MN Shortlist: April 10-16
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MN Shortlist is your weekly curated roundup of recommended events from MPR News, highlighting standout performances, exhibits and gatherings around the region.
100th Anniversary Reading of ‘The Great Gatsby’
April 10 — One of the best-known novels connected to the North Star State turns 100 today — and the Minnesota Historical Society and Friends of the St. Paul Library are hosting a live reading of “The Great Gatsby” from beginning to end.
This should prove that the novel remains the cat’s pajamas with its examination of themes of unrequited love, corruption, the American Dream and class differences. The reading marks a century to the day since the iconic novel by Minnesota’s F. Scott Fitzgerald was published. (Anika Besst)
Ghibli Take over at the Parkway
Though April 26 — This month, the Parkway Theater is home to a series of Studio Ghibli films. The Japanese animation company, known for its whimsical stories, has been nominated for a series of major awards — including an Oscar win for 2023’s “The Boy and the Heron.”
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This Saturday, the Parkway is screening “Howl’s Moving Castle,” adapted from the British novel of the same name but with a Japanese sensibility. Other films include “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Ponyo.” Screenings are Saturdays at 1 p.m. (Jacob Aloi)
50th Anniversary of Southeast Asians in Minnesota
April 11-27 — The XIA Gallery & Cafe in St. Paul is hosting a yearlong series of 10 exhibits for this celebration. The second show in the series, “My Soul of Gold: A Contemporary Offering of Khmer Heritage,” marks the Khmer New Year and runs April 11-27. It is the curatorial debut of Twin Cities Cambodian-American artist and educator Sara Gregor.
On view will be artworks, Khmer artifacts and the glittering photo series “Apsara Grannies,” by Cambodian-American photographer Hao Taing, featuring “the resilience and beauty of Cambodian elderly women.” Opening night on April 11 includes a Cambodian ballet performance by Gabriella Sour, a dancer and instructor of the Minneapolis-based Wattanak Dance Troupe. (Alex V. Cipolle)
‘Fun Home’
Through May 4 — In the 2006 graphic novel “Fun Home,” queer cartoonist Alison Bechdel explored her complicated relationship with her past and her family, including a father who had several homosexual affairs throughout his life. Now playing at Theater Latte Da in Minneapolis, this musical adaptation translates the autobiographical illustrations into a vibrant world that charts Bechdel’s life through three distinct phases — childhood, college and present day.
This production is helmed by director Addie Gorlin-Han, who, in addition to serving on the Guthrie Theater’s production team, has staged memorable plays throughout the country. Gorlin-Han continues to establish herself as a director with an eye for inventive storytelling. The show just announced it has extended its run until May 11. (Jacob Aloi)
‘Monumental Soviet Paintings’
April 12-Sept. 21 — On April 12, the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis opens an exhibit that features “some of the largest paintings from the Soviet era that TMORA could unearth in private American collections.” The artworks highlight “proletarian superheroes,” including farmers, loggers and construction workers. (Alex V. Cipolle)
Minnesota Jazz Legends 2025
April 13 — Join Jazz88 as they celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with a concert featuring the station’s 2025 Minnesota Jazz Legends. This year, they feature musicians who have bolstered and crafted the local jazz scene into the unique sound it is today, including drummer Jay Epstein, pianist and Walker West Music Academy founder Grant West, Dixieland trombonist Art Katzman and the late award-winning jazz vocalist Debbie Duncan.
The concert will include stories of the legend’s musical journeys as they will be accompanied by the Phil Aaron Trio, featuring Phil Aaron (piano), Graydon Peterson (bass) and Phil Hey (drums). (Anika Besst)
‘Guy Nelson: Tales from the Understory’
Through July 20 — Just across the Minnesota border in Grand Forks, the North Dakota Museum of Art opens the exhibition “Guy Nelson: Tales from the Understory.” The Minneapolis-based painter, who has roots in Fargo and Moorhead, has created a bewitching collection of pastel paintings that explore “the discoveries and mysteries of woodlands and prairies and the challenges plants face.” The spray-painted canvases glow like fairy tales and, like fairy tales, hint at deeper truths about self-preservation, community and adaptability. (Alex V. Cipolle)
