In Arms And The Man (on the Guthrie‘s McGuire Stage, through May 8 ) George Bernard Shaw hides deep cynicism in plain sight, behind a veneer of flashy dialogue, sweet romance, giddy farce, lovable preening upperclass characters. We laugh, get…
Little Shop Of Horrors by Mu Performing Arts, at the Ritz Theater
Spring! Ah. The snowbanks are melting, temps are soaring (sort of), the sun has a delicious new bite. There will be no more snow. In honor of the new season, CTC is producing Annie, Penumbra is exploring the music of…
Photo set: Middle Brother, Dawes and Deer Tick at First Avenue
Broke-ology at Pillsbury House Theatre
Broke-ology (Pillsbury House Theatre, through April 10) breaks no new ground. Playwright Nathan Louis Jackson‘s writing is lovely, but it’s straight forward realism, a father-son drama played in a modest and tidy living room/kitchen. The designers, led by the estimable…
Barrio Grrrl! at The Children’s Theatre Company
The Kennedy Center has brought its national tour of Barrio Grrrl! to the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, offering a view of summer in the barrio through the eyes of 9-year-old Ana (Desireé Rodriguez). To alleviate the boredom of being left home…
Cabaret by Frank Theatre
Frank Theatre has opened its 22nd season with a gutsy and – well, frank interpretation of the now classic Broadway musical, Cabaret. Stripped down to its both smarmy and beautiful story, and set in a near-perfect environment at the Centennial…
Hair at the Orpheum
I was an earnest schoolboy in a small southern Minnesota town when Hair (at the Orpheum, through March 6, produced by the Hennepin Theater Trust) first came out. It blew me away. I never saw the actual show, of course;…
Photo set: Tapes ‘n Tapes with Oberhofer and Alpha Consumer at First Avenue
Song Of Extinction by Theater Latté Da performing on the Guthrie’s Dowling Stage
Normally Latté Da specializes in intelligent but feel-good music theater: All Is Calm, La Bohème, The Full Monty, etc. But here they are, tackling E.M. Lewis‘s challenging straight play (such an odd term) Song Of Extinction (Theater Latté Da performing…
The Balcony by Jean Genet, a nimbus theatre production
Kicking off its 10th season, nimbus has christened a new permanent theater space at 1517 Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis with a spicy adaptation of Jean Genet’s controversial The Balcony (nimbus theater, February 11th through March 6th). A sign posted…
Photo Set: Blue Sky Blackout EP Release at Cause Spirits and Soundbar
Agnes Under The Big Top at Mixed Blood Theatre
Agnes Under The Big Top (Mixed Blood Theater, through March 6) is like the New York City subway on which much of it is set: dark, scary, echoey, pulsing, with sudden flashes of bright and harsh illumination. Playwright/director Aditi Kapil…