Carry Nation is an odd footnote of American history; a woman so impassioned to halt the scourge of alcohol in pre-prohibition times that she took it as a call from God to do physical damage to saloons and bars with…
Category: Theater
Review | A Christmas Carole Petersen: a Minnesota Nice holiday
There’s an emotionally raw quality to A Christmas Carole Petersen (Theater Latté Da, through Dec 30) that imparts to the material real substance, true Christmas spirit. Without this the play might could be glib, pat, and predictable. For example: Tod Petersen…
Review | Blithe Spirit: sparking sophistication
Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, now at the Guthrie, begins as the upper-class English couple Charles and Ruth Condomine are about to host a dinner party. He’s an established writer. She manages the household which includes a maid of uncommon exuberance.…
Review | The Unscripted Minnesota Holiday: improvised fun
Looking for a little alternative holiday entertainment? Something that doesn’t require dressing up or pondering the financial commitment for the tickets? Well, here it is: Dangerboat Productions “The Unscripted Minnesota Holiday†at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater – and it’s family-friendly…
Review | Black Nativity: pure delight
Great balls of Gospel fire! Toe tapping tuneage! Satan-busting religiosity! Take me now, Lord! If Black Nativity (Penumbra Theatre, through, appropriately, Dec 24) doesn’t utterly transport you into an exquisite world of Gospel-fueled Christmas passion, well then, you have deep…
Review | Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley: a delight
At the end of Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley (at the Jungle) director Christina Baldwin brings the cast together for a final smiling pose. Playing underneath, appropriately, is Beethoven‘s Ode To Joy. That’s what Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley is about:…
Roller Derby Queen: overlong, yes, but still effective
The central conceit of Michele Lepsche‘s affecting (and challenging) Roller Derby Queen (SOS Theater, performing in the wonderful Gremlin space – 550 Vandalia in St. Paul – through Nov 26) is terrific: Florence has ensconced herself in a junk-choked house…
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time: fascinating
Mixed Blood Theatre has just opened “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,†and what a fascinating show it is! And on so many levels! Here’s a thought-provoking story that elucidates an enigmatic protagonist, supported with a theatricality…
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time: brilliantly skewed
The powerful and touching drama, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mixed Blood, through Dec 3), opens when Christopher, an English lad who lives with his father in a working-class community, discovers the neighbor’s dog dead in the…
The Privateer: an amusing, uneven swashbuckler
If you consider yourself a Twin Cities theater devotee and haven’t seen a production from Transatlantic Love Affair, you must. Their unique approach to theater, with actors offering their bodies and voices as versatile replacements for physical sets, props, and…