FEATURE: The Smithsonian’s New African American History Museum Arts Lifestyle Visual Arts by Basil Considine - October 17, 2016July 11, 2017 The hottest property in Washington, DC took more than a century to go from dream to reality. After much protestation, arguments over its relevance, and arguments over its funding (something of a Washington, DC pastime), the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture is a blockbuster hit
REVIEW: Realistic Joneses Too True (Park Square) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 JC Cutler, Angela Timberman, Eric "Pogi" Sumangil, and Jane Froiland in Park Square Theatre's production of The Realistic Joneses. Photo by Petronella J. Ytsma. There are sometimes strange synchronies in the world of theatrical programming. The Realistic Joneses has much in common with last season's Constellations at the Jungle Theater; both deal with difficult and highly
REVIEW: Zesty, Dirty Avenue Q (Chameleon Theatre Circle) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 11, 2016October 11, 2016 It's always fun to watch a completely unprepared theatre audience realize just what they bought tickets to. Such a scene unfolded on Saturday night at the Ames Center in Burnsville, when about half of the audience learned that Avenue Q is a) a Sesame Street parody, and b) definitely not a comedy for little
REVIEW: Fanciful Camelot Rides Again (Chanhassen Dinner Theatres) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - October 8, 2016October 8, 2016 Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp. First the original, then the dark and edgy, now the whimsical. The Camelot that opened last night at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is several steps removed from the original version that opened on Broadway in 1960, winning 4 Tony Awards and running for a then-stellar 873 performances. It is not at
REVIEW: Intimacy with Calibration Issues in Renée Fleming Recital (Schubert Club) Arts Music Opera by Basil Considine - October 5, 2016October 6, 2016 Renée Fleming's recital at the Schubert Club this evening was a success well before it opened. All-told, the recital sold out four different ways – when ticket sales first opened, after standing tickets were added, after onstage tickets were added, and when all returned tickets (a practice in which ticket holders
NEWS: Skylark Opera’s Revival Plan Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - October 5, 2016October 6, 2016 Cecilia Violetta Lopez and Won Whi Choi in Skylark Opera's 2015 production of Puccini's La Rondine. Photo by Matt Bellin. Last spring, Skylark Opera astonished Twin Cities opera fans with a sudden announcement that its 36th season was not to be. In a March 18 letter to subscribers, President Carrie Wesley wrote, "Skylark is
REVIEW: Toruk: The First Flight (Cirque du Soleil / Target Center) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 Photo by Lawrence Erisson. TORUK - The First Flight opened last night at Target Center in Minneapolis. The latest show from Cirque du Soleil is a tour de force of visual design paired with elaborate acrobatics, dancing, and magical transformation after magical transformation. It's also a brilliant showcase of the world from James
NEWS: Nimbus Rides on into The Kalevala Arts Dance Theatre by Basil Considine - September 27, 2016September 27, 2016 A promotional photo for The Kalevala. Pictured: Jim Ahrens. Photo by Mathieu Lindquist. Last November, Nimbus Theatre announced that it was shutting its doors at 1517 Central Ave NE in Minneapolis. The reason? A rent increase that pushed past the company's means, forcing it pack up and leave its home since 2011. The
INTERVIEW: KT Tunstall and KIN Arts Music by Basil Considine - September 15, 2016August 23, 2017 KT Tunstall hits the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis on Saturday, September 24th. The Scottish singer-songwriter behind hits like "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree", "Hold On", and "Feel It All" released a new album, KIN, just last week. The Twin Cities Arts Reader's Basil Considine caught up with KT
INTERVIEW: Moria Sine Clinton on Sense, Sensibility, and Costume Design Arts Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - September 15, 2016September 15, 2016 Several costume sketches by Moria Sine Clinton for the Guthrie Theater's production of Sense and Sensibility. Tonight is the last preview for Sense and Sensibility, an adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel opening tomorrow at the Guthrie Theater. Theatrical costuming is an important aspect of any period piece, with different garments