REVIEW: Chameleon Theatre Circle’s Wonderful Horror Show Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 16, 2015October 16, 2015 Note: This review has been updated and republished with additional pictures. It originally ran on October 5, 2015. Not every musical shines in a black box theater, but Chameleon Theatre Circle uses it to bring audience immersion to splendid heights in its production of The Rocky Horror Show. This production is a
PREVIEW: Attack of the Boobies – The Return of the Halloween Burlesque Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 15, 2015October 15, 2015 The Halloween-themed show opening at the Phoenix Theater on Friday, October 23 has a lot of trick and treating – for a certain interpretation of those words involving boobies. No, it's not the latest round of inappropriately sexy Halloween costumes or a swarm of drunken coeds. This performance is a Hot Dish
NEWS: Glensheen Shines, Rakes It In @ History Theatre Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 15, 2015July 11, 2017 The Star Tribune called it "a ripping success." Pioneer Press said it "checks all the right boxes and more than fits the bill." A year and half ago, having seen 1 hour of a rough draft, Cherry and Spoon pronounced "almost every song and scene is terrific." These are high praises for
Hamline UMC adds music series Arts Music by Twin Cities Arts Reader - October 12, 2015October 13, 2015 Trick or treating is poised to drop on the streets strewn with colorful leaves, but musical notes are in the air at Hamline United Methodist Church. This church in St. Paul's Hamline-Midway neighborhood announced an extended music series on Friday, most of which consist are free or have suggested donation-only admission.
Ordway Announces Sound of Music Casting Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 9, 2015October 12, 2015 One of the most-requested classic musicals every year at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is The Sound of Music. (Another is Frozen: The Musical, a show which doesn't technically exist, yet, but that's another story.) To the great delight of subscribers, last spring's 2015-2016 season announcement included the news that
Joshua Bell Sells Out, Sells More Arts Music by Basil Considine - September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 In 2007, virtuoso concert violinist Joshua Bell took his violin to the Washington Metro and began playing. This impromptu performance was a social experiment organized by the Washington Post to see if people would stop and take notice of a highly skilled musician playing in this environment – and to
REVIEW: Minnesota Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - September 27, 2015March 11, 2017 The 1912 world premiere of Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos had a built-in pacing problem: while the opera itself was only 90 minutes, it was performed second on the same bill as Le bourgeois gentillehomme – a lengthy play that by itself ran 4.5 hours. This, unsurprisingly, was not the best combination even before the advent
REVIEW: Park Square Kills It In Murder for Two Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - September 25, 2015December 19, 2015 Park Square Theatre's production of Murder for Two, which opened this evening, is a charming murder mystery musical comedy in the pantomime tradition. If you want more alliteration, it's a funny fancy farce of fickleness and fanciful fare. The set is minimal, but the variety of charaters played by Andrea
REVIEW: Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - September 25, 2015September 25, 2015 Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, now playing at Park Square Theatre, is the sort of stage work where knowing too much in advance is against the audience interest. This staging of an intergenerational tale of experiences in and around the U.S. military is moving and gripping. Some preliminary notes: It's best to eat
Chameleon Theatre Circle Opens 100th Production Arts Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - September 25, 2015September 27, 2015 As the Minneapolis Institute of Art's Julianne Amendola can tell you, it's not every year that your institution turns 100. In this respect, the MIA has a leg up on almost every arts organization in the area in terms of longevity and head starts – just ask the Children's Theatre Company. The