REVIEW: Ruby! The Story of Ruby Bridges (SteppingStone Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 20, 2017February 20, 2017 A protest scene from SteppingStone Theatre's production of Ruby! The Story of Ruby Bridges by Christina Ham. It's February in the United States, a time that some see as set aside for the contemplation of the history of Blacks in the United States and the world at large. For others, it's a time
NEWS: Iowa Singer Advances to Met Opera National Council Auditions’ NYC Semi-Finals Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - February 20, 2017March 10, 2017 Soprano Jessica Faselt singing at Bethel University on Sunday, Feb. 20. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera National Council – Upper Midwest Region. The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Upper Midwest Region took place yesterday at Bethel University in St. Paul. The first place winner, soprano Jessica Faselt, will
NEWS: Metropolitan Opera National Council – Minnesota Audition Winners Arts Music Opera by Twin Cities Arts Reader - February 19, 2017 Soprano Whitney Morrison singing at the District auditions on Saturday. One of the best chances to hear opera's up-and-coming stars was yesterday, when the Metropolitan Opera National Council held its Minnesota District auditions at Bethel University. Some 32 singers between the ages of 20 and 30 competed in the auditions, traveling
PREVIEW: Game of Thrones: The Live Concert Experience Arts Music by Twin Cities Arts Reader - February 17, 2017February 20, 2017 A promotional rendering of Game of Thrones: The Live Concert Experience. Ask any Game of Thrones fan about what they like about the series and you'll get a laundry list. The riveting stories, love-to-hate-'em villains, heroic struggles, the music – and what music! Excerpts of the award-winning score by Ramin Djawadi are
REVIEW: Love Sublime: A Valentine’s Day Shuffle (LOFTRecital) Arts Music by Basil Considine - February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Pianist James Barnett and soprano Bergen Baker at Saturday's LOFTRecital performance. Four years ago, a small organization called LoftOpera launched in Brooklyn, NY. It's motto, "Something between a loft party and a startup opera company", speaks to both sides of its audience experience: intimate performances stripped down to an industrially tinged, repurposed
REVIEW: Size and Other Problems: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Ordway) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Euan Morton (front center), Hannah Corneau and Tits of Clay in the national tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Photo by Joan Marcus. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, now playing at the Ordway, has a bit of a size problem. Yes, that sounds a bit insensitive when discussing a protagonist
REVIEW: Dead Man Winter @ First Avenue Arts Music by Ali O'Reilly - February 14, 2017February 15, 2017 Photo by David McClister. First Ave is packed, but it's noticeably not annoying. I am chesting through what is undeniably the salt of the earth: Minnesotans buzzing with anticipation, familial-like recognition, whiskey. It’s cozy like a homecoming dipped in flannel, and I have the sense that if the world were to
REVIEW: Sweeping Peter and the Starcatcher (Latté Da) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 Tyler Michaels as Peter in Theater Latté Da's Peter and the Starcatcher. Photo by Dan Norman. There's a lot of great stuff going on in Theater Latté Da's production of Peter and the Starcatcher. Where to begin? This show has visual humor galore, old-fashioned stage effects that impress you with their subtlety, a script
REVIEW: Dr. Seuss & Sneetches + Musical = !!! (Children’s Theatre Company) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 Photo by Dan Norman. Marvelous, simply marvelous. These are not just my words, they are also the words uttered by my five-year-old granddaughter when she saw Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches: The Musical, which had its world premiere performance this weekend at the Children’s Theatre Company. The musical is based on the Dr. Seuss’ book The
REVIEW: Skylark Opera Theatre Charges Back with Tragedy of Carmen Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 13, 2017February 13, 2017 Tess Altiveros as Carmen. Skylark Opera Theatre's artistic director Bob Neu made headlines last year with his Angels & Demons Entertainment production of The Marriage of Figaro at the Hill House. When Skylark announced its first season after last spring's sudden cancellation, therefore, expectations were high for something other than business as usual. The