starts Monday, April 12: Jungle Theater: “The Catastrophist.” Nathan Wolfe is a star virologist and epidemiologist. Lauren Gunderson is America’s most-produced playwright. The two are husband and wife, and she has written a one-man play based on his life and work tracking Ebola and swine flu and warning about a pandemic. Co-presented with California’s Marin Theatre Company and Washington, D.C.’s Round House Theatre, filmed in an empty theater, with William DeMeritt as Nathan, “The Catastrophist” couldn’t be more timely. On demand through May 2. FMI and tickets ($25).

V Starts Monday, April 12: History Theatre: “Diesel Heart – Part 2.” Based on the autobiography of Melvin Carter Jr., father to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Brian Grandison’s play debuted an early version during the History Theatre’s Raw Stages New Works Festival in September. This reworking includes new scenes dealing with Carter’s experiences as a St. Paul police officer. Watch a new play take shape. On demand through April 18. FMI and tickets (start at $15).

V Tuesday, April 13, 5:30 p.m.: Rain Taxi: Nate Powell. The first cartoonist ever to win the National Book Award, Powell illustrated the award-winning “March” trilogy written by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. He’ll talk about his latest, “Save It for Later: Promises, Parenthood and the Urgency of Protest,” just out from Abrams, with Rain Taxi publisher Eric Lorberer, a longtime fan of graphic novels. In seven comics essays, Powell addresses living in an era of what he calls “necessary protest” and a world becoming increasingly dangerous and polarized. Free with registration.