Your Guide to the Arts in America!
The weather is nice, the spring storms are easing off and we are entering our other season in Minnesota, ‘road construction’. That means it must be time for outdoor theater.
Perhaps because the winters here tend toward the cold and snowy, this past year being a bit of an exception, we do tend to enjoy our outdoor friendly seasons in a big way. Minneapolis has been ranked one of the top …more…
This month I intended to write in depth about a number of exciting events that are happening in the Twin Cities, and after a fashion I suppose I will. The thing is, this month I have been reminded why all of these wonderful events are out there to be seen. It is because of the people who dedicate themselves, often for little recognition and less remuneration, to the art of …more…
We like classic, elegant theater just as much as the next avid theatergoer, but sometimes we’re in the mood for something a little more…well, gritty. When we checked out the Guerrilla Rep theater company we found just what we were looking for. In their own words Guerrilla Rep’s mission is to “explore class in American society through provocative and entertaining new plays created by artists focused on the evolutionary process …more…
Bill Irwin stars in Endgame, photo by Mary Ellen Mark
There are Samuel Beckett fans out there who worship every word the brilliant playwright/author wrote, and there are Bill Irwin fans who have followed his career through the years as he’s intertwined clowning and serious acting with nothing short of pure genius. If you happen to be a fan of both of these fascinating men, you cannot miss the San …more…
Every now and again, it’s nice to have some pride in Detroit. And nothing gives me more pride than a national magazine giving some much-needed attention to the city. And that is especially true when it’s good news for the residents and our businesses in terms of bringing far-flung tourists to our beloved municipality.
I was grabbed recently by a heading out of the Atlantic magazine – its web site devoted …more…
A quick Google search reveals that all-female productions of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar have been staged across the country for years. Clever bon mots on the topic range from “Gives good guy” to… Well, actually people can’t seem to get past the “all-female” and it dominates the headlines (see above). Still, in an election year, especially one where the phrase “war on women” already holds a dominant position in our political …more…
Where were you the morning of April 16, 2007? Do you remember? Can you forget?
When I was a kid, I always thought it strange to hear adults talking about where they were when some tragic national event occurred: the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. While I understood how significant these events were, …more…
There’s nothing like improvisational theater to get your heart racing. It’s like watching a group of actors play catch, with a ball that has a wildly unpredictable life of its own. You watch them toss lines back and forth, waiting for just one slip, and then when the slip occurs, it somehow—miraculously—becomes part of the storyline. And when the actors rely on audience members to give them suggestions for different …more…
In an old firehouse in the diverse, vibrant and artistic community that is the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mixed Blood Theatre recently introduced a novel way to see a play. They call it Radical Hospitality. It means that any person can attend any mainstage production of theirs at no cost. A generous number of seats are held for free admission and are filled on a first come, first …more…
Every once in a while, you come across a show that sounds so divinely different you have to learn more. I feel that way about “Bernhardt on Broadway,” a one-woman musical about the Divine Sarah Bernhardt. The play is set in the late 1890s when Bernhardt was at the height of her career. My new friend, Carol Dunitz, who wrote the music, script, and lyrics for the show, read nearly 100 books as well as countless articles before starting work on “Bernhardt on Broadway.” Her extensive research ensures the audience gains a thorough understanding of this eccentric star and what motivated her to persist against all odds. ...more...
For a limited time, Portlanders have the opportunity to not only view a retrospective of work by Mark Rothko (1903-1970) at the Portland Art Museum, but also to see a theatrical presentation at Portland Center Stage that allows a glimpse into his life.
Considered to be one of the foremost American painters of the 20th Century, Rothko spent his early years in Portland, Oregon. Immigrating from Russia in 1913 at the …more…
Washington, DC’s Forum Theatre is redressing a basic wrong—or, more accurately, taking a crucial first step. Forum recently hosted a discussion on the disparity, nationwide, between the rates at which female and male playwrights’ work is produced. Forum Theatre itself had produced only three plays by women in its nine-year history. Forum Theatre artistic director Michael Dove remedied that situation, slating three plays by women for his 2011-2012 season and kicking off a Female Voices Festival, culminating in the panel discussion. ...more...
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been to enough movie theaters with crying babies to know not to bring my infant there – even if I’m dying for some time out of the house. ...more...
Las Vegas is often thought of as being synonymous with an adult playground. However, there is educational entertainment for children tucked away just a short distance from all the neon, over-sized drinks with neck straps and scantily clad show girls. Since 1990, the Lied Children’s Museum has entertained over 1.6 million visitors. The board recently announced plans to move the current museum to a new location in Las Vegas’ Symphony …more…
Reprising her recent Broadway role, two-time Golden Globe winner, Academy Award and Tony Award nominee Kathleen Turner takes the stage when High continues on Thursday, March 1 at 8 p.m.; Friday, March 2 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 3 at 2 and 8p.m.; and Sunday, March 4 at 2 and 7 p.m. This three-person play is about a feisty nun whose faith is tested when she sponsors a teenage drug …more…
Pablo Malco, choreographer and director of The Hip Hop Symphony, the dance performance extravaganza hosted by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on January 29, 2012, tells us about how he got into dance, the making of The Hip Hop Symphony and the dance company turned foundation (www.pablomalcofoundation.org) that brings the art of dance into the community. ...more...
Detroit is known for many things: cars, Motown music and its creativity. After all, we are home to the largest population of designers and engineers around. So it should come as no surprise to find that we also have lots of creative ideas – and shows – in our theaters.
Here’s the latest one that amazes me. In April, Detroit’s Opera House will be the last stop on William Shatner’s one-man …more…
“First dates are stressful,” says the postcard for Matchbox Theatre Projects Valentines Day special, The Playdaters. As we all know, the 100th date can be just as fraught.
Whether it’s your first or your 1,000th date, this play is a good bet for Valentines night. Written by Milwaukee-based playwright Neil Haven, The Playdaters received rave reviews on runs in Wisconsin and Chicago (Haven’s “nose for apt situations and gift for one-liners.. …more…
The Cutting Ball Theater gives audiences a selection of four plays during their season-in-residence at the EXIT on Taylor, and each one is an exquisite gem of experimental theater. Last fall’s performance of Pelleas and Melisande (directed by Rob Melrose) wove the childlike delight of a fairytale into the dramatic interpretation of universal human anguish. The set design employed an onstage pool of water, gorgeous blue and white lighting, and a spectral musical accompaniment that infused the piece with the ghostly, yearning quality of love forever lost. Cutting Ball’s upcoming production of Tontlawald promises to be no less impressive. ...more...
It is the Year of the Dragon, and there just happens to be a nasty, nasty dragon at The Southern Theater in downtown Minneapolis. But don’t worry – an ordinary boy, a magical girl, a boys choir and an aerialist troupe are there as well, in a project that exemplifies collaboration and thinking outside the musical theater box: The Dragons Are Singing Tonight!
TigerLion Arts, perhaps best known for their touring …more…
It’s Cleveland, it’s going to be cold and snowy in the coming months. It’s a perfect time to go to live theatre and escape from all the stress. Here’s a partial list of what’s on the boards. ...more...
If you haven’t yet purchased your tickets for one of Blue Man’s Group’s January performances at the Orpheum theater, you better put it on your to-do list. This is a show you just don’t want to miss.
I saw Blue Man Group years ago in Las Vegas, and later tried to explain what I saw to friends. I managed to explain that there were people catching marshmallows in their mouths and …more…
Call me naive, but I doubt very much that anyone watching the first season of South Park in 1997 would have looked at, say, an episode like “Cartman Gets an Anal Probe” and thought, “Yeah, these guys will write arguably the most successful musical of all time in thirteen years. It will sweep the Tonys, sell at over 100% capacity for months on end, people will – yes, people will …more…
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