Best of the week: Cirque du Soleil's 'Toruk,' Leon Bridges, more

Cirque du Soleil returns to the Twin Cities with "Toruk – The First Flight," an immersive arena show that retells one of the subplots in James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster film "Avatar." In "Toruk," humans struggle to live in symbiotic harmony with nature. The production uses technology, music and puppetry, some of which is manipulated by Twin Citian Rob Laqui.ROHAN PRESTON

7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thu., 3:30 & 7:30 p.m. Fri., 4 & 8 p.m. Sat., 1 & 5 p.m. next Sun. Target Center, Mpls. $32-$157, axs.com

Leon Bridges and Lianne LaHavas, both 27, are fresh voices on the soul scene who have given winning performances in the Twin Cities, and together they make an enticing bill. Bridges, from Fort Worth, Texas, is a throwback soul man who seems to be cut from the same cloth as Sam Cooke. ­LaHavas, from London, has impressed with her gauzy, gently breezy, enticingly sexy soul/jazz/pop. Prince admired her so much that he enlisted her to record on his "Art Official Age" album in 2014.

JON BREAM

7:30 p.m. Wed. Orpheum, Mpls. Sold out.

It's been two years since prolific Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus passed away. His legacy is marked by the Minnesota Orchestra in its first performance of Paulus' choral work "Mass for a Sacred Place," originally written for Washington National Cathedral. Ginastera's Harp Concerto and Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 are also featured, with Osmo Vänskä conducting.

TERRY BLAIN

When Jawaahir Dance Company premiered "Shoma" in 1998, it proved so popular that it provided a nice financial boost for the company and its school. Set at a bridal henna party in Saudi Arabia, the story centers on a nomadic storyteller who weaves a tale within a tale for the delight of her guests. Writer Kay Hardy Campbell updated her script for this reprised production, incorporating contemporary challenges facing today's Saudi women.

SHEILA REGAN

8 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Lab Theater, Mpls. $30, jawaahir.org

Iceland's magical, mystical Sigur Ros trimmed to a trio before releasing "Kveikur" in 2013. The sound was darker than on the previous six albums but just as mesmerizing. With no new album to promote on its U.S. tour, the band has promised a "spirit of adventure" with some new unreleased songs. "We can only ask you to trust us on this one," Sigur Ros says on its website. We do.

JON BREAM

Will Eno's play "The Realistic Joneses" has been described as David Lynch meets "Seinfeld," or a surrealist sitcom. Two sets of neighbors with the same last name find out about each other during ordinary interactions in which nothing seemingly happens. Yet their worlds subtly change as their ideals of suburban perfection are stripped away. Joel Sass directs. J.C. Cutler, Angela Timberman, Jane Froiland and Eric "Pogi" Sumangil star.

ROHAN PRESTON

2 p.m. Sun. and next Sun., 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat. Ends Oct. 16. $27-$60, parksquaretheatre.org.

After two of its actors won Ivey Awards for their performances in "Equus," Theatre Coup d'Etat is pulling back the curtains on its own ensemble's adaptation of "Antigone." The urgent questions center on what you're willing to die for. Megan Kedrowski directs a cast that includes Lauren Diesch as Antigone.

ROHAN PRESTON

Bask in nature before all the leaves have fallen and the animals have gone into hibernation for the winter. The Wildlife Science Center hosts its annual Harvest Howl with wildlife presentations and animal demonstrations. Kids can play games and participate in a pumpkin painting contest. See American Indian demonstrations, showing how they prepared for the harvest.

MELISSA WALKER

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. Wildlife Science Center, 5463 W. Broadway, Forest Lake. $8-$10, wildlifesciencecenter.org

Twenty-five years ago, a recording of Polish composer Henryk Górecki's "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" became an unexpected success, selling 1 million copies. Colin Stetson revisits the piece with "Sorrow," part of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's innovative Liquid Music series. A saxophonist by training, Stetson adds drums, violin, synthesizers and electric guitars to the mix, reimagining Górecki's haunting music.

TERRY BLAIN