A promotional image for the musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, which begins previews October 18 at the Old Log Theatre in Excelsior, MN. It's not every day that a theatre plans to commit mass murder and get away with it. However, the Old Log Theatre – a longtime
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. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region.
REVIEW: Journey North Opera Company Bounds Back with Powerful Rape of Lucretia
A promotional photo for Journey North Opera Company's production of The Rape of Lucretia. Photo by Justin Sims Photography. Journey North Opera Company's been in hibernation for a long time. Not since 2015 has the company produced in the Twin Cities, back when it was still called Twin Cities Fringe Opera.
INTERVIEW: Grayson DeJesus on Playing the Gentleman Caller in The Glass Menagerie
An excerpt from the New York Times' April 2, 1945 review of The Glass Menagerie's opening on Broadway. In two weeks, the Guthrie Theater opens its new production of The Glass Menagerie on the Wurtele Thrust Stage in Minneapolis. This classic chamber drama is no stranger to the Guthrie Theater, for whom
REVIEW: Lackluster Rent Crashes at the Orpheum (Hennepin Theatre Trust)
Fringe File #17: The 2nd Annual Golden Lanyard Awards
Last night, the Minnesota Fringe Festival announced the recipients of the 2nd Annual Golden Lanyard Awards. These awards honor, among other things, the best-selling shows in each venue, several audience and artist voting categories, and Fringe staff favorites. A total of 28 awards were bestowed on 23 shows and 1
REVIEW: Delicious Floyd’s (Guthrie Theater)
Fringe File #12: INTERVIEW: Aidan Jhane Gallivan on Chocolate Covered Chicken Wings
A scene from Chocolate Covered Chicken Wings, now playing at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. One of the Minnesota Fringe Festival shows playing at the Augsburg Studio is Chocolate Covered Chicken Wings. This play with an unusual culinary title was written by Catherine Hansen and is produced by Paradox Productions. The Arts
REVIEW: Rare Dafne Brought to Light (Twin Cities Early Music Festival)
A 16th-century painting of the Greek legend of Apollo and Daphne by Paolo Veronese, showing Daphne morphing into a tree in front of Apollo's anguished eyes. The featured portions of the Twin Cities Early Music Festival launched yesterday with a performance of Marco da Gagliano's 1608 opera La Dafne. The rarely performed
REVIEW: Energetic Fiddler on the Roof Arrives (Orpheum Theatre/Hennepin Theatre Trust)
REVIEW: Tony Bennett Rocks the Orpheum (Hennepin Theatre Trust)
The legendary singer Tony Bennett. Photo by Larry Busacca. Nonagenarian or not, Tony Bennett has a lot of living and singing to do. During last night's concert at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, the 92-year-old singer delighted fans young and old. The music was an engaging set of classic jazz and