REVIEW: It’s the Time for Newsies (Chanhassen Dinner Theatres) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 Aleks Knezevich (center) leads a ragtag group of newspaper boys (and one girl) in sticking it to the man in Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' production of Newsies. Photo by Rich Ryan Photography. There is a moment in Newsies when Aleks Knezevich (as lead newsboy Jack Kelly) gives a speech about standing together. "All across this
REVIEW: Opera on Tap’s New Arias Program (Honey–Minneapolis) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Amy Donahue - March 13, 2018March 18, 2018 Opera on Tap–Twin Cities director Eryn Tvete and singer Ben Winkler at 2017 installment of the organization's New Arias Program. Photo courtesy of Opera on Tap. The Twin Cities are home to a lot of things, but if you're a fan of new opera you shouldn't wait around too long to
REVIEW: Orphans and NHCC’s New Blackbox (North Hennepin Community College) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - March 11, 2018March 11, 2018 It seems like every other month that another long-time theatre in the Twin Cities announces its closure, caught between rising property values and fundraising woes. Discovering a new performance spaces being created is a welcome counter-current of good news. Last week, I attended an incredible dramatic performance of Lyle Kessler's play Orphans in
REVIEW: Kids Rock Out in School of Rock (Orpheum/Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - March 10, 2018March 11, 2018 The cast of the national tour of School of Rock. Photo by Matthew Murphy. Andrew Lloyd Webber made much of his name and reputation with original – and now classic – rock operas like Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. Returning to the genre in 2013, however, Andrew Lloyd Webber surprisingly chose something quite
REVIEW: Indecent: Art and Erasure…and the Rain Scene (Guthrie) Arts Theatre by Kit Bix - March 10, 2018March 10, 2018 A "troupe" of Yiddish theatre players in the Guthrie Theater production of Paula Vogel's play Indecent, directed by Wendy C. Goldberg. Photo by Dan Norman. Indecent is one of the most powerful plays I’ve seen on the Guthrie stage. It is beautiful. At times, it’s funny. At moments, it’s transfixing. It is
INTERVIEW: Grace Chermak on Playing a Doll (in Guys and Dolls) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - March 10, 2018June 24, 2018 Grace Chermak (second from the left) stars in the Old Log Theatre's upcoming production of Guys and Dolls. Also pictured: Eric Sargent, Charlie Clark, and Kym Chambers Otto. Photo courtesy of the Old Log Theatre. The Old Log Theatre's production of the classic musical Guys and Dolls opens today in Excelsior,
PHOTOS: Corduroy at the Children’s Theatre Company Arts Dance Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - March 6, 2018 The cover image for the classic children's book Corduroy by Don Freeman. Freeman both wrote and illustrated this classic series, which has now been adapted for the stage. The Children's Theatre Company's production of Corduroy, a stage adaptation of the classic children's novel by Don Freeman, opens today. Freeman (1908-1978), a professional
BREAKING NEWS: The End of the Ivey Awards Arts Dance Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - February 28, 2018February 28, 2018 Tyler Michaels and the cast of Latté Da’s Cabaret, the opening act of the 2014 Ivey Awards showcase. Photo by Dan Herenkoff. The Ivey Awards are no more. The news broke today with an email from Ivey Board President Fran Davis. "It has become increasingly difficult," Davis wrote. "To raise the money
INTERVIEW: Sami Pfeffer on Children’s Play and the Hideous Monster Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - February 28, 2018March 1, 2018 Playwright Sami Pfeffer in December 2017 while working on an Art Shanty Project. Tomorrow, Gadfly Theatre Productions will premiere Children's Play, a new theatrical work by Sami Pfeffer. This play for adult audiences explores melancholy and symptoms of mental health. Pfeffer spoke with the Arts Reader's Basil Considine about bringing this work to
NEWS: The Southern Theater’s New Leadership Arts Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - February 26, 2018 Today, The Southern Theater announced the selection of Janette Davis as its new acting Executive Director. The nonprofit theatre in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood has been led by Interim Executive Director Jamie Schumacher for the past year; Schumacher succeeded Damon Runnals, who resigned in October 2016 to pursue other endeavors and ultimately