REVIEW: Orphan-Strong Annie (Ordway) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - December 9, 2017December 9, 2017 The cast of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts' production of Annie. Photo by Rich Ryan. There was a strong current of energy in the air at the Ordway last night for the press opening of Annie. As streams of parents and younger children stepped in from the cold outdoors,
REVIEW: Rarely Performed Chess Check-Mates (Chameleon Theatre Circle) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - December 4, 2017December 11, 2017 The cast of the Chameleon Theatre Circle production of Chess. Photo by JHinz Design and Photo. Chameleon Theatre Circle is now an itinerant company, freed of the black box constraints of its longtime home at the Ames Center. As the company dances around the metro region from production to production, it's
EDITORIAL: On Abuse and the Performing Arts Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - December 4, 2017December 11, 2017 Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Decapitating Holofernes (1620). Events in the pioneering female painter's own personal life four centuries' past illustrate some of the complicated ways that sexual abuse has been and continues to be handled legally and socially in the arts. Weinstein. Spacey. CK. Lauer. Keillor. The list goes on of powerful
REVIEW: Miss Richfield 1981’s Latest Installment Leaps (Illusion Theater) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - December 2, 2017December 4, 2017 Miss Richfield 1981's annual holiday show at the Illusion Theater turns 18 this year. This comedy variety show, an annual pilgrimage for many theatergoers and drag queen fans, returns with new energy and an invigorating injection of updated material. If you're not familiar with Miss Richfield 1981, the character was created
NEWS: 2018 MN Fringe to Shake Up Venues, Add Family-Friendly Offshoot Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - December 1, 2017July 8, 2018 A photo of Blackout Improv's award-winning performance at the 2017 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Photo by Keith N'Dong, courtesy of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Applications are now open for the 2018 Minnesota Fringe Festival lottery. The annual theatre festival will return with some hefty changes in the coming year, including new venues,
REVIEW: Sumptuous Vocals, Distracting Tracks in Linda Eder Concert (Ordway) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - November 29, 2017November 29, 2017 A promotional photo of singer Linda Eder. The Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich once summarized a common frustration of Linda Eder fans: she tours very selectively, and is thus hard to catch in a live performance. One of those rare performances took place Tuesday night at the Ordway Center for the Performing
REVIEW: Updated A Christmas Carol Glitters, Flows (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - November 23, 2017November 23, 2017 The cast of the Guthrie Theater’s 2017 production of A Christmas Carol. Photo by Dan Norman. Not all Christmas Carols are created equal. Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale is something like a Thanksgiving turkey: it gets cut, stuffed, basted, and re-seasoned according to the meal its presenters wish to serve. Is it
REVIEW: Waitress: The Musical Serves Something Different (Orpheum Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - November 22, 2017November 22, 2017 Charity Angel Dawson, Desi Oakley, and Lenne Klingaman in the National Tour of Waitress: The Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus. The Broadway tour of Waitress: The Musical opened for business at the Orpheum Theatre Tuesday night, complete with the intoxicating aroma of hot pie filling the lobby during intermission. The evening was
FEATURE: Jane Austen’s Living Legacy in Art Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - November 15, 2017November 15, 2017 A promotional image of the Élan Ensemble, a group performing music from Jane Austen's family's music collection. July 18, 2017 formally marked the bicentennial of Jane Austen's death. The milestone occasioned many literary, scholarly, and artistic endeavors across the world, exploring varied aspects of her legacy. While her works may now
REVIEW: Sister Act‘s Triumphant Return (Chanhassen Dinner Theatres) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - November 14, 2017November 14, 2017 Delores Van Cartier (Regina Marie Williams, center) "keeps a low profile" while on the run from the mob in Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' spirited revival of Sister Act. Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp. Those darn singing nuns are at it again. Just when you think it's safe to go back to the convent, Chanhassen