REVIEW: Sumptuous Tosca Muddles Imagery, Makes Out Musically Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - March 16, 2016March 17, 2016 Cavaradossi (Leonardo Capalbo) walks to his fate. Photo by Dan Norman. If anyone was worried when Minnesota Opera announced that Kelly Kaduce was stepping into the title role of Tosca with just a week's notice, they needn't have bothered. Kaduce was in full form on opening night, a dazzling presence on stage as
The Ordway’s 2016-2017 Season Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - March 15, 2016March 16, 2016 Oyate Okodakiciyapi. Photo by pauloTphotography. The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts announced its 2016-2017 seasons this evening with its annual festive celebration. The upcoming season includes a diverse mix of self-produced musicals, touring Broadway shows, world music concerts, dance performances, the Ordway's own Broadway Songbook concerts, and a variety of special
Recommended Menu: Chanhassen Dinner Theatres Arts Dance Lifestyle Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - March 12, 2016 Going to see Beauty and the Beast at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres? There are many delicious menu options, but here's a selection recommended by the Twin Cities Arts Reader's Basil Considine: Appetizer: Chan Sampler (split with your friends) - comes with a hot artichoke dip, gouda cheese croquettes, coconut shrimp, and Italian meatballs. Entrée:
REVIEW: C’est Belle! Beauty and the Beast à Chanhassen Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - March 12, 2016March 18, 2016 Gaston (Aleks Knezevich) and company in CDT's 2016 production of Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Heidi Boehnenkamp. It's been 11 years since Chanhassen Dinner Theatres opened its original production of Beauty and the Beast. In the intervening decade, this adaptation of the classic Disney movie musical has appeared on Twin Cities stages via Broadway
PREVIEW: The Look of Tosca Arts Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - March 11, 2016 Scarpia (Stephen Powell) revels in his diabolical plan. Photo by Dan Norman. Minnesota Opera's Tosca opens tomorrow. Here's a look at the production and the gorgeous sets and costumes by Lorenzo Cutùli; all photos by Dan Norman.
REVIEW: If/Then = Yes/But (Orpheum Theatre) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - March 9, 2016March 11, 2016 It's entirely possible that you'll leave If/Then (now playing at the Orpheum Theatre) without any certainty about what actually went on onstage. The basic schtick of this show is to play out the "what ifs" at different decision points, but it's not always clear where one version of events begins and ends. This
PREVIEW: Tosca (Minnesota Opera) Arts Music Opera by Basil Considine - March 7, 2016March 11, 2017 A scenic design sculpture for Act 2 of Minnesota Opera's 2016 production of Tosca. Design by Lorenzo Cutùli. Tosca, which opens this Saturday at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, is one of the most lethal operas in the standard repertoire. Les Troyens' mass suicide of Trojan maidens kills off more
PREVIEW: Women of Substance Festival (St. Catherine University) Arts Dance Lifestyle Music Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - March 3, 2016March 3, 2016 The year 2016 has many milestones, but in the case of St. Catherine's University it marks the 20th anniversary of the university's celebrated Women of Substance Series. For two decades, this series has brought a brilliant succession of work by and featuring women to St. Paul, filling the O'Shaughnessy with innovative and
REVIEW: Iolanthe Hilarious, Lovely (GSVLOC) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - February 28, 2016February 28, 2016 Sort-of-maybe-star-crossed lovers The Lord Chancellor (Scott Benson), Phyllis (Sarah Wind Richens), and Strephon (Eric Sargent). 2015 was a good year for Gilbert & Sullivan fans in the Twin Cities. In a typical year, they might expect to see just one or two performances; in 2015, they got three: H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and Trial
REVIEW: A Heart-Thrumming Chorus Line (Ordway) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - February 26, 2016February 26, 2016 The cast of the Ordway's A Chorus Line. Photo by Rich Ryan. A Chorus Line is one of a very small number of large-cast musicals still performed by major companies. It features no fewer than 17 principals, 15 of whose job is to make you care about them and root for their being