Best of the week: Back to the '50s, Lionel Richie, 'Ghost the Musical,' Tig Notaro, more

The smell of rubber and the shine of chrome will fill the State Fairgrounds for the annual Back to the '50s Weekend. Gearheads can view more than 12,000 street rods and custom, classic and restored vehicles, dating from 1964 and earlier. There also will be live music, a swap meet, kids' activities and more than 350 vendors and auto exhibits.

MELISSA WALKER

8 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 6 a.m.-3 p.m. next Sun. State Fairgrounds, $10-$12, msra.com.

There will be no dancing on the ceiling when Lionel Richie takes the stage at Mystic Lake's amphitheater. The show marks his return to live music after canceling his tour with Mariah Carey this year because of knee surgery. Relive the '70s and '80s with "Three Times a Lady," "All Night Long" and "Dancing on the Ceiling." Richie's latest record, 2012's "Tuskegee," featured him duetting with country stars such as Blake Shelton and Shania Twain.

JON BREAM

8 p.m. Thu. Mystic Lake Amphitheater, Prior Lake, $39-$300, ticketmaster.com

Adapted from the 1990 movie, "Ghost the Musical" has been updated to the era of cellphones and Brooklyn hipness, with the same supernatural story about young lovers separated by death. The show, which lasted only four months on Broadway in 2012, has songs by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics and pop/rock hitmaker Glen Ballard, but the real star is Heather McElrath as the storefront medium, the role that won Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar.

2 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m. Wed., 7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat. Ends Sept. 23, Old Log Theatre, Greenwood, $30-$40, oldlog.com

Tig Notaro makes you squirm. On talk shows, she flips conventional stand-up comedy on its head. During her recent tour, she teased audiences about a surprise appearance from the Indigo Girls, who were nowhere near the premises. Notaro also has gotten serious, tackling her cancer and her mother's death with casual bluntness. The force behind the semi-autobiographical Amazon series "One Mississippi" will appear with Fortune Feimster for Pride.

NEAL JUSTIN

8 p.m. Thu. State Theatre, Mpls., $30-$79, ticketmaster.com

For the 19th annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival, promoter Steve Heckler has booked a magical combo of piano giant McCoy Tyner, 78, and saxophone star Joshua Redman, 48, for Mears Park. They are not a duo that gigs together, but they are formidable music makers who should deliver more than the sum of their parts. Among others set for the fest are Terrence Blanchard, Anat Cohen, Bobby Lyle, Debbie Duncan, Laura Caviani Trio and Black Market Brass.

Thu.-Sat., various venues, downtown St. Paul, free, twincitiesjazzfestival.com

Comedy oudoors? When you're as big as Adam Sandler, the former "Saturday Night Live" star turned king of silly comedies, why not? Especially when you're joined by fellow "SNL" alums David Spade and Rob Schneider, plus Minnesota's own Nick Swardson on the Here Comes the Funny Tour. Sandler hasn't performed in Minnesota in more than 20 years. He stars in the new Netflix film "Sandy Wexler," about a 1990s Hollywood talent manager.

JON BREAM

8 p.m. Wed. Treasure Island Casino amphitheater, Red Wing, $99-$149, ticketmaster.com

Metropolitan Ballet celebrates the summer solstice by serving up Shakespeare's romantic comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream." With neoclassical choreography and Felix Mendelssohn's lively 1842 score, this production should appeal to ballet purists. Professional dancers Yuki Tokuda, Anastasia Fedorova, Shohei Iwahama and Andrew Taft are the stars, with Metropolitan Ballet's student dancers rounding out the cast.

7:30 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., Pantages Theatre, Mpls., $30-$79, hennepintheatretrust.org

One Voice Mixed Chorus celebrates Twin Cities Pride with a frisky revamp of Gilbert & Sullivan's nautical romp "The Pirates of Penzance." The producers have promised a gender-bending musical adventure for the whole family — in an outdoor setting, no less. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Advance reservations required.

TERRY BLAIN

7:30 p.m. Thu., 3:30 p.m. Sat., 2 & 5:30 p.m. next Sun. Raspberry Island, St. Paul, free, onevoicemn.net

Tap dancer extraordinaire Kaleena Miller commissioned four diverse Twin Cities musicians to create four distinct evening-length soundtracks for her eponymous company's latest endeavor, "Shift." Composers include jazz drummer J.T. Bates (Thursday), experimental violinist Leah Ottman (Friday), indie rockers Kill the Vultures (Saturday) and Bad Plus jazz bassist Reid Anderson (next Sunday.)

7:30 p.m. Thu.- Sat., 2 p.m. next Sun., Southern Theater, Mpls., $20-$24, southerntheater.org