PREVIEW: A Voyage with Quilts, Haj, Shakespeare, and Music by Five Women (VocalEssence) Arts Music by Twin Cities Arts Reader - October 7, 2016October 5, 2016 People in Minnesota don't like to boast. This modesty, politeness, or whatever you'd like to call it has been acknowledged by BuzzFeed, The Onion, and even academic researchers. It's a thing. As a result, if you glanced at the blurb for an upcoming event about quilting at a local church,
REVIEW: Intimacy with Calibration Issues in Renée Fleming Recital (Schubert Club) Arts Music Opera by Basil Considine - October 5, 2016October 6, 2016 Renée Fleming's recital at the Schubert Club this evening was a success well before it opened. All-told, the recital sold out four different ways – when ticket sales first opened, after standing tickets were added, after onstage tickets were added, and when all returned tickets (a practice in which ticket holders
BREAKING NEWS: Executive Director of the Minnesota Fringe Festival Steps Down Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - October 5, 2016 Last Friday, the New York International Fringe Festival announced that it was closing for a year to re-evaluate its institutional priorities and directions. The Minnesota Fringe Festival's riposte today was less seismic, but still a significant change for one of the anchors of the Twin Cities performing arts scene. Executive
NEWS: Skylark Opera’s Revival Plan Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - October 5, 2016October 6, 2016 Cecilia Violetta Lopez and Won Whi Choi in Skylark Opera's 2015 production of Puccini's La Rondine. Photo by Matt Bellin. Last spring, Skylark Opera astonished Twin Cities opera fans with a sudden announcement that its 36th season was not to be. In a March 18 letter to subscribers, President Carrie Wesley wrote, "Skylark is
REVIEW: Still Resonant Ragtime (Latté Da) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 A police action and protest turn violent in Latté Da's production of Ragtime. Photo by Dan Norman. Is musical theatre relevant or mere entertainment? The musical Ragtime deals with immigration, economic disparity, and the killing of unarmed blacks by police. Although Ragtime is a period drama set in the United States near the start of
REVIEW: Toruk: The First Flight (Cirque du Soleil / Target Center) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 Photo by Lawrence Erisson. TORUK - The First Flight opened last night at Target Center in Minneapolis. The latest show from Cirque du Soleil is a tour de force of visual design paired with elaborate acrobatics, dancing, and magical transformation after magical transformation. It's also a brilliant showcase of the world from James
PHOTOS: The Look of MN Opera’s Roméo et Juliette Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - September 28, 2016March 11, 2017 Minnesota Opera's Roméo et Juliette, now playing through October 2nd, features a set design by William Boles, costumes by Sarah Bahr, and lighting by Paul Whitaker. Here's a look at the opera's visual feel, which mixes contrasting color palettes for the rival houses with a dominant rose motif. Read Lydia Lunning's review
REVIEW: Suffused with Roses – Roméo et Juliet (Minnesota Opera) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Lydia Lunning - September 26, 2016March 11, 2017 Tempers flare and swords are drawn in Minnesota Opera's production of Roméo et Juliette. Photo by Dan Norman. Minnesota Opera kicks off the 2016-2017 season with a sparkling and stylish reimagining of Roméo et Juliette, Charles-Franҫois Gounod’s 1867 adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tale of famous star-crossed lovers caught between two feuding houses. A
PREVIEW: Renée Fleming to Give MacPhail Master Class Arts Music Opera by Twin Cities Arts Reader - September 23, 2016October 6, 2016 Update: The Renée Fleming Master Class at MacPhail is now sold out. In two weeks, Renée Fleming will sing a sold-out recital to open the Schubert Club's International Artist Series. While there is some small chance of returned tickets being available for sale immediately before the performance, a better (albeit different) chance
WEEKEND PICKS: Have a Love Affair with Avenue Q, Roméo et Juliette, or Women and Money Arts Lifestyle Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - September 22, 2016September 23, 2016 Atim Opoka (bottom center) as Gary Coleman, surrounded by the puppet residents of Chameleon Theatre Circle's production of Avenue Q. Photo by Kari Elizabeth Godfrey. Rain may be dogging the Twin Cities until Sunday morning, but there's plenty going on to do. Here are our staff's weekend picks: Chameleon Theatre Circle presents Avenue Q Can't get