Great theater challenges the audience by confronting viewers’ biases and prompting them to consider alternative perspectives. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett at the Guthrie Theater, now through October 11, is one such play. When I saw it first during college, I had such a visceral response to its Absurdist form of drama and lack…
Dinner + A Show / drama / Further Reading / History / mature audiences / Minnesota / Play / Reviews / Uncategorized
Theatre in the Round Players has opened its 75th season with a production of The Great Gatsby, directed by Vanessa Brooke Agnes and based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. Featuring a strong ensemble cast and live music, the adaptation captures the Jazz Age’s complexities through Nick Carraway’s eyes, highlighting themes of wealth and social disparity.
Lyric Arts’ production of Merrily We Roll Along is a beautiful, grounded take on one of Stephen Sondheim’s most structurally experimental works.
Private Lives at the Guthrie Theater is a viciously funny, wickedly sharp comedy of manners in the best Noel Coward tradition. Under David Ivers’ direction, these four superb actors squeeze every ounce of physical humor out of the dialogue and staging. In this three-act play, Coward envisions love and romance as verbal swordplay, with short…
by Christine Sarkes Photo Credit: Dan Norman. Come From Away at the Guthrie Theater is a rollicking, rousing, joyful and poignant snapshot in time when nations and people were united in grief and solidarity in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Created by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, from thousands of real-life interviews,…
SIX The Musical has garnered a large following of fans for its catchy – but often touching – pop tunes and the incredible vocal talent and personas of the divas that sing them. Starring an all female cast and band (aka: the Ladies in Waiting), SIX is a built to showcase what history (herstory) looks like when women get to tell their stories.
by Christine Sarkes Ten Thousand Things Theater’s second-only musical, The Most Happy Fella, is a soaring, joyful and wildly entertaining production of Frank Loesser’s 1956 musical adaption. Each player’s performance is superb and they are impressively multi-talented, portraying multiple characters, playing instruments, singing and manipulating the spare props that inhabit the performance space. If you’ve never…
by Christine Sarkes and Erika Sasseville (a mother/daughter review) Sleuth at the Guthrie Theater now through May 10 is a plot-twisting, wildly entertaining whodunit in the mode of Agatha Christie but slightly darker and campier. The acting is superb, with moments of comic genius. And the set design by Todd Rosenthal is so magnificent and…
Whether or not you’re familiar with the biblical tale, you’re sure to be familiar with the themes of this show. This production is inventive, cohesive, and comes in at a crisp 90 minutes with no intermission. So if you can take the time to make it to the theatre this week, consider Salomé by Oscar Wilde running one more weekend, this Thursday-Saturday February 26-28 at PAIKKA in St. Paul.
Lyric Arts’ production of Ride the Cyclone is completely strange, occasionally disturbing, and utterly captivating from curtain to curtain.
Fresh off their successful run of Breach at the 2025 Minnesota Fringe Festival, Third Space Theatre is furthering their reputation of crafting fast-paced and gripping theatre built to make you think with Plano by Will Arbery, now playing at Mixed Blood Theatre. Plano is an absurdist exploration of family, identity, trauma, and the lies we all tell ourselves. There is one more weekend of shows, and you will not want to miss it.
Nutcracker Noir: A Sensual Cirque Ballet is an 18+ performance blending humor, queerness, and inventive storytelling. The show features skilled performers in ballet, burlesque, and circus acts, offering a playful twist on Tchaikovsky’s classic. The chemistry between Clara and her Nutcracker captivates, making it a must-see experience at the Phoenix Theater.
by Christine Sarkes Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice at the Theatre in the Round now through October 5 is not the sedate BBC versions you’ve come to love and expect. Under the direction of Penelope Parsons-Lord and with Kate Hamill’s adaption, this is a rollicking, raucous, chaotic, and joyful contemporary spectacle. As a devoted Janeite,…
by Christine Sarkes and Erika Sasseville Cabaret at the Guthrie Theater, now through August 24, under the masterful direction of Joseph Haj, is among the most exhilarating, sexiest and relevant productions I’ve seen in Twin Cities theater. Cabaret won Tony awards for Best Musical and others in 1967. The Bob Fosse movie version with Liza…
If you’re a fan of Sondheim, you won’t want to miss Theater Latté Da’s production of one of his lesser known works, Passion.
