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BWW Review: Gremlin Theatre's THE FATHER is a Spare, Disorienting, Moving Journey through Dementia

Florian Zeller's adventurous script, winner of the 2014 Moliere Prize for best new play in France, takes up questions that are (or will be!) central for many of us: how do we care for aging parents who are losing their memories, disappearing into dementia, and (perhaps) undergoing personality changes to boot? And how do we--if we are the unfortunate elder in decline--keep a grip on our own identity, track what's happening around us, and bear the weight of the unrelenting disaster underway?

BWW Review: Gremlin Theatre's Regional Premiere of IDEATION is a Taut, Thrilling, Engrossing, and Funny 90 Minutes

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. The characters in the play IDEATION are definitely paranoid, entertainingly so, but whether or not someone is out to get them is still a question mark at the end of the play. The regional premiere of IDEATION by Gremlin Theatre is a taut, thrilling, engrossing, and funny 90 minutes of work colleagues going down a paranoid rabbit hole, and it'll make your head spin, in the best way. Rarely has my logical math left brain side been so engaged and excited at the theater as I tried to follow these characters through their hypotheses and arguments and conclusions. Theories and algebraic equations are written on the white board, only to be erased and written over by a new theory. By the end you don't know what to believe, and neither do the characters in the play, but it sure is fun to watch their wheels spin.

BWW Review: The Intense Two-Hander A STEADY RAIN is a Brilliantly Written Play that's Impeccably Executed by the Team at Gremlin Theatre

For their second show in their new space, Gremlin Theatre is presenting the intense two-hander A STEADY RAIN. Buckle up, friends, this is a tough one. But so beautifully done. In what's basically a treatise on toxic masculinity and the damage it can do, playwright Keith Huff has created two complex characters in a brilliantly written play that's impeccably executed by the team at Gremlin. Two incredible acting performances, tight and clear direction, simple yet powerful design that heightens the storytelling, all in an intimate space that makes it feel all too real. This is the kind of show that's tough to shake. The rest of the day, and even into the next, I found myself back in that room inside that brutal story. It may only be mid-January, but no doubt A STEADY RAIN will be one of the most memorable plays of the year.

Photo Flash: Leapin' Lizards! ANNIE Returns to the Ordway for the Holidays

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents one of the best-loved musicals of all time, Annie, directed by the Twin Cities' own Austene Van. Full of holiday spirit and family fun, this new Ordway Original production will be on stage December 7-31.

Broadway Veteran Michele Ragusa Stars as 'Miss Hannigan' in ANNIE, Opening Tonight at the Ordway

Following a critically acclaimed performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy at the John W. Engeman Theatre in New York this past month, Michele Ragusa comes to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts to play Miss Hannigan in Annie.

Leapin' Lizards! ANNIE Will Return to the Ordway for the Holidays

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents one of the best-loved musicals of all time, Annie, directed by the Twin Cities' own Austene Van. Full of holiday spirit and family fun, this new Ordway Original production will be on stage December 7-31.

Broadway Veteran Michele Ragusa To Star As Miss Hannigan In Ordway's ANNIE

Following a critically acclaimed performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy at the John W. Engeman Theatre in New York this past month, Michele Ragusa comes to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts to play Miss Hannigan in Annie. Ms. Ragusa is best known for her Broadway performances in A Class Act, Titanic, Ragtime and taking over for Megan Mullally in Young Frankenstein. She has also performed with some of the top Symphonies in the country including: Detroit Symphony, Oklahoma City Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Phoenix Symphony and The Kennedy Center Holiday Pops with Marvin Hamlisch.

Leapin' Lizards! ANNIE Will Return to the Ordway for the Holidays

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents one of the best-loved musicals of all time, Annie, directed by the Twin Cities' own Austene Van. Full of holiday spirit and family fun, this new Ordway Original production will be on stage December 7-31.

BWW Review: Gremlin Theatre Opens Their New St. Paul Performance Space with DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER - Escapist Entertainment Perfect for a Warm Summer Night

Good news friends, Gremlin Theatre is back with a new performance space in St. Paul! Four years after losing their space on University and Raymond, which also hosted other theater companies and the Minnesota Fringe Festival, they've opened a brand new space just a few blocks away on Vandalia. They are continuing to make improvements to the space that includes a spacious lobby and an intimate thrust stage, conveniently located near the Green Line, just off highways 94 and 280, and right next door to Lake Monster Brewery, whose libations can be brought into the theater. And there's also free parking! What more could you ask for from a theater space? Just one more thing, and that's great theater. The inaugural production at the new Gremlin fulfills that last requirement - the hilarious and tight comedy DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER. It's a really funny and fast-moving show with a fantastic cast, and a great way to christen this exciting new St. Paul theater space!

BWW Review: Old Log Theatre's GHOST THE MUSICAL is Better than Broadway; the Smaller Cast and Fewer Magic Tricks Serve the Story Better

Old Log Theatre's contribution to the summer blockbuster musical is GHOST THE MUSICAL, based on the popular 1990 movie. It premiered on Broadway in 2012 and ran for only a few months, and when I saw the tour the following year I was not impressed. At the time I wrote, 'At its core, GHOST is a small intimate love story, but GHOST THE MUSICAL is a big splashy techno-heavy 'show,' in which the beauty of that story gets lost. The story would be better served with less tricks, a smaller cast, fewer showy songs, and a greater focus on what we really care about - the relationship between Molly and Sam.' I'm thrilled to report that Old Log has done just that. The score, which is quite good, the story, and the relationships between the characters are more the focus of the show, with lower tech effects that serve the story rather than drawing attention away from it. If you're looking for a satisfying summer musical experience, head out to Old Log Theatre, one of the oldest theaters in Minnesota, in lovely Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka.

BWW TV: Something's Coming! Watch Highlights from WEST SIDE STORY at the Ordway

West Side StoryThe Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is presenting West Side Story now through April 16. Click below to watch highlights from the show!

Photo Flash: Tonight, Tonight! First Look at WEST SIDE STORY at the Ordway

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is presenting West Side Story now through April 16. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

WEST SIDE STORY to Hit the Stage at the Ordway This Spring

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is excited to present West Side Story, April 4-16.

Ordway Presents THE SOUND OF MUSIC

This holiday season, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is excited to present Rodgers & Hammerstein's The Sound of Music, Dec. 10-Jan. 2. Tickets for the Ordway produced family classic start at $37 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in-person at the Ordway ticket office.

BWW Reviews: In the Capable Hands of Gremlin Theatre, the Challenging New Play H2O is Funny, Painful, and Engaging

The 2015 Torch Theater/Gremlin Theatre season at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage continues with the first all-Gremlin production, after the joint production, the dark and disturbing DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, and Torch's perfect screwball comedy BOEING BOEING earlier this year. For their production Gremlin is tackling H2O, a new play by Jane Martin. In the capable hands of director Ellen Fenster and a couple of compelling three-named actors, Peter Christian Hansen and Ashley Rose Montondo, this intense 90-minute two-hander is a funny, painful, and engaging story of fame, faith, and art.

Cast & Creative Team Set for A CHRISTMAS STORY at The Ordway

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is excited to present its 2014 holiday show, A Christmas Story, the Musical. The Ordway-produced musical comedy will run Nov. 29-Dec. 28, 2014, for a total of 36 performances. Tickets are available now and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in person at the Ordway ticket office.

BWW Interviews: A Little Education from James Rocco on BROADWAY SONGBOOK: COMDEN & GREEN

James Rocco's BROADWAY SONGBOOK series at The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minn., is a treasure for anyone who has an iPod full of showtunes (me: guilty!) and should earn continuing education credits for audience members who gain a wealth of knowledge in theatre history over the course of the show.

Photo Flash: First Look at History Theatre's THE WORKING BOYS BAND World Premiere

History Theatre produces the world premiere of a new musical by local artists Dominic Orlando (book and lyrics) and the late Hiram Titus (composer). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the show below!

History Theatre Presents the New Musical THE WORKING BOYS BAND, Now thru 6/1

History Theatre will produce the world premiere of a new musical by local artists Dominic Orlando (book and lyrics) and the late Hiram Titus (composer). The Working Boys Band tells the story of Professor C.C. Heintzeman, a German-born educator who believed in the power of music to give structure and purpose to people's lives, especially for the children who worked in the mills and factories of Minneapolis in the years before Child Labor Laws. The story of the Minneapolis Working Boys Band and its founder was suggested to History Theatre back in 2010 when Titus handed a photo of the band circa 1915 and his first draft of the opening number to artistic director Ron Peluso. In September of 2013, Titus submitted the show's finale just days before suffering a fatal cardiac arrest; Raymond Berg joined the team to finish the musical arrangements.

History Theatre Presents the New Musical THE WORKING BOYS BAND, 5/3-6/1

History Theatre will produce the world premiere of a new musical by local artists Dominic Orlando (book and lyrics) and the late Hiram Titus (composer). The Working Boys Band tells the story of Professor C.C. Heintzeman, a German-born educator who believed in the power of music to give structure and purpose to people's lives, especially for the children who worked in the mills and factories of Minneapolis in the years before Child Labor Laws. The story of the Minneapolis Working Boys Band and its founder was suggested to History Theatre back in 2010 when Titus handed a photo of the band circa 1915 and his first draft of the opening number to artistic director Ron Peluso. In September of 2013, Titus submitted the show's finale just days before suffering a fatal cardiac arrest; Raymond Berg joined the team to finish the musical arrangements.

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