NEWS: Finalists Announced for Metropolitan Opera’s Annual Talent Search

by Basil Considine - April 23, 2018April 23, 2018

The finalists for the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. L-R: Carlos Santelli, Ashley Dixon, Jessica Faselt, Gretchen Krupp, Danielle Beckvermit, Emily Misch, Madison Leonard, Megan Grey, and Hongni Wu. New York is heating up, and it's not just the temperature outside. Over the weekend, the Metropolitan Opera wrapped up the

REVIEW: Rough Five Points Has Its Moments (Theater Latté Da)

by Bev Wolfe - April 18, 2018April 18, 2018

Alejandro Vega as John Diamond Junior with the cast of Theater Latté Da's world premiere of the musical Five Points. Photo by Dan Norman. The musical Five Points had its world premiere at Theater Latté Da last week. It is the latest milestone in Theater Latté Da's NEXT 20/20 initiative to develop

NEWS: Four Humors to Host New MN Theater Awards

by Basil Considine - April 17, 2018April 17, 2018

A medieval medical manuscript describing the four humors of the body. One of the big questions on the mind when the Ivey Awards announced their closure in February was, "Will anyone step up and take their place?" The answer, it turns out, is yes – and, at least to start, it's Four

NEWS: Performance Cancellations Across the Twin Cities

by Twin Cities Arts Reader - April 15, 2018April 15, 2018

Performances across the Twin Cities have been cancelled yesterday and today as snowfall continues to blanket the Twin Cities. Minnesota Twins-Chicago White Sox games have also been postponed pending an improvement in the weather. One of the highlights of today's cancellations is the Downtown Choral Festival, which was scheduled to bring

REVIEW: Something Rotten Smells Great! (Orpheum/HTT)

by Bev Wolfe - April 8, 2018April 8, 2018

The cast of the Something Rotten national tour. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. Something may be rotten in the state of Denmark, but the musical Something Rotten playing at the Orpheum Theatre is simply delightful. John O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick wrote the book for this Broadway musical, and Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick

REVIEW: Jos N. Banks Shines in Kinky Boots Tour (Ordway)

by Kit Bix - April 5, 2018April 5, 2018

The cast of the Kinky Boots national tour. Photo by Matthew Murphy. If you were considering seeing Kinky Boots and thinking "yes, but" or"it's cold, and April is the cruelest month, so I'm just going to skip this one," change your mind. Really, even if you've seen the show before, change

NEWS: Jocelyn Hagen Wins The American Prize in Composition for Test Pilot

by Hanne Appelbaum - April 2, 2018April 2, 2018

A rehearsal photo from the 2016 revival of Jocelyn Hagen and Penelope Freeh's dance opera Test Pilot. Composer Jocelyn Hagen's opera Test Pilot has been awarded The American Prize in Composition's First Place award in the opera/theater/film/dance category, professional division. This honor comes some three and a half years after the work

FEATURE: The Ordway’s Jesus Christ: The Walking Dead and Other Shows that Could Have Been (April Fools)

by Basil Considine - April 1, 2018April 1, 2018

The Walking Dead close in on Dieter Bierbrauer as he mourns the death of Jesus (Jesse Nager) to Walker bite in Jesus Christ: The Walking Dead. Photo by Rich Ryan. Planning on a musical theatre zombie apocalypse? Don't hire a focus group. That's one of several lessons gleaned from a review

NEWS: Leslie Vincent and the Van Goghs at the Heart of Scandal (April Fools)

by Twin Cities Arts Reader - April 1, 2018March 30, 2018

An artist's rendering of Leslie Vincent and the Van Goghs at a recent gig. Painting by Amy Danielson. Scandal has struck the band Leslie Vincent and the Van Goghs. The acclaimed Minneapolis-based ensemble, whose music ranges from soulful covers of standards to in-your-face feminist anthems, has been riven by an earful of

NEWS: Metropolitan Opera Auditions – Upper Midwest Region Results

by Twin Cities Arts Reader - March 25, 2018

Three ladies from a Minnesota stage are heading to New York. The women in question are the first-place winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council's Upper Midwest Region auditions – the second stage in a four-tier competition whose third and fourth rounds will play out on the stage of the Metropolitan