REVIEW: Classic Neil Simon Laughs in Come Blow Your Horn (St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner Theatre) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - October 27, 2017October 29, 2017 It's not often that a first play stands the test of time as well as Neil Simon's Come Blow Your Horn, now playing at the St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner Theatre in Hudson, WI. Come Blow Your Horn is filled with all the situational humor and relatable character clashes that suffuse Simon's
REVIEW: Striking Music Man (Artistry) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 23, 2017October 24, 2017 The townsfolk prepare to put Harold Hill (Michael Gruber, center) on musical trial. Photo by Devon Cox. Artistry is on a musical roll. The company's striking new production of The Music Man follows last spring's thrilling, melodramatic production of The Secret Garden. After years of flashy productions weighed down by muddy sound mixes
REVIEW: On Driving Miss Daisy (Happy for That Theatre) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - October 22, 2017October 23, 2017 Mary Kay Fortier Spalding as Daisy, Eric Wood as Hoke, and Dann Peterson as Boolie in Happy for That Theatre's production of Driving Miss Daisy. Happy for That Theatre's production of Driving Miss Daisy is a straightforward piece of theatre. It is interesting, often humorous, and strongly delivered with its simple staging. The basic setup
REVIEW: Doo Wop You Will in Life Could Be a Dream (Old Log Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 20, 2017June 24, 2018 The cast of the Old Log Theatre's production of Life Could Be a Dream. From left to right: Austin Stole, Lucas Wells, Grace Lowe, Eric Sargent, Brian Winter. Those oldies but goodies remind me of you. The songs of the past bring back memories of you. I always remember the first night we
PREVIEW: Skylark Opera to Stage Transgender Tale As One Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - October 18, 2017October 18, 2017 A promotional image from San Diego Opera's 2017 production of the chamber opera As One. Skylark Opera Theatre announced today that it will produce the opera As One as part of its spring season. This 2014 chamber opera by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed has caught fire, with 20 past
PREVIEW: The Roots of Peter Pan in Finding Neverland (Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 16, 2017October 16, 2017 Billy Harrigan Tighe and John Davidson in Finding Neverland. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. If you follow Broadway musicals, you've probably heard the name Diane Paulus. Paulus is one of the most influential producers and directors on Broadway today. One of the founders of the Project 400 Theatre Group, she launched her career
REVIEW: Pounding St. John Passion (Lyric Opera of the North) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - October 15, 2017October 16, 2017 Jesus (Jarrett Ott) sprawls on the ground after a savage beating in LOON Opera's staged production of the St. John Passion. Illustration by Basil Considine. LOON Opera kicked off its 2017-2018 season on Saturday with Johann Sebastian Bach's St. John Passion. Yes, you read that correctly – winter isn't anywhere close to officially
REVIEW: The Tap’s the Thing in Irving Berlin’s Music Box Revue 1921 (Theatre of the Ridiculous and Absurd) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 13, 2017October 13, 2017 A 1921 advertisement for the original Music Box Revue. There's a saying in show business that every show must have a pressing reason to exist. Irving Berlin’s Music Box Revue 1921's reason is clearly to be a love note to one of America's most beloved songwriters. The origins of Irving Berlin's Music Box Revue
REVIEW: Brilliant Music, Inconsistent Tone in Don Pasquale (Minnesota Opera) Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - October 12, 2017June 24, 2018 Craig Colclough as the titular Pasquale in Minnesota Opera’s Don Pasquale. Photo by Dan Norman. Minnesota Opera's production of Don Pasquale, currently playing at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, is suffused with all the lovely music that you've come to know and expect, well-performed and a joy to hear. The updated
REVIEW: Finely Tuned, Stomach-Churning The Nether (Jungle Theater) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - October 11, 2017October 12, 2017 Sims/Papa (Stephen Yoakam) and Morris (Mo Perry) in a promotional photograph for the Jungle Theater's production of The Nether. The Nether, currently playing at the Jungle Theater, is the best-made play that I despise. I despise this play even more than I dislike writing a review from the first person perspective. However, it