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
AWARDS: Keith Hovis = Composer of the Year Arts Music Theatre by Hanne Appelbaum - December 7, 2019December 7, 2019 The Twin Cities is gifted with a wealth of residents who engage in generative art creation: writers, composers, painters, sculptors, choreographers, weavers, and more. With the end of 2019 approaching, the Arts Reader is recognizing several of these creators who stand out from the pack. The Arts Reader's 2019 Composer
INTERVIEW: Matthias Maute on Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and 80 Concerts/Year (Bach Society of Minnesota) Arts Music by Basil Considine - December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 Conductor Matthias Maute leads the Bach Society of Minnesota in a trio of concerts this weekend. Photo by Bill Blackstone. There are many claimants to the title of "the most German composer", but there is one item on which all can agree: if such a spiritual lineage exists, the line to
REVIEW: SIX Short of Hype, Still a Splash (Ordway) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - December 5, 2019December 6, 2019 The cast of SIX, now playing at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, MN. Photo by Brett Beiner. From all the hype, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Broadway-bound SIX is the second coming of, well, Hamilton. It is not – the two are apples and
INTERVIEW: Chilina Kennedy on The Band’s Visit and Rocking the Road Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - December 1, 2019November 26, 2019 What would you do if a whole busload full of strangers was stranded in your town overnight? What if they were from a country that has historically not gotten along well with your own? A scene from the national tour of The Band's Visit, which plays at the Orpheum Theatre
REVIEW: The Many Returns of Jane Austen in Christmas at Pemberley (Jungle Theater) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 Fitzwilliam Darcy (James Rodríguez, left) and Charles Bingley (Jesse Lavercome, right) advise the inexperienced Arthur de Bourgh (Reese Britts, center) on how to write letters to women in the Jungle Theater production of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. Photo by Dan Norman. The Jungle Theater's 2017 holiday hit Miss Bennet: Christmas
REVIEW: Hilarious Return of Cinderella (Children’s Theatre Company) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - November 25, 2019November 25, 2019 Rajane Katurah and Alexcia Thompson in the Children's Theatre Company production of Cinderella. Photo by David Rubene Photography. Children’s Theatre has launched a raucous and hilarious remount of Cinderella. This production is based on John B. Davidson’s adaptation of Charles Perrault’s original fairytale. I saw this fantastic show in 2016 and
REVIEW: Phantom of the Opera Returns for Final Rollercoaster Ride (Orpheum Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - November 25, 2019November 26, 2019 The famous Masquerade in The Phantom of the Opera, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. Photo by Alastair Muir. This is your last chance to catch The Phantom of the Opera. Wait, that's not quite right. This is your last chance to catch the magnificent 25th Anniversary Tour
INTERVIEW: Derrick Davis on Becoming the Phantom of the Opera Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - November 21, 2019November 22, 2019 Derrick Davis (right) returns to the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis as The Phantom in the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Matthew Murphy. Playing the Phantom of the Opera is a famously demanding role, and playing the Phantom amidst the rigors and winter winds of a national tour
REVIEW: A Christmas Carol Strikes Back (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Bev Wolfe - November 21, 2019November 21, 2019 The cast of the Guthrie Theater’s production of A Christmas Carol, now playing at the company's Wurtele Thrust Stage in Minneapolis, MN. Photo by Dan Norman. The Guthrie Theatre’s 45th seasonal production of the A Christmas Carol creates a delightful, feel good show for all families. The production is based on