Pride and Prejudice

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,…

Cabaret

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…

Between Riverside and Crazy

by Christine Sarkes Between Riverside and Crazy, the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winning play for drama showing at Park Square Theatre, is a deeply evocative, thought-provoking mosaic of life’s chaos and joys, unfolding within the walls of a New York City apartment. It is a powerfully acted production dealing with such heady, relevant themes as racism,…

The Mousetrap

by Christine Sarkes and Erika Sasseville (a mother/daughter review) The Mousetrap at the Guthrie Theater, now through May 18, is a delightfully camp and beautifully produced staging of Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit. Audiences will be thrilled by the gorgeous, lush set upon arriving at the McGuire Proscenium Stage. Director Tracy Bridgden, Guthrie Theater’s Senior Artistic…

The Gin Game

by Christine Sarkes Park Square Theatre‘s superbly acted production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Gin Game, is directed by Twin Cities theater veteran Faye M. Price and features acclaimed TC actors Greta Oglesby (Fonsia Dorsey) and Terry Hempleman (Weller Martin). The Gin Game follows the bond that develops between two lonely residents of a…

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

by Christine Sarkes A Midsummer Night’s Dream is magic come to life on the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater, now through March 23. Director Joseph Haj and his creative team infuse so much heart and humor into this production, it may be the perfect date night experience and set a new creative benchmark…

English

by Christine Sarkes It’s well past time to pay tribute to Artistic Director Joseph Haj’s vision to bring inclusive and relevant theater to the Guthrie Theater and in English, now through August 18, he has succeeded once again. “A good season for us feels like it has arms widely around our community, that there’s something…

A Wrinkle in Time

by Christine Sarkes A Wrinkle in Time at Theatre in the Round is gorgeous, imaginative, and brilliantly conceived and directed with amazing young and older actors. Madeline L’Engle’s classic, beloved novel was adapted into a stage play by John Glore and under Penelope Parsons-Lord’s direction, the book comes vividly alive through the actors, lighting, props,…

The Language Archive

by Christine Sarkes The Language Archive, a production of Theatre Pro Rata, playing at The Crane Theater through May 4, is a very funny, yet poignant and well-acted stage experience, particularly for those who worship the written and spoken word. Playwright Julia Cho and director Nicole Marie Wilder have captured the awkwardness of marital life…

History Plays: Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V

by Christine Sarkes Let’s just get this out of the way: the Guthrie Theater’s “History Plays: Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V” are a crowning achievement on the part of every single person involved in this once-in-a-lifetime event. Get thee now, not to a nunnery, but to the Guthrie to experience some of the most…