by SOPHIE KERMAN It’s official: the success of the Loudmouth Collective is not a fluke. Following on her deep and funny January production of Will Eno’s “Thom Pain: Based on Nothing”, director Natalie Novacek opens the Loudmouth’s second season with another one-man show, no less well-acted or thought-provoking than “Thom Pain”. This time, we are treated to an unstoppable performance…
Rock of Ages is an 80s rock concert with a plot. What can I say? It is so much fun. If you’re looking to be well and thoroughly entertained this weekend, go see it. Just go see it, and have a good time. You might even want to think about dressing up in your best…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN At the entrance to the theater hangs a sign warning that the Tesla coil to be fired during the performance is loud, but not dangerous. This caveat is a compelling prelude to an ambitious production. Assembling the peculiar narrative and bracing eccentricities of Nikola Tesla’s life into a coherent play is…
by SOPHIE KERMAN For both political and theatrical reasons, the story of gender transition is not told enough. Changing one’s gender presentation is by definition a form of theater; a dress can become a costume, and facial hair can transform a bearer of XX chromosomes into someone who is confident walking into the men’s bathroom.…
by CHRISTINE SARKES SASSEVILLE Homer’s the Iliad is among the oldest works of Western literature and its illumination of the heroism and horrors of war has resonated with listeners and readers throughout history. One of the most moving segments of An Iliad, now at the Guthrie Theater through May 26, was actor Stephen Yoakam’s minutes-long listing of every war in human history since the Trojan…
One of the shocks of childhood is the realization that adults can be even more capricious and absurd than children. Although some pretend that life is predictable and logical, adulthood is often chaotic, replete with characters whose motivations are difficult to decipher. Enter the Alice in Wonderland at the Children’s Theater Company, a flashy and high-energy production…
Mission Theater promises that its production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a “highly physical, energetic production”, and they aren’t lying. From start to finish, the play is bursting with energy. Characters dance, fight, frolic, and do just about anything but stay still. Australian director Penelope Parsons-Lord cleverly decided to use physicality to help…
Aisle Say - Twin Cities 