BREAKING NEWS: The End of the Ivey Awards Arts Dance Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - February 28, 2018February 28, 2018 Tyler Michaels and the cast of Latté Da’s Cabaret, the opening act of the 2014 Ivey Awards showcase. Photo by Dan Herenkoff. The Ivey Awards are no more. The news broke today with an email from Ivey Board President Fran Davis. "It has become increasingly difficult," Davis wrote. "To raise the money
REVIEW: New Twist on The Pirates of Penzance (Park Square Theatre) Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Bev Wolfe - February 26, 2018February 26, 2018 Christina Baldwin (center) as the Major General in Park Square Theatre's The Pirates of Penzance. Photo by Petronella J. Ytsma. Park Square Theatre's current production of The Pirates of Penzance is a refreshing spin on the classic comic opera. This comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and lyrics by W.S. Gilbert premiered in New York City in
REVIEW: Steve Winwood – Back in the High Life Again (State Theatre/Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Music by Brian Bix - February 24, 2018February 25, 2018 Steve Winwood at the piano. Fifty-five years ago, Steve Winwood joined Spencer Davis and Steve’s brother Muff to form the Spencer Davis Group. Word soon spread, and established musicians from London like Eric Clapton traveled up to see this Birmingham teenager who had a voice like Ray Charles. The Spencer Davis group
NEWS: Silent Nights Return in Minnesota Opera’s 2018-2019 Season Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - February 20, 2018February 26, 2018 A scene from Minnesota Opera's 2011 production of Silent Night. Photo by Michal Daniel. Minnesota Opera announced its 2018-2019 season last night. The company, one of the ten largest opera companies in the United States, will produce five mainstage operas at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, MN:
REVIEW: Jordan Rocks: Stanley Jordan at the Dakota Jazz Club Arts Music by Brian Bix - February 20, 2018February 20, 2018 A photo collage of jazz musician Stanley Jordan and his recent album covers. No one sounds like Stanley Jordan. He famously plays with both hands on the guitar fretboard, as though he were playing piano keys. As he explains it, this “touch tapping” or “touch technique” allows him to bring the
NEWS: Toxic Waste, No Laughing Matter. Toxic Avenger, Yes! (Minneapolis Musical Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Amy Donahue - February 10, 2018February 10, 2018 A promotional image for Minneapolis Musical Theatre's production of The Toxic Avenger. There is a saying that there's an audience somewhere for everything. To support this, you need look no further than the growth of the Internet, which unites people with the most obscure hobbies and allows you to find the most
BREAKING NEWS: Patrick’s Cabaret to Close Permanently Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - January 30, 2018January 30, 2018 A scene from the 2014 Culture Wars Cabaret hosted by Patrick's Cabaret. Photo by Ryan Stopera. Patrick's Cabaret announced today that it will close permanently this summer. The surprise announcement stunned many in the Twin Cities; the organization has been a fixture in the Twin Cities performing arts scene for 31
REVIEW: Stunning Sights and Dancing in The Wiz (Children’s Theatre Company) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - January 30, 2018January 30, 2018 Aimee Bryant as Addaperle in the Children's Theatre Company production of The Wiz. Photo by Dan Norman The Children’s Theatre Company and Penumbra Theatre co-production of The Wiz is an engaging endeavor that makes you wish these two theatre companies had teamed up earlier. Director Lou Bellamy and choreographer Patdro Harris have created
REVIEW: Ishmael Chases a White Whale (Jungle Theater) Arts Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - January 26, 2018January 26, 2018 A promotional image for the Jungle Theater's Ishmael. The Jungle Theater's new season – its last before it moves to a traditional fall-summer format – casts off with a hunt for a great white whale. Ishmael, now playing at the Jungle, is an adaptation of the classic Herman Melville novel Moby Dick. Director-playwright Leo
INTERVIEW: Kimbra on Her Primal Heart and the Cedar Cultural Center Concert Arts Music by Basil Considine - January 22, 2018January 24, 2018 A promotional photo for Kimbra's third studio album, Primal Heart, which drops April 20. Photo by Micaiah Carter. New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra first burst onto American airwaves in 2012, when her duet "Somebody I Used to Know" with Australian recording artist Gotye rocketed to the top of the Billboard 100. This was