In The White Card, at Penumbra Theatre things don’t go awry in the way you might expect. Playwright Claudia Rankin dives head first into the American race relations. The play starts with Charles and his wife, Virginia (both white) who…
Author: Mari Wittenbreer
Review || Becky Sharp: cynical chic
Gremlin Theatre, through January 26It is almost halfway into Becky Shaw (at the Gremlin Theatre, through January 26) before the character of that name makes her first appearance. By that time, the extended Slater family has suffered financial collapse upon the death of the father and…
Review | The Norwegians: if you’re looking for a few yuks…
Dark & Stormy Productions, through Jan 5Two young women walk into a Minnesota bar, one from Texas and one from Kentucky. They bond over the chilling effects of Minnesota winters, their broken hearts, and a desire to wreak revenge on their former boyfriends. Olive, the…
Review | A Winter’s Tale: something reeks of tyranny
Ten Thousand Things, through Nov 17; various venues (see note at end of review)This is an exciting time to be attending the theatre in the Twin Cities. With so many of our theatre companies changing their artistic directors—due mostly to retirements—a trip to the theatre becomes a journey of great expectations to see…
Review | Guys And Dolls: a stand-up production
Guthrie Theater, through August 25A love story played out last night at the Guthrie. The actors playing the beloved stock characters — street-wise gamblers, Chicago gangsters, Bible toting missionaries and air-headed show girls made the audience fall head over heels in love with Guys…
Review | Blood Knot: apartheid redux
Pillsbury House Theater, through June 16What a difference a production can make. I saw Blood Knot by Athol Fugard some time ago at an out of state venue and was not impressed. The play seemed to have little depth past the rather obvious conceit of…
Review | The Brothers Paranormal: possessed by dispossession
A co-production between Penumbra and Mu Performing Arts, at Penumbra through May 26Billed as a ghost story The Brothers Paranormal begins lightly, with humor and a comic set-up. But scene by scene the play becomes more serious as playwright Prince Golmolvilas draws parallel worlds of reality. Max, a Thai-American, and his brother own…
Review | Metamorphoses: how love transforms us
Guthrie Theater, through May 19I have been hoping to see Metamorphoses by playwright/director Mary Zimmerman for a long time. More than twenty years ago it made a big splash when first produced in Chicago. Metamorphoses has garnered praise and awards ever since and is…
Review | The Hobbit: more action than inspiration
Childrens Theatre Co., through April 14In The Children’s Theatre Company‘s world premiere production of J.R.R Tolkien‘s famous The Hobbit has many things going for it. Adapted for stage and directed by Greg Banks, with music by Thomas Johnson, the show has an inexhaustible cast of only…
Review | As You Like It: true love in exile
Guthrie Theater, through March 17In the Twin Cites we take good theatre almost for granted. Even so, this has been an exceptionally fine winter season. From provocative new plays like The Children and The Father at the Jungle and Gremlin Theatres to A Little…