'Mormon' is at the door again, and other weekend arts picks

The hit musical you can get tickets for

Gather 'round, children, and I'll tell you about the old days of musical theater. Back then we had no "Hamilton," if you can believe it, and what passed for a hit musical was something called "The Book of Mormon." And it was possible to get tickets to actually see it, if we were patient! Can you imagine? Now the touring production is back in Minneapolis, and the Hennepin Theatre Trust website quotes the New York Times as calling it "the best musical of the century." Well ... yeah, but the critics said that back in 2011, before "Hamilton" happened. Still, if you haven't seen "The Book of Mormon," now's the time. It's at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis through May 29.

Reason to go: It's the second-best musical of the century.

A frustrated songwriter's big chance: the pope?

And while we're filling the gaps in our knowledge of the American theater, the show that helped make playwright John Guare's reputation is running at Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis. It's called "The House of Blue Leaves," and art hound Daniel Pinkerton, a playwright himself, says it may be the best of the four productions he's seen. A Brooklyn zookeeper and aspiring songwriter thinks he can crack the big time, if he can just get the attention of the pope during his 1965 visit to New York City. Performances continue through May 22.

Reason to go: pathos.

A bumper crop of 'Urban Farmer' performers

When Dan Chouinard puts on a show, you just go, and don't worry too much about what to call it. "The Urban Farmer's Almanac" is described on Theater Latte Da's website as a "live-performance written-for-radio variety show about raising food and living close to the ground in the city." Chouinard has assembled a great cast of performers and writers: Peter Ostroushko, Prudence Johnson, Beth Dooley, Beth Gilleland, Lucie Amundsen, Jordan Sramek and others from the Rose Ensemble, to name a few. The show is likely to have a life beyond this weekend, which is described as its "first trial run." But as any farmer can testify, there's no telling about the weather, so it's best to see it now. At the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday.

Reason to go: It's locally grown.

Jack's not such a dull boy, after all

And then there's "The Shining," also locally grown. The Minnesota Opera's commissioned adaptation of the Stephen King story is wonderful, deeply disturbing and absolutely worth seeing. Eric Broker of the Minnesota Opera says the mood in the front office is upbeat: "It does feel a lot like 'Silent Night' back in 2011," he said, meaning that this piece will go places. It deserves to. Even the standing-room seats are sold out, though, so your best bets are to call the opera's ticket office at (612) 333-6669 before show time to see if any tickets have been turned back, or go down to the Ordway and stand forlornly in the rush line. A quick check of ticket-scalping sites — oh, sorry, the ticket-resale marketplace — shows that other options are available, if expensive. Three shows remain: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday.

Reason to go: Maybe Stephen King will be there in disguise.

Not a bar band, but a brew pub quintet

The Minnesota Orchestra has a cross-promotion deal going with local brew pubs, called "Symphony and Suds." The orchestra sends musicians into the pubs and the pubs send beer to Orchestra Hall. One of the S&S events takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, when a woodwind quintet performs a micro-concert at Insight Brewing in Minneapolis.

Reason to go: The event is free, although there is a high probability you will end up buying one or more beers.