AWARDS: Keith Hovis = Composer of the Year

by Hanne Appelbaum - December 7, 2019December 7, 2019

The Twin Cities is gifted with a wealth of residents who engage in generative art creation: writers, composers, painters, sculptors, choreographers, weavers, and more. With the end of 2019 approaching, the Arts Reader is recognizing several of these creators who stand out from the pack. The Arts Reader's 2019 Composer

INTERVIEW: Matthias Maute on Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and 80 Concerts/Year (Bach Society of Minnesota)

Arts
Music

by Basil Considine - December 6, 2019December 6, 2019

Conductor Matthias Maute leads the Bach Society of Minnesota in a trio of concerts this weekend. Photo by Bill Blackstone. There are many claimants to the title of "the most German composer", but there is one item on which all can agree: if such a spiritual lineage exists, the line to

REVIEW: SIX Short of Hype, Still a Splash (Ordway)

by Basil Considine - December 5, 2019December 6, 2019

The cast of SIX, now playing at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, MN. Photo by Brett Beiner. From all the hype, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Broadway-bound SIX is the second coming of, well, Hamilton. It is not – the two are apples and

INTERVIEW: Chilina Kennedy on The Band’s Visit and Rocking the Road

by Basil Considine - December 1, 2019November 26, 2019

What would you do if a whole busload full of strangers was stranded in your town overnight? What if they were from a country that has historically not gotten along well with your own? A scene from the national tour of The Band's Visit, which plays at the Orpheum Theatre

REVIEW: The Many Returns of Jane Austen in Christmas at Pemberley (Jungle Theater)

by Basil Considine - November 26, 2019November 26, 2019

Fitzwilliam Darcy (James Rodríguez, left) and Charles Bingley (Jesse Lavercome, right) advise the inexperienced Arthur de Bourgh (Reese Britts, center) on how to write letters to women in the Jungle Theater production of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. Photo by Dan Norman. The Jungle Theater's 2017 holiday hit Miss Bennet: Christmas

REVIEW: Hilarious Return of Cinderella (Children’s Theatre Company)

by Bev Wolfe - November 25, 2019November 25, 2019

Rajane Katurah and Alexcia Thompson in the Children's Theatre Company production of Cinderella. Photo by David Rubene Photography. Children’s Theatre has launched a raucous and hilarious remount of Cinderella. This production is based on John B. Davidson’s adaptation of Charles Perrault’s original fairytale. I saw this fantastic show in 2016 and

REVIEW: Phantom of the Opera Returns for Final Rollercoaster Ride (Orpheum Theatre)

by Basil Considine - November 25, 2019November 26, 2019

The famous Masquerade in The Phantom of the Opera, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. Photo by Alastair Muir. This is your last chance to catch The Phantom of the Opera. Wait, that's not quite right. This is your last chance to catch the magnificent 25th Anniversary Tour

INTERVIEW: Derrick Davis on Becoming the Phantom of the Opera

by Basil Considine - November 21, 2019November 22, 2019

Derrick Davis (right) returns to the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis as The Phantom in the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Matthew Murphy. Playing the Phantom of the Opera is a famously demanding role, and playing the Phantom amidst the rigors and winter winds of a national tour

REVIEW: Brilliant, Hilarious Homicide in Gentleman’s Guide (Old Log Theatre)

by Basil Considine - October 31, 2019October 31, 2019

Monty Navarro (Max Wojtanowicz, right) drops in on his paramour Sibella (Emily Scinto) in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, now playing at the Old Log Theatre. Photo courtesy of the Old Log Theatre. It's a good thing that entertainment consumption and morals are only thinly linked. If the association

REVIEW: Pleasant, Low-Calorie Most Happy Fella (Skylark Opera Theatre)

by Basil Considine - October 14, 2019October 15, 2019

Bill Marshall and Sarah Lawrence in the Skylark Opera Theatre production of The Most Happy Fella, now playing at the Mounds Theatre in St. Paul, MN. Photo courtesy of Skylark Opera Theatre. What would you get if Frank Loesser of Guys and Dolls fame decided to write an opera? You'd get