The Guthrie opened David Henry Hwang’s most acclaimed play, M. Butterfly, to a packed house that gave every indication of having left their own worlds behind to contemplate this inscrutable and fantastic story. The story is launched from both a…
Author: Janet Preus
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Mixed Blood Theatre
Mixed Blood may just have the most eclectic tastes of any theater I’ve reviewed in the Twin Cities, finding little gems that beautifully reflect their larger mission, while providing us with fine entertainment. With The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity…
Spring of Freedom, Summer of Fear at Lowry Lab Theatre
Table Salt Productions premiered the third new work in its first season, offering a personal look at a moment in the revolution which transformed Iran’s political picture in the early 1980’s. This was writer Ali Ravi’s first foray into dramatizing…
The Vaudevillian, Spirit of the American Dream at Southern Theater
Attending an event at the Southern Theater feels like taking a step back in time. Layers of remodeling and redecorating, one imagines – along with its history – have been stripped down to the bare and imperfect brick walls and…
Violet, a Theater Latté Da production at The Guthrie Theater
Theater Latté Da’s new musical, Violet – nicely suited to the Guthrie’s black box space, the Dowling Studio Theater – is a tight little ensemble piece that spins along like the bus carrying its title character on her literal and…
My Antonia at Illusion Theater
I will admit that I wondered why Illusion Theater (528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis) Â might pick this standard in American literature classes for a new adaptation. I know the book well, and even after years away from the classroom, I could…
Young Frankenstein at Orpheum Theatre
The Hennepin Theater Trust continues its season of touring productions with the Mel Brooks classic, Young Frankenstein, a musical version of his movie spoof on the monster horror genre. But everybody knows that movie, right? If you do, you won’t…
Channeling Carol, a Queerdo Production at Bedlam Theatre
Queerdo, a queer artist collective formed out of the mission of Outward Spiral Theatre Company, launched its first production with a cabaret inspired by legendary performer Carol Channing. Conceived and curated by Jeffry Lusiak, it featured new work by 10…
Rock ‘n Roll by Tom Stoppard, a Park Square Theatre Production at Park Square Theatre
I’ve always been a fan of Tom Stoppard plays, but I chose not to direct one with my college students once because I thought they’d all need a degree in its subject matter to understand what they were talking about.…
Mr. McGee & The Biting Flea at The Children’s Theatre Company
The real test of theater is whether or not it works for the intended audience. Mr. McGee & the Biting Flea, the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company’s winter offering for young children, clearly knows its audience. CTC partnered with the Australian…