Two words describe the A Year With Frog And Toad (at CTC, through June 18). First: sweet. Anyone who can watch this delightful show without a constant smile needs professional help. Toad (played by Reed Sigmund, the reincarnation of Fatty…
Author: John Olive
The Testament Of Mary: a unique take on the Jesus story
Loudmouth Collective performing at Open Eye Theatre, 506 E. 24th St., Minneapolis, through April 30Intense emotion recollected in the tranquility of old age. That’s the vibe of the affecting The Testament Of Mary, a solo piece adapted by the accomplished Irish writer Colm Tóibin from his novel of the same title (Loudmouth Collective). In…
Vietgone: a frantic clutch-popper
Mixed Blood Theatre, through April 30Mixed Blood Theatre, in its PR material, calls Qui Nguyen‘s breathless Vietgone (running at MB thru April 30) a “mash-up,” and that it most certainly is, a delirious (if mash-ups are your cup of tea) and graceless (if not) combo…
West Side Story: thrilling and inspiring
At the Ordway through April 16. A co-production with Teatro Del Pueblo2007 was the fiftieth anniversary of West Side Story. The NPR report I listened to at the time indicated that there had been – ten years ago – 50,000 productions of the show. What this means is that, as you…
Six Degrees Of Separation: highly recommended
Theater Latté Da, through April 9First things first: Six Degrees Of Separation (Theater Latté Da performing at the newly purchased Ritz, through April 9) looks terrific. Yeoperson work has been by the crackerjack design team – Kate Sutton-Johnson (sets); Alice Frederickson (costumes); Barry Browning (lights).…
Marie Antoinette: featuring the sparkly Jane Froiland
Walking Shadow Theatre Co., performing at Red Eye Theatre, 15 West 14th Street, Minneapolis, through March 4Marie Antoinette never said, “They don’t have enough bread? Then let them eat cake.” This libel was perpetrated by the people of France who despised MA for her youth, her penchant for expensive jewelry, for dressing up as a shepherdess…
The Royal Family: fizzy, frothy — and long
At the Guthrie Theatre, through March 19When it was first produced, 90 long years ago, George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber‘s The Royal Family had a different sort of meaning than now. Audiences back then were knowledgeable about, and were devotees of, theatrical dynasties – the…
Miranda: a portrait of a Middle Eastern hell-on-earth
Illusion Theater, through February 18Yemen. Good Lord, what a hornet’s nest. The Saudis vs the Iranians. The Houthi rebels vs the Yemeni government. The Americans (and their Saudi clients) vs the Iranians and Al Qaeda. The Sunnis vs the Shiites. Al Qaeda and ISIS…
Gremlin’s New Performing Space: Finally, Some Good Theater News
550 Vandalia Street, in St. Paul, close to 94, the Green Line, a taproom, food trucks… Yes!Been wondering about the Gremlin Theatre? Wonder no more. They’ve been busy, creating a much-needed new twin cities performance venue, in St. Paul’s Vandalia Tower. This spunky purveyor of edgy contemporary theater finally has a home of its own, after some years…
Liberty Falls 54321: a camp classic
The Moving Company, performing at the Lab Theater, through Feb 5What is theatrical camp? I pondered thith pithy question as I made my way down frozen Portland Avenue after the opening of The Moving Company‘s goofily effective Liberty Falls 54321 (a remount of a play originally done in 2015). I concluded:…