by CHRISTINE SARKES Complicated Fun at the History Theatre through May 29 is a weirdly coincidental musical retelling of the history of First Avenue and the acts that made it famous, including Prince, who played frequently and filmed many scenes in Purple Rain there. In fact, Chris Osgood of The Suicide Commandos opened the show with a moving tribute…
BY TAMAR NEUMANN: Have you ever stopped to think about the sounds you hear every day? Do you notice the soft click, clack of a button in the dryer, the low purr of a lawn mower in the backyard, a joyful screech from a toddler, or the tap, tap of the keys on your keyboard? What…
Anatomy of Gray marks the first non-musical I have seen at Anoka’s Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, and to put it succinctly, I was glad I went. The show is a little bit drama, a little bit comedy, a little bit medical mystery, and a little bit fantasy (I mean, come on, one of the main characters…
Hope Theater Company has been around since 2013, but Recent Experiences is only their second production to date. Touted as a “mini-epic”, the play sets out to explore the political events and cultural shifts that took place through the 20th century as seen through four generations of a single family. It’s an ambitious task, particularly for a 75-minute…
by CHRISTINE SARKES Harvey, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Mary Chase and film, starring Jimmy Stewart, gets the screwball comedy treatment at the Guthrie Theater through May 15. The play will entertain all audiences with its broad comedic turns, gentle rebuke of social conformity and support of individuality and joyful innocence. Harvey is superbly acted and laugh-out-loud…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN The musical Bullets Over Broadway, an adaptation of the Woody Allen movie of 1994, is a crowd pleaser. The movie script was nominated for an Oscar, and this production features original direction and choreography by multi-Tony award winner Susan Stroman (also known for her work on The Producers). The production has…
BY TAMAR NEUMANN: It’s been over ten years since Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been performed on the Orpheum stage, but it’s finally back! If you’ve been waiting these ten long years for this particular touring Broadway show to return to the Orpheum, your wait is over—and I think you will find yourself satisfied with the…
BY TAMAR NEUMANN: I learned a couple of things about myself on Saturday night. First, I don’t really know anything about deaf culture. Second, if there are subtitles I can’t help myself—I must read them!! These two new pieces of information were discovered when I attended Park Square Theatre’s production of Love Person. It’s their newest…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN The Minnesota Opera’s production of Tosca included drama that is usually reserved for the opera itself. Only a few days before opening night, Hungarian soprano Csilla Boross backed out of the role of Tosca for “personal reasons.” Kelly Kaduce stepped in, having sung the part only once professionally (for the Houston…
By ELLEN FERRY. The quaint, intimate space at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre can barely contain the dynamism of its latest production, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. For the first time in more than ten years, the beloved fairytale has returned to the charming west-suburban locale. The March 11th opener did not disappoint. Three-dimensional costuming and…
Aisle Say - Twin Cities 