Entertainment

Theatre in the Round's "Treasure Island" and the power of imagination

By Jay Gabler, Front Row Seat

A 1911 Treasure Island illustration by N.C. Wyeth

I try not to let commenters bug me, but one who did succeed in getting my dander up was an anonymous (of course) commenter on my negative review of the Jungle Theater's Noises Off. In the review I said that people would be better off watching the 1992 film adaptation, and this commenter condescendingly sneered that comparing a theatrical production to a movie was patent evidence of my incompentence as a critic. "No critic worth anything would compare stage to screen. They're completely different mediums and completely different techniques are used to accomplish them. I'm amazed that someone with two masters degrees doesn't know that."

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The Guthrie Theater at 50: A legacy of artistic excellence, if not always diversity

By Sheila Regan, Behind the Story

Photos, top to bottom: Nancy Wickwire and Robert Jackson in the Guthrie's 1966 production of The Dance of Death; the Guthrie's original building as photographed that same year; the Guthrie's opening night audience in 1963 (all from the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society); the Guthrie today (photo by Mark Vancleave, courtesy Guthrie Theater).

This week marked the 50th anniversary of the first play staged at the Guthrie Theater. On May 7, 1963, Sir Tyrone Guthrie’s bold new experiment opened its production of Hamlet, directed by the Guthrie at their brand new theater adjacent to the Walker Art Center. Whether you love Minnesota’s largest theater or hate it—or, like me, have intensely mixed feelings about it—there’s no denying the impact that the institution has had on the Twin Cities' cultural life.

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REVIEW | Rob Delaney, Neko Case and Kelly Hogan combine forces for a very musical Wits at the Fitzgerald Theater

By Kelsey McDonough, TC Daily Planet

Photo courtesy Neko Case

The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul held yet another sold out Wits production on Friday, May 10. Although this season of Wits (and every season, for that matter) boasts some fantastic lineups, it was hard to say which of its three guest the audience was more excited for this time: internet comedian Rob Delaney or noted solo artist Neko Case (also a big slice of the New Pornographers pie). While Delaney and Case were definitely considered the “big ticket items,” the addition of singer Kelly Hogan was a welcome one.

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MUSIC PHOTOS | Nicholas David Mrozinski & the Feelin Band at First Avenue

By Chad Rieder, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Chad Rieder

On Friday, May 10, Nicholas David Mrozinski & the Feelin Band played at First Avenue with Heatbox and Melaie Martinez to open.

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MUSIC REVIEW | Jesse Cook makes it a double at the Pantages Theatre

By Patrick Dunn, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Patrick Dunn

Although most of us don’t get the opportunity to dine in the café’s of Seville or dance in the clubs of Havana, it is possible to experience a sense of that cultural vibe in our own city through live music performance. That’s just what took place Thursday, May 9 within the doors of the fabulous Pantages Theatre where Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook and his band transported fans with their style of Rumba Flamenco. Cook is touring in support of his current release “The Blue Guitar Sessions,” a definite shift from the fiery upbeat tunes he’s best known for. Although the mood of the album is "blue," the melodies are beautiful and built around the idea of leaving space to appreciate how Cook crafts each note to deliver the intended message.

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"The Great Gatsby" and the Great Pumpkin: Writers who wrestled with their Minnesota pasts

By Jay Gabler, Front Row Seat

Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's new film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

It was my friend Eric Bennett who drew my attention to a reference made by Bob Dylan to his fellow Minnesota escapee, F. Scott Fitzgerald. In Dylan’s song “Summer Days,” from 2001’s Love and Theft, a woman looking into the narrator’s eyes and holding his hand tells him he can’t repeat the past. “You can’t?” he replies. “What do you mean, you can’t? Of course you can.”

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Dominique Serrand talks about the Moving Company's "Out of the Pan Into the Fire"

By Rene Meyer-Grimberg, Arts Orbit

The Moving Company's new show Out of the Pan Into the Fire is now playing at the Southern Theater. Director Dominique Serrand talked with me about the process of creating the show in collaboration with students at the University of Iowa.

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Arts Orbit

MUSIC PHOTOS | Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires at the Cedar Cultural Center

By Alexa Jones, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Alexa Jones

On Tuesday, May 7, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires played at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis with Paul & the Tall Trees to open.

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THEATER REVIEW | The Moving Company's "Out of the Pan Into the Fire" is a fairy tale treat

By Rene Meyer-Grimberg, TC Daily Planet

Nathan Keepers, Steve Epp, and Christina Baldwin in Out of the Pan, Into the Fire. Photo courtesy the Moving Company.

“As every child knows, a fairytale is like giving candy to your imagination.”  - program notes

Out of the Pan Into the Fire, a new fairy tale directed by Dominique Serrand, which opened at the Southern Theater on Friday May 4 and plays until May 26, is a candy shop full of every individual’s favorite treats.

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THEATER REVIEW | "Country Roads" with Dennis Curley: At the Bryant-Lake Bowl, John Denver's music is as sweet as ever

By Jean Gabler, TC Daily Planet

Dennis Curley. Photo courtesy the Theater of Public Policy.

Dennis Curley brings the music of John Denver to the Bryant-Lake Bowl in Country Roads: Dennis Curley Sings the Music of John Denver. If you are not familiar with the theater at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, let me tell you that on May 4 I felt like I was sitting in Curley’s living room surrounded by friends and family. This is the magic of John Denver’s music: it connects people to a simpler time and to shared memories. Not to mention that the audience did consist of friends and family of Curley and the four musicians who shared the stage with him—along with people like me, who love the music of John Denver.

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