“Bigger!” the wonderful Doc Whiting used to shout at us in the olden days. “Make it bigger!” One step backward wasn’t enough; Doc wanted two step reactions. Leaps of wild horror. Pop-eyed grimaces. Takes to the audience. Always run. Most…
Author: John Olive
Othello at the Guthrie Theater
In the dark and affecting Othello (at the Guthrie, through April 20) director Marion McClinton and costumer Esosa dress the Moor (played thrillingly by Peter Macon) in thick leather and stiff boots. This imparts to him a lumbering, dominating authority. …
Ash Land by Transatlantic Love Affair, performing at Illusion Theater
Here’s the ensemble-created plot of the affecting Ash Land (Transatlantic Love Affair, performing at Illusion Theater as part of their Lights Up! series, through Feb 22): John and Mary Stone’s farm is suffering the triple whammy of Drought, Dust and Depression.…
Cabaret by Theatre Latté Da, performing at the Pantages
A match made in Thespic heaven: Theatre Latté Da, our premier purveyor of music theater, known for its non-treacly and trenchant intelligence and its astonishing ability to produce super-high-quality theater on a strict budget. And Cabaret, (John) Kander and (Fred)…
The School For Lies at Park Square Theatre
A play has two primary sources of appeal. First, there is the moment-by-moment texture. Is it fun to act? Fun to watch? Does the language enthrall, are there compelling nooks and crannies in the characters? Does the design provide good…
The Phantom Of The Opera at the Orpheum Theatre
The Phantom Of The Opera (playing at the Orpheum through Jan 5) has become an international phenomenon. It opened in London and on Broadway in the late 1980s and is still running, having racked up more than 10,000 perfs. Dozens…
The Sexual Life Of Savages, Walking Shadow Theatre Company performing at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage
The Sexual Life Of Savages (Walking Shadow Theatre Co., performing at the Theatre Garage, through Dec 14). What a gutsy, ambitious, throw-down-the-gauntlet title. Here, the title seems to suggest, you will find a play about crazed reptilian passion. The characters…
Cinderella at the Children’s Theatre Company
In Cinderella (at the Children’s Theatre Company, through Jan 5), Cinderella’s ugly (an understatement) stepsisters, Pearl and Dorcas, are played by CTC vets Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund. Her deliciously malevolent stepmother is portrayed by Autumn Ness. Wow. Never have…
Driving Miss Daisy at the Jungle Theater
Wendy Lehr is in this play! James Craven! Holy moley! Why can’t live theater generate Twins-like, Vikings-esque excitement? Certainly, seeing artists of the caliber of Lehr and Craven bring a play to life is at least as exciting as watching…
PlayLabs at the Playwrights Center
PlayLabs. There are many summertime play development conferences: Sundance, the New Harmony Conference, the Ojai Conference, Pacific Playwrights Conference, and (the granddaddy of them all) the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. But PlayLabs is unique. It’s the only new play conference…