Even though the Saint Paul Winter Carnival is creeping up on us, our atmosphere is making its march toward spring. How is this? The calendar still says “January.” I think it may be because the Almanac arts and culture calendar is sharing something else. It’s warming us up. All those hands clapping seems a plausible enough explanation, as opposed to the scientific explanations that get in the way of important things like…well, getting elected to office and gratuitous pollution. Continue Reading
Jane Anderson’s play Defying Gravity is NOT about the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, and it IS about the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. That, in a nutshell, is the problem. It feels like the playwright is trying to have it both ways. She doesn’t want to be bound by the literal facts of the disaster, but she wants to piggyback on all of its traumatic emotional resonance for an audience. The script and the production by Swandive Theatre (to my recollection) never mention the Challenger by name, but they also use images and audio from the 1986 mishap. Continue Reading
There’s something tasty brewing in Minneapolis’s North Loop neighborhood. No, it’s not another microbrewery or microdistillery to push the Twin Cities another rung up in the nationwide city-versus-city ranking du jour. This beverage is a love potion with a potent kick, a quack doctor, and those old bedfellows of alcohol: liquid courage and unrequited love. Throw in some questionable life decisions and a few of the most beautiful pieces of classical vocal music ever written and the stage is set for a grand comedic romp in The Elixir of Love, Minnesota Opera’s first mainstage work in 2015.This article kicks off the Daily Planet’s Opera Week coverage, a series of articles about opera in Minnesota leading up to the opening night of The Elixir of Love on Jan. 24. Continue Reading
It’s hard to come up with a way to talk about Loudmouth Collective’s production of Samuel D. Hunter’s play A Bright New Boise that will make you want to see the play as much as I really want you to see it. A Bright New Boise is an extremely funny play. It’s also a very sad play. A lot of the time, those two things exist in the same moment. It’s weird to feel sorry about something you’re laughing at, and it’s weird to laugh at something you feel sorry for. But it happens a lot in A Bright New Boise. Continue Reading
I’m looking for a winter escape. I am not a snowbird, nor am I likely to find the space for a sunny vacation in an alternative climate. Alternative states of mind and heart are easily at hand. Continue Reading
From The Marvelettes’ perfectly coiffed wigs to the blindingly shined black shoes of the Contours, Motown was a musical where attention to detail reigned supreme. It was a musical that combined historical accuracy with entertainment – a feat that most of Hollywood struggles to achieve. With the gifted leadership of Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris, and the one and only Berry Gordy, Motown brings about thought-provoking concepts surrounding ethics in the musical industry and the stories regarding some of the most iconic stars of the Motown heyday. Continue Reading
The Illusion Theater celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, collecting a pair of Lifetime Achievement awards at the Iveys and ringing in a number of other notable honors and accomplishments. One of the organization’s other milestones this year is the 15th anniversary of Miss Richfield 1981’s holiday show, now one of the Twin Cities’ own venerable holiday entertainment traditions.Miss Richfield is the creation of Russ King, the creator, writer, and singer-actor behind this one-woman drag show. King, an area native, has long-since taken the character on the road, with performances as Miss R across the country and sold-out annual runs in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Devoted fans track her adventures across the country, collect after-show pictures, and drag friends and co-workers to shows year after year to check up on Miss R’s ongoing quest for love.This is a semi-scripted show: although some elements such as holiday slideshows and videos are set in advance, many of the funniest parts come from the audience-interactive components laced throughout the evening. There is no fourth wall; from the onset, Miss R wanders the audience, tugging members into the spotlight and onstage for humorous interrogations, dating competitions, and more. Continue Reading
What the world needs now is glitter, sequins and a bit more glitter. There isn’t enough shimmering in shows these days. Next to Normal? Nary a twinkle. Spring Awakening? Less gleam and more child abuse. Once? Less sparkle than a room full of burlap bags. Good thing for the theatre community, Motown brought not only the shimmer but the funk. A show was packed to the brim with exiting and iconic songs, and it wowed with its creativity and precision. Motown, now at the Minneapolis Orpheum Theater through December 28 was a spectacle of glamor, glitz and…what’s another g word that’s not glitter? Continue Reading
Motown had the opportunity of a lifetime – to really emphasize the extent that black culture and history has had an impact on contemporary music. They didn’t take it. That’s not to say that this celebration of Motown music didn’t showcase spectacular music from across the board, it just didn’t take it as far as it could have gone. This show still needs to appeal to the majority white theatergoers who will be the driving force of ticket sales. If Motown were to attempt to only draw in a new crowd, it wouldn’t have been as successful as it ended up being. These real world facts are reminiscent of the plot of the show – one where Berry Gordy (Julius Thomas III) is focused on money rather than the rich history that the artists bring to the table. Continue Reading
