In an at-war America wracked with paranoia and fear of a subversive threat following the attack on Pearl Harbor, a young, patriotic university student decided to stand up and be relentlessly principled. That student was Gordon Hirabayashi, and at a…
Why We Can’t Have Nice Things presented by The Recovery Party at the Bryant-Lake Bowl
The Recovery Party’s latest original show is about options, from having too many to not having enough, but that doesn’t begin to describe the absurd lengths, heights and depths to which writer/director Joshua Will takes the simplest interactions. Such as…
Jitney at Penumbra Theatre
August Wilson’s plays are not slice of life dramas with straight-as-a-knife plotlines. They embody broad swaths of Black history played out decade by decade. Jitney, now at Penumbra Theatre, is no exception. Set in the 1970’s, Wilson employs gossip, personal…
The Parchman Hour at the Guthrie Theatre
It’s no accident that the program for Mike Wiley‘s Civil Rights drama The Parchman Hour (at the Guthrie, through November 6) references books for elementary and middle school students. These are the folks who most need to see The Parchman…
Camelot at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre
The best thing about the new production of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot (Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, through February 25, 2017) is King Arthur. Keith Rice has everything the role requires and is a delight to watch. He’s developed a complex character…
Comedy of Errors produced by Maggie’s Farm Theater at the Lennox Center Little Theater
This is not a proper review, because I went to this play with no intention to review it. But when I found out when this company is up to, I decided I needed to pass the word along, so let’s…
The Realistic Joneses at Park Square Theatre
Jane Froiland is in The Realistic Joneses (Park Square Theatre, through October 16). As always, she delights. She projects catchy breeziness, with a goofy smile and an energetic friendliness. All underlaid with real pain, loneliness and a shaky bitterness which…
Barbecue at Mixed Blood Theatre
Robert O’Hara‘s clutch-popping Barbecue (Mixed Blood Theater, through October 16) is gimmicky. Nothing in the play is what it seems to be, character motivations change with breathtaking quickness, abrupt discoveries are made about characters really are and it would be…
The Last Firefly at the Children’s Theatre Co.
To be present at the opening night performance of a play’s world premiere on a major Twin Cities stage is like experiencing the world through the eyes of a child, everything is new. So it was for a nearly sold…
Ragtime by Theater Latté Da
David: It is easy to see why Theater Latté Da chose this moment to mount their own production of Ragtime (running through October 23rd at their newly acquired Ritz Theater home). In times of civil unrest and political uncertainty, its themes…
The 2016 Ivey Awards
This year, I told my significant other and regular theater companion (Tim) to write up what he wanted to say about the Iveys. He loves going to the Twin Cities theater community’s big event, and as a performer, has a…
Sense And Sensibility at the Guthrie Theater
Jane Austen’s first novel Sense and Sensibility is, by any standard, a literary triumph. It launched her career and established her as a strong storyteller and social satirist in a male-dominated sphere. To this day, this work resonates with widespread…