REVIEW: Ruby! The Story of Ruby Bridges (SteppingStone Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 20, 2017February 20, 2017 A protest scene from SteppingStone Theatre's production of Ruby! The Story of Ruby Bridges by Christina Ham. It's February in the United States, a time that some see as set aside for the contemplation of the history of Blacks in the United States and the world at large. For others, it's a time
NEWS: Iowa Singer Advances to Met Opera National Council Auditions’ NYC Semi-Finals Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - February 20, 2017March 10, 2017 Soprano Jessica Faselt singing at Bethel University on Sunday, Feb. 20. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera National Council – Upper Midwest Region. The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Upper Midwest Region took place yesterday at Bethel University in St. Paul. The first place winner, soprano Jessica Faselt, will
REVIEW: King Lear: Come With Coffee, Stay for Heartbreak (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - February 18, 2017February 19, 2017 King Lear (Stephen Yoakam), now half-mad, is accosted by a pair of soldiers (Tyler Miller, left, and Kevin Gotch, right). Photo by T Charles Erickson. Armin Shimerman (The Fool) and Stephen Yoakam (King Lear) in the Guthrie Theater’s production of King Lear, by William Shakespeare and directed by Joseph Haj. Scenic
REVIEW: Love Sublime: A Valentine’s Day Shuffle (LOFTRecital) Arts Music by Basil Considine - February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Pianist James Barnett and soprano Bergen Baker at Saturday's LOFTRecital performance. Four years ago, a small organization called LoftOpera launched in Brooklyn, NY. It's motto, "Something between a loft party and a startup opera company", speaks to both sides of its audience experience: intimate performances stripped down to an industrially tinged, repurposed
REVIEW: Size and Other Problems: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Ordway) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Euan Morton (front center), Hannah Corneau and Tits of Clay in the national tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Photo by Joan Marcus. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, now playing at the Ordway, has a bit of a size problem. Yes, that sounds a bit insensitive when discussing a protagonist
REVIEW: Sweeping Peter and the Starcatcher (Latté Da) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 Tyler Michaels as Peter in Theater Latté Da's Peter and the Starcatcher. Photo by Dan Norman. There's a lot of great stuff going on in Theater Latté Da's production of Peter and the Starcatcher. Where to begin? This show has visual humor galore, old-fashioned stage effects that impress you with their subtlety, a script
REVIEW: Skylark Opera Theatre Charges Back with Tragedy of Carmen Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 13, 2017February 13, 2017 Tess Altiveros as Carmen. Skylark Opera Theatre's artistic director Bob Neu made headlines last year with his Angels & Demons Entertainment production of The Marriage of Figaro at the Hill House. When Skylark announced its first season after last spring's sudden cancellation, therefore, expectations were high for something other than business as usual. The
PREVIEW: Minnesota Opera’s 2017-2018 Season Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - February 12, 2017March 11, 2017 One of the production designs for Minnesota Opera's November 2017 production of The Marriage of Figaro. Photo by Dana Sohm. Minnesota Opera formally announced its 2017-2018 season today. The slate of some of opera's greatest hits is sure to please even fans who were pulling hard for the company to continue its journey
INTERVIEW: Skylark Opera Theatre’s Bob Neu on The Tragedy of Carmen Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - February 7, 2017February 7, 2017 Tess Altiveros as Carmen in Skylark Opera Theatre's The Tragedy of Carmen. Photo by Elisabeth. Skylark Opera Theatre had some rough times in 2016, but the organization has regrouped, rebranded, and relaunched itself. On Friday, its 2017 season formally kicks off with the opening of The Tragedy of Carmen at the Midpointe Event Center
REVIEW: Throne Full of Laughs in Royal Family (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - February 4, 2017February 4, 2017 Theatre manager Oscar Wolfe (Shawn Hamilton) looks on as the acting clan of Kitty LeMoyne Dean (Angela Timberman), Herbert Dean (Bill McCallum), Fanny Cavendish (Elizabeth Franz), and Julie Cavendish (Michelle O'Neill) discuss business in the Guthrie Theater production of Royal Family. Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp. Royal Family, now playing at the Guthrie Theater, is