REVIEW: Power and Privilege in A Raisin in the Sun (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - May 22, 2022May 26, 2022 What would you if someone offered you money to abandon your dreams – and was racist? In A Raisin in the Sun, now playing at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Karl Lindner (Terry Hempleman) offers to buy out the Younger family (James T. Alfred as Walter Lee Younger, Nubia Monks as Beneatha Younger,
REVIEW: Shocking Modern Mashup in The Bacchae (Guthrie Theater/SITI Company) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - March 14, 2020March 14, 2020 The cast of the Guthrie Theater’s presentation of SITI Company’s production of The Bacchae by Euripides. Photo by Dan Norman. Note: Shortly before press, the Guthrie Theater cancelled the remaining performances of The Bacchae due to public health concerns. The Guthrie Theater presents the classical Greek drama The Bacchae by Euripides. The
REVIEW: Religion, Rigidity, and Rebellion in The Convert (Frank Theatre) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - February 25, 2020February 25, 2020 A scene from Frank Theatre's The Convert, now playing at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN. Photo by Tony Nelson. It took eight years for Wendy Knox to secure the rights for Frank Theatre to stage Danai Gurira's play The Convert. This play, set against the backdrop late-19th-century Zimbabwe, tells
REVIEW: Another Look at Jesus Christ Superstar (Orpheum Theatre/HTT) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Dan Reiva - January 26, 2020January 27, 2020 A scene from Jesus Christ Superstar, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Photo by Matthew Murphy. In the 50th Anniversary Broadway touring version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, Jesus is a rock star messiah. This is portrayed quite literally: Aaron LaVigne, as
REVIEW: All is Calm Retains Its Sweet Potency (Latté Da) Arts Music Theatre by Dan Reiva - December 18, 2019December 18, 2019 The cast of Theater Latté Da's All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Photo by Dan Norman. World War I was hell. Some of us knew it from reading the book The Guns of August and some of us learned it from watching the movie Wonder Woman with its astoundingly
REVIEW: Retrograde Alignment in The Skin of Our Teeth (Park Square) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 The era-spanning cast of characters in Thornton Wilder's play The Skin of Our Teeth, now playing at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, MN. Photo by Petronella J. Ytsma. The Skin of Our Teeth, produced by Girl Friday Productions and now playing at Park Square Theatre, seems to be a favorite
REVIEW: Endearing Animals, Story in Biggest Little House (Children’s Theatre Company) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - February 16, 2019February 16, 2019 A mouse moves into The Biggest Little House in the Forest at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. Pictured: Autumn Ness. Photo by Dan Norman. A joyful, immersive experience awaits children attending The Biggest Little House in the Forest, a Children’s Theatre Company’s original adapting the novel by Djemma Bider. The show
REVIEW: Dementia’s Taunts in The Father (Gremlin Theatre) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - January 14, 2019January 14, 2019 The calm before the storm: Craig Johnson (center), Miriam Schwartz (rear-left), and Peter Christian Hansen (background-right) in Gremlin Theatre's production of The Father. Photo by Alyssa Kristine. The Father, now playing at Gremlin Theatre, is an engrossing play about a man in his sixties suffering from dementia and his daughter's efforts
REVIEW: Faded Novelty, Enticing Melody in Once (Latté Da) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Dan Reiva - September 29, 2018September 29, 2018 Britta Olmann in Theater Latté Da's production of Once. Photo by Dan Norman. Once, I saw a play that was a romantic story about a Girl and Guy who make an unlikely couple connected by a love for music. The production was full of songs with folksy melodies played on guitar
REVIEW: Uneven Capitol Steps (Ordway) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - July 14, 2018July 14, 2018 A promotional photo for The Capitol Steps, a DC-based troupe that performed on June 30, 2018 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, MN. Photo by Violet Crown Photo Works. The Capitol Steps is a unique comic ensemble that performs political satire set to the melodies of pop