Fad-lit. In the 90s every woman (and many men) read Robert James Waller‘s novel The Bridges Of Madison County (nowadays the title is 50 Shades Of Gray). The book was hugely popular. And why not? The story, of two late-middle…
Review || Bernarda Alba: percussive intensity
It’s a terrific idea: take the dense, lyrical prose of Federico Garcia Lorca‘s masterful The House Of Bernarda Alba and replace it with dense, semi-dissonant, percussive music (by Michael John LaChiusa). And it works! As long as you don’t expect…
Review || Becky Sharp: cynical chic
It is almost halfway into Becky Shaw (at the Gremlin Theatre, through January 26) before the character of that name makes her first appearance. By that time, the extended Slater family has suffered financial collapse upon the death of the father and…
Review | The Band’s Visit: subtle magic
The Band’s Visit, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and book by Itamar Moses, breaks so many rules for writing musicals—not by being outrageous, but by being not outrageous. It is a musical built on subtleties, just bits and…
Review | The Norwegians: if you’re looking for a few yuks…
Two young women walk into a Minnesota bar, one from Texas and one from Kentucky. They bond over the chilling effects of Minnesota winters, their broken hearts, and a desire to wreak revenge on their former boyfriends. Olive, the…
Review | Dog Act: post-apocalyptic rage
Liz Duffy Adams‘s intermittently amusing Dog Act (Fortune’s Fool Theatre performing in The Gremlin) brings to mind the work of a number of super-duper playwrights: Bertolt Brecht (Mother Courage), Samuel Beckett (Waiting For Godot), Caryl Churchill (The Skriker, produced a…
Review | All Is Calm: masterful
Across a dim stage, out of the (hypoallergenic) mist, a crystal-clear voice rings out, singing the old Scottish tune “Will ye go to Flanders.†The voice takes shape in a young soldier, flanked on either side by a small chorus…
Review | Miss Bennet, Christmas At Pemberley: a delight once again
Oh, the trials and tribulations of the middle child! Less accomplished (theoretically) than the eldest, less adorable than the youngest, her voice is often ignored, if it’s heard at all. But Mary Bennet, the enonymous hero of Miss Bennet, Christmas…
Review | Fast Company: enjoyably confusing
Fast Company (Theater Mu performing at the Guthrie, through Nov 24) wants to be good. All the production elements are in place: a zippy pace, muscular direction (by whip smart Brian Balcom), excellent acting. The play has some tasty design (sets…
Review | Steel Magnolias: a warm respite from the winter cold
When you settle into your seat in the McGuire Proscenium to watch Robert Harling‘s Steel Magnolias, playing at the Guthrie through December 15th, you’ll feel instantly soothed by the pre-show announcements, read in a fitting southern drawl. Set in a beauty…
Review | The Song Of Summer: a trifle confusing, but great fun
The pre-show publicity for Mixed Blood Theatre‘s production of Lauren Yee‘s clutch-popper The Song Of Summer (running through Nov 24) makes the point explicitly: Lauren Yee = God. Beshowered with grant money, with dozens of productions amounting to a national…
Review | A New Brain: breezy, sweet, tuneful, long
I’ll say it again: Artistry offers one of the most pleasant and approachable play-going experiences around. Ticket prices are reasonable. The lobby is huge (and contains a very nice art gallery). The Schneider Theatre is comfortable and perfectly sized –…