THE MYSTERY CAFE

by Jared Fessler - July 09, 2025

The national tour of Kimberly Akimbo, the five-time Tony Award-winning musical, opened this week at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis — and it is, quite simply, a triumph of storytelling....

by Joe Sarafolean - June 27, 2025

What did our critic think of CABARET at Guthrie Theater?...

by Jared Fessler - June 24, 2025

There’s no gentle way into A Pink Triangle, and that’s exactly the point. This new play by Kirby Taylor, now running at Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis, wastes no time setting its tone—grim, intimate, and deeply human. Set in a Nazi concentration camp, the story focuses on a father and son forced int...

by Jared Fessler - June 24, 2025

Theatre in the Round is ending its 73rd season with a bang—and a belly laugh—with the world premiere of Endometriosis: The Musical, a gutsy and hilarious new work by Maria Bartholdi and Kristin Stowell. What began as a hit at the 2022 Minnesota Fringe Festival (where it took home Venue Pick, Audienc...

by Jared Fessler - June 20, 2025

From the second the doors opened at Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater, it was clear that Betty Who’s Out of the Darkness tour wasn’t just another pop concert—it was a radiant, communal celebration. The cozy venue, known for its intimate vibe and flawless acoustics, buzzed with energy as fans filtered in,...

by Jared Fessler - June 18, 2025

On a warm June evening in St. Paul, James Taylor brought his trademark warmth and wit to a packed Xcel Energy Center, offering fans an evening that felt less like a massive arena concert and more like an intimate fireside gathering—only with 15,000 people invited....

by Jared Fessler - June 11, 2025

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts has once again delivered a winning Broadway experience with its latest production of Legally Blonde, running June 10-15, 2025. Based on the 2001 cult-favorite film starring Reese Witherspoon, this musical adaptation is a high-energy, feel-good show that perf...

by Jared Fessler - June 10, 2025

At the Crane Theater, Walking Shadow Theatre Company isn’t just reviving history — it’s exhuming it, dusting it off, and tossing it unapologetically under the spotlight. Mae West and the Trial of Sex, a new play written by Artistic Director John Heimbuch and directed by Allison Vincent, dives headlo...

by Joe Sarafolean - June 08, 2025

If a show based around love, obsession, and a spiraling descent into madness seems like an alluring night at the theater, look no further than Theater Latté Da’s newest production of the rarely mounted Sondheim-Lapin collaboration, Passion....

by Jared Fessler - May 14, 2025

What happens if Juliet doesn’t die at the end of Romeo & Juliet? That’s the bold (and surprisingly heartwarming) premise behind & Juliet, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis through May 18. This energetic, genre-bending musical takes Shakespeare’s tragic heroine and gives her a second ...