Since 2004, Walking Shadow Theatre Company has been the area’s premier provider of historical drama: Hatchet Lady, Carrie Nation, Angel Of Destruction (19th century U.S.); Marie Antoinette (18th century France); Gross Indecency, The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde (19th century…
Author: John Olive
Review | Underneath The Lintel: a hoot
Theater Latté Da, through July 1Underneath The Lintel (Theater Latte Da, at the Ritz Theatre) is, to say the least, an unexciting title, but Glen Berger‘s rollicking and rip-roaring play is the bomb. In it, a “librarian” (she has no other name) finds a book returned…
Review | Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
Guthrie Theater, through May 27Sit in the corner and try not to belch. It’s repulsive. Behave yourself. Cynical Critic: Yes, sir. Go ahead. And don’t shout. CC: Ahem. There’s only one reason the Guthrie did Todd Kreidler (working with William Rose‘s screenplay)’s Guess Who’s…
Review | Follies: rough-hewn charm
Artistry Theater, through May 6Like the recent The Music Man, Follies (Artistry Theater, through May 6) exudes sturdy but rough-around-the edges sweetness and charm. Director Benjamin McGovern has done a crackerjack job casting Follies, (music and lyrics by the great Stephen Sondheim, book by…
Review | The Skriker: Churchillian theatricality
Fortune’s Fool Theatre, through April 22Newness: a relatively new (to me anyhow) theater, Fortune’s Fool. FF has done a half dozen plays, plays by Dan Pinkerton, Kira Obolensky, etc. Now they are performing a newish (well, seldom produced in any event) play by the great…
Review | The Wolves: breezy charm
Jungle Theater, through April 29The Wolves (Jungle Theater, through Apr 29) concerns a group of young women, 9 by my count, prepping for a series of soccer games. Soccer-haters (a category that includes myself) take note: you don’t have to watch these women play.…
Review | The Great Divide II: wonderfully uneven
Pillsbury House Theatre, through March 25The Great Divide II is a collection of 5 short one acts presented without intermission by Pillsbury House Theatre (through March 25), a follow-up to last season’s successful The Great Divide. The plays – by Andrew Rosendorf, Christina M. Ham,…
Review | Indecent: beautifully dilapidated
The Guthrie, through March 24Your two agèd (make that astute and intelligent) www.HowWasTheShow.com reviewers, John Olive and Janet Preus, recently attended a performance at the G of Paula Vogel‘s Indecent. They then repaired to the bar downstairs and prepared the following review: John Olive:…
Review | Park & Lake: a hoot and a half
Ten Thousand Things; various venues (check the TTT website), through March 11What gives with all these outré comedies currently gracing stages in the twins? Two Mile Hollow. 21 Extremely Bad Breakups. Noises Off. And now the latest offering from Ten Thousand Things: Park & Lake. Are the sanctimonious clowns in Washington…
Review | Two Mile Hollow: over-the-top, and thoroughly enjoyable
A co-production between Mu Performing Arts and Mixed Blood Theatre; at Mixed Blood through March 4Camp: when the process(es) of the performers supercede(s) the needs of the story being told. By this definition, Two Mile Hollow – a co-production between Mixed Blood Theater and Mu Performing Arts (an arrangement one wishes more theaters would make),…