Friday, February 3
Busey does Buddy
WHAT: Gary Busey and ‘The Buddy Holly Story’
WHERE: Parkway Theater, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7 p.m.
Before he was famous for being famous, Gary Busey was famous for being Buddy Holly — singing and playing his music in one of the better musical bio-pics of the last 40 years. He’ll be at the Parkway to talk, before a screening of the film, about his turn as the ill-fated father of rock and, presumably, about himself. Learn more at theparkwaytheater.com.
Friday, February 3
Grace Kelly lives
WHAT: ‘Dial M for Murder’
WHERE: Jungle Theater, Minneapolis
WHEN: 8 p.m.
The Jungle Theater returns to Hitchcock with one of his best adaptations — a careful unwinding of the perfect murder. And saucy Cheryl Willis returns in the Grace Kelly role of Margot. All the good stuff is here: money, sex, beauty. But, being Hitchcock, none of that gets the characters anything but trouble. Learn more at jungletheater.com.
Saturday, February 4
The Dakota unplugged
WHAT: Acoustic Café Tour: Carrie Rodriguez, Pieta Brown, Kelly Joe Phelps
WHERE: Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7 p.m.
This touring showcase of top acoustic singer-songwriters presents two thrushes (Rodriguez, Brown) and one “phantom monk,” as Phelps has been described. The women lean toward alt-country, Phelps toward folk-blues. All of them remind you of the beauty of simple stories well-told, and will sing together for an encore. Learn more at dakotacooks.com
Saturday, February 4
The Loppet takes a hike
WHAT: City of Lakes Loppet
WHERE: Wirth Park, Minneapolis
WHEN: 12:30 to 10 p.m.
This bust of a winter has been breaking records. Now it’s broken up one of the best annual events of winter in Minneapolis, the City of Lakes Loppet. It’s still happening, however, in modified form: racers will take five spins around a course at Wirth Park. And the Luminary Loppet will be a hike, not a ski, through the Wirth Park woods. Everyone can still enjoy live music at the post-Luminary tent party ($10 for non-registrants) and drown their sorrows at the Surly Beer Garden. Learn more at cityoflakesloppet.com
Sunday, February 5
Last chance for shanties
WHAT: Art Shanty Projects
WHERE: Medicine Lake
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Not a moment too soon, given the dangerously high temperatures, the art shanties squatting on Medicine Lake will come down after today. And unless there’s open water, make sure to see them — the Midwestern version of Burning Man, according to NPR. They’re marvelously creative this year, and interactive: shoot hoops, earn a trophy, dance, try on clothes in the fashion shanty. It’s art, doncha know. Learn more at artshantyprojects.org.
Sunday, February 5
Naughty, naughty
WHAT: The Rockstar Storytellers’ Annual Sexy Fun-Time Romance ‘N Stuff Show
WHERE: Bryant-Lake Bowl, Minneapolis
WHEN: 7 p.m.
Joseph Scrimshaw, Amy Salloway, and other local masters of spoken-word performance come together for this uncensored (but good-natured) romp through romance, awkward courting, and sex — both good and hilariously bad. Learn more at bryantlakebowl.com
