It should surprise no one that the American theatre tradition is frequently political. Of the 132 shows in the Minnesota Fringe Festivals this year, 22 (about 16%) are self-classified as having political content. Browse their show descriptions and you'll see that women's rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, and refugees are common
Author: Amy Donahue
Amy Donahue is a staff reviewer at the Twin Cities Arts Reader. She interned with the magazine during the summer of 2017, served as a guest contributor while studying abroad in Europe that fall, and has moved up to regular old reviewing. She admits to being at least 50% terrified of contemporary German opera.
Fringe File 2018 #14 – Buttslashing and Amy Donahue’s 10 Shows to See
Glen L. Dawson in New Endeavours' production of The Buttslasher. Photo by Geoffrey Conklin. You usually don't get a second chance to see a Fringe show. Usually. Normally, the festival closes, one or two remounts play at Bryant Lake Bowl, and maybe if you're super lucky you could see the odd touring show on
REVIEW: Baskerville a Splendid Farce (Park Square)
The ensemble for Park Square's Baskerville. Photo by Petronella J. Ytsma. Officially, the show currently playing at Park Square Theatre's proscenium stage is called Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. This somewhat fatuous, pompous title belies the earthy farce that is at the heart of Baskerville. It's a Sherlock Holmes
REVIEW: Excess and Glitter in Thaïs (Minnesota Opera)
Gerard Schneider as Nicias, Kelly Kaduce as Thaïs, and Lucas Meachem as Athanaël with the cast of Thaïs. Photo by Cory Weaver. Sometimes, going to the theatre means checking your attitudes at the door. There's a certain market for pieces that have been edited to be politically correct and/or align with
REVIEW: Enemy of the People, Lite Edition (Guthrie Theater)
The Stockmann brothers Peter (Ricardo Chavira) and Tom (Billy Carter) in the Guthrie Theater's production of An Enemy of the People. Photo by Dan Norman. It says something about Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906)'s place in the theatrical canon that his works are now being freely reinterpreted, reconceived, and given sequels.
REVIEW: Opera on Tap’s New Arias Program (Honey–Minneapolis)
REVIEW: A Crack in the Sky and the Quiver of Truth (History Theatre)
Ahmed (M. Hajji Ahmed) meets Maya Angelou (Ashawnti Sakina Ford) in the History Theatre's A Crack in the Sky. Photo by Scott Pakudaitis. Not all paths lead where you expect. That's one of the takeaways from Ahmed Ismail Yusuf's striking new play A Crack in the Sky, which is now playing at the History
REVIEW: Dire Laughs and Send-Up in Two Mile Hollow (Mu Performing Arts/Mixed Blood)
NEWS: Theatre Unbound Drops Wives’ Tale for Bard’s Tale
Illustration by Amy Donahue. Theatre Unbound's premiere of Christina Ham's A Wives' Tale is going to have to wait. With opening night just five weeks away, the script wasn't finished – and so Theatre Unbound announced today that A Wives' Tale will be replaced by a predominantly female production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. This
REVIEW: Will They or Won’t They Slay in The Ravagers? (Savage Umbrella)
A promotional photo for Savage Umbrella's 2018 production of The Ravagers. Photo by Anna Schultz. It's been a long time since Savage Umbrella first presented its drama The Ravagers. If you look back at reviews of the premiere, you get insight into a different landscape of theatrical coverage - Ed Huyck