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
INTERVIEW: The Temptations and Questions With Harrel Holmes Jr Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - June 28, 2022June 28, 2022 Harrell Holmes Jr., Elijah Ahmad Lewis, Jalen Harris, Marcus Paul James, and James T. Lane in the National Touring Company of Ain’t Too Proud, opening tonight at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo by Emilio Madrid. The touring Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The
INTERVIEW: Playwright Kate Hamill’s New Emma at the Guthrie Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - June 14, 2022June 14, 2022 The Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater. Photo by Gallop Studios. This Saturday, previews begin at the Guthrie Theater for Emma. This new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic 1815 novel about a would-be matchmaker in Regency Era England is penned by actor-playwright Kate Hamill, who has made something of a
INTERVIEW: Back to the B Minor Mass: The Bach Society of Minnesota’s Centerpiece Arts Music by Basil Considine - May 11, 2022May 11, 2022 The Bach Society of Minnesota's Artistic Director Matthias Maute conducts a performance of J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis in 2021. Rock musicians have a notoriously short average lifespan (43.6 years). The average non-profit performing arts organization's lifespan is even shorter. Most are lucky to
INTERVIEW: Amy Quanbeck and Being a Minnesotan in the Moulin Rouge Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - May 11, 2022May 11, 2022 Conor Ryan (as Christian) and Courtney Reed (as Satine) star in the North American Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which opens at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis next week. Photo by Matthew Murphy. On May 18, 2001, a film called Moulin Rouge opened at the North American box office. Directed and
FEATURE: Strumming a Richer Tune at DalekoArts in Once Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - May 7, 2022May 14, 2022 Singer-actor-dancer-instrumentalists Leslie Vincent (left) and Chris Paulson (right) star in DalekoArts' production of Once, now playing in New Prague, MN. Photo courtesy of DalekoArts. "Write what you know." It's one of the most common pieces of advice given to poets, novelists, songwriters, and other wielders of writing. To that, one might