The 12 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

With eight albums to his name now — plus cuts off three Drive-by Truckers records, which he still sprinkles into shows — Isbell is doing his faithful Twin Cities audience a solid by settling in for a two-night stand. The set lists should vary each night, aside from the many standout tracks on last year’s Grammy-winning album “Weathervanes.” There’s also more time for his long-cemented band to stretch out, as they did so thrillingly back in their Turf Club days. Sadly, the tour comes amid news of Isbell divorcing wife/bandmate Amanda Shires. Boston indie-rocker El Kempner’s band Palehound opens. (8 p.m. Sat. and Sun., Palace Theatre, 17 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, resale tickets only, axs.com)

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Since leaving her MTV-embraced ‘80s band ‘Til Tuesday of “Voices Carry” fame, Mann has built a career as a smart, often witty and versatile singer/songwriter who has composed for movies as well as her own records. After winning her second Grammy for 2017’s sad, acoustic project “Mental Illness,” she delivered 2021’s “Queens of the Summer Hotel,” inspired by the 1993 memoir “Girl, Interrupted” and 1999 Oscar-winning film of the same name. With theatrical songs like “You Could Have Been a Roosevelt” and “Suicide Is Murder,” the music was conceived for a Broadway musical that was eventually scrapped because of the pandemic. (8 p.m. Tue., Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul, $35 and up, axs.com)

JON BREAM

As virtuosic as Yo-Yo Ma, the celebrated Chicago cellist has made her name as such an adventurous jazz improviser that she received a MacArthur “genius” fellowship in 2022. She’s worked with Anthony Braxton, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Makaya McCraven and others. As a bandleader, she’s made three albums but as a co-leader she’s participated in numerous recordings, including last fall’s alluring, often gripping “Beyond Dragons” with drummer Savannah Harris and saxophonist Angelika Niescier. Reid is embarking on her most ambitious project, Stringtet, a 17-piece chamber orchestra featuring jazz and classical players conducted by Taylor Ho Bynum. (8 p.m. Sat., Walker Art Center, 723 Vineland Place, Mpls., $15-$55, walkerart.org)

J.B.

There has been no shortage of Bob Dylan tribute albums over the decades, but few are as exhilarating as Cat Power’s live re-creation/rerecording of his landmark 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert, with one acoustic half and one electric. Georgia’s dark soul singer Chan Marshall and her band nailed the vehement, visionary energy of Bob and the Band’s groundbreaking period while she put her own emotional spin on the vocals. They’ve taken the show on the road and are rolling into Dylan’s home turf. (8 p.m. Fri., Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul, resale only, axs.com)

You owe it to the kid in your life or your heart to make music with one of the world’s most esteemed percussion ensembles. This Grammy-winning quartet from Chicago commissions and premieres pieces by major composers and some creations of its own. Thanks to the Schubert Club, they’ll offer five concerts in three days, including two “KidsJam” concerts (10:30 a.m. Thu. and Fri.), a courtroom concert for the grownups (noon Thu.) and two sold-out “FamilyJam” concerts at the Schubert Club Museum (10 and 11:15 a.m. Sat.). (Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul, free, 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)

ROB HUBBARD

The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company revives one of its namesake tandem’s least performed operettas in an adaptation that’s revised enough from the original to be deemed a world premiere. It’s something of a political satire set on a tropical island, with lots to say about colonialism, sexism and lot of other isms. It also features plenty of Gilbert & Sullivan’s marvelous melodies, wit and whimsical patter. (7:30 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., through March 24, Howard Conn Theater, Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., $30-$15, 651-255-6947 or gsvloc.org)

R.H.

She played pop superstar Carole King on the national tour of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” Now Twin Citians will get to have a long look at Monet Sabel as she gets under the skin and voice of the iconic songwriter at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Michael Brindisi and daughter Cat Brindisi-Darrow are directing the production, which begins previews Friday with a talent-studded cast that includes Michael Gruber, Tony Vierling, Shad Hanley, Shinah Hey, Maureen Sherman-Mendez and John Jamison II. (March 1-Sept. 8 p.m. Tue., 1 & 8 p.m. Wed., 8 p.m. Thu.-Fri., 1 & 8 p.m. Sat., 6:30 p.m. Sun. Through September 2024. Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, 501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen. $75-$105, 952-934-1525, chanhassendt.com)

Broadway actor Robert Dorfman is knotting a bow, albeit a painful one, with his latest show. When he played Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice” at the Guthrie Theater in 2007, the audience sometimes applauded at inappropriate moments, suggesting it agreed with the anti-Semitic tropes in Shakespeare’s classic. Now he’s playing Shylock again, but this time in the Martin Coren premiere. The play takes up where Shakespeare left off and deals with many of the themes that continue to resonate, and plague us, today. (March 2-17: 1 p.m. Tue. & Sun., 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thu., 8 p.m. Sat. Highland Park Community Center, 1978 Ford Pkwy., St Paul. $25-$40. 651-647-4315, sixpointstheater.org)

R.P.

A new piece by choreographer Sarah LaRose-Holland, artistic director of Kinetic Evolutions, looks at how dancers find ways to move through the many obligations, experiences and changes that come with age. Called “Carving Space,” it’s among the works of Christopher Watson Dance Company’s “Alight.” The program highlights pieces by a number of longtime veterans of the dance scene, with works set to music by classical composers, local singer/songwriter Matt Marka, and Patti Smith, as well as poetry by Muriel Rukeyser. (7:30 p.m. Fri., 2 & 5 p.m. Sat., Cowles Center’s Tek Box, 528 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $20, 612-206-3600, thecowlescenter.org)

SHEILA REGAN

Danielle Krysa (The Jealous Curator) organized this year’s SooVAC juried exhibition, selecting 30 artists out of 276 applicants. This mixed bag of an exhibition includes works by Tia Keobounpheng, who recently had a Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program show at Minneapolis Institute of Art exploring her hidden Sámi roots, and curator Bo Young An, whose show “Unapologetically Femme” explored the complex nature of femininity. (Ends March 24. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Soo Visual Arts Center, 2909 Bryant Av. S. #101, Mpls., free, 612-871-2263 or soovac.org)

Artist Nathanael Flink is interested in the way things come together. In his new exhibition “Falling Into Place,” he uses mixed media and textile to evoke associations of mood and light. Texture, form and assemblage are of interest to the artist, who previously curated the exhibition “Material Dichotomy” at NE Sculpture | Gallery Factory. (11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. and by appt., Veronique Wantz Gallery, 901 N. 5th St., Mpls., free, 612-254-2838 or veroniquewantz.com)

A.E.

Special exhibition “Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed” has returned after its 2013 debut. Presented in English and Spanish, the exhibit gives visitors a view of ancient Mayan life, from everyday laborers and artisans to the mighty kings who ruled over them. Learn about the Mesoamerican society through authentic artifacts, videos, simulations and hands-on activities. During STEM Saturdays, local scientists will share the Mayas’ impact on engineering 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Museum hours through Sept. 4, 120 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, smm.org)