A scene from the opera A Parable of the Sower at its Abu Dhabi premiere. Photo by Waleed Shah. The first 45 minutes of the opera A Parable of the Sower, presented in concert form at the O'Shaughnessy last night, are absolutely sensational. If the evening had ended then and there, the
Author: Basil Considine
Basil Considine is the Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Arts Reader. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.
Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017.
REVIEW: Riveting Metamorphoses Ripples (Guthrie Theater)
Orpheus (Alex Moggridge, left) tries to wrest his love from the ravages of death in the Guthrie Theater/Berkeley Repertory Theatre co-production of Mary Zimmerman's play Metamorphoses. The forces of Hades (Steven Epp, Louise Lamson, and Rodney Gardiner) look on with bemusement. Photo by Dan Norman. It is seldom to see a
REVIEW: Betty Buckley Seizes the Spotlight, Never Lets Go in Hello, Dolly! (Orpheum Theatre/Hennepin Theatre Trust)
The national touring company of Hello, Dolly!, playing through April 28 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Photo by Julieta Cervantes. The poster for the national tour of Hello, Dolly! features just four words: the show title and "Betty Buckley". Look at the poster alone and you might think that's odd. Watch
REVIEW: Cool Be More Chill High School trip (Minneapolis Musical Theatre)
Meet the romantic musical comedy leads of Be More Chill, now playing at the Illusion Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Jeremy Heere (Maxwell Emmett Ward) and Christine Canigula (Caitlin Featherstone). Photo by Scott Pakudaitis. If you follow what's playing on Broadway, you were probably surprised to hear that Be More Chill opened in
INTERVIEW: Kristen Hahn on Hello, Dolly!, A Gentleman’s Guide to Murder, and More
The national touring company of Hello, Dolly!, which opens this evening at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. Photo by Julieta Cervantes. Hello, Dolly! opens tonight at the Orpheum Theatre on Hennepin Ave. Written by Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman, the musical took Broadway by storm in 1964, walking away with a
REVIEW: Flip-Flopping in Gender-Bending Victor/Victoria (Artistry)
Ann Michels (as Victoria Grant) and the ensemble of Artistry's Victor/Victoria. Photo by Devon Cox. Victor/Victoria is not a great ensemble show. The current Artistry production at the Bloomington Center for the Arts is a great star vehicle for Ann Michels, but most of the other actors get the short end
REVIEW: Velvet Swing Rips the Curtains Down (Umbrella Collective)
A promotional image for the Umbrella Collective's production of Velvet Swing, which opened Friday at Bryant-Lake Bowl in Minneapolis, MN. On Tuesday, The Guardian ran a piece entitled From Jack the Ripper to Ted Bundy, Why Are Dead Women’s Bodies Still Being Used as Entertainment? One of its arguments is that theatre,
REVIEW: Dynamic Poetry Rules in Of Art and Artists (Theatre Elision)
Christine Wade (2nd from right) plays the ukelele as Krin McMillen, Thomas Friebe, Maggie Burr, Zach Garcia, and Anna Hashizume look on in Theatre Elision's production Of Art and Artists. Photo by Jessica Holleque. Theatre Elision's Of Art and Artists program, which opened last night in Eden Prairie, is the sort of
REVIEW: In-Your Face Hedwig Grabs and Doesn’t Let Go (Theater Latté Da)
Tyler Michaels stars in Theater Latté Da's production of the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, now playing at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis. Photo by Dan Norman. Reception theory emphasizes the importance of individual and collective reactions in determining something's meaning. An author may write with one intention, only
REVIEW: Powerful, Beautiful Cyrano de Bergerac (Guthrie Theater)
Jay O. Sanders as Cyrano de Bergerac, surrounded by the cast of the Guthrie Theater's production of the same name. Photo by T Charles Erickson. There are moments in the Guthrie Theater's new production of Cyrano de Bergerac where the audience hangs on every word spoken by Jay O. Sanders. Moments where