INTERVIEW: Matt Crowle on Embodying Thénardier in Les Misérables Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - December 2, 2022December 2, 2022 Matt Crowle (center-left) as Thénardier and Christina Rose Hall (center) as Madame Thénardier in the national tour of Les Misérables, which opens Tuesday at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables is often ranked as one of the greatest
INTERVIEW: Sarah Nargang and Leading a Wayward Theatre Company Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - October 15, 2022October 15, 2022 A production photo from Wayward Theatre Company's 2017 performance of Moliere's Tartuffe at the James J Hill House in St. Paul, MN. Photo by Lauren B Photography. If you moved to the Twin Cities and asked some theatregoers for companies to follow, one of the names that would come up again and
PREVIEW: Anne Sofie van Otter at the Schubert Club Arts Music by Basil Considine - October 10, 2022October 11, 2022 Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie van Otter. Photo by Ewa-Marie Rundquist. Say "Swedish Nightingale" to an American on the street a century ago, and one name would come instantly to music listeners' lips: Jenny Lind. Say the name to an opera fan today, however, and a different singer comes up: the Swedish mezzo-soprano
REVIEW: The Veil of the Immortal Beethoven (Minnesota Orchestra) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - July 31, 2022July 31, 2022 A portrait of composer Ludwig van Beethoven superimposed over a photograph of Orchestra Hall by Greg Helgeson. The Minnesota Orchestra's one-night-only Immortal Beethoven event on Saturday was one of the most distinctive evenings in its hall in recent memory. It was certainly not at all a traditional concert. Imagine a crazy bedtime story
REVIEW: Visceral Sweat Keeps Hitting (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - July 31, 2022July 31, 2022 The calm before the storm in Sweat by Lynn Nottage, now playing at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. L-R: Lynnette R. Freeman (Cynthia), Terry Hempleman (Stan), Amy Staats (Jessie), Noah Plomgren (Jason), and Terry Bell (Chris). Photo by Dan Norman. Lynn Nottage's play Sweat, now playing at the Guthrie Theater, is far
REVIEW: Splendid Wickedness in Wicked (Orpheum/Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - July 30, 2022August 18, 2022 Part prequel, part revisionist history: the musical Wicked tells how many of the beloved and iconic characters and events in The Wizard of Oz became that way. Pictured: Jennafer Newberry as Glinda in the National Tour of Wicked. Photo by Joan Marcus. There is not a lot new to be said
INTERVIEW: On Collide’s Class of ’85 Return (x2) Arts Dance Theatre by Basil Considine - July 17, 2022July 18, 2022 Lifts, leans, and arm-raises in COLLIDE Theatrical's Class of '85, which returns for a 4-show revival at the Gremlin Theater in St. Paul from July 21-24. Photo by Alexis Lund. COLLIDE Theatrical is nine years' old. For a child to be going to high school at this tender age would be
INTERVIEW: Composer-Pianist Michael Cain and the Sounds of Summer Arts Music by Basil Considine - July 8, 2022July 8, 2022 Pianist-composer Michael Cain with bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Kevin Washington. As the Michael Cain Trio, the ensemble performs at the Water Works in Minneapolis this Saturday, July 9 at 3 PM. It's summer time in the Twin Cities, which means freely flowing local brews, endless barbecue, and outdoor music concerts.
INTERVIEW: Gary Briggle on G&S, Interim Leadership, and Murder Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - July 6, 2022July 6, 2022 Some of the many faces of singer, actor, director, playwright, and arts leader Gary Briggle. Except for a penchant for murder (on-stage, that is), Gary Briggle keeps reinventing himself. Glance at his resume, though, and a few trends emerge. Opera director and principal tenor in Ohio. Television actor in the 1980s. Long-time
INTERVIEW: Carin Bratlie Wethern of Theatre Pro Rata Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - July 4, 2022July 4, 2022 Some of Artistic Director Carin Bratlie Wethern's notes for Theatre Pro Rata's 2022 hit production of Sarah Ruhl's Orlando. In a 2011 article for The Guardian, Lyn Gardner asked, "Why do some arts organizations survive and thrive while others wither and die?" This was not idle speculation: coming in the aftermath