Metro Detroit shows to see this weekend if you're not a Taylor Swift fan

Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read

While a certain blonde pop star will take over downtown Detroit this weekend — traffic, parking and all — there are still plenty of options for arts lovers who didn't plunk down hundreds, or even thousands, to see her. Ranging from the suburbs to right in the heart of downtown Detroit, here are just a few things being presented this weekend for your enjoyment.

Stagecrafters' "Singin' in the Rain" runs Thursdays through Sundays until June 25 at Royal Oak's Baldwin Theatre, featuring actual rain onstage.
Stagecrafters' "Singin' in the Rain" runs Thursdays through Sundays until June 25 at Royal Oak's Baldwin Theatre, featuring actual rain onstage.

Make ‘em laugh

The classic Hollywood musical “Singin’ in the Rain” is running Thursdays through Sundays until June 25 at Royal Oak’s Baldwin Theatre. Presented by Stagecrafters and based on the beloved 1952 film, it even includes an elaborate setup that creates actual rain on the stage. G-rated and running 2 hours and 35 minutes, “Singin’ in the Rain” is a rare chance to experience the magic of Tinseltown’s Golden Age live and up close.

Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak. 248-541-6430. www.stagecrafters.org. Tickets $35 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances and $25 for Thursday performances, plus $3 ticket fee.

A tropical trip

Detroit Youth Choir’s production of popular stage musical “Once on This Island” runs Friday, June 9 through Sunday, June 11 at The HAWK in Farmington Hills. This is the last chance to see DYC live in their hometown before the premiere of “Choir,” a Disney+ docuseries about the ensemble, premieres this summer.

The HAWK, 29995 W. 12 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills. 248-699-6700. www.detroityouthchoir.org. Tickets starting at $25.

More: Detroit Youth Choir docuseries finds home at Disney+ streaming site: What to expect

The future of jazz

Grosse Pointe Farms’ Dirty Dog Jazz Café is hosting the Detroit Jazz Festival’s Rising All Stars Weekend, with two performance options offered both Friday and Saturday evenings at the club. This chance to hear bold, young musicians being nurtured by regional veterans to spread their wings into important jazz careers should not be missed.

Dirty Dog Jazz Café, 97 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms. 313-882-5299. www.dirtydogjazz.com. Four-course dinner seating $75 per person.

Multi-generational art

The Carr Center's "As I See Me," opening Saturday, June 10, focuses on seasoned artists offering self-portraits of themselves at various stages in their lives. "As I See Me" is a yearlong series; "Seasoned," the second part, highlights lifelong, senior career artists. The exhibition was juried by Detroit photographer Ronald Clegg and curated by Tia Nichols.

The Carr Center Gallery, 15 E. Kirby Street, Detroit. 313-437-9244. www.thecarrcenter.org.

'Take the sardines'

Legendary stage farce “Noises Off,” widely acknowledged as one of the funniest plays ever written in the English language, runs through June 25 at Rochester’s Meadow Brook Theatre. Michael Frayn’s famed play-within-a-play is filled with backstage fights, slamming doors, fallen trousers, flying sardines, an errant axe and more from a script that offers no dull moments.

Meadow Brook Theatre, 378 Meadow Brook Rd., Rochester. 248-377-3300. www.mbtheatre.com. Tickets starting at $43.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Taylor Swift alternatives: 5 other metro Detroit shows to see