A farewell to two famous friends

It's not easy saying goodbye to Marilyn and Mao, but Alan Page has done just that. The NFL Hall of Famer turned Minnesota Supreme Court justice bid farewell to two Andy Warhol works that were part of the art collection he amassed with his wife, Diane Sims Page, who passed away a month ago. "Marilyn" sold for $325,000 and "Mao" for $56,250 at Phillips Auction in New York City on Oct. 17. "We have enjoyed living with the Warhols over the years, but it feels like the right time to pass the more contemporary works along," and allow more room for works that "speak directly to our unresolved racial history and its current legacy," wrote their daughter Georgi Page-Smith, who is director of the Alan and Diane Page Collection. The two prints were displayed opposite from each other in the Pages' Kenwood neighborhood home. Diane once explained how they came to acquire their first Warhol: "As the house was nearing completion, we purchased Marilyn from a downtown gallery in 1976. We did not know much about art, but we went looking for a Warhol — the only name in art that we recognized. We loved his Campbell's Soup cans, the Marilyns, Lizzes and Chairmans."

ALICIA ELER

After a harrowing carjacking in July that left him with stitches, actor/entertainer T. Mychael Rambo wants the world to know he's "Present." That's the solo show he'll premiere this weekend at Illusion Theatre in Minneapolis. Rambo has done solo shows as such famed figures as Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and Paul Robeson, but this one will focus on music and vignettes from his life. "After what I've been through, I wanted to be fully present with my audience, exposing my warts and inadequacies," said Rambo, who is accompanied by pianist Roberta Carlson and directed by Illusion founder Michael Robins. "I get to unpack memories, like what it felt like being shunned as a child, to moments with myself being a driver who's daydreaming and distracted," he said. Does he have fears about how it will be received? "It empowers me and the audience to feel like we're on the same page," he said. (7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. through Nov. 17. $25-$45. 612-339-4944 or illusiontheater.org.)

ROHAN PRESTON

It's the third posthumous Prince photo book, but Allen Beaulieu's new "Prince: Before the Rain" ($30, Minnesota Historical Society Press) is of historic importance. A Minneapolis fashion photographer, he was in Prince's orbit in the late 1970s and early '80s. He shot album covers for Prince's "Dirty Mind" and "Controversy" as well as "The Time" and "Vanity 6." He also did publicity photos and posters for Prince and associated acts. With more than 300 photos, "Before the Rain" is a crazy quilt of posed portraits that suggest an artist trying to craft an image and mystique. (Look, there's Prince in a trench coat with a can of spray paint!) More fun are the offstage moments, like Prince laughing backstage with Vanity or driving a vintage car in the L.A. Coliseum when he opened for the Rolling Stones.

JON BREAM

The organization that puts on the annual Art-A-Whirl failed to get $80,000 in grants it expected this year. As a result, executive director Dameun Strange and another part-time employee have left the Northeast Minneapolis Artist Association (NEMAA). The organization won't have as much money for artist stipends or materials for public demonstrations that are part of NEMAA's annual extravaganza. Otherwise, Art-A-Whirl should proceed as usual next spring, said interim executive director Anna Becker, who is now the sole employee. Despite losing a $60,000 Festival Support Grant and $20K in smaller grants, Becker said NEMAA is "in a pretty good place," thanks to a loan from the nonprofit service organization Propel and an anonymous donation of $10,000. The organization may raise membership dues but the board will stay the same, she said. NEMAA has a $250,000 operating budget for fiscal 2019. A.E.

TERRY BLAIN

Minneapolis regularly gets tours of big musicals after they've opened on Broadway. But next April, the tiny Minneapolis Musical Theatre will present a new musical, "Be More Chill," at Illusion Theater, just weeks after its Broadway debut. Adapted from Ned Vizzini's young adult novel, "Chill" is about high school outcasts who stumble upon a pill that will make them popular. With music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, the show debuted in 2015 and a cast album was recorded in the hope it would help the show's future life. That worked, and an off-Broadway production last summer was such a hit that it earned a Broadway slot. According to MMT artistic director Joe Hendren, the theater began pursuing the show last June. "We thought the news of the Broadway move might spell doom for our production but, as of right now, we're forging ahead," he said.

CHRIS HEWITT

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