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…
Tag: Bloomington Center For The Arts
Review | She Loves Me: sweet and tuneful
Whenever I attend the Artistry Theater, I’m struck by what a play-going bargain it is. The commodious parking lot is filled with free parking; the lobby is huge; there’s a wonderful and large room filled with pretty-good art. (The rest…
Review | Mary Poppins: timeless appeal
Mary Poppins may be returning to the silver screen with a new Disney film Mary Poppins Returns but the original movie starring Julie Andrews exudes a timeless essence that continues to enchant audiences today. You can relive the magic of Mary…
Awake And Sing!: a 1930s era gem
“She’s so beautiful. She’s like French words.” “Life shouldn’t be printed on one dollar bills.” “I got a yen for her, and that ain’t Chinese coins.” Can a play containing gems like this ever really be bad? Not really, and…
Review | Legally Blonde: zippy and zesty, if a touch contrived
Snappy. Snazzy. Fizzy and frothy. Abrim with pizzazz and pure musical intensity. Real good. All these adjectives (and then some) apply to Artistry Theater‘s amazing production of Legally Blonde (in Artistry’s comfortable Schneiderman Theatre, through August 19). The plot of…
Review | Follies: rough-hewn charm
Like the recent The Music Man, Follies (Artistry Theater, through May 6) exudes sturdy but rough-around-the edges sweetness and charm. Director Benjamin McGovern has done a crackerjack job casting Follies, (music and lyrics by the great Stephen Sondheim, book by…
The Music Man: seeworthy
To begin on a mercantile note: Artistry Theater charges $41 for a ticket to The Music Man (Artistry, 1800 Old Shakopee Road in Bloomington, through Nov 5). This is 1/4 of what they get at the Orpheum, 1/3 of what…
Wit: a compelling exploration of the mystery of death
Professor Vivian Bearing has Stage Four – “There’s no Stage Five” – ovarian cancer. A tumor “the size of a grapefruit” has spread to her pelvic bones, to the surrounding organs and the pain, and the pressure of it, combined…
Little Shop Of Horrors: Twisted Fun
Americans have an affinity for ghoulish comedies. Arsenic and Old Lace, recently revived by the Guthrie, has kept audiences laughing at two murderous old ladies for generations. Rocky Horror Picture Show is another more recent example of this peculiarly American…
The Baker’s Wife by Artistry, performing at the Bloomington Center For The Arts
Steven Schwartz and Joseph Stein’s rarely seen The Baker’s Wife (Artistry, performing at the Bloomington Center For The Arts) is a difficult little musical. A darkly comic comment on the fallibility of human relationships and romantic impulses, it is as unsettling…