Born with Teeth

Christine Sarkes and Erika Sasseville (a mother/daughter review) What do two of the greatest literary figures of the Elizabethan era–William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe–create when they spend hours together writing a play? The answer: Fire and magic! That is what the audience witnessed during opening night of Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams at…

The Little Prince

by Christine Sarkes The Little Prince at the Guthrie Theater is a sweet, sometimes trippy, delightfully heartfelt interpretation of the well-loved French language novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. One cannot review the play without first understanding the history and impact Saint-Exupéry’s book has had on generations of readers. Often mistaken as a children’s book, The…

Sally & Tom

by Christine Sarkes The history and truth surrounding the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings, have been scrutinized, debated and researched extensively over two centuries. Sally & Tom, premiering at the Guthrie Theater through November 6, adds to the canon by offering a powerful and heart-wrenching exploration of the debilitating inhumanity of…

Emma

BY Erika Sasseville and Christine Sarkes, a daughter and mother review There are times when you just need to roar your lungs out. Friday’s world premiere opening of Kate Hamill’s Emma at the Wurtele Thrust Stage, Guthrie Theater (now through August 21) was one of those nights for many of us. For a blissful few…

Twelfth Night

by Christine Sarkes The cast and creative team of Guthrie Theater’s Twelfth Night squeeze every ounce of humor, romance, and physicality out of Shakespeare’s great comedy; it is a zany, madcap delight. Many aspects of this production were so well and cleverly done that I can’t find a single negative thing to say. When we were…

The Great Leap

by CHRISTINE SARKES The Great Leap at the Guthrie Theater, now through February 10, is funny, heartfelt and very entertaining. The play is about basketball players and the coaches who love the game but also about identity, the American Dream and overcoming cultural barriers. The dialogue is amusingly sharp and the quirky characters immensely likeable.…

Blithe Spirit

BY: JACOB FROELICH If a bit of British humor, some magic and a good belly laugh tickle your fancy then Blithe Spirit may be just the show for you. The farce is now playing at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. A cast of unlikely characters combine to create a tale of misfortune that had the…

Birds Sing Differently Here

by CHRISTINE SARKES Although this review is published after the brief run of Birds Sing Differently Here at the Guthrie Theater’s Dowling Studio, it serves as recognition of the important collaboration between the Guthrie and the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project to give voice to the Iraqi-Minnesotan experience. As part of Guthrie’s innovative Level Nine…

Romeo and Juliet

by CHRISTINE SARKES Romeo and Juliet at the Guthrie Theater through October 28 is fresh, sexy and brilliantly directed by Guthrie’s artistic director Joseph Haj. I especially loved the humor and vibrancy of the staging and the modern cadence of Shakespeare’s words. The play sizzles with energy and will absolutely appeal to younger middle and…

Sunday in the Park with George

by CHRISTINE SARKES What does it mean to be a misunderstood, visionary artist and how does suffering for your art impact those you love? These are the themes of Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, et al.) and James Lapine’s…