Theatre Coup d’Etat has made a brave move with José Rivera’s play “Marisol.†The premise is provocative, the action disturbing and the characters flawed and intriguing. In Rivera’s apocalyptic urban fantasy world, God is old, senile and dying, and violence…
Author: Janet Preus
Review | The Mermaid Hour Remixed : an appealing premise
April 6-29 at Mixed Blood TheatreMixed Blood Theatre has just opened Mermaid Hour: Remixed by David Valdes Greenwood with music by Eric Mayson, as part of the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. The non-musical version is playing at other theaters around the country,…
Review | Something Rotten!: Yes, it’s that funny!
Orpheum Theatre through April 8What if two brothers got together and decided to write a musical about two brothers writing a musical? (A few adult beverages, perhaps, and …) The brothers come up with a wacky idea about how musicals were born in Shakespeare’s…
Review | The Humans: realism returns
Presented by the Hennepin Theatre Trust at the Orpheum, MinneapolisIt is Thanksgiving Day. A family gathers in the Manhattan Chinatown apartment that one of the daughters shares with her boyfriend. Grandmother, in a wheelchair, only somewhat “with it.†Sister, dealing with recent breakup. Mom, mother hen-ing, and Dad, doing…
Review | The Unscripted Minnesota Holiday: improvised fun
Bryant-Lake Bowl through December 8Looking for a little alternative holiday entertainment? Something that doesn’t require dressing up or pondering the financial commitment for the tickets? Well, here it is: Dangerboat Productions “The Unscripted Minnesota Holiday†at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater – and it’s family-friendly…
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time: fascinating
Mixed Blood Theatre, through Dec 3Mixed Blood Theatre has just opened “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,†and what a fascinating show it is! And on so many levels! Here’s a thought-provoking story that elucidates an enigmatic protagonist, supported with a theatricality…
Hamlet: timeless and brand new
Park Square Theatre through Nov. 11If there is one word in theater that’s recognized globally, it must be “Hamlet;†to take on this play is a somber responsibility. Park Square Theatre, under the guiding hand of director and scenic designer Joel Sass, has opened a…
Snapshot And Blank: Comic Book Theater. Kapow!
Maggie’s Farm TheaterMaggie’s Farm Theater, a cozy little space tucked into the Lennox Community Center in St. Louis Park, was just about the perfect space for the action-packed “Snapshot & Blank†by Todd Richardson, an homage to the playwright’s love of –…
The Red Shoes mind-bends a classic
Open Eye Figure Theatre collaborates with the new Oddfellows CollectiveOpen Eye Figure Theatre and Oddfellows Collective, a new theater entity formed of well-known local artists, most notably the play’s writer/director/designer Joel Sass and writer/performer Kimberly Richardson, have opened “The Red Shoes.†Although inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen…
Anna In The Tropics: a missed opportunity
At the Jungle Theater through March 12The Jungle Theater has opened its 2017 season with a play by Nilo Cruz, “Anna in the Tropics,†a Pulitzer Price winner for the playwright in 2003. The piece starts with the jewel most writers treasure: a little known slice-of-life,…