You’ve been waiting for this one, right? A fresh new writing and production team, a ridiculous premise, the Tony Award for Best Musical … Well, I’m here to tell you, the wait for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder 
The Great Work in the Guthrie’s Dowling Studio
It is one of the true joys of the Twin Cities that emerging, passionate artists are provided space to flex their creative talents and share new works. These productions play a vital role in pushing the stage in fresh directions…
Sunshine by Dark & Stormy Productions, performing in the old Grain Belt Brewery
Sunshine is having a terrible, no-good, very bad day. First, she works a long shift at the (sex) Club Paradise, dancing desultorily (and behind a dirty window) for pathetically lonely men, men who masturbate openly onto the concrete (one hopes)…
Between the Worlds at Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre does theater like nobody else, making the familiar larger than life and turning the ordinary into magic. “Between the Worlds,†which opened Friday night, is a celebration of the wonders…
A Midwinter Night’s Revel by Walking Shadow Theatre Co., performing at Red Eye Theater
‘Tis the season. We at HowWasTheShow.com have avoided the holiday repeats and the treacly: A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, The Sound Of Mucous, The Wizard Of Oz, et al. But the Berglunds did visit Penumbra’s Black Nativity (they liked it).…
Black Nativity by Penumbra Theatre
If you find your seasonal liturgy lacking in energy, or you need a kick in the pants to get in the Christmas spirit, Penumbra Theatre’s Black Nativity will likely do the trick. The production, the company’s 28th rendition to date,…
Open Window Theatre to present “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”
Open Window Theatre is not easy to find, even though it’s close to downtown and right off the freeway. But it’s a darn sweet space and worth haggling with Google’s voice-activated GPS to find it. (The Google voice had it…
Edgar Allan Poe’s Nutcracker (the un-ballet) by Interact Theater
Edgar Allan Poe’s Nutcracker (the un-ballet) is a weird and wonderful production created by Interact Center’s ensemble and performed by them under the direction of Taous Claire Khazem and Scotty Reynolds at their new home (1860  Minnehaha Avenue West) in…
The Cocoanuts at the Guthrie Theater
Palimpsest theater. A palimpsest (as you undoubtedly know) is a manuscript in which the original text has been erased and new text written over it. Ah, but the original text is still visible. The Guthrie‘s hyperly wonderful The Cocoanuts is…
Beautiful, The Carole King Musical, Hennepin Theatre Trust performing at the Orpheum
Sh. The dyspeptic Critic is here, but I think he’s asleep. Let’s not wake him. He has a distressing tendency to belch out his poisonous opinions with room-clearing fervor. Let’s talk softly. Carole King‘s 70s album Tapestries was the soundtrack…
C.L.U. produced by Collide Theatrical Dance at the Ritz Theater
Remember the old board game, “Clue?†Ever seen a dance version of it? In Collide Theatrical Dance Company’s “C.L.U.†the saucy maid may poison the victim in the kitchen, or the malevolent Ms. Snow strangle him in the bedroom (or…
The Magic Flute by Minnesota Opera Company, performing at the Ordway
The Magic Flute, one of Mozart’s most successful and recognizable operas, is equal parts genius and insane. Its plot is a convoluted fever dream filled with changing allegiances, romantic schmaltz, and an abundance of strange mythology. One cannot help but…