The 14 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

Twin Cities fans of this influential ‘90s band are having a good year. The “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains” hitmakers already put on a captivating set in July at the Minnesota Yacht Club festival, where frontwoman Shirley Manson sang so hard she literally overheated. Now, the Scottish singer and her Wisconsinite bandmates — including “Nevermind” producer Butch Vig on drums — are back to play one of the smallest venues on their fall tour, nodding to their past. The quartet’s very first live gig was in First Ave’s 7th St. Entry in 1995, where legend has it their hi-fi soundboard ate up half the room. Thirty years later, they still sound big and bold on the new album, “Let All That We Imagine Be the Light.” Starcrawler opens. (8 p.m. Sat., First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls., resale tickets only, first-avenue.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

My prediction was wrong. I thought the veteran trumpeter’s appearance two years ago at the Ordway would be his last local show. He was vibrant, entertaining and musically satisfying so it’s not surprising that, at age 90, he’s back to reprise those Tijuana Brass ‘60s instrumental classics like “The Lonely Bull” as well as such later hits as “Rise” and “Diamonds.” Alpert, the “A” in A&M Records, will be joined once again by Lani Hall, his wife, and the voice of Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 and “The Fool on the Hill.” (7 p.m. Fri., the O’Shaughnessy, St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Av., St. Paul, sold out, dakotacooks.com)

JON BREAM

Playing around the corner from where they made a strong first impression just a year and a half ago at the Amsterdam Bar, haze-poppy Australian rockers Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic and their namesake band have made a lot of headway in that time. They hit many of the biggest music fests earlier this year and now are touring theaters riding steady viral spins for their singles “Sofa King” and “Car” as well as their newly issued cover of the Cranberries’ “Linger,” which also was a hit when they encored with it at that local coming-out gig. Buzzing London band bby opens. (7 p.m. Thu., Palace Theatre, 10 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, $50-$149, axs.com)

C.R.

One of the most influential jazz pianists of this century, the Florida-reared, Amsterdam-based Mehldau is both a formalist and an improviser. He’ll incorporate elements of jazz, classical, pop and even prog rock into his performances. Working in multiple instrumental combinations, the prolific, Grammy-winning Mehldau on this year’s “Ride into the Sun” interprets tunes by the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith (whom Mehldau calls a “visionary depressive”), Big Star and Nick Drake. In his return to Minneapolis, the always versatile Mehldau will play one night of solo piano and another evening with esteemed bassist Christian McBride. (solo 7 p.m. Tue., the Dakota, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $58.43 and up, and with Christian McBride 7 & 9 p.m. Wed. the Dakota, $47.10 and up, dakotacooks.com)

You could call Finckel and Han the first couple of classical music, as well as chamber music royalty. Even before cellist Finckel completed his 34-year, nine-Grammy tenure with the Emerson String Quartet, he and pianist (and spouse) Wu Han were convening concerts as co-artistic directors of New York’s Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. To launch the Schubert Club’s Music in the Park Series season, violinist Beilman will join them for both of Franz Schubert’s piano trios. (4 p.m. Sun., St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, 2129 Commonwealth Av., St. Paul, $25-$36, 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)

ROB HUBBARD

If you missed August’s Source Song Festival recital by this rising star of a baritone, here’s another opportunity to experience his artistry. Joined by one of classical music’s most celebrated collaborative pianists, Warren Jones, he’ll sing music by African American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including William Grant Still’s “Songs of Separation” and a new song cycle by B.E. Boykin, “26 Ways of Looking at a Black Man.” (8 p.m. Sat., Mairs Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, 130 S. Macalester St., St. Paul, free, events.macalester.edu)

R.H.

The thought of crocodiles chomping on humans has been in the air lately as court fights erupt over the so-called Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida’s Everglades. But the idea goes back to a darker history. British author Roald Dahl gave it all a comical twist in his 1978 Africa-set children’s book, “The Enormous Crocodile.” The story orbits a monster croc that finds children yummy. The brute gets his comeuppance at the end, rocketing to the moon. The British stage adaptation of the show is making its American premiere at Minneapolis’ Children’s Theatre Company. The hourlong all-ages production boasts catchy tunes, eye-popping costumes and striking puppets. (7 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 & 5 p.m. Sat. & Sun. Ends Nov. 23. Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls. $25-$79. 612-874-0400, childrenstheatre.org)

It’s not just the weather that’s making Minnesota feel like summer even though we’re in meteorological fall. Director Kelli Foster Warder and maestro Sanford Moore are bringing the tropics to Bloomington with sultry, syncopated songs in “Once on this Island,” the Tony-winning 1990 musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. The love story is ultimately adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” and features a poor orphan girl, Ti Moune, who rescues a rich boy after a car accident. Antonisia Collins plays Ti Moune in a cast that includes Charla Marie Bailey as Mama Euralie and Erin Farste as Erzulie, the goddess of love. (7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 26. Artistry, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd., Bloomington. $35-$65. 952-563-8575, artistrymn.org)

R.P.

Much admired Guthrie Theater veteran who relocated to Texas after a spell, Shawn Hamilton returns to Minnesota to headline as Bert Williams in this new play by playwright and director Carlyle Brown. A brilliant entertainer, Williams came of age during the heyday of Blackface, when performers darkened their faces with cork and put on stock minstrel shows. Brown’s drama examines the complexities of a Black man participating in something that corroded his own humanity. The cast of this world premiere includes Dennis Spears, Monica Scott, John Middleton and Regina Marie Williams. (7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. & Oct. 8, 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 25. $15-$100 or pay-as-you-are. Center for Performing Arts, 3754 Pleasant Av. S., Mpls. 612-339-4944, illusiontheater.org)

R.P.

Anton Chekhov’s last play is shrouded in legend. Written as a comedy, it was directed as a drama by the great theater practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski. Now the members of the Moving Company are bringing another theatrical sensibility to bear on the story of family caught in the midst of epoch-defining change. The production is adapted by Steven Epp, Nathan Keepers and Dominique Serrand, who also directs, with an acting company that includes Tracey Maloney and Randy Reyes. (7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Nov. 2. $15-$95 or pay-as-you-are. Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. jungletheater.com)

Doma Dance Theater heads into its 2025-26 season with a launch party featuring movement, food and conversation. Following a residency over the summer studying the energetic folk dance from the Saris region in eastern Slovakia with visiting artists, choreographer Alexandra Bodnarchuk has a new work for this season. Doma also is readying the launch of its second FermentationLAB, an incubator program for new works. For Sunday’s event, Doma will share snippets from its performance at the Candy Box Festival in spring. (3-5 p.m. Sun. Tek Box, 528 Hennepin Av., Mpls. $35-$75, domadancetheater.org)

SHEILA REGAN

Nineteenth century artist José María Velasco’s landscape paintings of Mexico helped shape the country’s national identity. His panoramic paintings offer vast, sweeping views of Mexico, with a focus on historical heritage and modernization in the late 1800s. The exhibition travels to the Minneapolis Institute of Art from the National Gallery in London and includes paintings from museums in Mexico and the Czech Republic. Ends Jan. 4. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Wed., Fri.-Sun., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thu., 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls., free, new.artsmia.org or 612-870-3000)

ALICIA ELER

Seoul-born artist Yoonmi Nam’s prints, ceramics and installation works examine the objects we surround ourselves with. Despite the sense of impermanence that we all share, she’s fascinated with people’s desire to collect and consume. Some of her work examines objects made to be discarded. Oct. 3-Nov. 26. (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat., Highpoint Center for Printmaking, 912 W. Lake St., Mpls., free, highpointprintmaking.org or 612-871-1326)

Go back to a time when folks engaged in live combat and enjoyed boisterous feasts at this new event that celebrates Viking heritage and Norse mythology through a living history experience. For an additional cost, those who wish to further their experience can check out Ragnarök, a 21-plus afterparty (only on Saturdays), a Viking feast in a round-style dinner theater or go on a mead tour and sample beverages. (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun. & Oct. 11-12. $14-$23. Dakota County Fairgrounds, 4008 220th St. W., Farmington. vikingfest.com)