INTERVIEW: Elena Giannetti, The Last Five Years, and Creating Directing Spaces Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - January 5, 2018January 5, 2018 A promotional photo for Artistry's upcoming production of The Last Five Years showing Cathy (Aly Westberg O’Keeffe) and Jamie (Ryan London Levin). Photo by Devon Cox/Artistry. One of the archtypical cult musicals of the early 20th century is Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. This two-person show tells the story of a
TOP 10: Bev Wolfe’s 10 Best Plays and Musicals of 2017 Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - January 4, 2018January 4, 2018 A less happy moment between Eisinin (Sergei Andreev) and Duncan (Lisa Channer) in Theatre Novi Most's production of Dancing on the Edge. In reading through the top 10 lists of other reviewers, I realized there were a lot of great shows that I missed this year. The Twin Cities is blessed with
REVIEW: The Tech and Design Sides of Annie (Ordway) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Bev Wolfe - December 31, 2017January 4, 2018 The presidential cabinet: Kersten Rodau, Adam Qualls, Randy Schmeling, Bill Scharpen, Carl Schoenborn, and Charles Fraser in Annie. Photo by Rich Ryan. A locally produced holiday production of Annie is ending is its run at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Since its original opening on Broadway in 1977, Annie
INTERVIEW: John Olive and How the Ghost of You Clings Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - December 27, 2017January 9, 2018 A photo collage of the early-20th century actress Anna May Wong, whose story is the focus of the upcoming How the Ghost of You Clings, the Anna Wong Story. Some people make New Year's resolutions to do less. The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis doesn't seem to have gotten that memo – come
FEATURE: The Chandelier in The Phantom of the Opera Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - December 21, 2017December 21, 2017 The chandelier used in the current Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. The current touring show chandelier is proportionally taller and emphasizes other details of the model chandeliers at the Paris Opera. Read Basil Considine's review of The Phantom of the Opera. At the height of the first megamusical craze,
PREVIEW: True Stories Brought to Life in Our House: The Capitol Play Project Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - December 21, 2017December 21, 2017 Photo by Tracy Swenson. The term "site-specific" gets tossed around a lot in theatre nowadays. The once highly specific term is often used to describe any performance outside a traditional performance space. This genericization obscures what made the idea of site-specific theatre revolutionary – and what continues to give the idea power.
REVIEW: Darkly Beautiful Phantom of the Opera‘s Triumphant Return (Orpheum/Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - December 19, 2017December 21, 2017 Christine (Eva Tavares) and Raoul (Jordan Craig) snatch a kiss in the Broadway tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Matthew Murphy. They say you never forget your first love. This is at the crux of The Phantom of the Opera's plot, and even more so in its sequel Love Never Dies.
REVIEW: A Very Die Hard Christmas Strikes Back (Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater) Arts Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - December 16, 2017December 21, 2017 Josh Carson is John McClane in A Very Die Hard Christmas, a show that features movie jokes, pop culture references, a talking snowman, and more. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Believe it or not, this question has acquired significant attention on the Internet, with even Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighing
REVIEW: Soaring The Last Jedi Reignites the Flame (Spoiler-Free) Movies by David M. Meneer - December 13, 2017December 13, 2017 Mark Hamill stars as Luke Skywalker in the hotly awaited Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It's a long trip from Down Under to practically anywhere else – but there are some perks. Thanks to the International Date Line, you sometimes get to see blockbuster movies before your friends in Europe and the
INTERVIEW: Leah Nanako Winkler on Parodying Stage Whiteness, the Kilroys, and More Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - December 11, 2017December 11, 2017 Playwright Leah Nanako Winkler in the rehearsal studio. Photo by Leni Kei Photography. Next Valentine's Day, Mu Performing Arts and Mixed Blood Theatre will be sitting down together over glasses of white wine. The occasion? Their co-production of Leah Nanako Winkler's play Two Mile Hollow, a parody of a certain well-worn