Best of the week: Neil Diamond, 'Intimate Apparel,' Michael Kiwanuka, Gov't Mule, more

On a tour to celebrate his 50th anniversary in the music business, Neil Diamond will be challenged to squeeze in all his hits into two hours without an intermission. Count on "Sweet Caroline," the karaoke classic that has brought younger generations to his concerts, and many familiar singalongs from the froggy-voiced Brooklynite who became a pop prince.JON BREAM

8 p.m. Wed., Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, $39.50-$149.50, ticketmaster.com

The upside to Michael Kiwanuka canceling a sold-out Cedar show in November due to tonsillitis is that the British soul-rocker of "Home Again" fame can play to a lot more people now. He's earned a new spat of attention after his "Cold Little Heart" was used as the theme song for the HBO miniseries "Big Little Lies." The original 10-minute version of the tune is on his Danger Mouse-produced 2016 album, "Love & Hate," an alluring, dramatic collection that should translate into a powerful concert.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

8 p.m. Fri., First Avenue, Mpls., $18-$20, eTix.com

Featuring a gallery of women chafing in 1905 under the limitations of a society that still didn't allow women to vote, "Intimate Apparel" centers on an illiterate black seamstress who has been working since age 9. Now 35 and still a virgin, she longs for marriage, even though the married women around her share their disappointments. Romance ensues. Staging this moving drama with the house lights up enhances the Ten Thousand Things production.

ROHAN PRESTON

The title gives the game away. Ornate, noirish and a bit belabored, "Charles Francis Chan Jr.'s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery" is also surprisingly dramatic in places, as acts of murder are committed with a memorable flourish. What you don't expect is the cutting humor in Lloyd Suh's brilliant and lacerating play. The business at hand requires a surgeon's skill and a comic's timing. Randy Reyes — the director and a cast member — delivers the goods on both scores.

ROHAN PRESTON

Ends May 28, Guthrie, Mpls., $9, guthrietheater.org

Now that the Allman Brothers have hit the end of the road, Warren Haynes can concentrate on his main band, Gov't Mule. The group is ready to drop its 10th studio album, "Revolution Come ... Revolution Go," on June 9. It's a versatile album, from the forceful rocker "Stone Cold Rage" to the gently rolling Dead-like "Traveling Tune." There are ample opportunities for Haynes to stretch out on guitar, but the real treat here is appreciating how he's developed into a more potent singer.

JON BREAM

French composer Olivier Messiaen was interned at a POW camp during World War II. While there, he wrote "Quartet for the End of Time," a masterpiece of 20th- century chamber music and the centerpiece of this week's St. Paul Chamber Orchestra program. Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" Overture and Beethoven's Fourth Symphony provide a jaunty upbeat to Messiaen's profundities.

TERRY BLAIN

8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Ordway, St. Paul; 3 p.m. Sun., St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi; $13-$53, thespco.org

"A Year With Frog and Toad" has returned to the Children's Theatre for the fourth time since 2002. Based on Arnold Lobel's children's books, this musical is chock full of catchy tunes and clever characterizations. The narrative orbits Frog, a cool, debonair fellow, and Toad, a shaky bag of insecurities, as they venture through four seasons. Bradley Green­wald is unflappable as the suave Frog while Reed Sigmund's Toad is lovably insecure.

ROHAN PRESTON

Families who live the urban life but want to experience agriculture can roll up their sleeves and help out at Gale Woods Farm. Get up close to animals in the barn and assist a farmer with chores while learning about food production and land stewardship. Explore the grounds and partake in seasonal activities. Bring your own lunch for a picnic by the lake. Guests can also purchase fresh food and yarn.

MELISSA WALKER

9:30 a.m.-noon Sat. $5. Gale Woods Farm, 7210 W. County Road 110, Minnetrista, $5, threeriversparkdistrict.org

Was Mozart's "Kegelstatt Trio" for clarinet, viola and piano actually composed (as its nickname suggests) at a bowling alley? We don't know for sure. We do know, however, that it's the musical equivalent of bowling a 300 game. Hear the Incidental Trio play it in the Dunsmore Room.

TERRY BLAIN