MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL THEATER REVIEWS

At first glance, the musicals THE COLOR PURPLE, CALVIN BERGER, and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES may not seem to have much in common. The settings couldn't be more different - the rural South in the early 20th century, a modern day high school, and a drag club in 1970s France. But since I happened to see them ...

Loudmouth Collective is closing their third season with another show that is firmly in their wheelhouse of smart, deep, intense, often funny, always thought-provoking, small cast, beautifully directed and acted plays. I've been with them since the beginning, when the surprisingly sweet and touching ...

Next Sunday, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, two of the funniest women in America, will host the Golden Globes. Until then, we have Shanan Custer and Carolyn Pool, two of the funniest women in the Twin Cities, presiding over a delightful evening of comedy, friendship, and coffee. Their 2008 Fringe hit 2 S...

Friends, the future of Minnesota theater, and perhaps American theater, is here. It can currently be seen in the Guthrie Theater's 9th floor Dowling Studio, where a group of smart, talented, ambitious, dedicated, hard-working young music-theater artists have created a beautiful new original musical,...

'Tis the season for stories of sad, lonely, grumpy people who experience a change of heart and learn to love their fellow citizens, whether of London or Whoville. After a double bill of CHRISTMAS CAROLs last week, I saw a similar story this week in Dr. Seuss' classic fable HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRIS...

IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS is a tap dancing good time at the theatre. The classic movie-made-into-a-musical has plenty of charms, but it truly shines when Jeremy Benton & Kaitlyn Davidson are dancing....

Charles Dickens' novella A CHRISTMAS CAROL has become a staple of holiday traditions. It shouldn't be surprising, then, that this classic story can currently be seen on multiple stages in the Twin Cities. The biggest of these is the Guthrie Theater; this is the 40th year that the Guthrie has produce...

The princesses of DISENCHANTED will cast their spell on you in a whole different way than their Disney predecessors. While Disney portrays such fairy tale princesses and historical figures as Snow White, the Little Mermaid, and Pocahontas as sweet, mild-mannered, passive ladies waiting for a prince ...

ON GOLDEN POND at the Jungle Theater is a quiet, sweet play that shines the spotlight on two theater veterans and the relationship of the elderly lovers who are realizing the changes they're beginning to face in their sunset years....

33 VARIATIONS is part fascinating music history, part poignant family drama, and part classical music concert, which adds up to an entertaining evening of theater. Park Square's production of the Moises Kaufman play satisfies on several levels - intellectual, emotional, musical - and features a grea...

Diverging from the usual feel-good classic musicals, Bloomington Civic Theatre is currently presenting NEXT TO NORMAL, one of the few musicals to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama and perhaps the most brilliantly written musical of this century. Unlike shows like Guys and Dolls or Singin' in the Rain, ...

No one does Shakespeare like Ten Thousand Things. They manage to boil the text down to its bare essentials, and convey the heart of the story in a way that feels fresh and modern. This season they bring their unique Shakespeare style to perhaps his most well-know play, the story of star-crossed love...

I don't know opera, and I don't believe I had ever heard the name Maria Callas before seeing Theater Latte Da's MASTER CLASS. But I have been educated. I now know that Maria Callas was one of the most talented, dedicated, and fascinating artists of the 20th century. Her paintbrush was her voice, her...

With a last name like "Bland," you'd never pick Mary and Paul for sinister scheming. But plotting abounds in Eating Raoul, the musical adaption of the 1980's cult classic at the New Century Theater....