REVIEW: Brilliant Music, Inconsistent Tone in Don Pasquale (Minnesota Opera) Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - October 12, 2017June 24, 2018 Craig Colclough as the titular Pasquale in Minnesota Opera’s Don Pasquale. Photo by Dan Norman. Minnesota Opera's production of Don Pasquale, currently playing at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, is suffused with all the lovely music that you've come to know and expect, well-performed and a joy to hear. The updated
PREVIEW: Life Could Be a Dream is a Doo Wop Fantasia (Old Log Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 2, 2017June 24, 2018 The cast of the Old Log Theatre's upcoming production of Life Could Be a Dream. From left to right: Austin Stole, Lucas Wells, Grace Lowe, Eric Sargent, Brian Winter. There's something about the music of the 1950s that forms a quintessential part of American nostalgia and culture. This comes in part
FEATURE: 8 Illustrations Showing Intermedia Arts’ Plight Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - October 1, 2017October 1, 2017 A bar chart illustrating the deficit cycle faced by Intermedia Arts, its board, and its staff since 2000. The organization's financial reserves were severely eroded even before the Great Recession hit; post-Recession, soaring expenses quickly eroded Intermedia's financial gains. Thursday evening, Intermedia Arts sent out a short, succinct to its media
REVIEW: Inspiring Man of La Mancha for Troubled Times (Latté Da) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Bev Wolfe - September 27, 2017September 28, 2017 Martín Solá and Zachary Garcia ride out in the play-within-a-play in Theater Latté Da's production of Man of La Mancha. Photo by Allen Weeks. September is one of the busiest months for Minnesota's professional theatres, with dozens of show openings in the Twin Cities alone. Theater Latté Da's production of Man of La
NEWS: 2017 Ivey Award Recipients Announced Arts Dance Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - September 26, 2017 A Staged Expression, featuring Ryan Colbert and Traci Allen Shannon. Photo by William Clark Photography. Last night, the 2017 Ivey Awards for professional theatre were announced at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. Highlights included performances by a variety of companies that had previously won Ivey Awards, as well as a
REVIEW: The Abominables Takes a Musical Swing at Hockey (Children’s Theatre Company) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - September 25, 2017September 25, 2017 A reporter (Stephanie Bertumen) catches a Yeti (Ryan Colbert) on the ice in The Abominables, now playing at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. Photo by Dan Norman. The Abominables, a new musical playing at the Children’s Theatre Company, is an entertaining story about acceptance, team work, and the belief that
REVIEW: Superb In the Heights Runs to the Finish (Ordway) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - September 22, 2017September 22, 2017 Debra Cardona stars as Abuela Claudia in the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts production of In the Heights. Photo by Rich Ryan. The biggest thing wrong with the Ordway's production of In the Heights is that it's only running for two weeks. This powerhouse production deserves a much longer run, with
REVIEW: Stellar, Magnificent Aladdin Tour (Orpheum/Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - September 20, 2017September 20, 2017 The Genie (Anthony Murphy) gives Aladdin the friendship sell in "Friend Like Me" in the national tour of Aladdin. Photo by Deen van Meer. There's a song in Aladdin with a well-known lyric: "You never had a friend like me." Well, you've never seen a show like this – the Broadway tour of Aladdin is
INTERVIEW: Adam Jacobs on Playing Aladdin and Touring with Family Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - September 18, 2017September 18, 2017 A scene from the national tour of Aladdin, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Photo by Deen van Meer. The stage version of Disney's beloved musical Aladdin has come to roost in Minneapolis for the next 3.5 weeks. The national tour of Aladdin plays at the Orpheum Theatre through October 8; the Arts Reader's Basil
PREVIEW: The 13th Annual Ivey Awards Arts Dance Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - September 18, 2017September 18, 2017 A cropped version of Take a Bow, featuring Autumn Ness, Warren Bowles, Kevin Fanshaw, and Victor Zupanc; the full image is below. Photo by William Clark Photography. The 13th Annual Ivey Awards are coming to town. Next Monday, September 25, the annual event – fondly nicknamed "theatre prom" by local theatre practitioners