The Grinkie Girls Go to Prom Lifestyle Visual Arts by Basil Considine - October 7, 2015October 7, 2015 The meteoric rise of Instagram brought faded, high-contrast pictures back into style. What the camera-making industry had moved very consciously away from was unexpectedly back in vogue, just in time for cellphone cameras to replace point-and-shoots in most people's pockets and purses. This ushered in an age of photos that
Joshua Bell Sells Out, Sells More Arts Music by Basil Considine - September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 In 2007, virtuoso concert violinist Joshua Bell took his violin to the Washington Metro and began playing. This impromptu performance was a social experiment organized by the Washington Post to see if people would stop and take notice of a highly skilled musician playing in this environment – and to
PREVIEW: Lula Washington Dance Theatre Arts Dance by Basil Considine - September 28, 2015September 28, 2015 The Lula Washington Dance Theatre might just be the best-known dance company you didn't know you saw. Seen the movie Avatar? LWDT founder and namesake Lula Washington choreographed some of the movement and dancing for the Na'vi. Her dancers brought the choreography to life, donning motion capture gear to record the movements
REVIEW: Minnesota Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - September 27, 2015March 11, 2017 The 1912 world premiere of Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos had a built-in pacing problem: while the opera itself was only 90 minutes, it was performed second on the same bill as Le bourgeois gentillehomme – a lengthy play that by itself ran 4.5 hours. This, unsurprisingly, was not the best combination even before the advent
REVIEW: Park Square Kills It In Murder for Two Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - September 25, 2015December 19, 2015 Park Square Theatre's production of Murder for Two, which opened this evening, is a charming murder mystery musical comedy in the pantomime tradition. If you want more alliteration, it's a funny fancy farce of fickleness and fanciful fare. The set is minimal, but the variety of charaters played by Andrea
REVIEW: Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - September 25, 2015September 25, 2015 Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, now playing at Park Square Theatre, is the sort of stage work where knowing too much in advance is against the audience interest. This staging of an intergenerational tale of experiences in and around the U.S. military is moving and gripping. Some preliminary notes: It's best to eat
The Yellow Brick Road to the Box Office: Children’s Theatre Company Extends Wizard of Oz Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - September 24, 2015September 24, 2015 Opening night for the Children's Theatre Company's production of The Wizard of Oz is still five weeks away, but advance sales are already flashing like Judy Garland's ruby slippers. CTC announced today that it was extending the run of this classic musical by one week. The Wizard of Oz is set to
Bedlam Theatre Raises $47k Through Crowdfunding Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - September 16, 2015September 20, 2015 Bedlam Theatre took a big step forward in its $400,000 capital campaign this week when it racked up $47,318 in crowdfunding and matched donations. Bedlam, which opened a new space last year in St. Paul's Lowertown, raised the money through the crowdfunding service Indiegogo. Besides publicity and attracting interest, there are three
Minnesota Opera’s Popup Plan Arts Music Opera by Basil Considine - September 15, 2015March 11, 2017 Popup events are all the range now, and Minnesota Opera has decided to get into the game in a big way. Starting on September 19, MNOpera is sending its musicians out for free daily performances around town in the build-up to its season opener. The promotion, succinctly styled 7 Days of
CANTUS Brews, Sings New Music Loves Arts Music by Basil Considine - September 15, 2015September 15, 2015 When The Manchurian Candidate premiered at Minnesota Opera last winters, reviewers sang the praises of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts' score. Across town, however, Minneapolis-based ensemble CANTUS is singing a different Pulitzer Prize-related tune in rehearsal. The all-male vocal ensemble's latest concert offering, The Four Loves, features four new song commissions: “Manifesto,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning