Entertainment

A more lively theater scene: What the Twin Cities are doing well

By Sheila Regan, Behind the Story

Audience engagement at a Guthrie Theater Open Call event. Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp, courtesty Guthrie Theater.

I had quite a few responses to the column I wrote about a month ago about how theater should be more like rock shows. Most of the commenters did not at all like what I had to say. I’m always happy to generate discussion, but I feel like I’ve been pissing people off right and left with this column lately (people were just livid about my caucuses are stupid piece), which confuses me because I don’t mean to be contrary, it’s just that I write in my column whatever I happen to be thinking that day.

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PHOTOS | St. Paul's Festival of Nations kicks off with a "World Class Bash"

By Ryan Cutler, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Ryan Cutler

On May 3, the 2013 Festival of Nations—Minnesota's largest multicultural celebration—began at the RiverCentre with a party aptly advertised as a "World Class Bash."

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It's going to be an "African Summer" at the Cedar Cultural Center

By Jay Gabler, Front Row Seat

Amadou & Mariam perform at the Cedar in 2012. Photo by Jon Behm for Reviler.

The Cedar Cultural Center has just announced the lineup for its "African Summer" series: six concerts featuring performers representing the power and diversity of African music today.

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Mark Andrew has "The Voice"—and a solid album, too

By Patrick Dunn, Arts Orbit

It’s great to see another product of the Minnesota music scene gaining some national recognition on NBC’s hit singing competition The Voice. Eden Prairie’s Mark Andrew (whose formal last name is Pudas) did Minnesota proud choosing the Bob Dylan classic “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” for his blind audition that landed him a spot on Team Shakira. Mark’s voice has a unique tone that makes him stand out from most other singers who get lost trying to emulate a sound people already identify with another artist. He is also an experienced songwriter and knows his way around a six-string, having studied at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood.

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Arts Orbit

MOVIE REVIEW | "Iron Man 3" punches the clock

By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet

You can see what they were thinking with Iron Man 3. After the escalating robotic carnage of the first two films in the franchise, followed by the grand fracas of The Avengers—in which Iron Man went through a wormhole to another part of the universe, then plopped back down to the pavement just in time for happy hour at Guy Fieri’s—it must have seemed like it was time for a relatively low-key outing, getting Robert Downey Jr. out of the suit and going back to basics. Maybe a subplot involving a cute kid.

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Minneapolis Institute of Arts' Art in Bloom doesn't bloom as brightly as the Como Conservatory or Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

By Amina Harper, The Art House

Courtesy Minneapolis Institute of Arts

I had been looking forward to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’s annual Art in Bloom show since March. I’d never gone before, and considering the lack of spring we’ve had this year I figured it would be a great way to usher in the new season. As with most events that I anticipate with no prior experience I set my expectations ridiculously high.

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Brett Newski & the Corruption: From Vietnam to Lyn-Lake

By Dwight Hobbes, Sounding Off On Sound

Brett Newski & The Corruption, a pretty damned good pop-rock outfit, are coming to the Twin Cities on May 4, launching their second U.S. tour at Cause in Minneapolis, hailing all the way from—you ready for this?—Saigon, Vietnam. Just when you thought you'd heard of everything.

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MUSIC REVIEW | NEEDTOBREATHE at the Orpheum Theatre: Christian music, but not really

By Patrick Dunn, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Patrick Dunn

NEEDTOBREATHE is passionate about everything it takes to be a really good band. You can see it in everything they do from memorable live shows to meticulous songwriting that incorporates rich harmonies, uncommon instrumentation and creative extended jams. The Rinehart brothers, Bear (vocals, guitar, piano, organ, harmonica) and Bo (lead guitar, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals) grew up the sons of a pastor in South Carolina with an assorted mix of musical influences. During their college years, collaborations with Seth Bolt (bass, mandolin, backing vocals) who was a studying to be a recording engineer, and Joe Stillwell (former drummer) resulted in the formation of NEEDTOBREATHE.

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MUSIC PHOTOS | James Blake at First Avenue

By Jeff Rutherford, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Jeff Rutherford

London-based producer James Blake performed to a sold-out show on Wednesday, May 1st at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Those who arrived later, missed a solid set by opener FaltyDL.

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The return of sublime ridiculous perfection: All My Children

By Patrice Johnson, Cultural Construct

September 23, 2011 was a sad day for me. I said last goodbyes to friends, er... characters I'd known since childhood as All My Children went off the air. Yesterday the citizens of Pine Valley returned to my life, this time via hulu and various other online sources.

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Cultural Construct
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