INTERVIEW: The Last Days of Bedlam, with Maren Ward Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 21, 2016October 21, 2016 When news broke yesterday of the November 2 closure of Bedlam Lowertown, it didn't take long for Bedlam Theatre's Lowertown and general Facebook pages to start filling up with tributes, thank yous, and laments. Amidst the aftershocks, the scramble to rebook acts, and the general unhappiness, the Twin Cities Arts
REVIEW: Pleasing Die Fledermaus (St. Olaf College) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - October 21, 2016December 1, 2016 Note: This is a review of Cast B from St. Olaf's production of Die Fledermaus. St. Olaf College's barebones staging of Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus is light on set pieces, high on boudoir comedy, and filled with pleasant musical performances. Dale Kruse conducts a chamber sextet that adds a little oomph compared
BREAKING NEWS: Bedlam Lowertown to Close Nov. 2 Arts Dance Lifestyle Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 20, 2016October 20, 2016 The Bedlam Lowertown storefront. Photo by Rachel Stocker. On May 31, 2014, Bedlam Theatre formally opened its new home in St. Paul, the succinctly named Bedlam Lowertown. On November 2, 2016, Bedlam Lowertown will close. In an email sent to Bedlam newsletter subscribers, the organization cited construction delays, cost overruns, and overwhelming
REVIEW: Roundabout’s Cabaret Packs Roundhouse Kick (Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 19, 2016October 20, 2016 Andrea Goss as Sally Bowles and the Kit Kat Girls (Gayle Rankin, Kaleigh Cronin, Kristin Olness, Jessica Pariseau, Kelly Paredes, and Stacey Sipowicz). The Hennepin Theatre Trust opened its 2016-2017 Bank of America Broadway on Hennepin Season on Tuesday (say that three times fast) with a smash production of Cabaret developed
REVIEW: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Washington, DC: UrbanArias) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - October 19, 2016July 11, 2017 On Saturday in Washington, DC, UrbanArias opened The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. It was a splendid production of an opera that is unfortunately unlikely to play in the Twin Cities any time soon. Note: This review has been updated to correct the name of the conductor. One of
REVIEW: Touching Parchman Hour Cometh (Guthrie) Arts Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - October 19, 2016October 19, 2016 The cast of the Guthrie Theater's The Parchman Hour. Photo by Dan Norman. The Guthrie Theater's production of The Parchman Hour is a socially significant play detailing the outrageously brutal treatment of the Freedom Riders in 1961 as they rode in integrated Greyhound buses through the deep South. Patrick McGregor directs Mike
NEWS: Southern Theater Executive Director Steps Down Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 19, 2016October 20, 2016 The Southern Theater in 2010. Photo by Tony Webster; used in accordance with the CC BY-SA 3.0 license. The Southern Theater's Executive Director Damon Runnals is stepping down on October 29. This latest step in a round of reshuffling and transitions in the Twin Cities theatre scene marks the end of an 8-year tenure at the
NEWS: 24th Annual Sally Ordway Irvine Award Recipients Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 17, 2016October 19, 2016 The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts announced the recipients of the 24th annual Sally Ordway Irvine Awards this evening. These prestigious, state-wide awards recognize individuals and institutions whose work has strengthened and enriched the state through their commitment to the arts and arts education. The awards were awarded in five categories to
REVIEW: Dear We Hold These Truths (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre by Lydia Lunning - October 16, 2016October 19, 2016 Joel de la Fuente in Hold These Truths. Photo by Laura Pates. From the audience of Dowling Studio on the ninth floor of the Guthrie Theater, Joel de la Fuente begins his slow descent onto a sparsely set stage, where he will hold the audience in rapt attention for the next
REVIEW: Realistic Joneses Too True (Park Square) Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 JC Cutler, Angela Timberman, Eric "Pogi" Sumangil, and Jane Froiland in Park Square Theatre's production of The Realistic Joneses. Photo by Petronella J. Ytsma. There are sometimes strange synchronies in the world of theatrical programming. The Realistic Joneses has much in common with last season's Constellations at the Jungle Theater; both deal with difficult and highly