MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL THEATER REVIEWS

Family. Love. Faith. Change. Tradition. Those are the themes running throughout FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Currently playing at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, FIDDLER is one of the most beloved musicals of our time. In fact, once you start watching it won't be long before you figure out why....

Love triangles are always complicated. But the one in A Strange and Separate People is as complicated as they come....

The show is beautifully put together and truly embraces the idea that love conquers all. This is a show that all should see. If not for the songs sung gorgeously by the talented cast, then for the beautiful message of love in all shapes and forms that the show champions....

Paul Osborn's MORNING'S AT SEVEN is interesting. I wish there were a better word to describe it, but it's the only word that feels right. I could say it's lively, endearing, or funny (which it's all of those things) but for some reason 'interesting' is the only word I can produce....

How often do we take for granted our sense of hearing? Our human existence is so intricately connected with the world of sound--from music, to movies, to simply talking on the phone to a loved one--when left without sound, most people might feel lost, painfully alone, or even go insane. Imagine now,...

Minneapolis Musical Theatre opened their season this weekend with the regional premiere of 'Carrie The Musical', an adaptation of the Stephen King novel. I have never seen the 1976 movie or read the book. I was going into the show without any preconceived notions of what the show should or should ...

A kidnapped baby. An American Hero. Sensationalized news coverage. All add up to the 'Crime of the Century'. Throw in some songs and you have the musical 'Baby Case' currently playing in Saint Paul at the History Theatre. Known for producing shows with historical ties to Minnesota and the upper Midw...

Heading up north to the cabin is such an integral part of life in Minnesota. The tranquility and seclusion of the woods offers an excellent escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Even though Ernest Thompson's 1978 play 'On Golden Pond' is set in Maine there is a natural connection with ...

Could you make the decision to bid farewell to your family and homeland with the prospect of a better life in the New World? Not knowing if or when you would see them again? That is the tough choice millions of immigrants to America faced from 1840-1924 during the golden age of immigration to Americ...

Nestled in the Lowertown area of Saint Paul Nautilus Music-Theater is producing a beautiful production of a little known musical, Ordinary Days. Its a hidden gem of a musical and put composer/lyricist Adam Gwon on the theatre map in New York City. Ordinary Days tells the story of four New Yorkers Cl...

In today's world, we've come to expect action, excitement and big emotion, or displays of it, and it's only getting worse in the age of 'reality TV.' What the public wants, they get. And lots of it. Reality today is oversized, over spent and over wrought....

The premiere of DISENCHANTED opened at Minneapolis' Ritz Theatre Thursday night. Six talented actors charmed and delighted the audience with strong singing and comedy chops in this tale of what's after 'happily ever after.'...

Good theater makes you think as you leave the theater. Excellent theater makes you think while watching the scenes unfold before you. That is exactly what David Lindsay-Abaire's Good People does....

Everyone knows the tale of Fern, Wilbur and Charlotte from the beloved classic children's book Charlotte's Web by E.B. White and now for the first time you can see them come to life on the Children's Theatre Company stage. Brilliantly directed by Greg Banks, this production is fun and entertaining w...

As we approach the 15th anniversary of the brutal murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, The Laramie Project at Lyric Arts is a great example of how theater has a way of tackling tough subject matter....

I overheard another audience member remark before the show 'I think I've been in this seedy motel before' and she was right. Long time fans of the Jungle will recognize the set from the previous production of Sam Shepard's Fool for Love the theatre produced years ago....

Actors, dancers, writers, directors all flock to Hollywood in an attempt to make it big and see their name in lights. Those lucky enough to see their dream to fruition also face the challenge of keeping their name in lights and face in public view. That's the fate that has transpired for silent movi...

Don't miss the short-run production of BILLY ELLIOT, as its electric, razzle-dazzle spirit leaps and soars across St. Paul's ORDWAY CENTER stage....

Kicking off its 50th season, Minneapolis' own Guthrie Theater debuted Christopher Hampton's, TALES FROM HOLLYWOOD, a dizzyingly dark and absurdist comedy of the lives and work of Bertolt Brecht, Heinrich and Thomas Mann, and their emigre (or more appropriately-exiled) novelists and screen-writers as...

Kicking off its 61st season, Minneapolis' Theatre in the Round presents the hilariously irreverent and uniquely relevant Greek classic, LYSISTRATA. First performed in 411 B.C., the show's lewd humor is still enthralling audiences today-and rightfully so. The production runs from September 7 through...

Circus Juventas, a non-profit circus school for youth in the Twin Cities, puts on seasonal shows for the public. This summer their performance was SHOWDOWN. It was a goofy, whimsical, death-defying production under their very own big top. For those of you who haven't been to a circus lately you may ...

Despite the countless stage renditions and award-winning film adaptation, CHICAGO is still able to jazz up audiences with that old "razzle-dazzle" sass, sharp-witted satire, and boudoir scandal. The musical, starring Tracy Shayne, Terra C. MacLeod, and John O'Hurley, debuted at the Ordway Theatre on...

BYE BYE LIVER is the interactive improv comedy/drinking game show that has been thrilling merry martini-sippers at the Camp Bar in St. Paul. The show offers lot of zest and a few chuckles and is playing through August 4th....

Overall, the forecast for The Sunshine Boys is clear and breezy. Audiences can expects sunny laughter, clear plotlines and gusts of slapstick. With a chance of a light drizzle (if you're not into hardy-har-type comedy) this show is daffy and fun....