Birds Sing Differently Here

by CHRISTINE SARKES Although this review is published after the brief run of Birds Sing Differently Here at the Guthrie Theater’s Dowling Studio, it serves as recognition of the important collaboration between the Guthrie and the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project to give voice to the Iraqi-Minnesotan experience. As part of Guthrie’s innovative Level Nine…

Aladdin

  By JACOB FROELICH Nothing stops a show quite like magic. That is, besides spectacle beyond compare and a dazzling tap dance number. You can find all of the aforementioned delights in Disney’s Aladdin, playing now through October 8 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. Relive the classic rags to riches tale in all its…

Romeo and Juliet

by CHRISTINE SARKES Romeo and Juliet at the Guthrie Theater through October 28 is fresh, sexy and brilliantly directed by Guthrie’s artistic director Joseph Haj. I especially loved the humor and vibrancy of the staging and the modern cadence of Shakespeare’s words. The play sizzles with energy and will absolutely appeal to younger middle and…

In The Heights

By ERIKA SASSEVILLE Lin-Manuel Miranda, son of Puerto Rican immigrants Luz Towns and Luis A. Miranda, Jr. first made a splash when In The Heights (book by Quiara Alegría Hudes) debuted on Broadway in 2008, combining his childhood loves of musical theatre, hip-hop and salsa. Since then, he has won a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards,…

Native Gardens

by LISSI CORBETT The Guthrie Theater’s production of Native Gardens, a topical and often hilarious new play written by Karen Zacarías and directed by Blake Robison, is “not about flowers,” as one of its characters asserts, “it’s about principles.” In a mere 90 minutes, Native Gardens confronts some of the most salient and complex sociopolitical…

Motown the Musical

by JACOB FROELICH The lesser-known story behind the founder of one of the most influential record labels in history makes for quite the Broadway musical. Motown the Musical is captivating and enthralling from the opening number through the tribute mini-concert finale. The show is a sing-along for many and the music appeals to a broad…

Sunday in the Park with George

by CHRISTINE SARKES What does it mean to be a misunderstood, visionary artist and how does suffering for your art impact those you love? These are the themes of Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, et al.) and James Lapine’s…

GHOST the Musical

In this musical based off of the hit movie, young couple, Sam and Molly, have just moved into an apartment in Brooklyn with help from their friend – and Sam’s business partner – Carl. Everything seems to be going well, if only Sam would say three little words. Everything changes when Sam is shot and killed. He becomes a ghost, unable to communicate with Molly except through a formerly fraudulent psychic, Oda Mae Brown. Together they work to solve Sam’s murder and bring the two lovers peace after death.