by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN The Minnesota Opera’s production of Hansel and Gretel is a great introduction to opera for friends and family who are intimidated or reluctant to give the form a try. The story is familiar, the music is approachable (and lovely), and the staging is fantastic – in all definitions of the word. …
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN “Be regular and orderly in your life, that you may be violent and original in your work.” Clive Barker Perhaps knowing that Barker is regular and orderly in life is a relief (or a consolation). After experiencing Crazyface, I’m imagining him in a rocking chair sipping tea as the sun rises,…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN On Friday, March 21, one of the world’s most innovate dance ensembles will be performing at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Under the artistic direction of Judith Smith, AXIS Dance Company “challenges the possibilities of movement.” Founded in 1987, they have paved the way for a powerful contemporary dance…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN Verdi was a bad boss. On the day of the final dress rehearsal of a performance of Macbeth, one of the principals complained that they had already run-through the Act I duet 150 times. “I would not say that if I were you, for within half an hour it will be…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN & LUCIE CHERBULIEZ Produced by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favorites is simply exquisite. My co-reviewer (and daughter), entranced, simply nodded when I asked her during the first story if she liked it. Known for “its innovative and visually spectacular puppetry and…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN This Is A World To Live In drops the audience without net into a peculiar hybrid of event, installation and performance. Even the ushering of the attendees into the space is performative. A concierge of sorts in a white t-shirt and suspenders surveys the waiting crowd and selects people by twos…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN Orpheus is one of the great boneheads of literature; a man who just cannot follow directions. A musician and poet, he falls in love with Eurydice. At the wedding celebration, she dies (in the original myth, she’s chased by a satyr and falls into a nest of vipers) and ends up…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN Lee Blessing’s Perilous Night is a peculiar play. There is a sensation of being pushed headlong into a combination of Octavia Butler’s time traveling race critique Kindred & Don Coscarelli‘s poignant absurdist Bubba Ho-Tep (which finds two extended care patients, who believe they are, respectively, JFK and Elvis, fighting a mummy). The…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN At the entrance to the theater hangs a sign warning that the Tesla coil to be fired during the performance is loud, but not dangerous. This caveat is a compelling prelude to an ambitious production. Assembling the peculiar narrative and bracing eccentricities of Nikola Tesla’s life into a coherent play is…
The Minnesota Opera is inviting readers to purchase $20 tickets to Hamlet for tonight, March 5! Here is a link to our review, and check out the offer details below. You can also see preview videos on the MN Opera’s YouTube channel! $20 tickets* to Hamlet Tuesday, March 5 Use code blog20 Visit mnopera.org for a show synopsis and…
Aisle Say - Twin Cities 