Elizabeth Lofgren

About me

Elizabeth Lofgren works at the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas and is an amateur musician.

workaround

THEATER | At Park Square Theatre, "2 Pianos, 4 Hands" makes for an entertaining evening of music

By Elizabeth Lofgren, TC Daily Planet

Many of us share memories of childhood music lessons, whether conscripted by our parents or by our own choice, in either case including the many frustrations of learning a new instrument and the tedium of hours of practicing the mechanics of chords and scales. We also have an understanding of the difficulty in going beyond our beginners' books and achieving a high level of proficiency. 2 Pianos, 4 Hands draws upon those experiences and the ambitions of those who wish to fulfill a dream to perform at the top level.MORE »

THEATER | At the Old Log Theater, "Jeeves in Bloom" droops

By Elizabeth Lofgren, TC Daily Planet

The venerable Old Log Theater in Excelsior has been presenting British farces and contemporary comedies since 1940. In Minnesota theater circles it's considered a granddaddy, having helped to launch careers of local actors from Loni Anderson to Steve Zahn. The theater's most recent offering, Jeeves in Bloom, written by Margaret Raether and based on characters created by the author P.G. Wodehouse (the second such play by Ms. Raether), is now playing through February 5, 2011. Unfortunately, this one doesn't promise to be among the golden children of that illustrious history.MORE »

THEATER | At the Chanhassen, "I Do! I Do!" is new again...but not new enough

By Elizabeth Lofgren, TC Daily Planet

Back in 1993, when the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' first run of I Do! I Do! ended after 22½ years of continuous showings, nearly 700,000 people had participated in what had become a Minnesota tradition. Clearly the show was beloved by many or it wouldn't have lasted that long. The actors for that entire run, David Anders and Susan Goeppinger, became famous in their own right, marrying in real life after 500 performances as husband and wife, breaking a record for longest-running musical with its original cast, and even landing a People magazine article. After seeing the new production of I Do! I Do! at Chanhassen on Friday night, I've concluded that we're now living in a very different time.MORE »

THEATER | "All Shook Up" at the Chanhassen: Make it now rather than never

By Elizabeth Lofgren, TC Daily Planet

Now playing at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, All Shook Up by Joe DiPietro is a musical romp in the style of Mamma Mia!, using Elvis Presley tunes to tell the story of a guitar-playing roustabout who changes the lives of the citizens of a small, conservative town in 1955. This show also cleverly invokes the spirit of countless worthy predecessors including The Music Man, Hairspray, Footloose, and even Shakespeare.MORE »

THEATER | Brave New Workshop's "Toyota! The Runaway Musical Hit!" is funny and timely

By Elizabeth Lofgren, TC Daily Planet

It's a good thing I didn't bring my friends Michele Bachmann or Susan Boyle to the Brave New Workshop's latest production, Toyota! The Runaway Musical Hit! They may not have appreciated the humor in this timely and hilarious take on current events nearly as much as the small but enthusiastic audience did on Friday night.MORE »

MUSIC | Judy Garland returns, via digital technology, for a weekend appearance at Orchestra Hall

By Elizabeth Lofgren, TC Daily Planet

On Saturday night a pared-down version of the Minnesota Orchestra provided the occasion for iconic singer Judy Garland to come back to life, at Orchestra Hall. With exuberant guest conductor Doug Katsaros decked out in white tails, the group performed 25 songs with the Grand Rapids native, who was shown on three large screens above the stage.MORE »