International Falls

by SOPHIE KERMAN The sad comedian might be a cliche, but playwright Thomas Ward  has turned the stereotype into some very three-dimensional characters in his insightful short play International Falls. Directed by the Jungle Theatre’s Artistic Director Bain Boehlke, International Falls is being performed at the Bryant Lake Bowl, a much more fitting venue for a peek into a night…

Cul-de-Sac

by SOPHIE KERMAN It’s official: the success of the Loudmouth Collective is not a fluke. Following on her deep and funny January production of Will Eno’s “Thom Pain: Based on Nothing”, director Natalie Novacek opens the Loudmouth’s second season with another one-man show, no less well-acted or thought-provoking than “Thom Pain”. This time, we are treated to an unstoppable performance…

Tesla

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…

Changes in Time

by SOPHIE KERMAN For both political and theatrical reasons, the story of gender transition is not told enough. Changing one’s gender presentation is by definition a form of theater; a dress can become a costume, and facial hair can transform a bearer of XX chromosomes into someone who is confident walking into the men’s bathroom.…

An Iliad

by CHRISTINE SARKES SASSEVILLE Homer’s the Iliad is among the oldest works of Western literature and its illumination of the heroism and horrors of war has resonated with listeners and readers throughout history. One of the most moving segments of An Iliad, now at the Guthrie Theater through May 26, was actor Stephen Yoakam’s minutes-long listing of every war in human history since the Trojan…

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Mission Theater promises that its production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a “highly physical, energetic production”, and they aren’t lying. From start to finish, the play is bursting with energy. Characters dance, fight, frolic, and do just about anything but stay still. Australian director Penelope Parsons-Lord cleverly decided to use physicality to help…

I Love to Eat: A Love Story with Food

by CHRISTINE SARKES SASSEVILLE Early in the play, I Love to Eat: A Love Story with Food,  James Beard (Garry Geiken) declares to the audience, “Moderation. I’m against it!”  This line captured to me the true essence of James Beard: America’s original foodie, TV’s first cooking show host, confidante of Julia Child and author of over 20 cookbooks.  An award bearing…

Dreamless Land

by SOPHIE KERMAN Dreamless Land is a slippery bit of theater. Characters grow up unexpectedly, the genre shifts from “realism” to dream to science fiction to spy movie, and the viewer is never quite sure whether the actors are playing different sides of the same character or different characters altogether. A glowing cube (designed by Liz…

girl group

It is easy to look back on the 60s and see bright colours, free love, and an exploding music scene. And in thinking of the music of the 60s, it is really easy to name successful female musicians: Carole King is the obvious name, but also lots of groups like The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The…

Nice Fish

by SOPHIE KERMAN There’s a certain mystique out there about fishing, a sense that the long wait (or desperate quest) for a fish can somehow be compared to the various ways of leading one’s life with artistry, impatience, or obsession. The idea has been exploited in various forms for centuries, from “A River Runs Through…