PREVIEW: The Look of The Drowsy Chaperone (Artistry) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 16, 2016August 26, 2016 Just as the Minnesota Fringe Festival was closing this past weekend, a Fringe-related show was opening down in Bloomington. The Drowsy Chaperone, presented by Artistry, actually has a history as a fringe festival show. This musical began its life as a spoof written for a bachelor party. One wedding later, the
Fringe File #13: Box Offices Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - August 15, 2016August 15, 2016 Julie Marie Muskat in RUNE presented by Vox Medusa at Intermedia Arts. Photo by Alex Wohlhueter. Note: This story has been updated to correct some inaccurate information. It originally stated that the MN Fringe Festival Ultrapassers Emeriti Facebook group was founded in response to the discontinuation of the Ultrapass; this group
REVIEW: Paint Your Wagon Gets a Power Spray Nozzle (Ordway) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 11, 2016August 13, 2016 Photo by Tracy Martin. Updating classic musicals is tricky. People have their favorite moments, lyrics, and renditions that get a pleasant polish from nostalgia. If you're picking a show to update, Lerner and Loewe's Paint Your Wagon is a pretty good pick – the original show has a number of script problems
NEWS: Hennepin Theatre Trust Expands Its Block Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 8, 2016August 8, 2016 Solera Restaurant in former times. The Hennepin Theatre Trust announced on Friday that it had reached an agreement with the City of Minneapolis to purchase the former Solera building (900 and 906 Hennepin Ave.) in downtown Minneapolis. This purchase marks HTT's latest step in expanding its role as a curator of the
REVIEW: Blasts from the Past in Million Dollar Quartet (Old Log Theatre) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 5, 2016June 24, 2018 Eric Morris, Matt Tatone, Frank Moran and Eric Sargent in a publicity photo for the Old Log Theatre's Million Dollar Quartet. Million Dollar Quartet, now playing at the Old Log, is a fun musical romp through rock and roll history. As jukebox musicals go, this one is quite pleasant and thankfully concise;
INTERVIEW: Steven Eng of the Ordway’s Paint Your Wagon Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - July 29, 2016July 29, 2016 A scene from the Ordway Center for the Performing Art's upcoming production of Paint Your Wagon. Actor Steven Eng stands house left, holding a shovel. Photo by Tracy Martin. The summer heat may have ebbed outside, but over in St. Paul things are still heating up at the Ordway Center for the Performing
Fringe File #5: Previews, Round 2 Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - July 26, 2016July 27, 2016 The show postcard for Pound: A Musical for Dogs. Last night saw the second round of live previews for the 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival. A total of 29 shows presented 3-minute excerpts, many of whose opening moments were carefully designed to discomfort and upstage Fringe Executive Director Jeff Larson during the introductions and seize
REVIEW: Magnificent, Intelligent Disgraced (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - July 23, 2016July 23, 2016 The most interesting dinner party in the world in the Guthrie Theater's production of Disgraced. Photo by Dan Norman. Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific was considered a stirring and thought-provoking exploration of race and prejudice when it opened. It was also a thrilling musical with a beautiful and witty score, which are the main reasons why it's mostly remembered
INTERVIEW: Ron Peluso on Glensheen, Murder, and Revivals Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - July 12, 2016July 12, 2016 Glensheen opened last Wednesday at the History Theatre in St. Paul. This revival of last fall's hit came early – just seven months after the world premiere at the History Theatre brought in surging audiences and sold-out show after show. The Twin Cities Arts Reader's Basil Considine spoke with the History Theatre's artistic
FEATURE: Building the Opera Audience of Tomorrow Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - July 8, 2016July 8, 2016 Opera has a reputation, deserved or undeserved, for exclusivity. To the young audience members in attendance at The Marriage of Figaro last night, exclusivity was definitely on the menu: by the time the performance drew to a close, each of them seemed absolutely convinced that attending was like winning a lottery. Technically, this performance was the