Twin Citieans are regular visitors to Duluth, escaping to the shores of Lake Superior, cooled by the big lake, maybe in search of a semi-wilderness experience “up the shore,†accompanied by fresh fish and fine local brews. I can give…
Category: Reviews
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson by Minneapolis Musical Theatre, performing at the New Century Theatre
Andrew Jackson, our seventh President, was a nasty piece of work. A westerner (from the frontier state of Tennessee), Jackson owned slaves, gleefully massacred native Americans, slew men in duels, bigamously married his wife, battled his way to the Presidency,…
The Cat in the Hat at the Children’s Theatre Company
Children’s Theatre Company has just opened a show for the little ones with the Katie Mitchell adaptation of the definitive book by Dr. Seuss, “The Cat in the Hat.†For the two or three people who may not know the…
Rocket To The Moon by the Gremlin Theatre, performing at the New Century Theatre
Once a much bally-hoo’d darling of the New York theater – the Group Theatre made its reputation (or at least its money) producing his work in the 1930s – playwright Clifford Odets‘s work seldom finds its way onto contemporary stages.…
The Three Musketeers by Walking Shadow Theatre Co., performing in the Guthrie’s Dowling Studio
Want to enjoy Walking Shadow Theatre Co.‘s giddy, swashbuckling, sword-happy The Three Musketeers (at the Guthrie‘s Dowling Studio, through May 25)? Here’s my firm advice: go with the sprawl. Lay aside whatever need you might have for coherent narrative, for…
The Working Boys Band at The History Theatre
The History Theatre has premiered a new musical that uses a relatively obscure bit of history to illuminate a corner of the dynamic environment of Minneapolis in 1917, just as America was entering W.W. I. The show’s composer, the late…
Passing Strange at Mixed Blood Theatre
Passing Strange (at Mixed Blood Theatre, through May 11) is an example of that ancient, hoary, and utterly old-fashioned theatrical entity: the rock musical. Everyone is in the band. The cast plays various instruments – not brilliantly, but you can’t…
Shrek, The Musical at Children’s Theatre Company
Unless you’ve spent the last dozen years sequestered in a Kazukistan monastery, you know the story of Shrek, The Musical (at Children’s Theatre Company, through June 15): Shrek, an ogre, rescues Princess Fiona from the nasty dragon, falls for her,…
Mercy Killers at Pillsbury House Theatre
The best theater kicks down walls, pulls off the gloves and starts swinging. Mercy Killers, written and performed by Michael Milligan and produced by Pillsbury House Theatre, is that kind of play – a piece that rages against America’s broken…
Three Penny Opera by Frank Theatre, performing at the Southern
Three Penny Opera (Frank Theatre, performing at the Southern, through May 4) was written in 1928 by playwright Bertolt Brecht with music by composer Kurt Weill. I point this out because the program for the Frank production makes no mention…