There is a great range of work opening on Twin Cities stages this weekend. Theater Latté Da is premiering a new musical, Ten Thousand Things is resurrecting an old one. Loudmouth Collective has a quirky two-man show and Children's Theatre does that one better with a solo performance by a celebrated New York performer.

'Lullaby'

Latté Da brings this piece forward from its new-work program "Next 20/20." Written by Michael Elyanow, it's described as a play with alt-rock music. Jeremy Cohen, producing artistic director of the Playwrights' Center, directs with a cast of four.

The story is about a young mother (Adelin Phelps) who takes guitar lessons from a has-been rocker (Annie Enneking) in hopes of learning how to play lullabies for her baby. Enneking knows this business. She's frontwoman for the band Annie and the Bang Bang. Phelps has impressed critics in several small works around town. David Darrow, one of the founders of 7th House Productions, has musical and acting chops, and James Eckhouse is an actor from film, stage and theater. He was on "Beverly Hills, 90210" and recently worked with Bryan Cranston on the LBJ play "All the Way."

7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thu. Ends Feb. 7. Ritz Theater, 345 13th Av. NE., Mpls. $23-$37. 612-339-3003 or latteda.org.

'The Best Brothers'

Two longtime denizens of the local scene, David Mann and Wade A. Vaughn, star in this story of brothers who come to understand each other in the wake of their mother's death. It's a familiar convention, but in this case, the mother is killed in a bizarre accident at a gay pride parade. Daniel MacIvor, a prolific Canadian playwright and actor, wrote the script. Natalie Novacek directs the work for Loudmouth Collective, a small troupe in its fourth season.

8 p.m. Fri.-Mon., Thu. Ends Jan. 24. Open Eye Figure Theatre, 506 E. 24th St., Mpls. $10-$15. 612-643-1231 or loudmouthcollective.com.

Wade A. Vaughn and David Mann in “The Best Brothers.”

'Dear World'

Here's a trivia question for future theater-nerd gatherings: what was Sarah Rasmussen's first production after she was named artistic director of the Jungle Theater? Yeah, this little musical by Jerry Herman, based on "The Madwoman of Chaillot," which opens public shows this weekend for Ten Thousand Things.

It's a quirky chamber musical about eccentrics who fight a corporation that wants to drill for oil below a Paris bistro. Doesn't that sound like something Mr. Burns would do on "The Simpsons?"

Janet Paone, best known as Vivian Snustad in "Church Basement Ladies," is featured in the role that won a Tony for Angela Lansbury in 1969. She's joined by Christina Baldwin, Sheena Janson and Kris Nelson.

7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and Thu., 4 p.m. Sun. through Feb. 7 at Open Book, 1011 Washington Av. S., Mpls. Jan. 28-31 at Bedlam Lowertown, 213 E. 4th St., St. Paul. $30. 1-800-838-3006 or tenthousandthings.org.

'The Frog Bride'

Children's Theatre Company presents this local debut of a show by New York-based performer and storyteller. David Gonzalez, who puts a modern spin on an old Russian tale about a king who sends out his three sons to find brides and one brings back a frog. It features music, performed on stage, by Prokofiev and jazz-funk composer Daniel Kelly.

After a performance at the New Victory Theater in New York, in 2006, "The Frog Bride" was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. The show runs an hour and is recommended for audiences third grade and up. Tickets this weekend are nearly sold out.

7 p.m. Fri. and Tue.-Wed., 2 & 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Feb. 28; Children's Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls; $10-$48, 612-874-0400 or childrenstheatre.org.

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299