I’ve always been a fan of Tom Stoppard plays, but I chose not to direct one with my college students once because I thought they’d all need a degree in its subject matter to understand what they were talking about.…
Modern Radio 10th Anniversary at Cedar Cultural Center
You sure can’t say the local music scene doesn’t ever do us any favors. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Modern Radio pulled out all the stops with a pair of shows at the Turf Club and the Cedar over the weekend. For…
Mr. McGee & The Biting Flea at The Children’s Theatre Company
The real test of theater is whether or not it works for the intended audience. Mr. McGee & the Biting Flea, the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre Company’s winter offering for young children, clearly knows its audience. CTC partnered with the Australian…
Dessa CD Release Party at Fine Line Music Café
It was the biggest show of the weekend, and without doubt the most publicized to date of the young decade. The Fine Line was sold out and packed to the walls Friday night for this, the big coming out party of…
Q & A with Tom Loftus and Peter Mielech of Modern Radio
Tom Loftus and Peter Mielech are co-owners of Modern Radio, an independent record label based in the Twin Cities that is celebrating its ten-year anniversary. In this extended interview, Tom and Peter talk about the label’s inception, future projects the…
Slideshow: Best New Bands of 2009 Showcase at First Avenue
HowWasTheShow is proud to present Jenn Barnett’s photos from Friday night’s Best New Bands of 2009 Showcase at First Avenue. The slideshow is set to “Dreams” by the Twilight Hours. Additional text by David de Young. Leisure Birds, No Bird Sing,…
Gay Beast 7-Inch Release Party at 7th Street Entry
For a band whose music seems to verge on complete chaos, Gay Beast’s show at the Entry last Friday was the work of a band in complete control of its music. Celebrating the release of their new EP, Charm, the Minneapolis…
Dreamgirls at Orpheum Theatre
Wow,” said my young companion, “she’s amazing,” and it’s true: as Effie White, Moya Angela turns in a knockout performance, one that lifts Dreamgirls (at the Orpheum, 910 Hennepin Ave., through Jan 17, hennepintheatretrust.org) and turns a solid Broadway production…
We Gotta Bingo! at The Hennepin Stages
Environmental/audience participation musicals are a jam-packed field and it gets more crowded all the time: Tony ‘N Tina’s Wedding, The Church Basement Ladies, A Deer Camp Christmas, Dixie’s Tupperware Party, et al. Audiences love them, though, and if We Gotta Bingo!…