by Christine Sarkes “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing.” – Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax, The Importance of Being Earnest In the spirit of Oscar Wilde’s Gwendolen Fairfax, I am beginning a review of The Importance of Being Earnest, Guthrie Theater’s brilliantly acted and amusing season opener, as I have never…
The Orpheum definitely closed out their 2022-2023 season with a Bang! Beetlejuice is a thrilling combination of haunting and whimsical from start to finish. Based off of Tim Burton’s 1988 classic, this musical adaptation gives fans of the original source material a hearty helping of that dark, twisted story-line while revamping the comedy with a…
by Christine Sarkes Celebrating its 72nd anniversary, Theatre in the Round opens its season with a classic, screwball black comedy, Arsenic and Old Lace. Those of us ‘of a certain age’ will remember the brilliant 1944 movie adaptation, starring the incomparable Cary Grant and directed by the legendary Frank Capra. This zany and eccentric play…
Burnsville Summer Theater; ISD 191 Community Education Reviewed by Emily Grimes Has the premiere for Barbie got you hyped for campy fun, feminine power, or just looking at really pretty clothes? Do yourself a favor by donning some pink apparel and doubling the fun by making this production part of your double feature. Come support…
Hang Fire Productions boldly tackles Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” for their inaugural work at the historic Mounds Theatre.
If you grew up watching the 1986 animated classic An American Tail or it’s beloved sequel Fievel Goes West, you’re sure to love Children’s Theatre Company’s world premiere production of An American Tail the Musical, playing now through June 18th. The production is the perfect blend of nostalgia, creativity, and hope for a brighter world, and sitting in the audience full of delighted and curious children is always an adorable way to spend a couple hours.
by Erika Sasseville and Christine Sarkes (a mother/daughter review) In celebration of the Guthrie Theater’s 60th anniversary, Artistic Director Joseph Haj has staged a magnificent and powerful production of arguably one of the greatest plays of all time, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, on stage now through May 21. Sir Tyrone Guthrie directed this play to…
In 2009 Lin-Manuel Miranda performed a new piece at a White House Poetry Jam for the newly elected President Barack Obama. He nervously told the audience that he had been working on a hip-hop concept album based on the life of a man whom he believed “embodied hip-hop.” That man was an immigrant, a Founding Father, a Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton (played on the tour by Joseph Morales). In the end, he created a musical that blended hip-hop, R&B, rap, blues, jazz, and the broadway sound and went on to win 11 Tony Awards. Now on its second national tour, Hamilton will be playing at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis through October 7th.
Director Erika Sasseville and Black Dirt Theater have brought a rousing, ribald romp to the Hastings Middle School stage.
Christine Sarkes and Erika Sasseville (a mother/daughter review) What do two of the greatest literary figures of the Elizabethan era–William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe–create when they spend hours together writing a play? The answer: Fire and magic! That is what the audience witnessed during opening night of Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams at…
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