By LIZ BYRON. Even as you walk into the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater, you feel yourself sinking into the eerie atmosphere of Wreck. Five musicians sit facing the empty stage, playing quiet but haunting music. You are directed to carefully make your way around the very edge of the stage (presumably to keep dirt off the…
By CHRISTINE SARKES SASSEVILLE My Fair Lady at the Guthrie Theater is a lavish musical theater spectacle that stays true to the Lerner/Loewe, Moss Hart Broadway original while adding its own unique touches. The 1956 production set the record for the longest run of any major musical theater show at the time and has been called “the…
by SOPHIE KERMAN Summer sees a nice trend in the Twin Cities: just like local produce, theater starts to appear that is local, affordable, and fresher than your average mass-market products. Mixed Precipitation does it with their annual Picnic Operettas, the Classical Actors Ensemble takes Shakespeare to the parks, and Off-Leash Area has their garage tour. I was lucky enough to preview their new…
by SOPHIE KERMAN “Theatre,” says Governor Phillip early on in Our Country’s Good, “is an expression of civilization.” In Timberlake Wertenbaker‘s 1988 play, now on the Guthrie Theater‘s McGuire Proscenium Stage, certainly makes a case that theatre has the power to provide dignity and self-respect in the most abject places. Set in 1788 in New South Wales (now Australia), the play…
by SOPHIE KERMAN There is a line between dark comedy and laughing at others’ misfortune, and the Guthrie‘s production of Crimes of the Heart has crossed it. This high-energy, highly theatrical interpretation of Beth Henley‘s 1978 Southern Gothic play gives the audience a healthy dose of belly laughs, and if that is what you want, then fine: but this…
By LIZ BYRON If you have ever thought to yourself, “Gosh, wouldn’t it be great if I could go see a musical about how tough it is to be a high school cheerleader?” you are in luck! Bring It On: The Musical is playing at the Ordway Theatre until May 18, and it is jam-packed with teenage angst, singing and…
by CHRISTINE SARKES SASSEVILLE How do you take Alexandre Dumas’ classic tale of The Three Musketeers, which is over 600 pages long, and condense it into a fresh version for the stage? Director Amy Rummenie and playwright John Heimbuch of Walking Shadow Theatre Company began by reading the story aloud over the course of several…
BY LIZ BYRON It is a frustrating thing when the first thing I have to say about a play has nothing to do with the script, the performance, or even the set. After seeing Mrs Charles, a world premiere production by Freshwater Theatre, the first thing that I blurted out to my partner as we exited…
By TAMAR NEUMANN: I always think that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is a comedy. You’re probably thinking, “Well that’s because it is.” But, is it really a comedy? It certainly has comedic moments. In fact, it actually has one of my all-time favorite scenes—“The Question Game.” Those of you familiar with the play will know…
by SOPHIE KERMAN A lot of theater companies and filmmakers seem to think that in order to make Shakespeare comprehensible to modern audiences, they need to place his plays in a modern setting. But it turns out that – wait for it, this might come as a surprise – Shakespeare was actually a really great writer of the English…
Aisle Say - Twin Cities 