Top Tickets

The King and I

There are several reasons to see this road-show version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic. First, it won a Tony Award for Best Revival, so it’s not just a box-office knock-off, it’s a genuinely brilliant production. Second and third, it stars two of Broadway’s finest: Jose Llana as the King, and Laura Michelle Kelly as Anna. Llana played the title role in the Tony-winning Broadway version, and Kelly made her mark on Broadway as Mary Poppins, so you know she can sing and is capable of a certain kind of magic.
Feb. 28-Mar. 5, Orpheum Theatre, 612-455-9500, hennepintheatretrust.org

Game of Thrones Concert Experience

Fans who can’t get enough of Westeros and the House Stark will certainly get their fill here. The “experience” includes an 80-piece orchestra and full choir performing on a 360-degree stage surrounded by LED screens and 3-D images designed to create a multimedia fantasia that summons the spirit of . . . well, you get the idea. “We wanted it to be an immersive experience so that when you’re walking into the arena, you are in Westeros,” say the tour’s promoters. St. Paul is only the second city of a 28-city tour. Why? Because we are the North.
Feb. 20, Xcel Energy Center, 651-265-4800, xcelenergycenter.com

Arts Picks

Merce Cunningham: Common Time

The Walker Art Center’s romance with choreographer Merce Cunningham continues, with an ambitious interdisciplinary presentation of Cunningham’s work that explores his ideas on movement, visual art and sound—all at once, pretty much everywhere. Common Time features a range of installations that will unfold in seven different galleries, as well as the Walker’s theaters and public spaces. The exhibit also includes performances of Cunningham’s works by his dance company, as well as the work of choreographers influenced by him. No museum has ever done anything quite like this, so the Walker is the perfect place for it.
Feb. 8-July 30, Walker Art Center, 612-375-7600, walkerart.org

The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramón y Cajal

Spanish neuroscientist and Nobel laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal is considered the father of modern neuroscience because of his groundbreaking theories on the cell structure of the human brain. Cajal was also an accomplished artist whose sketches of the brain are both beautiful and instructive. This exhibit includes 80 of Cajal’s original drawings, many never before seen in the U.S., as well as a selection of contemporary images of the brain, photographs, commentary and scientific tools related to brain research.
Jan 28-May 21, Weisman Art Museum, 612-626-6800, wam.umn.edu