China Brickey News

Illusion Theater will present THE PRIVATEER, a daring new tale by the celebrated physical theatre ensemble, Transatlantic Love Affair (TLA). On stage November 3-18, The Privateer explores the strange world of the 'golden age of piracy,' where the lines between legal and illegal, moral and immoral could be erased on a whim.

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.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) presents the back-by-popular-demand production of Cinderella.  This rambunctious musical originally created by CTC brings together the heart-warming, classic story of Cinderella's transformation, a Victorian Christmas party with lavish period costumes, grandiose sets and holiday carols, with brand-new, clever pop culture references, shameless physical comedy, audience participation, and gut-busting gags.  

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) presents the back-by-popular-demand production of Cinderella.  This rambunctious musical originally created by CTC brings together the heart-warming, classic story of Cinderella's transformation, a Victorian Christmas party with lavish period costumes, grandiose sets and holiday carols, with brand-new, clever pop culture references, shameless physical comedy, audience participation, and gut-busting gags. 

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) will present the audience favorite Cinderella, starring CTC Acting Company member Traci Allen Shannon in the title role. The entire CTC Acting Company stars as well with Reed Sigmund and Dean Holt playing Cinderella's stepsisters, Dorcas and Pearl, Autumn Ness playing the Stepmother, and Gerald Drake playing Lord High Chamberlain. CTC's 15/16 Performing Apprentice China Brickey will perform as the fairy godmother. David L. Murray,Jr (upcoming Theater Latte Da's Ragtime) will debut at CTC as Prince Eric.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE MUSICAL - I've got an animal heart for you. Even though I have no familiarity with the successful book series or movies, I felt obliged to see Children's Theater Company's world premiere musical adaptation because of the talk about a possibly Broadway run, and producer Kevin McCollum also produced my favorite musical RENT. But all sense of obligation quickly went out the window as the show won me over with it's clever and musically diverse score, universally relatable story of a kid trying to find himself in middle school, and most of all this incredible cast of mostly Twin Cities youth. Whether you're a kid stuck in the middle (school), or a jaded grown-up, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE MUSICAL is simply irresistible, and I think it's going to go far.