Best of the Week (March 1-8): 'Spamtown, USA,' Wire, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Faye Driscoll, Shostakovich, sheep shearing, more

"Spamtown, USA" is like "Romeo and Juliet" in a company town on the Minnesota prairie. In Philip Dawkins' crackling drama, the romance between two teenagers is doomed, and not simply because their families represent the warring sides during a bitter labor strike. Drawing inspiration from the 1985 Hormel strike in Austin, Minn., Dawkins' coming-of-age tale adds a child's eye view of the events. It's a propulsive and witty telling of the conflict, which is mostly in the background for the kids until it comes to dominate their lives. Rohan Preston

2 & 5 p.m. Sun., 7 p.m. Thu.-Fri., 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. Ends April 5. Children's Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls. $15-$71, childrenstheatre.org.

Like their fellow late-'70s U.K. rockers the Buzzcocks, the post-punk innovators in Wire grew in influence over the decades since their revered 1977 debut "Pink Flag." R.E.M. and the Cure, in particular, cited them. But then they actually put out some of the best music of their career after re-forming for the new millennium. Their latest, "Mind Hive," follows a stream of 2010-era albums with edgy synth-rock and topically nihilistic themes that fit right in with the times and feature three original members.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

8 p.m. Tue. Fine Line, Mpls. $25-$40, etix.com.

Even though Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Joseph Shabalala died in February, the 60-year-old a cappella choir from South Africa carries on, featuring four of his sons as well as one singer who joined in 1969. Best known for contributing to Paul Simon's "Graceland," the Grammy-winning nine-man ensemble is a breathtaking combination of musicality and physicality, humor and humanity, joy and grace.

Jon BReam

Bessie Award-winning choreographer Faye Driscoll returns to the Twin Cities for a dance piece commissioned by the Walker Art Center, where her first gallery installation will also be on view. The immersive, interactive solo performance, "Thank You for Coming: Space," is the third of a trilogy that has prodded at the relationship between performer and spectator. Meanwhile, the exhibition "Come on In" looks back across the entire trilogy.

Sheila Regan

8 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. next Sun. Walker Art Center, Mpls. $26, 612-375-7600 or walkerart.org.

German violinist Christian Tetz­laff will play Shostakovich's brooding Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Minnesota Orchestra in a program led by Kirill Karabits, chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Prokofiev's wartime Fifth Symphony — described by its composer as "a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit" — will give Karabits and the orchestra a chance to show their paces.

Terry Blain

It's hard enough trying to find hidden items while wearing regular shoes. So Bruentrup Heritage Farms' Snowshoe Scramble adds the extra challenge of wearing snowshoes during its scavenger hunt. Amateurs can get a lesson before setting off onto the snow-covered grounds. Then, hunt for clues that can be unscrambled to collect a prize. Frozen feet and hands can warm up by a bonfire with hot beverages.

Melissa Walker

1-4 p.m. next Sun. Bruentrup Heritage Farm, 2170 E. County Road D, Maplewood. $10-$15, maplewoodhistoricalsociety.org.

Last year, ever-inventive guitarist Bill Frisell offered "Harmony," an album by a quartet of the same name. Along with fellow guitarist Luke Bergman, cellist Hank Roberts and vocalist Petra Haden, Frisell takes an exquisitely ethereal approach whether on atmospheric originals (with lyrics by Elvis Costello and Julie Miller) or such classics as "Lush Life" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone."

J.B.

Young Hungarian pianist Zoltán Fejérvári recently released his first solo CD, to considerable acclaim. Music from it — Janacek's Piano Sonata "From the Street" — features in Fejérvári's recital for the Frederic Chopin Society, along with three sonatas by Beethoven and works by Bartok and Haydn.

T.B.

3 p.m. Sun. Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College, St. Paul. $15-$35, 612-822-0123 or chopinsocietymn.org.

One might never stop to wonder about the origin of their favorite soft and cozy winter sweater. Before it makes it to the factory, fleece comes from the body of sheep. Watch the annual sheep-shearing demonstration at Gale Woods Farm to see how the fluffy coat is processed into warm winter wear. Design your own wool craft and pick out a sheep that baa's to you and take some of its raw fleece home.

M.W.