The Illusion Theater’s stated mission is “to create theater that illuminates the illusions, myths and realities of our times and to catalyze personal and social change.†It makes sense, then, that the company would choose to premier Minnesota-born playwright Lee…
The Reagan Years, The Workhaus Collective performing at The Playwrights Center
Do you, like me, remember the 1980s as a heady combination of amnestic hedonism and unapologetic avarice and acquisitiveness? If so, I bet you’ll enjoy Dominic Orlando‘s zippily paced The Reagan Years, a celebration (if that’s an appropriate word) of…
Pussy Valley at Mixed Blood Theatre
Katori Hall, to her credit, does not, in Pussy Valley (Mixed Blood Theatre, though May 10) have an agenda. No authorial condescension is in evidence. As a straight forward portrait of the denizens of the Pink Pony, a gritty titty…
Mr. Burns, a post-electric play at the Guthrie Theater
We live in apocalyptic times: permanent droughts in Australia and California (the state from which Mr. Burns, a post-electric play playwright Anne Washburn hails). Ocean acidification, disappearing icecaps, Bangladesh soon to be 60% under water, Pakistan 18%, large Chinese rivers…
And The World Goes ‘Round at the Jungle Theater
Miss Latté Da’s exquisite production of Cabaret last year? You can atone, by betaking yourself down to the jewel box Jungle and taking in the sophisticated and entertaining revue of John Kander and Fred Ebb songs, And The World Goes…
The Illusionists at the Ordway
David: Bringing seven of the world’s foremost modern conjurers to the same stage, the touring production of The Illusionists (at the Ordway) is impressive. Undeniably, each of these skilled showmen has carefully crafted their larger than life stage personas to maximize…
Death Tax at Pillsbury House Theatre
Death Tax, by Lucas please-buy-a-vowel Hnath (Pillsbury House Theatre, through April 4) is an entertaining play about a super-serious subject: death. Do subjects get seriouser? Bed-ridden nursing home resident Maxine has acquired an unholy obsession, that her daughter is attempting…
Into The Woods by Theater Latté Da, performing at the Ritz Theater
Chelsea: From the moment we walked into The Ritz Theater (345 13th Ave NE) for Theater Latté Da‘s production of the great Stephen Sondheim‘s rich and multi-layered Into The Woods, it felt like we were in for something good. The theater, in…
COLLIDE Theatrical Dance Company presents Zoot Suit Riots at the Lab Theater
COLLIDE Theatrical Dance Company has leaped into spring with an original dance musical, landing it with a new verve and finesse that’s topped this unique company’s previous shows – and that’s saying something. What a great night out at the theater!…
Huck Finn at the Childrens Theatre Company
CTC presents us with a seriously Bowdlerized version of Mark Twain‘s difficult masterwork, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn (Childrens Theatre Co., through April 4). Calling their version Huck Finn, versatile director/adapter Greg Banks (he did CTC’s marvelous Pinnocchio a few season’s back)…
Hir at Mixed Blood Theatre
“Let’s put the fun in dysfunctional!” exclaims playwright Taylor Mac and – for a while, anyhow – he succeeds. The Mixed Blood stage for Hir (at MB through Mar 22) swirls with a wild scatter of dirty laundry (“I don’t…
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Guthrie Theatre
The Guthrie‘s production of William Shakespeare‘s delightful A Midsummer Night’s Dream clocks in at a bladder busting three plus hours. Loud and long, massive and ambitious, this show entertains – does it ever – but doesn’t pull you in. One…