by CHRISTINE SARKES SASSEVILLE New Century Theatre’s musical comedy, Five Course Love, is a light, sometimes naughty, cabaret-style evening of entertainment catering to the Valentine’s Day date-night crowd. The quality of the material is mixed, with some genuinely funny moments. The three performers, who play five characters each, give it everything they’ve got. Ryan McGuire Grimes,…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN Verdi was a bad boss. On the day of the final dress rehearsal of a performance of Macbeth, one of the principals complained that they had already run-through the Act I duet 150 times. “I would not say that if I were you, for within half an hour it will be…
By LIZ BYRON In some ways it is unfortunate that Diana Son’s play Stop Kiss is as relevant today as it was when it was first performed in 1998. Fourteen years later, and it is still not unthinkable that a person be attacked and beaten for being (or even just appearing to be) LGBTQ. And yet the very…
by SOPHIE KERMAN Modern dance and schizophrenia are two subjects that many people initially shy away from. Weirdly, both topics provoke similar gut reactions from those unfamiliar with them: Isn’t it hard to understand? It’s so weird and unpredictable! What if I don’t get what’s going on? Maggie’s Brain, presented at the Cowles Center this weekend only,…
by MICHAEL J. OPPERMAN & LUCIE CHERBULIEZ Produced by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favorites is simply exquisite. My co-reviewer (and daughter), entranced, simply nodded when I asked her during the first story if she liked it. Known for “its innovative and visually spectacular puppetry and…
by SOPHIE KERMAN Director Amy Rummenie couldn’t have picked a better time of year to stage a drawing room farce: if you’re feeling stuck in the doldrums of a long, cold January, The School for Lies is just the kind of diversion to shake off a winter chill. The play, by David Ives, is a very loose adaptation…
By MIRA REINBERG In a most propitious timing, Open Window Theatre hosted Argentinean tango singer Claudia Pannone for a two-night performance at their venue in the Metropolitan Minneapolis Building. Claudia Pannone brought alive the sensuous and melancholy music of lyric tango with her deep, expressive voice and infused the January evening with the warmth and…
by LIZ BYRON What would you get if you were to mix extreme sports and traditional theatre? No need to do an experiment; Theatre Unbound has already done so, and the result is their annual event 24:00:00 Xtreme Theatre Smackdown. A tradition since 2001, the Smackdown is a fast-paced, intense experience: a mere 24 hours…
by SOPHIE KERMAN Griffelkin might be a children’s opera, but the performers – a group of over 70 children in graders 4-12 – aren’t playing around. In a limited run at the Lab Theater, the opera is already nearly sold out, and for good reason. This isn’t your average high school musical: these kids have dedicated…
Aisle Say - Twin Cities 