by MIRA REINBERG, Guest Reviewer Once in a while we – the media, readers, and spectators – allow ourselves to open up the questions that are inherent to reportage of modern war: in what ways is war journalism ethical? And whom does it serve? Do photographs and descriptions from the war zone effect change…
by SOPHIE KERMAN It takes a lot of guts to put on a Charles Mee play, and even more to stage it in Burnsville, a city not known for its experimental theater scene. Well, with its production of Mee’s True Love, the Chameleon Theatre Circle shows it has the courage and the chops to tackle the…
by SOPHIE KERMAN Good news: Osseo really isn’t that long a trip down I-94. This is good news, because whatever mysterious force drove the Yellow Tree Theatre to set up shop in a suburban strip mall does not prevent the company from putting on downtown-quality theater. In fact, The Glass Menagerie is better than a lot…
by REBECCA HALAT, Guest Reviewer The Minnesota Opera’s production of Madame Butterfly left me saddened—which is exactly the goal of this story. Soprano Kelly Kaduce was impressive as Cio-Cio-San, the tragic young heroine whose life is altered by her marriage with an American lieutenant, Pinkerton (played by Arturo Chacón-Cruz). One side character of note was…
by ANNA ROSENSWEIG How do we talk to children about race? With its recent production Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, The Children’s Theatre Company provides an answer to this question by rejecting its premise. In this new play, an adaptation of Gary Schmidt’s 2004 Newberry Award-winning children’s novel based on a true story, it…
by ANNA ROSENSWEIG There’s a ceiling fan that slowly turns throughout the entire production of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, currently on stage at the Jungle Theater. The fan, one of the many subtle touches of Joel Sass’ beautifully shabby set, marks time steadily and faithfully, and this constant rhythm underscores the deceptively quotidian nature…
by SOPHIE KERMAN Despite its being a world premiere, the Illusion Theater’s latest production is strangely undersold. On its website and in press materials, What’s the Word For is presented as the story of inter-generational support between a middle-aged man and an older woman who somehow bond over crossword puzzles. This doesn’t necessarily come across as a play…
by SOPHIE KERMAN All laughter is both highly personal and intensely social. We don’t laugh much when we’re alone, but the experience of shared laughter can bring a roomful of people together. Mary à la carte, which has just opened at the New Century Theatre after previous runs at the Bryant Lake Bowl, finds this common bond in…
by SOPHIE KERMAN It’s hard to stage a play based on a story the entire audience already knows; when the story is about Jesus, this is doubly true. Very few people have neutral reactions to the story of the crucifixion, but – whether positive or negative – each person’s associations to it are highly individual.…
by SOPHIE KERMAN In 1925, when Noël Coward wrote Hay Fever, going to the theater could be thought of as the pre-TV equivalent of staying in and watching Netflix. And just like a good night of TV, the theater has the potential to offer something for everyone – suspenseful drama, for those who want to…
Aisle Say - Twin Cities 