Fringe File 2018 #14 – Buttslashing and Amy Donahue’s 10 Shows to See Arts Dance Music Theatre by Amy Donahue - July 23, 2018July 23, 2018 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) Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - July 21, 2018July 21, 2018 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) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Amy Donahue - May 27, 2018June 24, 2018 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) Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 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) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Amy Donahue - March 13, 2018March 18, 2018 Opera on Tap–Twin Cities director Eryn Tvete and singer Ben Winkler at 2017 installment of the organization's New Arias Program. Photo courtesy of Opera on Tap. The Twin Cities are home to a lot of things, but if you're a fan of new opera you shouldn't wait around too long to
REVIEW: A Crack in the Sky and the Quiver of Truth (History Theatre) Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - February 26, 2018March 14, 2018 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) Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - February 25, 2018February 25, 2018 A case of deadly ennui strikes a wealthy family in Two Mile Hollow. Pictured: Sun Mee Chomet, Eric Sharp, and Kathryn Fumie. Photo by Rich Ryan. One of Karl Marx's most famous soundbytes states that history repeats itself twice: first as tragedy, then as farce. Marx wrote this turn of phrase
NEWS: Theatre Unbound Drops Wives’ Tale for Bard’s Tale Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - February 18, 2018February 21, 2018 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) Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - February 15, 2018February 17, 2018 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
NEWS: Toxic Waste, No Laughing Matter. Toxic Avenger, Yes! (Minneapolis Musical Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Amy Donahue - February 10, 2018February 10, 2018 A promotional image for Minneapolis Musical Theatre's production of The Toxic Avenger. There is a saying that there's an audience somewhere for everything. To support this, you need look no further than the growth of the Internet, which unites people with the most obscure hobbies and allows you to find the most