INTERVIEW: Elena Giannetti, The Last Five Years, and Creating Directing Spaces Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - January 5, 2018January 5, 2018 A promotional photo for Artistry's upcoming production of The Last Five Years showing Cathy (Aly Westberg O’Keeffe) and Jamie (Ryan London Levin). Photo by Devon Cox/Artistry. One of the archtypical cult musicals of the early 20th century is Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. This two-person show tells the story of a
TOP 10: Bev Wolfe’s 10 Best Plays and Musicals of 2017 Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - January 4, 2018January 4, 2018 A less happy moment between Eisinin (Sergei Andreev) and Duncan (Lisa Channer) in Theatre Novi Most's production of Dancing on the Edge. In reading through the top 10 lists of other reviewers, I realized there were a lot of great shows that I missed this year. The Twin Cities is blessed with
REVIEW: The Tech and Design Sides of Annie (Ordway) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Bev Wolfe - December 31, 2017January 4, 2018 The presidential cabinet: Kersten Rodau, Adam Qualls, Randy Schmeling, Bill Scharpen, Carl Schoenborn, and Charles Fraser in Annie. Photo by Rich Ryan. A locally produced holiday production of Annie is ending is its run at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Since its original opening on Broadway in 1977, Annie
FEATURE: The Chandelier in The Phantom of the Opera Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - December 21, 2017December 21, 2017 The chandelier used in the current Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. The current touring show chandelier is proportionally taller and emphasizes other details of the model chandeliers at the Paris Opera. Read Basil Considine's review of The Phantom of the Opera. At the height of the first megamusical craze,
REVIEW: Darkly Beautiful Phantom of the Opera‘s Triumphant Return (Orpheum/Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - December 19, 2017December 21, 2017 Christine (Eva Tavares) and Raoul (Jordan Craig) snatch a kiss in the Broadway tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Matthew Murphy. They say you never forget your first love. This is at the crux of The Phantom of the Opera's plot, and even more so in its sequel Love Never Dies.
REVIEW: A Very Die Hard Christmas Strikes Back (Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater) Arts Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - December 16, 2017December 21, 2017 Josh Carson is John McClane in A Very Die Hard Christmas, a show that features movie jokes, pop culture references, a talking snowman, and more. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Believe it or not, this question has acquired significant attention on the Internet, with even Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighing
WEEKEND PICKS: Chess, Berbers, Amahl, A Very Die Hard Christmas Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - December 11, 2017December 11, 2017 A promotional image for A Very Die Hard Christmas at Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater. Weather this week vacillates between the 20s and 30s, but will rise above freezing as the weekend arrives. Here are the weekend's picks for getting out and about: Thursday, 12/14 Head down to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to see Amazigh
INTERVIEW: Bradley Greenwald on the Nutcracker (Not So) Suite Arts Dance Music Theatre by Hanne Appelbaum - December 10, 2017December 11, 2017 Bradley Greenwald (left) and Steven Epp in the Jungle Theater's 2010 production of The Mystery of Irma Vep. Photo by Michal Daniel. Bradley Greenwald has long been a fixture of the Twin Cities theatre scene. The Fairmont, MN native first came to the Twin Cities to study German at the University of
REVIEW: A Christmas Carole Petersen Strikes Back (Latté Da) Arts Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - December 10, 2017December 10, 2017 Tod Petersen stars in Theater Latté Da's A Christmas Carole Petersen. Theater Latté Da is currently reprising its holiday staple, the oft-talked-about A Christmas Carole Petersen. The show was first presented in 2000, was an annual Latté Da tradition for 10 years, and returned last year after a 7-year absence. The show
REVIEW: Orphan-Strong Annie (Ordway) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - December 9, 2017December 9, 2017 The cast of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts' production of Annie. Photo by Rich Ryan. There was a strong current of energy in the air at the Ordway last night for the press opening of Annie. As streams of parents and younger children stepped in from the cold outdoors,