The Matchmaker

by CHRISTINE SARKES SASSEVILLE The Matchmaker, now on Park Square Theatre’s Andy Boss Thrust Stage, is writer and playwright Thornton Wilder’s (Our Town) satirical and humorous take on class differences, new wealth, love and the importance of having adventures. This is the play that was later turned into the iconic Tony-award winning musical, Hello Dolly!, starring Carole Channing and the 1969…

Grease

Edit: Due to insanely high demand, this show’s run has been extended to August 9! See http://www.lyricarts.org  During my years working in a professional theatre, I witnessed more performances of Grease in a few weeks than most people would see in three lifetimes. I got a little burnt out. I’ve turned down multiple invitations to see both…

Victor + Valentine

By LIZ + BRYCE BYRON. Victor + Valentine is a new play by new theater company Collective Unconscious Performance. The play centers around storyteller and puppeteer Victor von Valentine as he puts on the final performance of his world-touring  Cabaret For The Broken-hearted. Featuring artistic re-tellings of classic fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, Victor’s cabaret includes The…

Final Frontier Festival: Horror

BY TAMAR NEUMANN: It’s safe to assume that most people don’t think about horror festivals, and creepy-themed plays during the warm summer nights of July, but Gadfly Theatre Productions is hoping you might be up for just that. Their annual one-act Final Frontier Festival has a spooky theme this year. They’ve gathered six one act…

You Can’t Take It With You

By LIZ BYRON. When a play has been performed regularly across the country for 79 years, and has spawned an Oscar-winning film version, it seems safe to assume that it’s got some pretty good things going for it. Indeed, You Can’t Take It With You is a charming and clever story with a witty script,…

Road to the City of Apples; A Clown in Exile; In Algeria They Know My Name: Three Plays at the New Arab American Theatre Works Festival

by CHRISTINE SARKES SASSEVILLE  How do you navigate the cultures of the Middle East and America’s heartland as an Arab-American experiencing an identity crisis? A trio of plays by impressively talented local Arab-American playwrights and artists explore this theme and are showcased this week through July 12 at Mixed Blood Theatre. The festival is organized by a group of  Minneapolis-based artists of the…