State of the Arts Category Archive: Criticism
The reviews are in for 'An Iliad' at the Guthrie
Posted at 11:54 AM on May 20, 2013
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
One of the oldest stories in literature is Homer's "Iliad" set during the Trojan War.
Playwrights Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare have given the epic tale a modern revision, allowing audiences to see the horror of war through the lens of not just one epic battle, but the wars of three millennia.
"An Iliad" runs through May 26; critics have found it raw, powerful, captivating and electric.
Stephen Yoakam as The Poet in Guthrie Theater's production of "An Iliad"
Photo by Aaron Fenster
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
A bit slow moving at the start, An Iliad is like a 400-page novel: each chapter must be set up by the previous ones before it can speed ahead to the most exciting parts. Like so often is the case, however, patience is rewarded. As the stories and emotions tumble out, layers of Yoakam's costume are stripped away until what's left is Homer in his most raw and honest state. Here standing before us is a man who's seen and experienced a lifetime's worth of pain; a man begging his listeners to heed his warning, abandon hate, and choose to love. Whether or not we have the courage to do so is up to us.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
The power of "An Iliad" is its refusal to cluck with self righteousness, as so many preachy agitprop dramas do. (You know, geeks dressed in leotards howling at George Bush.) Yoakam's Poet is a brawny and vexed man who understands the terrible beauty of this vicious sport. And by wading into that mysterious realm with honest integrity, he lets this pool of spilled blood tell its own story.
"An Iliad" runs at the Guthrie Theater through May 26
Photo by Aaron Fenster
Throughout, Yoakam holds us captivated. The conversational script -- only short bits are in verse (and in Greek as well) -- makes the engagement between actor and audience easy, but it is Yoakam's skill that keeps our focus through a well-known story. Some of the most riveting moments come when the Poet goes off script. At times, he abandons the story to recount images from other futile battlefields of history, such as World War I. Or, in one harrowing moment, he recites war after war that has been fought since the fall of Troy. Here, Yoakam is at his best, making us feel the weariness and loss as each war is cited.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
It's a rangy, eclectic and sometimes electric performance, filled with bravura moments but utterly devoid of the look-at-me theatrics to which a lesser performer or a lesser story might be prone.
Have you seen "An Iliad" at the Guthrie? What's your review?
(1 Comments)Looking for role models in a world of stereotypes
Posted at 3:52 PM on May 1, 2013
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Culture, Minnesota Mix
Asian American artists are creating amazing work in Minnesota, but they often feel that no one knows about it.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a group of artists to talk about the challenges they face within their own communities, and the stories and ideas they wish they heard on mainstream media.
Kurt Kwan as Sam Shikaze and Sara Ochs as Nancy Wing in Mu Performing Arts' recent production of "Yellow Fever"
Photo by Michal Daniel
Gathered at the table were poet Wang Ping, photographer Pao Her, spoken word artists Bao Phi and Linda Her, and actors Randy Reyes and Kurt Kwan.
Bao Phi pointed to lingering media stereotypes of Asian Americans, which tend to lump them together despite the diversity of their cultural backgrounds -- Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Hmong and Vietnamese.
"In Minnesota particularly we have such an amazing opportunity. We had at one point the only urban Native American area in the continent United States - Phillips, where I grew up, had Little Earth, and then there's influx of Vietnamese refugees like my parents and then southeast Asian Hmong folks. There are adopted Koreans who complicate the immigrant narrative completely, and there's people like Wang Ping who is an immigrant but who is a very successful author in the English language. So there's a lot of really interesting positives and there are some negatives too... there are obviously tensions between those who are newer and folks who have been here a while.
I feel like America's narrative talking about race and all of these things - gender, sexuality - is becoming more and more complicated, for the better. And I'd like to see media coverage embracing the complications and the contradictions, rather than figuring out what stories fit into preexisting narratives and paradigms."
Related: How the Twin Cities have changed - and not changed - for African American artists
Bao Phi is the author of "Song I Sing," a collection of poetry that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, among others.
Photo by Charissa Uemura
But sometimes diversity becomes its own obstacle. Some panelists complained of a bifurcation between different Asian American ethnic groups. A play about a Hmong family will draw a Hmong audience, but wont attract Korean Americans, for example, even if the story has universal ramifications. Poet and English professor Wang Ping says it's important to not get complacent.
"If we only pay attention to our own community - Asian American, Native American, African American - that's important, but we also need alliances across these communities, to connect with one another, and with Caucasians as well. It's extremely important to have our voices linked, and to have that network in place."
For Randy Reyes, the incoming Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts, presenting strong Asian American role models is key.
"I remember the first time I saw an Asian person on stage," said Reyes. "It wasn't even Filipino. Just an Asian person on stage - not in a movie or on TV where they're doing Kung Fu or being the butt of a joke, or being silly in a commercial. This was a person on stage that looked like me. And the experience opened my mind to a world of possibilities. And I would like to have the young people of the Asian American community see themselves represented on stage and in the media in a positive way, where we're the heroes... so that they can see themselves as heroes. To have the exposure, to have the voice, to have a platform to show who we are is so key in our development."
AMC TV's "The Walking Dead" featured one of the few - perhaps only - sex scenes featuring an Asian man in American media.
For Kurt Kwan, it's frustrating to see how Asian American men are desexualized in mainstream media.
"A friend of mine and I were talking and he said "have you seen The Walking Dead?" and I said no, I don't like zombie movies. "Oh, there's this Asian character and he has this sex scene.... have you ever seen an Asian guy have sex in a film?" And we thought about it and no we haven't - in foreign films, yes, but here that doesn't exist - it's a punchline or something."
Related: Contemporary native artists discuss their work, stereotypes and 'hipster racism'
Pao Her talked at the gathering about the tension between older and younger Hmong generations, and said she has struggled with her own parents' lack of appreciation for the arts. Her, who is gaining recognition for her work documenting her community, recently had a solo show open at Franklin Art Works in Minneapolis.
"I think about my parents crying when I told them I was going to go to graduate school to get an MFA in the arts. My mom cried because I got accepted to the U of M. It was either the U of M or Yale and I decided I was going to go to Yale. She didn't understand why I didn't want to stay home and go to the U of M," said Her.
"So I think about arts within the Hmong community and the idea that art is not practical, and that because we come from nothing, the career that we choose should be a practical a career, a career that yields money. Because art is something that is almost non-existent within the Hmong community - my parents don't understand it, and I think at some point I stopped trying to make them understand what it is that I do or what it is that my photographs do."
Related: A new wave of Latino artists come into their own
Pao Her took this self-portrait in a traditional pose as part of a series of photographs exploring different forms of desire.
Spoken word artist and activist Linda Her says she struggles to find a community that embraces both her ethnic identity and her sexuality.
"My experience as a Hmong American queer woman and performer has been that when I'm invited to a LGBT specific event it's filled with all white folks, and then when I'm invited to a Hmong space to perform it's filled with majority straight folks. I would love to have a space that is inclusive of all your selves, your identities. For example, how is the notion of marriage equality different for couples in which at least one person is an immigrant? How can we include those experiences?"
Despite the ongoing challenges facing Asian Americans today, Bao Phi points out that the opportunities for cultural expression have changed dramatically over the years.
"Back when I was in high school, when I was looking for other Asian American writers, the only ones I could find were Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston, and now twenty years later, I'm sitting on a panel of Asian American artists from Minnesota who all have vastly different stories from mine, but whose stories I respect and whose art inspires me - and that's amazing. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Each of us comes from different communities where there are a multitude of stories and wonderful art being created. And I'm really proud to be from this community - I'm really proud to be from the Minnesota Asian American artists community - I know it's great - I just want the rest of the world to know it's great, too."
What a great note on which to end a conversation! Many thanks to all the participants for sharing their thoughts.
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for 'Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde'
Posted at 10:58 AM on April 23, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Oscar Wilde's life was in many ways far more dramatic than his writing, yet his was a story deemed inappropriate fare for Victorian audiences.
Fortunately that's not the case today. Walking Shadow Theatre Company presents "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde," a play that chronicles Wilde's fall from the height of his career to imprisonment and ultimately his early death.
Critics found this production "gripping," "rich" and "thrilling."
Craig Johnson is Oscar Wilde in Walking Shadow Theatre Company's production of "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde"
Photo by Walking Shadow
From John Townsend at the Star Tribune:
In "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde," playwright Moisés Kaufman chronicles and analyzes that undoing almost entirely out of actual documents of the time. He weaves court transcripts, newspaper articles, reviews, autobiography, literary cuttings, comments by George Bernard Shaw, and other sources into a gripping unified whole.
Moises Kaufman's deep and rich examination of the times and motivations of those involved in the case gets a rigorous reading from Walking Shadow Theater Company and director Amy Rummenie. Craig Johnson fully inhabits the title character, bringing out not just wit, but also the depth of his mind and power of his personality and convictions.
Oscar Wilde
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Actor Craig Johnson's layered, knowing, subtle and intelligent portrayal of Oscar Wilde is by far the best reason to see Gross Indecency: The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde... Johnson's Wilde faces his homophobic tormentors calmly, emphasizing his passionate reverence for Art, for Beauty. His presence is beautifully understated. Rarely does he "act out." For this Wilde, "the love that dare not speak its name" is the platonic affection of an older man for a younger - and Johnson/Wilde's impassioned defense of this love, taken directly from the trial, thrills.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
Director Amy Rummenie does an admirable job of bringing visual flair to a play built chiefly around one wit on the witness stand cleverly deflecting questions and parrying with the prosecution. Wilde was a wag nonpareil, the "Importance of Being Earnest" author extending his cocktail party persona to testimony bursting with bon mots and clever comebacks. But Johnson's rich portrayal holds undercurrents of sadness and rage while conveying why this passionate personality was so daunting to buttoned-up Britons.
Walking Shadow Theatre Company's production of "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde" runs through May 4 at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage. Have you seen the show? What's your review?
(0 Comments)The reviews are in for 'Nice Fish' at the Guthrie
Posted at 4:47 PM on April 18, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Guthrie Theater presents the world premiere of a play about ice fishing built around the poetry of Duluthian Louis Jenkins.
The brainchild of Jenkins and two time Tony Award winner Mark Rylance, "Nice Fish" draws on wry Minnesota humor as well as Norse mythology.
Critics find the poetic stage piece both strong and inventive, but more than one complained it went on too long.
Jim Lichtscheidl as Erik and Mark Rylance as Ron in "Nice Fish," on stage at the Guthrie Theater through May 18. Photo by Richard Termine
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
Nice Fish is nothing less than the Waiting for Godot of ice fishing, punctuating life's long (and sometimes apparently senseless) wait with moments of reflection, physical comedy, absurdity, profound sadness, and startling delight.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
We feel part of something that is being created, in fits and starts, out of chaos. The play's wildness courts disaster at the same time it amazes with its bravery. How infrequently we get to see such raw, present and alive work at the Guthrie."Nice Fish" howls like a snowstorm -- in April. We can either shut ourselves away from it, or run outside for one last winter romp.
Mark Rylance as Ron and Jim Lichtscheidl as Erik in the Guthrie Theater's production of Nice Fish. Photo by Richard Termine
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Written by English actor-director Mark Rylance and Duluth prose-poet Louis Jenkins, "Nice Fish" has ample whimsy and magic but calls to mind a charming dinner guest who lingers one glass of wine longer than you'd like...Ultimately, there's not enough narrative or character exploration to make "Nice Fish" a wholly satisfying experience, and -- despite a fanciful final tableau -- the show doesn't justify its two-and-a-half-hour running time.
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
If using poems to form the structure of a play seems wonky, it's because it is. "My first thought was, 'This isn't going to work,'" says Jenkins in his contributor's note in the show's program. But for whatever reason--a.k.a. Rylance's vast acting experience and talent, Jenkins's relatable yet insightful prose, and a superb cast--it does. Just as lyrics taken out of the context of their song may read as awkward and incomplete, so too would much of the poetry used as speeches in Nice Fish. Yet delivered as a whole and given life through the cadence, nuance, and passion of the actors presenting them, each piece works together to evoke an unforgettable and altogether unique theater experience.
Jim Lichtscheidl as Erik and Mark Rylance as Ron in "Nice Fish," on stage at the Guthrie Theater through May 18. Photo by Richard Termine
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
...After a long, cold winter, the Guthrie's landed a nice, big hit. A collaboration between writer, director and actor Mark Rylance and Duluth poet Louis Jenkins, Nice Fish delighted its opening night audience, but this regionally-flavored little jewel is likely to have a long life beyond Minnesota's borders. Fanciful, imaginative and thoughtful, it's also just plain entertaining.
"Nice Fish" runs through May 18 at the Guthrie Theater. Have you seen the show? If so, what's your review?
(5 Comments)The reviews are in for Frank Theatre's 'Misterman'
Posted at 12:19 PM on April 19, 2013
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
How often are our good intentions ruined by our own deep flaws?
Frank Theatre presents "Misterman", the tale of a supposedly holy man who attempts to rescue the souls of his neighbors... with tragic consequences.
Critics found this one man show a "success" and a "tour-de-force performance" but wonder if the Southern Theater was the right venue.
John Catron in Misterman by Frank Theatre
Photo by Wendy Knox
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Thomas says he wants to help people, spreading love and peace, but his anger has a short fuse that can make him do a 180-degree turn in an instant. Catron's ability to turbo-shift from calm and sweet to monstrously enraged, and everything in between, makes the show worth watching... Michael Sommers' set and Michael Croswell's sound design are also a huge part of the play's success, bringing us more fully into Thomas' crazed world.
John Catron in Misterman by Frank Theatre
Photo by Wendy Knox
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
What the actor gives us in his tour-de-force performance is a man wrestling with demons that manifest themselves as their opposite. The contradictions are starkly embodied on the actor's face, in his popping veins and in his voice, a strained instrument that he uses to betray what is really one of the strangest figures on any stage this spring theater season.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com
...This is one of those plays that defy easy rational interpretation. If this is going to bother you (and to a certain extent I will confess that it bothered me), you may find Misterman to be on the dull side. My advice: don't try to figure it out. Let Walsh's fervid writing wash over you, and let Catron's energetic work transport you.
John Catron in Misterman by Frank Theatre
Photo by Wendy Knox
From Sheila Regan at TC Daily Planet:
I do I think perhaps Catron would have been better served in a more intimate venue, allowing him to be fed more from the audience. While the Southern's large stage has allowed Michael Sommers free range for a cool set, I bet he could have evoked the same feeling in a smaller space, and made it more cramped, which might have aided the idea of Thomas being imprisoned by his memories.
Misterman runs through April 28 at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. Have you seen it? What's your review?
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for Latte Da's 'The Light in the Piazza'
Posted at 5:45 PM on March 21, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Music, Theater
The musical "The Light in the Piazza" revolves around a mother and daughter on a trip to Florence. When the daughter, Clara, falls for a young Italian man, her mother Margaret worries about the future, while simultaneously regretting her own past.
The show won six Tony awards when it premiered in 2005; Twin Cities critics find themselves either gushing or dissatisfied after seeing Theater Latté Da's production.
Jessica Fredrickson as Clara Johnson and Aleks Knezevich as Fabrizio Naccarelli in Theater Latté Da's "The Light in the Piazza"
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Nobody does musical theater better than Theater Latté Da. Notice I didn't qualify that with an "in the Twin Cities." If theater were a competition (and thank heavens that it isn't) this company could offer courses in how to do it right. I don't gush often, but I'm gushing now.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Teasing this story forth in Craig Lucas' script becomes a tedious affair. Clara is written with frustrating inconsistency. She's sharp and insightful, with a growing grasp of Italian one minute; rash and temperamental as a petulant child the next. Fredrickson labors to navigate this mine field, and the result is a stagy character who never leaves us convinced that something real is at stake. Knezevich's Fabrizio is a young innocent, purposely bland.
Jessica Fredrickson as Clara Johnson and Kathleen Humphrey as Margaret Johnson in Theater Latté Da's "The Light in the Piazza"
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
Latte Da's "Piazza" fits perfectly in the Ordway's intimate McKnight Theatre. A chamber-sized musical with a small cast and orchestra, the scale of the production feels exactly right. The moral questions in "Piazza" may be far-ranging, but the musical -- and Latte Da's appealingly modest production -- asks them quietly, without pretending to have all the answers. In fact, the real finale probably will take place not on stage but in theatergoers' cars on the way home, as they debate whether Margaret makes the right decisions.
Not that Theatre Latte Da's production wasn't tightly produced or gloriously sung. Instead, the musical from Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel (based on Elizabeth Spencer's novella) can be a difficult ride. If you come in looking for a light, romantic evening about love blossoming in Italy, you're likely to be disappointed. If you meet Piazza on its own terms, you won't be disappointed.
Jessica Fredrickson as Clara Johnson in Theater Latté Da's "The Light in the Piazza"
Photo by Michal Daniel
Theater Latté Da's "The Light in the Piazza" runs through April 7 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. Have you seen the show? What's your review?
Native American artists take back the headdress
Posted at 4:14 PM on March 20, 2013
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Culture, Galleries, Media, Minnesota Mix
When Dyani White Hawk Polk asked a group of artists for work for her exhibition "Make it Pop," she was looking for contemporary pieces responding to issues of the day.
"We've had somber exhibits, politically driven, fine art," says White Hawk Polk, sitting at her desk in All My Relations Gallery. "I wanted this to feel more playful and cutting edge, something that really speaks to our youth and people interested in pop culture as well as fine art lovers."
White Hawk Polk got what she was looking for; the colorful show reflects and comments on popular culture in a number of ways. Interestingly, two artists - Frank Buffalo Hyde and Cannupa Hanska Luger - chose to focus on an issue that has many Native Americans upset: the appropriation of Native Regalia by popular culture - in particular, the headdress.
Shown on the left: "In-Appropriate 3," a painting by Frank Buffalo Hyde responding to the use of a Native American headdress and jewelry on a Victoria's Secret model at a fashion show held on November 7, 2012, shown on the right.
White Hawk Polk says she wasn't surprised.
"It's always been an issue," reflects White Hawk Polk. "It's always been there, but this past year, year and a half, it's just been prolific."
Native Americans belong to many different tribes spread across Native North America. But the headdress, or war bonnet, is a universal symbol of great spiritual importance worn only by highly respected individuals.
So imagine their reaction to images of a Victoria's Secret model dressed in little more than feathers, turquoise jewelry and a leopard skin bikini. Or a Gwen Stefani music video in which she wears a fake braid, is tied up by men and shown writhing against a wall. Or Drew Barrymore's profile picture on Facebook, showing her wearing a headdress along with a Budweiser apron and giving the peace sign.
"Stereotype: The Barrymore" by Cannupa Hanska Luger
The piece was inspired by a photo Barrymore used as her Facebook profile photo, seen left.
Cannupa Hanska Luger says Barrymore's high profile picture is indicative of mainstream culture's continuous obsession with Native American iconography, and it has dangerous repercussions.
"Appropriation of cultural Regalia, such as the war bonnet ...causes sacred objects to lose their power when they are represented out of context," wrote Luger in his artist statement. "Adopting a culture, without context or understanding, drags the stories and history of that culture through the mud and bastardizes a sacred history for the 'kitsch' aspect of an object. These products create a mentality of disrespect toward the culture they were derived from. They do not honor the aesthetic--they steal and consume an identity."
In Luger's piece "Stereotype: The Barrymore," the trappings of Barrymore's photo - colorful chicken feathers - adorn a boombox, literally a "type of stereo." Dreamcatchers are placed where the speakers would be, and the red and white and pale blue trim makes a subtle reference to the Budweiser apron.
"In-Appropriate 1" by Frank Buffalo Hyde, inspired by a still from a Gwen Stefani video, seen left.
Frank Buffalo Hyde explains his paintings this way:
"At no other time in history have we (Natives) been so well equipped and educated, and so willing to fight these derogatory attacks on our images. So No Doubt removed their video and Urban Outfitters is still in court. This conflict of idea versus ideals can only be won when we own our own image. So we are and we do."
Dyani White Hawk Polk says Luger and Hyde's pieces serve to raise awareness while also poking fun at the absurdity of it all.
"Those of us who are really involved in our communities and also very in touch with mass media - it's something all of us have been watching all year long," says White Hawk Polk. "So of course our artists are responding to it artistically - it's an expression of our lived experiences."
White Hawk Polk sees it as the job of All My Relations to break down stereotypes of Native art while promoting a more accurate depiction of Native American culture.
"People expect the old," she says, "they expect native arts to remain frozen in this 1800s era. That's what has been continuously pushed in the media. They expect bead work, headdresses and buffaloes - things like that.
"Because that isn't provided in our education system, because native cultures in their true forms aren't really taught very often in public academic media - there's a huge gap in exposure."
In "Make It Pop," perhaps the best representation of contemporary native culture is found in Jodi Webster's piece "Wabansi Lakeside Chicago-Beyond Swag." In it a young boy sports a Chicago Bulls jersey and a traditional sash.
"It's just so real," smiles White Hawk Polk. "Those are our kids - they've got both going on. Their everyday love of the Chicago Bulls and contemporary fashion, and then they've got their participation in cultural events. Often you'll see kids on break from a powwow, and they'll have half their Regalia on with a hoodie thrown over it - that's just how it is. It's not one thing or another."
"Make It Pop" runs through May 4 at All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis.
The reviews are in for CTC's 'Jackie and Me'
Posted at 12:04 PM on March 19, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Children's Theatre Company's "Jackie and Me" takes its audience back to the 1940s, just as baseball great Jackie Robinson is shouldering his way through an obstinate color line.
The story, directed by Marion McClinton, is told through the eyes of a modern day white kid named Joey Stoshack who can travel through time with the aid of his baseball cards. Stoshack witnesses first hand what Robinson endures on and off the playing field.
Critics find this show grand, lively, winning... and a little bit confusing.
The cast of Jackie and Me, directed by Marion McClinton at Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis.
Photo by Dan Norman
From Lisa Brock at the Star Tribune:
This production capably conjures the sound and feel of a baseball diamond, complete with reverberating play-by-play announcing, and director Marion McClinton choreographs the ebb and flow of the crowd scenes with an almost balletic sense. While "Jackie and Me" could easily bog down in didacticism, McClinton keeps the pace lively, while Brooks' charm keeps the audience engaged in his journey.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
"Jackie and Me" is an altogether winning story that tells -- in broad perspective and at an appropriate level for young audiences -- the story of how Robinson broke the color line in baseball. It's not a hearts-and-butterflies telling: Audiences learn about the taunting and the death threats Robinson endured, and the script speculates on what lay beneath the ballplayer's legendary grace and calm. "It's not wrong to fight," Robinson tells Joey at one point. "The question is how? With our fists or something more?"
Brandon Brooks, Spencer Harrison Levin and Braxton Baker in "Jackie and Me" at Children's Theatre Company.
Photo by Dan Norman
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
21st century children are inundated with stories about the struggle of civil rights pioneers like Robinson, Rosa Parks, the young Martin Luther King, et al. It's easy for an aging writer like me, who lived through the era, to resent the simplistic "past-tenseness" of plays like Jackie And Me: we used to have a problem; we don't any more. For the kids in CTC's audience, this is ancient history. Which is as it should be. Children need to be reminded, and often, that the rights they take for granted were fought for, by real heroes, men and women who deserve to be celebrated. Jackie And Me does this.
Ansa Akyea as Jackie Robinson in "Jackie and Me" at Children's Theatre Company.
Photo by Dan Norman
[Joey's] black when he travels into the past. It's a plot twist I can imagine working very well on the page, but it just doesn't translate to the stage. A second actor to play the role might work, or maybe if there were more instances where his exterior color put the boy in greater danger.
In fact, there are so many complications to Joey's tale that it feels like Robinson's own tale doesn't get nearly enough room to breathe. That's a shame, as they have one of the best actors in town, Ansa Akyea, in the role. He plays Robinson as a rock -- steady and seemingly impervious -- but there are enough signs of the pain and rage just boiling under the surface to fully round out the character.
"Jackie and Me" runs through April 14 at Children's Theatre Company. Have you seen it? What's your review?
(0 Comments)Minnesotans land several nominations for James Beard Awards
Posted at 2:53 PM on March 18, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Food
Many familiar faces made this year's list of James Beard Award nominees.
Restaurateurs Michelle Gayer of "Salty Tart" and Jack Riebel of "Butcher & the Boar" - both in Minneapolis - will go head to head in the category "Best Chef: Midwest."
Local luminary Andrew Zimmern is nominated in two categories for his show "Bizarre Foods America" (Television Program, On Location and Outstanding Personality/Host
Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine are nominated in the "Video Webcast, On Location" category for their web series "The Perennial Plate" which got its start in Minnesota but this past year went on a world tour.
Food writer Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl is nominated once again for her lusciously written food reviews. This time, it's for her profile of LoveTree Farmstead in Mpls/St.Paul magazine. Here's a sample to give you some flavour:
When Mary shapes her individual cheeses, she brings them to her cave to age. (The whey from the cheese production is also blended into the guard dogs' food, perhaps strengthening the dogs' attachment to their flock.) Many of Mary's cheeses are pure sheep's milk, but some are a blend of sheep's milk and her outdoor-pastured cows' milk. The cows are descended from a Scottish Highland-Angus-Jersey cross and are majestic animals with soaring horns that make them look like bulls, but they're actually milkable ladies. In the cave, the young cheeses are hand-rubbed--a treatment that encourages a rind to form on the outside--and are then flipped every day or so, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for many months, depending on Mary's own personal sense of when a cheese is ready. It is inside this humid, refrigerator-like, woods-connected silo of a cave that the cheeses become what they will become.
What they become is absolutely unique, a true American original cheese unlike anything that has ever been made, or tasted, on earth. Her Trade Lake Cedar looks like a rock or mushroom; the rind tastes earthy and ashy, an umami non-fruit world of hay and mineral, whereas the interior is tangy and chalky and meadow-like. Her dry Gabrielson Lake tastes a little like Parmigiano-Reggiano, but is freaked with little crystals of concentration and tiny red lace points of mold.
Finally, as we reported on earlier, Kramarczuk's in Minneapolis has been chosen this year as an "American Classic."
The reviews are in for 'Spunk' at Penumbra Theatre
Posted at 10:21 AM on March 18, 2013
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Last year, Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul seemed to be in a financial freefall, appearing as though it may have played its last show.
After an outpouring of public support, including 1,400 donations, the lauded African American company is back in business with "Spunk," a play based on three stories collected by Zora Neale Hurston.
Four out of five critics agree; this show is smart, stylish, infectious and satisfying.
Austene Van and Keith Jamal Downing in Penumbra Theatre's "Spunk."
Photo by Rich Ryan
From John Olive and Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
JP: "Spunk" works. Smart, satisfying. A blend of first rate acting, seamlessly integrated music, design and storytelling. The director [Patdro Harris] and the designers did outstanding work, especially on Penumbra's tiny stage.
JO: For me, the third story is the best. Characters are beautifully developed. The husband behaves in completely unexpected ways. It's a story about forgiveness, a theme I always find appealing.
JP: But the first two have their own appeal... Hurston is a born storyteller.
Austene Van and T. Mychael Rambo in Penumbra Theatre's "Spunk."
Photo by Rich Ryan
The company, along with the band, do a fine job throughout. You can feel the thrill that these actors, many Penumbra veterans, have on returning to the stage on Kent Street. It's an infectious vibe that quickly spreads to the audience, letting everyone have a good time.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
...as Penumbra moves into a new period, Bellamy can sit with a touch more remove and nurture the company he founded 37 years ago.
What Bellamy watched Thursday was a stylish and sure-footed staging of "Spunk," courtesy of director/choreographer Patdro Harris. The storytelling is brisk, and Harris's eye for movement and his ear for dialogue kept six talented actors buoyant in earthy, spirited depictions.
Dennis Spears and Jevetta Steele in Penumbra Theatre's "Spunk."
Photo by Rich Ryan
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Local audiences have seen Rambo, Van and Spears play characters like the ones in "Spunk" many times.At their best, these actors have shown an ability to hone characteristics into characters. Here, though, they are swallowed up by their costumes (which are delicious, by the way, thanks to designer Amanda McGee) and their mannerisms.
"Spunk" runs through April 7 at Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul. Have you seen the show? What's your review?
(2 Comments)The reviews are in for 'Yellow Fever' by Mu Performing Arts
Posted at 9:43 AM on March 13, 2013
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Rick Shiomi is retiring from his position as Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts this fall. To mark the end of his twenty year run with the company, he's brought back one of the first shows they produced - a play he wrote called Yellow Fever.
The show is set in 1970s Vancouver; memories of the Japanese-Canadian internment camps still linger, and a new wave of Chinese immigrants are sparking another round of xenophobia. A local beauty queen has mysteriously disappeared, and a hard boiled detective finds himself up against police corruption, racism, and a determined young newspaper reporter.
Critics found Yellow Fever a fitting tribute to Shiomi's career, and gave it predominantly positive reviews.
Alex Galick as Chuck Chan, Jeannie Lander as Rosie, and Kurt Kwan as Sam Shikaze in Yellow Fever
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Shiomi's play still carries a historic message and tells us much about him. "Yellow Fever," which opened in a Mu Performing Arts production at the Guthrie on Saturday, mixes righteous anger with a noirish sense of ironic humor. Shiomi always has been a serious artist who cloaks his gravity in self-deprecating humor...."Yellow Fever" feels its age. Yet, there is still a charm to its style and an earnest plaint in its message. In sum, it reflects its writer well.
Kurt Kwan as Sam Shikaze and Sara Ochs as Nancy Wing in Yellow Fever
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
The new staging of the play to mark Shiomi's retirement as artistic director of Mu Performing Arts shows that the play has aged well and that its themes remain significant. ...For a play written in the early years of the culturally specific theater boom of the 1970s and early 80s, "Yellow Fever" doesn't feel like the work of young genre or a young playwright, and most of the issues it raises linger still. That's at once a complement to its creator and an indictment of the society in which it was created.
Kurt Kwan as Sam Shikaze, Sara Ochs as Nancy Wing, Eric Sharp as Capt. Kadota and Brandon Ewald as Sgt. Mackenzie in Yellow Fever
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Ed Huyck at the City Pages:
Yellow Fever has the look and sound of a play by a young playwright loving the act of creation, intoxicated with the possibility of the stage, and ready to share a story close to his heart. It also sometimes uses a bludgeon when a knife would be more appropriate.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
The trick with this play is to capture the era capturing another era, playing to an audience of another era - without flat-out stereotypes marking the path. This production does this deftly; we get the laughs - and we get the point.
Yellow Fever runs through March 24 at the Guthrie Theater. Have you seen it? What's your review?
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for 'Other Desert Cities' at the Guthrie
Posted at 12:47 PM on March 1, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Sally Wingert as Polly Wyeth in the Guthrie Theater's production of "Other Desert Cities"
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Guthrie Theater presents Other Desert Cities by playwright Jon Robin Baitz on the McGuire Proscenium stage through March 24.
Directed by Peter Rothstein, the show revolves around a wealthy family, and the daughter's decision to publish a memoir which recalls, among other things, her brother's suicide.
Critics offer mixed reviews of the show, but agree that Sally Wingert shines in her role as the Republican mother Polly Wyeth.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Baitz's great feat in the script is his refusal to take sides. Just when one combatant has triumphed, the foe rises like a Phoenix with a counter punch. Baitz finds resolution less interesting than a multiplicity of motivations, psychologies and ideas. This makes for delicious revelations, particularly in the second act when, after the sun goes down and the desert chill comes up, the Wyeths can release their inner vampires.
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
Too often, it's clear that Baitz is less interested in these characters than in making an argument about parents, children and what they owe each other. Even he seems to give up at the end, which fast-forwards to the play's abrupt and unsatisfying final scene. The good news is that Rothstein's glittering production and the Wingert-led cast are more than enough to compensate. The destination of "Other Desert Cities" may be no great shakes, but the getting-there is still well worth the trip.
Michelle Barber as Silda Grauman and Kelly McAndrew as Brooke Wyeth in "Other Desert Cities" by Jon Robin Baitz
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Peter Rothstein directs with his typical solid hand, giving the actors plenty of space to delve into their characters. This has mixed results in the end, partially because Baitz's script isn't as insightful as the playwright thinks it is, and partially due to the uneven quality in performances between Wingert and McAndrew. The play's final 20 minutes are focused on Wingert and Brinkley's characters, and that is where the show finally sings in its full voice.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.Com:
Baitz violates a major tenet of playwriting. You can't have a character telling another character something that character already knows. If you do, you risk making your play static, contrived and past-tensey, a trap which often ensnares Other Desert Cities. The play also suffers from New York-itis; characters are rich (Brooke claims to be impoverished, but she lives in toney Sag Harbor), successful and breathtakingly self-absorbed.
Sally Wingert as Polly Wyeth and Christian Conn as Trip Wyeth in the Guthrie Theater's production of "Other Desert Cities," directed by Peter Rothstein
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Other Desert Cities runs through March 24 at the Guthrie Theater. Have you seen it? What's your review?
(0 Comments)The reviews are in for Ten Thousand Things' 'The Seven'
Posted at 1:48 PM on February 28, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Ten Thousand Things regularly brings classic theater productions to alternative settings: prisons, homeless shelters, and drug rehab centers, among other places.
For its latest production, a Greek tragedy gets a new, street smart rendering.
Playwright and performer Will Power's The Seven a modern, hip-hop infused retelling of Aeschylus' The Seven Against Thebes.
Critics found this tale of two brothers who try to rule their kingdom peacefully despite their father's curse "energetic," "precise," "percussive" and "great theater."
Bruce A. Young in "The Seven"
Photo by Paula Keller
The update could come off as a cheap gimmick, but Power's work, along with Ten Thousand Things' typically energetic and precise production, uncovers the ancient but still-beating heart of the play. There may be kingdoms, rulers, and battles involved, but The Seven is, at its core, a play about family, brotherhood, and the danger of lost communication.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
I saw this at the Wilder Center in St. Paul with a largely high school-aged audience, it appeared, and they were definitely into it... Even if hip-hop is outside your cultural sphere (and its language makes you squirm) you might see it all differently after this play. Everybody else? Just go. No question. This is great theater.
Bruce A. Young and H. Adam Harris in "The Seven"
Photo by Paula Keller
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Oedipus may be a wretched patriarch with only a fraction of the play's lines, but Young commands the play because of his charm and wit. His Oedipus is a magnetic mix of Morgan Freeman-esque soliloquizing and James Brown-style flair. Urban trickster and mack daddy are not the first thoughts that come to mind when I think about Oedipus, but it's nice to see an old figure in a new light.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
"The Seven" doesn't succeed on all levels, and it's a show that will not be right for all audiences: the pre-teenager, the easily shocked and those sensitive to profanity may wish to look to other venues and other shows. But, warts and all, this percussive staging gives new breath to a very old tale.
The Seven runs through March 10 at Open Book in Minneapolis. Have you seen the show? What's your review?
The reviews are in for 'Elemeno Pea' at Mixed Blood
Posted at 10:02 AM on February 27, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Mixed Blood Theatre's latest production delves into the lives of the rich, and their far-from-rich employees.
Elemeno Pea takes place in Martha's Vineyard, at one of trophy wife Michaela Kell's many homes. Her personal assistant, upwardly aspiring Simone, is paid a visit by her older sister, a solidly blue collar social worker.
Critics find the story that ensues alternatively charming and muddled.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Many of the things that playwright Metzler gets away with in this play, including some of the language, would bring grief to a writer of a different gender. But that's part of the charm of the show.
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
The point of "Elemeno Pea" is as muddled as the name. Does playwright Molly Smith Metzler simply want to ridicule shallow rich people -- which is awfully easy when they're presented as stereotypes we've seen a million times -- or to ultimately say we shouldn't judge others based on our perceptions? It may be the latter, but clarity is lacking.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
My biggest issue with Mixed Blood's Elemeno Pea is that the play too often struggles to be funny, and I don't fully understand why. The writing is muscular and Metzler's grasp of her characters' plights is first rate. The cast is wonderful. Director Mark Valdez keeps the play crackling along nicely. The designers, working on a shoestring, have acquitted themselves extremely well. The lack of compelling comedy mystifies - but there it is.
Laurine Price, Pedro Bayon, Sun Mee Chomet and Grace Gealey in 'Elemeno Pea' at Mixed Blood Theatre
Photo by Rich Ryan
Metzler plays with our expectations of class and status from the beginning to the end of the play, avoiding simplistic platitudes in a story that uncovers a deep darkness at the heart of the American dream. In the end, I don't think she pushes it far enough. The play is, at turns, funny, dramatic, and heartbreaking. More intensity would serve the story.Elemeno Pea, written by Molly Smith Metzler and directed by Mark Valdez, runs through March 17 at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis.
Have you seen the show? If so, what's your review?
The reviews are in for Walking Shadow's 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'
Posted at 10:04 AM on February 12, 2013
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The tale of the headless horseman gets a comic reinvention with Walking Shadow Theatre Company's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
The show runs through March 2 at the Red Eye Theater in Minneapolis; critics find the show in turns 'endlessly funny,' 'lively' and 'compelling' with only a few tweaks needed.
Brant Miller, Ryan Lear and Joanna Harmon in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.' Photo by Eric Melzer.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
You know the story: schoolteacher Ichabod Crane arrives in Sleepy Hollow (from far off Connecticut), determined to make his name - and wed the eerie but sexy Katrina. He encounters, one fateful night, the above-referenced headless horseman, after which he ceases to be. Crane is played by an appropriately thin and goateed Ryan Lear with jumpy comic befuddlement. Something is going on in Sleepy Hollow; Crane doesn't understand what it is but he's quite certain he can contain it. We know better and as a result Lear is endlessly funny.
Brant Miller as Brom Bones in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'
Photo by Dan Norman
From Lisa Brock at the Star Tribune:
Playwright John Heimbuch and director Jon Ferguson infuse this work with a lively blend of gothic terror and tongue-in-cheek humor that ably captures Irving's story and demonstrates why it remains so compelling. The image of the horse and rider, created out of nothing more than the scraps of wood, cloth and debris that litter the stage, becomes a tangible symbol for the way in which the mind can create fear out of half-glimpsed shadows, a creaking door and an overactive imagination.
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
Having grown up just a few minutes away from the real-life Tarry Town, the story of Sleepy Hollow was practically in my backyard, and this production's immersive design made me feel like I was right back in the middle of a New York Halloween. Given my familiarity with the material, I personally wanted the show to be just a little bit funnier or a little bit spookier - it will make you both laugh and shiver, but doesn't solidly qualify as either comedy or ghost story. But as an easily-watchable escape from the winter sleet and an utterly entertaining example of well-crafted storytelling, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a complete theatrical experience that is sure to please.
Ryan Lear and the cast of 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' on stage through March 2 at Red Eye Theatre in Minneapolis.
Photo by Dan Norman
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
If I have one quibble with the play, it's that it could use a little tightening in the middle. There's some repetition as we hear the tale of the headless horseman more than once from different characters and the pace slows a bit during some of the storytelling, which doesn't maintain the energy of the acted scenes.
The climax of Ichabod versus the headless horseman is a nice piece of theater, with spooky smoke and flickering lights -- and the resolution is satisfying. We get the sense that if Ichabod hadn't lost his head, he might have been as happy with the ending of his story as we are.
Have you seen "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
(0 Comments)Native Americans to protest burlesque show
Posted at 6:23 PM on February 1, 2013
by Marianne Combs
(5 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Culture
Tonight Native Americans will gather at Ground Zero in Minneapolis
For the last five years Riley has performed a burlesque number featuring her portraying a stereotyped Native woman, with long braids and a revealing outfit. Over the course of her act, she gradually takes off most of her clothing.
Image source: Facebook
This week she announced that due to protests she's retiring her act, but is still keeping the name Tomahawk Tassels. And it's under that name she's scheduled to perform tonight and tomorrow in two Twin Cities burlesque shows.
Shannon Edberg is the organizer of tonight's protest. In her call to action she writes "We've told her that her actions contribute to rape culture, yet she continues. Amanda has been asked for years to retire her racist burlesque character, but she's still scheduling shows."
"One in three Indigenous women is raped or subjected to sexual violence during her lifetime," Edberg continues. "It's time for us to stand up and we're not going to stop until "Tomahawk Tassels" is retired."
For her part, Riley says she was told her father was part Cherokee, but she was raised by her mother's Irish Catholic family. She told Vita.MN that she gravitated to burlesque because she needed "a healthy avenue of sexual exploration and healing," and that in her native Oklahoma "everybody's Native. Native appropriation is everywhere. It's not in a negative way, it's supportive, whether or not we have tribal cards." She has said she feels bullied by Native Americans asking her stop her act.
The reviews are in for 'Long Day's Journey' at the Guthrie
Posted at 2:31 PM on January 22, 2013
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" is classic American tale of a dysfunctional family caught in the throes of addiction.
The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play is being staged at the Guthrie Theater for the first time, and runs through February 23.
Critics give this production - directed by Guthrie's Joe Dowling - high marks for deftly handling a dark topic while still keeping the pace brisk and the humor and humanity present.
John Skelley (Edmund Tyrone) and Peter Michael Goetz (James Tyrone) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Long Day's Journey into Night, by Eugene O'Neill
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
...Dowling uses a script that has been nipped and tucked. The result is that a show that usually runs four or more hours checks in at just under three. Dowling achieves this compression by pacing and by having his outstanding acting company occasionally deliver lines atop each other.
Surprisingly, nothing feels lost. The production is conducted less for the solos, even though the cast is commendable, than for the effect of an ensemble that delivers at the top of their form.
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
It's nervewracking to watch Mary Cavan Tyrone anxiously wring her arthritic hands and fret about whether or not her hair looks okay. You want to run to her, gently take her by the shoulders, sit her down, and tell her to stop, just stop. Nobody is out to get you. Nobody wants anything but good things for you. And can you please, please, stop worrying?
...It's no mystery why O'Neill's heart-wrenching drama won the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 1957 Tony Award for Best Play (as well as another Tony in 2003 for Best Revival of a Play). The story is one with which almost anyone can identify, whether you admit it or not: a family of four is simultaneously torn apart by one another's vices and held together by that strange, unidentifiable bond that only blood can create.
John Skelley (Edmund Tyrone) and Helen Carey (Mary Cavan Tyrone) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Long Day's Journey into Night, by Eugene O'Neill
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
Although "Long Day's Journey Into Night" is one of the classics of American theater and its author, Eugene O'Neill, is depicted on the side of the Guthrie, this is the first time the theater has ever performed this tough/tender play. And they have done it proud. The action may, initially, be overwhelmed by John Lee Beatty's whole lotta set, but the riveting production captures the play's eloquence, pain and -- most surprising -- humor (in fact, the first sounds we hear in the director Joe Dowling's attentive production are laughter and Edmund's ominous cough, both of which hang over the next three hours).
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
The difficulty with this play is to dramatize the disconnect without alienating the audience, too; if the characters don't care, why should we? Ah, but they do. And this is the tragedy of addiction. We know they can love. Their struggle is with their stunted ability to live as if they do.
Have you seen the Guthrie Theater's production of "Long Day's Journey Into Night?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
(1 Comments)2012 in review: an uneasy year for the arts
Posted at 4:12 PM on December 31, 2012
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Culture
Oh 2012, how to sum you up?
Of course, there was the art. I'll leave that to the Art Hounds, who've done an amazing job of capturing the year's highlights, in not one, not two, not three, but four separate posts here on the blog.
And then, there were the news stories. Looking back, most of them could be categorized under "hired/fired," "awards won" or "grants bestowed." A few organizations were launched, a few closed... and so it goes.
But 2012 has been about so much more than people changing jobs or getting recognition for their work. While artists continued to do what they do best, it's also been a year marked by struggle and loss, both personal and professional.
Theater professionals demanded more diversity on Guthrie stages in response to its 50th Anniversary season announcement. Artistic Director Joe Dowling said the charge was "manufactured and bogus."
Both the Minnesota Orchestra and the SPCO locked out their musicians amidst contentious contract negotiations, which have yet to be resolved.
Financial challenges forced St. Paul's Penumbra Theater to drop an entire season. Will the Twin Cities lose yet another nationally recognized institution because of persistent and pernicious financial troubles?
Numerous artists pooled their creative talents to help defeat the Marriage Amendment in what was a nail-biting race on both sides to the very end.
We watched as young, bright stars like playwright Katie Ka Vang, actress Kate Eifrig and rapper P.O.S. battled daunting illnesses.
And finally, we said goodbye to several artists far too soon, whether it was lighting designer Jen DeGolier, photographer Ann Marsden, gallery owner Suzy Greenberg, or theater technician Andrew Wagner.
So yes, artists continued to make beautiful and compelling art, but 2012 leaves me with a bitter chill and an uneasy mind. May the year ahead bring fairer news and brighter days.
(0 Comments)The reviews are in for Guthrie's 'Servant of Two Masters'
Posted at 9:50 AM on December 11, 2012
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
A Yale Repertory production brings together Theatre de la Jeune Lune alums on the Guthrie stage for some 18th century slapstick ridden with contemporary references.
Confused? Good.
"The Servant of Two Masters" was written in the 18th century by Venetian Carlo Goldoni in the popular Commedia dell'Arte style. The work was then adapted by Constance Congdon, with additional revising by actor/playwright Steven Epp and director Christopher Bayes.
Critics find this play to be a romp, but more than one complains it's a bit "overstuffed."
The cast of "The Servant of Two Masters"
Photo by Richard Termine
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Holy moley these artists are terrific...Here's what makes this cast so good: despite the over-the-top histrionics, the improvised anarchy, each character has an honest center to which they remain true. This makes everyone watchable; in lesser hands The Servant Of Two Masters would be self-indulgent to an extreme. This is some of the best acting in the area, ever. You could summarize the plot on a paper napkin; the prowess of the performers makes this play.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
To call this production an adaptation... is akin to calling a skeleton a person. The cast dances on the bare bones of Goldoni's story -- using the plot more as a road map to some zany destination -- and if the staging cracks a few ribs with its commedia dell'arte stomp, so much the better. From the opening moment, when a starry canopy is flung into the dark stage firmament, this show constantly reveals invention -- the imaginative plunge into fearless stagecraft and complete trust in the performer's creativity. In the bargain, Bayes accomplishes true art, masquerading as mindless comedy.
"The Servant of Two Masters" runs through January 20 at the Guthrie Theater
Photo by Richard Termine
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
The text is jammed with dozens of pop-culture references, from "Sanford and Son" and "Gangnam Style" to "The Wizard of Oz," Adele and the "fiscal cliff." Local icons and institutions are targeted, too, with Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and even the Guthrie itself serving on the butt end of jokes.
But it's too much of a good thing. It's not a matter of the in-jokes getting in the way of the story -- there's not that much story to get in the way of. Rather, the ceaseless rapid-fire jokes tend to impart a faint whiff of desperation, a we're-dancing-as-fast-as-we-can vibe that hints at a lack of confidence in the material or the production. At one point in all the mania, Epp's Truffaldino stops, turns to the audience and asks, "Is this really the play?" It's a legitimate question.
"The Servant of Two Masters" runs through January 20 at the Guthrie Theater. Have you seen it? What's your review?
(0 Comments)The reviews are in for Guthrie's 'A Christmas Carol'
Posted at 8:52 AM on November 29, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Guthrie's A Christmas Carol is now in its 38th year. While this year features much the same cast and set as last year, critics seem happier with this year's production.
J.C. Cutler is Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol"
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Jay Albright's impishly joyful and light-footed Fezziwig seemed more bountiful and ready to dance. J.C. Cutler's bah-humbugging Scrooge seemed more open to the redemption of his tightly closed soul. Cutler's Scrooge was itching to offer advice as he watched his younger self (played with promising generosity by Paris Hunter Paul) make bad decisions. And Maloney's Ghost of Christmas Past seemed more beneficent as she helped Scrooge's heart grow.
J.C. Cutler (Ebenezer Scrooge) and Bob Davis (Jacob Marley) in the Guthrie Theater's production of "A Christmas Carol"
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Like many Twin Cities theatergoers, I've seen "Christmas Carol" a gazillion times, but each year, I inevitably come across a new truth or two about the Dickens tale and the Guthrie's take on it. Sitting in on this year's iteration, I was again struck by the sturdy timelessness of the source material: My 11-year-old theatergoing companion -- who is on her third Guthrie "Christmas Carol" -- best summed up the strength of the story: "I know the play, but every time, I still get a little scared by Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Past and I'm still happy when Scrooge turns into a good guy at the end."
Maybe it was that burst of adrenaline, or the work of new director Joe Chvala, but this year's edition of the venerable Guthrie holiday show seemed to crackle with more energy than last year's rather dreary exercise.
A Christmas Carol runs through December 29. Have you seen this year's production at the Guthrie? How does it compare to past years?
The reviews are in for 'Christmas of Swing'
Posted at 12:26 PM on November 28, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The History Theatre's holiday production this year is "Christmas of Swing," a take off of its popular "Sisters of Swing" show, featuring music and a storyline for the season.
Critics enjoyed the music, but found the storyline uneven.
Ruthie Baker, Jen Burleigh-Bentz and Stacey Lindell as the Andrews Sisters
Photo by DnK Photography
From Lisa Brock at the Star Tribune:
"Christmas of Swing" fulfills its mission well of offering up a nostalgic, warm-hearted nod to one of America's finest trios and recreating the period flavor of their music while emphasizing its timeless appeal.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Such plays tend to truck in nostalgia. They work hard to balance the light and dark aspects of the holiday season and sometimes err to one side or another. And most frequently, they are too long.
All of these things are true about the History Theatre's current production of "Christmas of Swing." ...[There are] a lot of ingredients in the stew, and while the recipe can be both sweet and savory, the flavors of this collation don't always blend and balance well.
I don't need Hamlet from my holiday shows, but I want to be engaged enough that I can sink in and go to a different place for a couple of hours. That happens occasionally in Christmas of Swing -- the letters home are often very effective -- but I could have replicated that with an anthology of World War II writings and some Andrews Sisters 78s.
"Christmas of Swing" runs through December 23 at the History Theatre in downtown St. Paul.
Have you seen "Christmas of Swing?" If so, what's your review?
The reviews are in for Children's Theatre's 'Grinch'
Posted at 10:18 AM on November 14, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Children's Theatre Company is ramping up the holiday fever for kids with its stage production of Dr. Seuss' classic tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Critics enjoyed this show, with only minor complaints. Because, really, who wants to risk being called a 'grinch' so close to the holidays?
Reed Sigmund is 'the Grinch'
Photo by Dan Norman
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
From the music, conducted by Denise Prosek and delivered with sweet cheer by the village-size cast, to the evocative design and well-considered and -executed scenes, the show is engaging and exciting. It has wide appeal to children and adults alike.
As the up-jumping, low-singing meanie, Sigmund gives the Grinch a vivid, palpable embodiment (we see just how palpable when he runs into the audience).
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
At an hour and a quarter, it works for the youngest,
And there's little to scare the most squeamish among us.
Director Peter Brosius has helmed quite a show.
It's a sweet slice of Seuss, so you really should go.
The cast of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" at Children's Theatre Company
Photo by Dan Norman
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com
As gorgeous as the set was, it left just barely enough room for the full cast of adults and children to execute simple choreography. However, it was plenty of room for the cleverly choreographed antics of the Grinch and young Max, played by an endearing Brandon Brooks... Denise Prosek directs a live pit orchestra, which I love to hear. There's no comparison with recorded.
When you transfer a shortish picture book into a full-length musical, things need to be added. While most of the plot additions don't detract from the story, I'll admit to having a bit of a "Come on, let's steal some presents!" feeling about midway through the 75-minute show. The restlessness didn't last long, especially when coming face to face (well, face to hairy midsection) with the Grinch during the robbery scene. That certainly will shake any dark-theater cobwebs.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas runs through December 30 at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. Have you seen the show? What's your review?
The reviews are in for Jungle Theater's 'In the Next Room'
Posted at 10:58 AM on November 7, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Theater critics love a good pun. And so with their reviews for the Jungle Theater's "In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)" you can inevitable find a statement along the lines of "play generates a warm buzz" or a mention of how "stimulating" the production was. Puns aside, critics agree this is a show with merit.
The play, set in the Victorian era, involves the use of a new electrical device to treat women - and the occasional man - suffering from carious forms of hysteria. Critics say Sarah Ruhls play is a witty, pithy piece that speaks to issues surrounding intimacy, gender, and the role of technology in our lives.
John Middleton, Annie Enneking and Emily Gunyou Halaas in Jungle Theater's production of "In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play"
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Ah, finally, a play to love -- a play to curl up with and relish like a romantic novel on a cold afternoon. Sarah Ruhl's "In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play" uses the trappings of 19th-century melodrama to amuse and provoke our 21st-century feelings about the efficacy of science and technology in relieving a most ancient human need: intimacy.
Christina Baldwin as Catherine Givings and John Middleton as Dr. Givings in "In the Next Room" by Sarah Ruhl
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Dominic Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Ruhl's script is billed as a comedy, and it has its share of wink-wink, nudge-nudge humor, but she is in search of other objectives here: Her script contemplates gender roles and class, art versus science, and love as a power relationship.
..."In the Next Room" is certainly not a play for the prudish. But if you like your titillation with an edge of intellect, it might just flip your switch.
Emily Gunyou Halaas as Sabrina Daldry and Christina Baldwin as Catherine Givings in "In the Next Room" directed by Sarah Rasmussen
Photo by Michal Daniel
While it can be easy to snicker at the endless corsets the ladies are forced to wear or the "science" that is only a bit removed from leeching blood, Ruhl is also slyly commenting on our modern-day world. After all, if serious candidates for national office can talk about "legitimate" rape and how a pregnancy cannot occur when that happens -- well, it seems as if the mental corsets are still there.
Ryan Underbakke as Leo Irving and and Christina Baldwin as Catherine Givings in "In the Next Room"
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
The set, designed by the Jungle's artistic director, Bain Boehlke, was a beautifully draped and cushioned 19th-century parlor in inviting colors, adjacent to the doctor's unfussy "operating theater." Costumes were just exquisite, with Baldwin and Halaas in bustles, corsets, and hats perched on the edge of piled-high hair. Who would have thought a play about vibrators could be so proper?
John Middleton as Dr. Givings and Christina Baldwin as Catherine Givings and in "In the Next Room" by Sarah Ruhl
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
Called a comedy in its 2010 Tony Award nomination, In the Next Room is indeed funny. But it also is heartwarming, intimate, and sentimental. The last few minutes of this beautiful production are some of the most sincere, passionate moments capable of being produced in live theater, reminding us that love is not only an emotion, but also a decision: whether or not you choose to give and receive it is up to you.
In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play runs through December 16 at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis.
Have you seen the show? What's your review?
The reviews are in for Theater Latte Da's 'Company'
Posted at 12:27 PM on October 31, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
As Minnesotans prepare to vote on the Marriage Amendment, Theater Latte Da presents a show that questions whether marriage is really that great in the first place.
Steven Sondheim's 'Company' portrays one man's conflicted feelings over making the leap into a longterm commitment, as he sees how marriage affects his friends.
Most critics find this show to be a well-executed gem.
The cast of Theater Latte Da's 'Company'
Photo by Michal Daniel
Dieter Bierbrauer has been a talented presence and voice in Twin Cities musical theater for several years, providing strong turns in numerous shows, from Power Balladz (which he also performed Off Broadway) to Xanadu to several productions with Theatre Latte Da. In Latte Da's Company, Bierbrauer goes to a new level: In his performance as Bobby, he has become a bona fide star.
Sara Ochs as Kathy and Dieter Bierbrauer as Bobby in 'Company'
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Graydon Royce at Star Tribune:
Rothstein pulls off a neat trick: He preserves the sensibility of 1970 and introduces the trappings of 2012 to create something timeless...Under the direction of Jerry Rubino, the music sounds fantastic, and the singers are uniformly strong.
This show unfairly gets criticized for lacking heart. Bierbrauer -- under Rothstein's eye -- demonstrates the sincere trepidation of a person who desires marriage in his head, but isn't sure in his heart. It is, after all, a big step.
Dieter Bierbrauer as Bobby), David Darrow as Paul and Suzy Kohane as Amy in Theater Latte Da's 'Company'
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Chris Hewitt at Pioneer Press:
On opening night, Rothstein and the cast expertly balanced the cynical and romantic aspects of the show, and they've wisely used a '90s revisal of the show in which its dream ballet is omitted, as all dream ballets should be. But, somehow, the production doesn't quite sing.The intimate McKnight Theatre is perfectly scaled for this razor-focused musical, but the vast set often seems to work against the inventive actors who, one suspects, would be grateful for a bare stage and a couple of chairs.
"Company" runs through November 18 at the Ordway. Have you seen the show? What's your review?
The reviews are in for 'King Lear' at Park Square
Posted at 1:06 PM on October 30, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Shakespeare's King Lear is given a Godfather-like treatment in Park Square's latest production.
Critics found moments thrilling, but say the show as a whole was uneven.
The cast of Park Square's King Lear
Photo: Petronella Ytsma
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
...The role in this play is Lear and [Raye] Birk is impressive... The deeper Birk's Lear descends into madness, the clearer his life becomes, and the more worthy of redemption. In this, Birk was in full control.
Jim Lichtscheidl and Jennfier Blagen in Park Square's King Lear
Photo: Petronella Ytsma
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Director Peter Moore has set Shakespeare's tale of faithless children and political intrigue in Prohibition-era America, with the eponymous ruler as a gangster kingpin straight out of a Mario Puzo novel. Imposing a strong "concept" like this on Shakespeare is always a tricky proposition, and at Park Square, it's not an entirely successful experiment.
...as the king descends into madness because of his own poor decisions and his daughters' avaricious disregard, the Italianate frame starts to take on some tarnish. When Lear rages at the storm, his rant is punctuated by the mad king taking potshots with a handgun, giving the famous and wrenching scene an almost comical bent.
Stacie Rice as Regan and Stephen D'Ambrose as Gloucester in Park Square's King Lear
Photo: Petronella Ytsma
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
To twist a phrase, the parts are greater than the sum in Park Square Theatre's production of "King Lear." This makes for an uneven experience full of equivocation. Moments shriek with grisly electricity and fearless stagecraft; others yawn with fuzzy exposition and an opaque orientation of place and narrative.
King Lear runs through November 11 at Park Square. Did you see the show? What's your review?
The reviews are in for 'Embers' at the Guthrie Theater
Posted at 10:49 AM on October 17, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Embers is the third and final play in the Guthrie Theater's Christopher Hampton Celebration. Embers is based on the novel by Sándor Márai, and concerns a friendship rent asunder, revisited decades later.
Critics are split in their reviews of this show, with some calling it "beautiful," "taut drama," and others finding it "indifferent to its audience" and barely flickering with life.
James A. Stephens as Henrik in the Guthrie Theater's production of Embers, by Christopher Hampton
Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Beautiful, sad and absorbing, this is a piece to be pondered and savored - a leisurely and delicious meal of several courses, each one more satisfying than the last.
In Embers, Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Sandor Marai's World-War-II-era novel, two men who were inseparable friends for more than two decades meet after 41 years apart. The mystery of what caused the estrangement is played out in this often taut drama, centering on a solid performance from James A. Stephens as the aggrieved and supported by Nathaniel Fuller and Barbara Bryne in smaller but still vital roles.
Nathaniel Fuller as Konrad in the Guthrie Theater's production of Embers, by Christopher Hampton
Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
With the opening of "Embers" in the Dowling Studio, all cylinders are now engaged in the Guthrie Theater's celebration of the work of British playwright Christopher Hampton. This last work is the smallest of the lot and is also, unfortunately, the least satisfying.
Barbara Bryne has a tiny role as the maid and nurse Nini -- a few lines at the very beginning of the play and a few more at the very end. It's an extravagant, wasteful use of an actress, particularly one as revered as Bryne. But it's a good metaphor for the play: Like its central character of Henrik, "Embers" is obsessed with itself and indifferent to its audience.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Like parts of "Hollywood," "Embers" feels like a novel being enacted onstage. It does not take advantage of the unique opportunities that a three-dimensional space has to offer.
Fuller invests Konrad with some droll, morose humor. He makes this supporting character empathetic. Still, it is not enough for "Embers," a show that barely flickers to theatrical life.
Have you seen Guthrie Theater's production of Embers? What's your review?
The reviews are in for 'The Turn of the Screw' by Torch Theater
Posted at 8:03 AM on October 12, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Local playwright Jeffrey Hatcher has given Henry James's ghost story The Turn of the Screw a rewrite for the stage, and Torch Theater is producing it just in time for Halloween.
Critics find the show - which runs through October 27 at Minneapolis Theater Garage - subtle, powerful, and chilling.
Lindsay Marcy and Craig Johnson star in "The Turn of the Screw" at Minneapolis Theater Garage
Photo by Thomas Sandelands
From Lisa Brock at the Star Tribune:
This bravura "Turn of the Screw" crafts an atmosphere in which unseen and unspeakable horrors lurk around every corner. It's a subtle and powerful production whose fear factor will linger long after the lights come up.
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
There's none of the gore that modern horror stories depend on so desperately in lieu of depth. Instead, the tragic and terrifying heart of the secret unravels little by little, with unspeakable details left to our dangerously vivid imaginations. Like a novel, the show requires the audience to bring something to the party, engaging viewers on multiple levels.
The Turn of the Screw brings the scares, and lets a pair of talented actors chill the audience to the bone. What else can you ask for in the weeks leading to Halloween?
Have you seen Torch Theater's production of "The Turn of the Screw?" What's your review?
The reviews are in for Guthrie Theater's 'Appomattox'
Posted at 10:30 AM on October 10, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The Guthrie Theater is celebrating its 50th anniversary with, among other things, a festival of Christopher Hampton's plays. The center of the festival is the Guthrie's production of Hampton's Appomattox, a look at civil rights in the United States from 1865 to 1965.
Critics' reviews of Appomattox range from 'breath-takingly ambitious' and 'intellectually stimulating' to 'lifeless' and 'meandering'.
Harry Groener (Abraham Lincoln), Sally Wingert (Mary Todd Lincoln) and Greta Oglesby (Elizabeth Keckley) in the Guthrie Theater's production of APPOMATTOX, by Christopher Hampton
Photo by Allen Brisson-Smith
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com
Appomattox provides moment after moment of utter pleasure. Lincoln's nightmares are beautifully staged with effective projections and the vastly talented Sally Wingert's potent reading of Mary Todd Lincoln. Shawn Hamilton plays T. Morris Chester, a journalist ensconced in the Virginia Senate Room with verve and compelling energy (Hamilton also excels as MLK in Act Two). As Lincoln and later as LBJ Harry Groener is compulsively watchable. He captures LBJ's new-found passion perfectly; his rendering of the famous "we shall overcome" speech is spot-on, very moving. LBJ's belittling of the verminous George Wallace (Mark Boyett) is priceless. The newly freed slaves in Richmond crowding around "Father Abraham" thanking him for their emancipation has bittersweet power; we know what horrors of oppression shortly await them. The play is filled with such treasures. Hampton is a writer of great power.
Shawn Hamilton (Martin Luther King, Jr.) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Appomattox by Christopher Hampton, directed by David Esbjornson
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Shawn Hamilton intones the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. with vigor and, in the character's less-public moments, shows the civil rights leader's humanity and his doubts.Those moments of humanity lift "Appomattox," but there isn't enough of that humanity to allow the production to really take flight. In the end, then, this is an admirable, somewhat dense work of theater that is more of an intellectually stimulating experience than an aesthetically satisfying one.
Harry Groener as Lyndon B. Johnson in the Guthrie Theater's production of Appomattox by Christopher Hampton
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Take any five minutes of Hampton's ambitious deconstruction of American political and social change and race relations and you'll find intriguing, even compelling ideas. As a whole, however, Appomattox is a failure. A well-crafted and -acted one, to be sure, but a failure nonetheless.
The cast of Appomattox, written by Christopher Hampton, directed by David Esbjornson
Photo by Allen Brisson-Smith
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Let us be charitable. "Appomattox," the new play by Christopher Hampton that had its world premiere at the Guthrie Theater, has not discovered its identity or purpose. A meandering pageant through two painful eras of American history, "Appomattox" gives every appearance that Hampton is critiquing U.S. race relations. It's tepid stuff, though, and Hampton rarely delivers an insight that transcends the voluminous public record on civil rights.
Sally Wingert as Lady Bird Johnson in the Guthrie Theater's production of Appomattox
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
...after seeing the first two installations of Hampton's work, Tales from Hollywood, Hampton's portrayal of Hollywood from the eyes of German emigrants during World War II and into the 1950s, and Appomattox, which seeks to draw parallels between the final days of the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement in 1965, I'm sad to say that right now, neither the Guthrie nor Hampton are living up to their reputations of greatness.
Have you seen Appomattox at the Guthrie? What's your review?
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for Ten Thousand Things' 'Measure for Measure'
Posted at 10:36 AM on October 3, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Ten Thousand Things presents Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure," a study of what is lost when the law shows no mercy, and instead becomes drunk with power. The company takes its production to jails, prisons, homeless shelters and other places where theater is a luxury, but it also performs for the general public at Open Book in Minneapolis.
Critics find this production of Shakespeare's play luminescent, passionate, dynamic, accessible and exciting.
Sonja Parks as Isabella and Luverne Seifert as Angelo in Measure for Measure
Photo by Paula Keller
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Director Michelle Hensley renders this "problem play" with clarity and velocity, making its themes of corrupting power, justice delayed and principle versus purpose thrum with energy and contemporary resonance. She exploits the play's humor without making it a caricature and she captures the inherent drama of the story without resorting to spectacle. This is an acutely human staging, a luminescent articulation of the human condition, highlighting its potential for both nobility and cupidity.
Suzanne Warmanen as the Duke (disguised as a friar) and Nathan Barlow as Claudio
Photo by Paula Keller
...thank heavens for Ten Thousand Things, which once again digs into the heart of the Bard for its production of Measure for Measure. There are no Shakespearean accents, no giant video screens to distract us. There are just eight actors on a nearly bare stage bringing the story to full, passionate life.
Sonja Parks as Isabella and India Gurley as the nun Francesca
Photo by Paula Keller
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Ten Thousand Things' staging of the Bard's ruminations on free sex, hard choices and archly comic justice illustrates how life gets complex when people act for their own reasons -- both good and bad... Hensley again has demonstrated how accessible and enjoyable Shakespeare can be when the text breathes and a production unfolds with simple clarity.
Zach Curtis as Froth and Luverne Seifert as Pompey
Photo by Paula Keller
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
There's a purity in TTT's style of theater. Its purpose is not to draw attention to the method as to help the play speak to the audience watching it. Not everything worked--there were a couple of casting puzzlers--but I so appreciate that Hensley is willing to risk it. Far better to do that than play it safe, just to play it safe. When the actors and director are skilled, passionate and reading off the same philosophical page, walking the line makes for dynamic and exciting theater.
Have you seen Ten Thousand Things' production of Measure for Measure? What's your review?
The reviews are in for 'Cat in the Hat' at CTC
Posted at 1:33 PM on October 2, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Children's Theatre Company is presenting the U.S. premiere of "Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat," a play that remains true to the classic tale by Dr. Seuss. Originally produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain, the script is simply the text of the book, with lots of physical embellishments.
Reviewers of this show, aimed at very young theater goers, deemed it wild, delicious, splendid... and miscast.
The cast of Cat in the Hat at Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis
Photo by Dan Norman
The adaptation, crafted by Katie Mitchell, uses the situations from the book -- and Seuss's original verses -- for the framework. The rest is Seuss-inspired madness, with sets and costumes seemingly pulled right from the book's illustrations.The actors are up to the madness, starting with Elise Langer and Douglas Neithercott as the Girl and Boy destined to have a wild, wild afternoon. They carry the piece in the first few minutes, wringing delicious moments out of the heightened sense of boredom. Anything can be an irritant in this frame of mind -- such as a squeaky chair.
Elise Langer as Girl and Douglas Neithercott as Boy in Cat in the Hat at Children's Theatre Company
Photo by Dan Norman
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
The action, delivered with broad and small gestures by a jumping, running, leaping six-member ensemble, gives Ballweber's production a lot of zest. And the cast is, to a person, splendid, even if some are a little on the older side.As the title character with painted-on whiskers and a black spot on his nose, Dean Holt bears the featherweight of "Cat." He pedals across the stage and jumps with flair and gusto, working up a lather. He is physically very expressive and always ready to pounce.
Cat in the Hat, which runs through December 2 at Children's Theatre Company, remains true to the book by Dr. Seuss, with no added dialogue.
Photo by Dan Norman
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Director Jason Ballweber chose the right guy for the Cat. Veteran CTC actor Dean Holt conveys the goofy, devil-may-care attitude of the naughty, fun-loving feline with gleeful expressions and childlike athleticism.Ballweber's decision to cast middle-aged adults as the two young children is more problematic. Although the adult actors are fine at extreme mugging, they lack a child's je ne sais quoi, and it's impossible to mistake them for kids. They feel wrong in the roles. Given all of the fine young actors who have graced the stages of the CTC, it's a puzzle why adults were cast -- especially since this is not a long play requiring difficult memorization.
Dean Holt is the Cat in the Hat
Photo by Dan Norman
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
As a reviewer I can harrumph and belch cynically as much as I choose, but with CTC the question is always: did the kids like it? The answer: yes, they did. They laughed and fell all over themselves. They will certainly have a good time at The Cat In The Hat. Parents will have to make their separate peace with the overly familiar material - and with the high ticket prices. As always, my advice is: let Grandma and Grandpa take the kids to CTC while you crack open that long-hoarded bottle of vino.
Have you seen CTC's production of Cat in the Hat? What's your review?
The reviews are in for 'Red' at Park Square Theatre
Posted at 11:30 AM on September 26, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Controversial painter Mark Rothko is the subject of Park Square Theatre's latest production, "Red."
Set in his studio, Rothko has been commissioned to create a series of paintings for the new luxury restaurant, The Four Seasons, on Park Avenue in New York. Rothko battles with his own success, and what that means for his art.
Critics find this production powerful, engaging and charming.
Steven Lee Johnson as Ken and J C Cutler as Mark Rothko in Red
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
There is so much to love about this play and this production. Cutler explodes with fury when Johnson's Ken breaks a moment of concentration with a suggestion that his canvas needs more "red." Ken gives back, later, savaging Rothko about his inability to accept the new wave of artists, just as Rothko's cohort had "stomped to death" Picasso and his school....the work pulsates with its chosen rhythms, and Cutler's final image is one of the most powerful tableaux witnessed on any stage lately. Logan's play is so keen and perceptive, lean and well made. Not seeing it would be a mistake.
Steven Lee Johnson as Ken and J C Cutler as Mark Rothko in Red
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Over the course of the Tony Award-winning play, we explore the emotional power of the abstract works Rothko creates with the intention of engaging the viewer even as director Richard Cook's production engages its viewers, especially in the interplay between the two head-butting men, one on the verge of an art career and the other at the pinnacle, fearful that he will fall off the edge.So what's the point? It may be summed up by a bit of dialogue. "Everything worthwhile ends. We are in the perpetual process now: creation, maturation, cessation."
Steven Lee Johnson as Ken and J C Cutler as Mark Rothko in Red
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Rothko may be an insufferable [your carefully chosen word here] but he is never ever boring. He pulls us in, charms us with his bristling intellect - and then makes us hate him. This tension is the essence of this piece and if you're ready to hold two opposite opinions of this complicated man, well, Red may be the play for you.
"Red" runs through October 7 at Park Square Theatre in Saint Paul. Have you seen it? What's your review?
The reviews are in for 'Tales from Hollywood' at the Guthrie
Posted at 12:27 PM on September 25, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Tales from Hollywood marks two beginnings; it is the first production in the Guthrie Theater's 50th Anniversary season, and it launches the "Hampton Celebration," an exploration of work by the British playwright Christopher Hampton. Known best for his adaptation of novels for stage and screen, the celebration will feature two more plays (Appomattox and Embers) as well as movie screenings, lectures and workshops.
Lee Sellars (Ödön von Horváth) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Tales from Hollywood, by Christopher Hampton
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Tales of Hollywood concerns itself with intellectuals and artists such as Bertolt Brecht and Thomas Mann who fled Nazi Germany for Hollywood in the 1940s. Hampton takes liberties with the facts - the show is narrated by Ödön von Horváth, an Eastern European playwright who never made it to the U.S.
While Tales of Hollywood is filled with meaty fare, critics give this production mixed reviews.
Lee Sellars (Ödön von Horváth) and Julia Coffey (Helen Schwartz) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Tales from Hollywood, by Christopher Hampton
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
Glitz and glam Tales from Hollywood is not. Thought provoking and layered it is. Go with an open mind, maybe do a little bit of homework beforehand, and give it time to sink in before you form an opinion. Love it or hate it, you'll leave with strong feelings toward it, and that, my friends, is the beauty of theater.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Directing a play at the Guthrie means having access to abundant artistic resources, but Ethan McSweeny fails to shoulder the great responsibility that comes with this great power. Though he navigates his cast very competently through the script, his undisciplined fascination with the bells and whistles of this production shows a shiny-object distraction......the techniques needlessly gild the lily. "Tales from Hollywood" is a sharply observed story whose words deserve to be supported, not undercut, by staging techniques.
Lee Sellars as Ödön von Horváth and Keir Dullea as Heinrich Mann
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Mira Reinberg at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
Perhaps this production is best in its orchestration of the subdued subtleties of the script: of the untold calamities that displaced the writers from their homes, the belittlement they endured from publishers and producers, and the portending practices of Congress toward their suspect Communist engagement. On rare occasions does the pain unravel forcefully, but it is throbbing all along the production.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Yes, it is a smart script with intriguing subtexts. Given the denouement, however, one has to puzzle over the "comedy" label, in spite of the acidic humor and many laughs. It makes for an interesting night of theater, but its branding seems slightly askew.
Lee Sellars as Ödön von Horváth, Keir Dullea as Heinrich Mann and Allison Daugherty as Nelly Mann in Tales from Hollywood, by Christopher Hampton
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Hampton updated some of the language in "Tales." He might have cut the N-word, which jumps from the narrator's mouth like a noxious effluence. It momentarily ejected me from an often absorbing theatrical experience.
Tales from Hollywood runs through October 27 at the Guthrie Theater. Have you seen it? What's your review?
(2 Comments)The reviews are in for Frank Theatre's 'The Way of Water'
Posted at 9:49 AM on September 21, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Caridad Svich's play The Way Of Water follows the lives of a group of impoverished people living on the coast of Louisiana in the wake of the BP oil spill.
Emily Zimmer, Eric Sharp, H. Adam Harris and Hope Cervantes in The Way Of Water. Photo by e.g. bailey
Critics agree that while Frank Theatre gives the play a solid production, the topic is a challenging one for the stage.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Svich places her characters in such dire straits that they have nowhere to go but inexorably, agonizingly down. While that might be journalistically accurate, that kind of one-way thematic provides for problematic drama.
H. Adam Harris and Hope Cervantes in "The Way of Water" at Frank Theatre
Photo by e.g. bailey
From Lisa Brock at the Star Tribune:
While Frank Theatre gives "The Way of Water" a solid production under Wendy Knox's direction, Svich's dialogue is annoyingly elliptical, leading to odd, jerky exchanges between the characters. In the throes of his illness, Jimmy repeatedly launches into flights of poetic prophesying so awkwardly transitioned that they seem affected rather than affecting.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Plays of this nature often suffer from character flatness (after all, it's an outside force the characters confront, not something that comes, more interestingly, from inside). The Way Of Water is no exception.
The Way of Water runs through September 30 at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis. Have you seen it? What's your review?
The reviews are in for Walking Shadow's 'Eurydice'
Posted at 10:11 AM on September 19, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Sarah Ruhl's play "Eurydice" retells the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but this time from the perspective of its heroine.
Walking Shadow Theatre Company is staging 'Eurydice' at Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis through September 29. Critics' descriptions of the show range from "exquisite jewel" to "just clever when it should be profound."
Walking Shadow Theatre Company's production of 'Eurydice,' written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Amy Rummenie
Photo: Dan Norman Photography
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Sarah Ruhl's play "Eurydice" really should have a "handle with care" label on the script. So fragile and delicate is this dreamy meditation on love and loss that it can easily break apart in production. I have seen it happen.Director Amy Rummenie, though, needs no special instructions. Her production, which opened Walking Shadow Theatre's season Friday at Minneapolis' Pillsbury House Theatre, is nearly perfect in its sensitivity and sensibility.
...So thanks to Walking Shadow for holding this exquisite jewel to the light with exceptional care and affection. It is that rarest of things: a sad joy.
Paris Hunter Paul and Andrea San Miguel in Walking Shadow Theatre Company's production of Eurydice
Photo: Dan Norman Photography
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities:
It is a tribute to the Walking Shadow's courage and ability that they have chosen such a challenging play and have staged it beautifully. The script is written in movements, like a symphony, and its fluid musicality is not lost on this production. Crossing back and forth between the stark world of the living and the timelessness of death, Eurydice explores remembrance and loss with delicacy, compassion and humor. In a mythical landscape where it is all too easy to give in and let memories be washed away, this production is hauntingly hard to forget.
Peter Ooley in Walking Shadow Theatre Company's production of 'Eurydice,' on stage at Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis through September 29
Photo: Dan Norman Photography
It's well acted and put together, but Eurydice is often just clever when it should be profound, engaging when it should be heartbreaking.In her notes, director Amy Rummenie notes that the play's themes of loss of memory were extremely close to her heart, as her father died from Alzheimer's. That, and the fact many of us have dealt with a loved one disappearing long before they actually pass on, may be why the moments between Eurydice and her father are more powerful than any of the scenes of her with Orpheus. ...Heartbreak is at the play's center. Everything else just gets in the way.
Have you seen Walking Shadow's production of "Eurydice?" What did you think?
The reviews are in for Pillsbury House's 'The Brothers Size'
Posted at 7:42 AM on September 12, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
"The Brothers Size" is a compact, intense play written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and set in the Louisiana projects. It's three characters - Ogun Size, Oshoosi Size and Elegba - are all named after gods of Yoruba mythology. While their troubles - recovering from time spent in prison, staying afloat, finding love - may at first seem trivial, they soon take on epic ramifications.
"The Brothers Size" is part of a trio of plays by McCraney; last year Pillsbury House Theatre staged another play in the trilogy called "In the Red and Brown Water" to rave reviews.
Now the theater company is back with "The Brothers Size," with Marion McClinton again in the director's chair. While a couple of critics say the show has a few rough edges, all agree it's an important production that merits seeing.
Namir Smallwood as Oshoosi Size and James A. Williams as Ogun Size in "The Brothers Size"
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
Each of the three characters is performed with almost brutal compassion. In every moment of anger, resentment, resignation or discomfort, the skill of the playwright, actors, and director Marion McClinton combine to paint a vivid picture of the forces that shape and entrap each man. Freedom, for these three, is always visible and always elusive: whether hemmed in by physical bars, financial and psychological obligations, or fear of a cold legal system, each character operates in a world with very few options. Even women seem to represent a distant island which has drifted just beyond reach.
James A. Williams as Ogun Size in Pillsbury House Theatre's production of "The Brothers Size"
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
McClinton's heart-rendingly poetic production has a minimal but efficacious design. Andrea Heilman gives us layered platforms that are used variously for beds and Ogun's shop. The workman's clothes are by Kalere Payton, and the mood-altering lights by Michael Wangen.Choreographer Patricia Brown harmonized the three actors' movements, which included a stylized high-stepping march and some Temptations-style dancing, while Ahanti Young, hitherto known as a fine interpreter of August Wilson characters, gives "Brothers Size" its rhythmic heartbeat by playing percussion on an elevated drum set.
Gavin Lawrence as Elegba and Namir Smallwood as Oshoosi Size in "The Brothers Size" by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Director Marion McClinton and the company infuse the show with an intense physicality, while also riding gentler, musical rhythms. Midway through, Oshoosi oversleeps and is forced to walk from home to his brother's shop. His walk turns into a kind of march, aided by percussionist Ahanti Young, as he trudges along in the intense Gulf Coast heat. Decades of personal disappointment play out with each step Smallwood takes, intensified by the chanting and singing of Williams and Lawrence. Hours of dialogue may not have said as much as these brief minutes onstage.
Namir Smallwood as Oshoosi Size
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
These strong performances add up formidably in this staging of "The Brothers Size." If the whole production is somewhat less than the sum of those parts, this is still a story -- and a playwright -- that merits attention.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Is the play flawless? No. The speaking-out-loud of stage directions ("Elegba returns", "Ogun goes back under the car") rather quickly became tiresome and the long analysis of Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" felt over-wrought, off-the-mark and, for me, interfered with the emotional build of the play. Still, The Brothers Size is grim, gritty, inspiring.
'The Brothers Size' runs through September 29 at the Guthrie Theater in the Dowling Studio. Have you seen it? If so, what's your review?
All photos by Michal Daniel
The reviews are in for 'Trick Boxing'
Posted at 1:02 PM on August 28, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
I remember when Brian Sostek and Megan McClellan first came into the MPR studios to talk about their production "Trick Boxing." It was 2002, and the piece was debuting at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. It's a love story of sorts that involves high precision dancing and boxing moves all wrapped up with old showbiz charm.
Since then the show has gone on to tour internationally at fringe festivals to rave reviews. Now, on the production's tenth anniversary, the duo have expanded the show for a run at the Guthrie Theater.
According to three reviewers the show is still a knockout, while a third says there are a few missteps.
From Caroline Palmer at the Star Tribune:
The boxing scenes are a riot, with Sostek leading the play-by-play using a miniature ring and toys representing Dancing Danny and his opponents, including Johnny the Monkey. These, like so many other moments in "Trick Boxing," prove that some of the best performances come from artists who need rely on nothing more than their talent and a few simple props to create whole worlds on stage. Both McClellan and Sostek are the undisputed champs in this category.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
As in Astaire-Rogers classics like "The Gay Divorcee" and "Top Hat," the leads start out somewhat adversarial, but love blooms on the dance floor where they blend ballroom, swing and tap into a delicious vintage concoction.Those Astaire-Rogers vehicles often featured a moment that -- after an amazing dance duet -- Rogers sat stunned and confused while recognizing that she's unexpectedly falling in love.
"Trick Boxing" is the kind of show that could leave you feeling the same way.
From Amanda Bankston at Minnesota Monthly:
Trick Boxing's earned acclaim at every stop of its 10-year run, and for good reason. It's impossible to resist the feel-good brand of dance and humor, drama and love that this talented couple pours into their production.
Whatever the reason, Trick Boxing trudges along at the beginning when it should already be singing. That doesn't make this a poor experience in any way. The dancing, movement, and puppetry are delightful, as is the central relationship between Danny and Bella, which comes to life in the hands of these performers. It's clear what has made this play a success for the last decade. I just hope the special spark doesn't get lost amid the revisions.
Have you seen "Trick Boxing?" If so, what did you think?
The reviews are in for 'The Return of King Idomeneo'
Posted at 11:44 AM on August 29, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Music, Opera, Public Art, Theater
Mixed Precipitation takes opera, presents it in a community garden or other green outdoor space, and serves it along with some tasty food. If there was ever a way to make opera more popular with the masses, this is it.
Their latest show is a doo-wopified version of Mozart's opera "The Return of King Idomeneo" in which young love, sacrifice, and the God Neptune all have a role to play. It's also infused with 50s doo-wop and 60s girl-groups.
Reviewers find this summer's production sweet on the ear and the tongue...
Peter Hogan as Neptune and Jim Ahrens as King Idomeneo
PHOTO: Travis Chantar
The mixture of light and dark can be troublesome in a show if the right balance is not struck. Reynolds and the company of talented performers bring it off. It helps that ancient Greek characters wear their emotions close to the surface, whether they are lovesick, joyful, or heartbroken. That makes the story good fodder for opera, where emotions are often outsized, and ripe for a bit of parody.
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
Performed in community gardens around the Twin Cities (and as far away as Northfield) with its dynamic cast and donation-based ticketing system, Idomeneo is nothing if not accessible. What is so refreshing about Mixed Precipitation's theatrical philosophy is that it completely throws away everything that people find unpleasant about opera (the length, the expense, the stuffy atmosphere) and keeps all of the entertaining parts.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
If you're an opera buff, you'll get a big kick out of it; if you know nothing about opera, you'll get a big kick out of it--a smattering of rolling subtitles will keep you on track. But it's not a spoof, you understand...This is like being in a musical, rather than watching it on a screen; you'll miss some things, but the experience will be memorable.The cast dashes from one end of the garden to the other, bearing set pieces and props, and dodging the onions, taking us from shipwreck to city, to the sewers and the seashore, all the while projecting over the neighborhood's ambient sounds and keeping us firmly attached to the story--loose though the story may be.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
This is a production in which the performance is even more delicious than the food. So much affection and energy is thrown into both Mozart's music and the street-corner serenades of the Jive Five and the Magnificent 4 that the blend is as smooth as the cast's impressive harmonies.
You can find the times and locations of Mixed Precipitation's performances here.
Have you seen "The Return of King Idomeneo?" If so, what's your review?
Minnesota Fringe Festival: it's not curated for a reason
Posted at 12:19 PM on August 23, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Editor's note: this past weekend the Star Tribune published a piece suggesting its time for the Minnesota Fringe Festival to start curating its work... or at least some of it. The festival, now entering its 20th year, has long prided itself on being open to everyone, regardless of pedigree. I contacted Fringe Director Robin Gillette for her take on the idea; here's her response:
I'm just back from a trip to the original fringe - Edinburgh Festival Fringe, offering over 2,700 different shows in hundreds of venues across the city. My colleague Jeff Larson and I went out to see the festival and to take part in the inaugural World Fringe Congress- a gathering of 50 fringes from across the world to exchange experiences and build bridges.
We learned so much about the different operating models of fringes across the world. Some fringe festivals are curated while others are unjuried; some are open-access, meaning that absolutely everyone who wants to present a show can do so, while others, like Minnesota Fringe, have a cap on the number of participants. There's also great variety in the styles of work that's presented, the experience and professional aspirations of the participants, and the producing and/or educational support offered by the festival. For me, the takeaway is that every festival is a unique reflection of its culture, local arts scene, audience base, funding sources, geography (which determines venue proximity) and more, and there's no one right "Fringe" way to do it.
Curation is one of the most interesting areas of discussion, and especially relevant in light of the recent Star Tribune article. Festivals choose to curate to serve a number of different goals - to ensure a high-quality program of established artists; to highlight new work or emerging artists that wouldn't otherwise come to the attention of local audiences; to adhere to a particular theme or highlight a specific genre; to ensure a diversity of shows, i.e. a balance of local and national acts, or a certain number of kids shows; or, as is the case with FringeNYC in New York, to keep performance slots for Fringe-level artists rather than giving them over to become inexpensive commercial try-outs for professional producers. Even though the Edinburgh Fringe itself is open-access, some of the largest Fringe venues there are heavily curated.
Others, like Minnesota Fringe, have chosen not to curate because it reduces a barrier to performance opportunities for all. Our lottery system means that the longtime Fringe favorite has the same odds of getting in as a person who's never done a show before but has always wanted to try; furthermore, once those two companies come into the festival, they both have access to the same level of support - each company gets the same allocation of performance times, they play in the same venues and get equal space in our program and on our website. We're the only place in the region that offers equal access to fully-staged productions like this, and we're mighty proud of that. Being uncurated is a huge part of what this Fringe is, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. But I don't want to cast aspersions on festivals that choose another method of operation.
One notable difference between most U.S. fringes and their international counterparts is that most non-U.S. fringe festivals are presented alongside a more formal curated festival. The original fringe in Edinburgh started in this way in 1947 - a group of performers excluded from the Edinburgh Festival decided to set up their own festival on the "fringe" of the main event. Now, festivals run in tandem like this throughout the world, which naturally creates a counterpoint between the established artists on the mainstage and the emerging, more experimental shows on the fringe.
Minnesota Fringe is planning a public meeting later this fall to report back on what we learned at the World Fringe Congress. Stay tuned for all sorts of fascinating information, including discussions on how what we learned might get incorporated into our own operations.
Can engaging theater thrive in a culture of avoidance?
Posted at 2:03 PM on August 13, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Director Bryan Bevell has a bone to pick with the Twin Cities theater scene... and he won't be surprised at all if you don't want to talk about it.
In a recent commentary for the Star Tribune, Bevell charged that much of the work he see on local stages "feels self-satisfied and uninspired, with little driving passion or evident purpose."
It is ironic that the same Minnesota culture that yields such a stunning variety of transformative, breakthrough artists is itself quite resistant to transformation and breaking through. We have our own way of doing things. We are prone to deflection. We avoid subjects that may be considered "unpleasant." And while conflict is the essence of drama, it's something most Minnesotans avoid like the Ebola virus.
These particular aspects of "Minnesota Nice" raise the question of whether a theater of engagement can thrive in a culture of avoidance.
Bevell goes on to say the Twin Cities lacks a pointed critical dialogue, in which theater professionals have the courage to speak candidly about the work of their peers. And, he says, audiences should demand performances of consistent quality.
The odd thing about our theater is that the focused and inspired usually occur right alongside the lazy and hackneyed. We've gotten so used to this kind of performance that audiences merely suffer through the boring parts without comment or complaint, then bounce back to life to acknowledge a powerful moment or funny joke. We expect musicians to exhibit craft and precision throughout an entire set or concert. We ought not be so forgiving of actors and directors who lack consistency in their craft.
The theater long has held a unique place among the arts in Western society. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the theater has been the place we go to face the deep stuff, to confront our innermost secrets and fears, and to grapple with issues we might otherwise choose to hide away and ignore. The theatrical experience is a communal event, a powerful ritual that can literally change people. As a great play works its magic on an audience it can open us up to new, previously unimagined ways of thinking and seeing.
For more than 2,000 years, the theater has been the place Western culture goes to find the truth, however unsettling the journey may be. Today's theater artists have the honor and the burden of living up to this great legacy.
So what do you think? Is the Twin Cities theater scene in a slump? How could the critical dialogue be improved?
(3 Comments)The reviews are in for the Minnesota Fringe - part two
Posted at 12:31 PM on August 5, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Events, Theater
Saturday night I made my way back to this year's "Fringe Central," the Crooked Pint bar in downtown Minneapolis, to find out the latest buzz on shows. Just like many professional theater critics, these folks chose to spend most of their time talking about shows they loved, rather than dish on the ones they found disappointing. Still, there were a few exceptions...
Les Kirkendaal is in a whopping three productions at this year's Fringe (A One Way Ticket to Crazy Town, Men's Room Etiquette, and Fringe Orphans) but he's still managed to check out some of what else is out there.
Les: I saw StarF*cker and I loved it! It's about Jason Schommer's brushes with fame, told in an accessible way. He was doing stand-up but he was vulnerable as well -which made you want to be his friend.
Then there was Fear and Trembling by philip andrew bennett low. I think this is the best work I've ever seen him do. It was all about Minneapolis, his love of the city, its history... Not being from Minneapolis, I got to learn some things as well. The moral of the story was 'learn to love yourself and be yourself,' and that's when I thought wow, he's got me.
Another show I saw completely by accident - I thought I was seeing Fear and Trembling, but I got the time wrong, and it turned out I was in the audience for The Habits of 7 Highly Offensive People. And I wasn't mad - it was actually alright! I was thoroughly entertained and I'd recommend it to people. It's a bunch of different characters portrayed by one woman. My favorite was this female God who is mad at all of us for what we've done to the earth and what we've done to each other. She's dressed as a mom holding a basket of laundry and saying things like "Don't make me come down there!"
Joseph Scrimshaw has been a Fringe Festival favorite for years, and this year's no different based on reviews for his show Nightmare without Pants. In his free time Scrimshaw has been checking out the other comedies, and he's been impressed.
Joseph: Tonight I saw Candide by Four Humors Theater - I've known their work for years but we've only just recently collaborated on a show together. I like how they challenge themselves; they're doing something really different, a legitimate retelling of Candide. The narrative structure of Candide doesn't make sense for modern audiences. It's more about themes than an actual plot- so to see them make that work in an hour, is really wonderful.
I also saw Billy Beechwood and the Mountain of Terror by Ferrari McSpeedy. This was back to their more classic shows, purposefully slapdash. They're taking the show seriously in that they want it to be entertaining, but they also know that what they're doing is ridiculous. Between Candide and Beechwood there were just layers of comic analysis possible.
Oh and then I saw Tom Reed in Mocking the Mockingjay. It was great! I haven't seen any of his other parodies and he really did a great job of showing why it might be absurd and even dangerous to like the Hunger Games. What's really being said in that movie?
Overall it's just really great to see such a variety of comedy shows that are all successful and intelligent.
Trista Schultz has one show to rave about and that's Mary Mack's Anti One-Woman Show: Sh*t makes Flowers Grow.
Trista: It was really good - it was funny, everyone had a good time, she had great stories about her family. She talked to people in the audience, got us involved. We had a wonderful sing-along at the end about skinny jeans. There so many hilarious lines, especially the one about her moving to LA because she was sick of people liking her for what's on the inside!
Josh Carson is one of the stars of this year's Fringe hit Class of 98. While he's seen a number of shows, the two stand-outs for him are The Love Show and Sneak Thief.
Josh: The Love Show got a standing o the night I went. It was sweet, charming, a little bawdy... they opened up their hearts and talked about past break-ups and they totally won me over. They're now my Fringe crushes. Plus if you're looking for potential Fringe disaster drama Samantha Baker Harrisis very close to giving birth! It could happen at the next show...
Sneak Thief is a show about diamonds and smuggling; it feels like a late 90s buddy comedy. Tim Hellendrung is just one of those people you want to watch do anything. His performance is just adorable - you want to hug him.
Oh and I almost forgot. I saw Candide by Four Humors Theater and there was a girl that I'd never seen before in it - Christian Bardin - she was just hysterical! I've never seen her before, but she played a number of different characters and she was excellent at each and every one of them. That's one of the joys of the Fringe - seeing new talent.
Mike McAneney is a carpenter and handyman who's "baching it" this weekend while his wife and kids are out of town. But he really wished his kids were along when he saw The Gentlemen's Pratfall Club
Mike: They do a great job with slapstick that can have a full story in 45 minutes. It was really amusing, Josh's pratfalls are just amazing. It's great physical comedy, plus it's really well written.
My only disappointment was As the Stomach Turns - I've seen Cirque Rouge perform before at the 331 Club and really enjoyed their shows in the past, but this didn't do it for me.
My two favorites were both shows I saw on a whim. I got a review in line for Scarborough Fair, a send up of Simon & Garfunkel It was great!A complete win.
And then, based on someone else's recommendation I went to see Pop Up Musical and it was REALLY COOL. It was similar to Scarborough Fair in that people performing songs everybody knows - in this case Broadway musical tunes - but in this case they had these cue cards giving sidebar information about the original performers, how they hated each other, etc. This cross between reverence for the material and yet making fun of it at the same time was just pure Fringe.
Greg Giles is the playwright behind All's Fair, and he's over the moon reading rave reviews for his show by people he doesn't even know. He's also got a few raves - and a rant - of his own to share.
Greg: John Grady's Fear Factor Canine Edition was one of those shows where I figured with that kind of title it was going to be really bad and cheesy, and it's the most beautiful thing I've seen in years. It's a valentine to his dog. It's funny, insightful, it is heart-wrenching and it's universal. After seeing the show last night, instead of coming here to Fringe Central, I went home to be with my dog. There was no way I was going to spend 30 more seconds away from my dog after that.
I also saw Carol and Cotton . It's a really lovely historical drama that boils down to two actors portraying six different characters. They're fabulous. It's about a prominent attorney who murders his wife back in the 1960s in St. Paul. I'm a history nut so I was all over it.
Then there's Mr. Elk and Mr.Seal. They're twenty years older but god dang, they're wonderful! They're smart, they're funny, they're goofy as heck. It's the same show as they did twenty years ago and that's exactly what I wanted.
As for disappointments, The Font of Knowledge was sloppy and if you're going to do satire and spoof you can't be sloppy. There were some good moments, and all sorts of inside jokes for graphic design people; at least that's what I'm guessing because small groups of people were laughing hysterically while the rest of us just sat there. But they were dropping props, smashing into the set, stepping on each others lines - you do that and you lose me. They obviously don't care enough to pay attention to the details, and I feel like I wasted an hour.
Marilyn Kales has been enjoying some really physical theater.
Marilyn: I just came from Ash Land - Oh my god! It's beautiful. It's unique, engaging and it's a beautiful story. Just the physicality of it - the players are the set - I've never seen anything like that.
Just before that I saw Sin Eater - it was intense and glorious. It's dark, with strobe light, she's on a mountain, in the woods, fighting for her life - just wonderfully intense. The story was clear, which is not always easy to do with dance and then afterward she explained the inspiration. Tonight's show was particularly special because her father was there.
Then there was BOOGIEography - that was the biggest grin! They were all just having such a wonderful time doing their many dances. At the end, people got up and danced with them.
Pretentious Conversations was my least favorite so far. It was dry.
Comedy of Edits I liked a lot. It was very intelligent, literary, and surprising, It was different for Allegra Lingo - she's actually acting instead of storytelling.
My last reviewer of the evening was Danielle Caddell from Montreal, a producer who's in town scouting for talent.
Danielle: This is my fifth fringe here and I love the shows. I really want to keep an open door between Montreal and the Twin Cities. I saw Billy Beechwood and the Mountain of Terror and I loved it. I thought it was very funny, very good. I laughed a lot,and to me that's really important. Drama is really hard to sell to people.
I saw Ben San Del and I really like his show - it was a lot of fun.
And then there was Font of Knowledge. I absolutely loved it. I actually know something about fonts, but it was just a really good genre play. It used lots of media - shadow puppets, costume changes - and that's a big effort for an out of town show at the Fringe.
And there you have it. Know a show these folks missed that you'd like to review? Just add it to the comments section. Happy Fringe-ing!
The reviews are in for 'Into the Woods' by Mu Performing Arts
Posted at 11:00 AM on July 27, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Music, Theater
Mu Performing Arts is breaking new ground by giving classic musical theater an Asian American re-imagining.
First the theater company performed "Little Shop of Horrors" to rave reviews, and now it's back with "Into the Woods." According to critics this show is equally charming:
Sara Ochs as Cinderella and Sheena Janson as the Baker's Wife in Mu Performing Arts presentation of Into the Woods
Photo by Michal Daniel
The company presents strong performances from top to bottom, led by Randy Reyes and Sheena Janson as the baker and the baker's wife. They are really modern-day folks dropped into a fantasy environment, full of doubt and conflicts that are at first out of place amid the outsized events of the other stories, and then the main light of maturity in an increasingly dark world. Both actors embrace these complexities, crafting performances that are at turns funny, touching, and heartbreaking.
Katie Bradley as the Witch in Mu Performing Arts presentation of "Into the Woods"
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
...director Rick Shiomi has given a nod to the universality of fairy tales by shifting the setting from a vaguely European one to a vaguely Asian one. And the witty design extends the idea that these stories know no time or place, with each of the tales seemingly set in a different corner of Asia -- the clothes in Cinderella's story bearing Indian influences, for instance, while China may be the Witch's homeland. Lighting effects sometimes make the characters resemble the shadow puppets of Indonesia, while black-clad ninjas move scenery and execute the production's simple effects.Those subtle touches serve as a reminder of how sturdily constructed Sondheim and book writer James Lapine's show is. Whoever we are, we share the same basic needs, and wherever we come from, there is a metaphoric "woods" where we learn that growing up is no picnic.
Sheena Janson as the Baker's Wife and Alex Galick as Cinderella's Prince in Mu Performing Arts presentation of Into the Woods
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Where did he get this cast? There isn't a tinny note anywhere and we're talking large (20 by my count). They sing brilliantly and they act their hearts out. I could be wrong on this but the opening night performance had the feeling of a show finally and surprisingly coming together and the actors were as amazed and delighted as we in the audience. It gave the evening an especial edge.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
"Into the Woods" is another milestone for a company still on the rise.
"Into the Woods" runs through August 5 at Park Square Theatre in St, Paul. Have you seen Mu Performing Arts' production? If so, what did you think?
The reviews are for ''The Sunshine Boys' at the Guthrie Theater
Posted at 3:35 PM on July 16, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
A play that draws its inspiration from Vaudeville is finding some new life at the Guthrie Theater.
Penned by the beloved Neil Simon, The Sunshine Boys premiered on Broadway in 1972, which is also the year in which the main characters - the one-time famous duo "Lewis and Clark" - are coerced to reunite for a TV comedy special.
The show stars two theatrical veterans, Peter Michael Goetz and Raye Birk; critics say while the jokes may be old, they still get the laughs.
Raye Birk (left) as Al Lewis and Peter Michael Goetz as Willie Clark in the Guthrie Theater's production of 'The Sunshine Boys' by Neil Simon.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
Although I'll be the first to say the phrase "dream team" is cliché in most respects, it definitely applies to this acting duo. Birk's quiet humor forms the foundation upon which Goetz's showy, look-at-me antics thrive, and the men are able to read each other as if they've worked together every day of their 50-plus-year careers...As a whole, every element of The Sunshine Boys is near perfect: the script is flawless, the casting is spot on, the set is beautiful. Give it time, and, like its lead actors, it will just keep getting better.
Greta Oglesby (left) as Registered Nurse and Peter Michael Goetz as Willie Clark in the Guthrie Theater's production of 'The Sunshine Boys' by Neil Simon.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys" premiered on Broadway 40 years ago, and its vaudeville-flavored humor -- telling the tale of two ancient, crotchety comedians thrust together for one last performance -- is even older than that. But the durable script still has plenty of life in it and, supported by the solid scaffolding of a strong production at the Guthrie Theater, its laughter endures...Despite its gray whiskers and old joints, the play moves along pretty well.
The Sunshine Boys runs through September 2 at the Guthrie Theater. Have you seen it? Share your review in the comments section.
Raye Birk (left) as Al Lewis and Peter Michael Goetz as Willie Clark in the Guthrie Theater's production of 'The Sunshine Boys' by Neil Simon.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Unfortunately, in my not-so-humble opinion, The Sunshine Boys is not a Simonian highpoint. It's extremely repetitive ("Uncle Willie, open up, it's Ben." "Is that you, Ben?" - ad nauseum). The play is often static and predictable; I found myself wearing a get-on-with-it scowl. And, most serious, I found myself unconvinced by the hostility of the two leads; it seemed a diminishment of the characters.But maybe I'm wrong, and in any event, who cares: The Sunshine Boys provides a grand playground for Birk and Goetz and you are unlikely to encounter better actors anywhere.
The Sunshine Boys runs through September 2 at the Guthrie Theater. Have you seen it? Share your review in the comments section.
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for 'Radiate Live!' at Pillsbury House
Posted at 9:24 AM on June 20, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Daniel Alexander Jones is on tour with his production of "Radiate Live!" in which his alter ego, disco diva Jomama Jones, is out to soften the hardest of hearts with love... and some great music.
The critics have all been caught up in the positive vibe of Jomama Jones' performance, and couldn't be happier with the show.
Daniel Alexander Jones is Jomama Jones in Radiate Live! at Pillsbury House Theatre
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com
Jomama Jones and her piquant band of accompanists have arrived at the Pillsbury House Theatre with a terrific show, Radiate Live! My firm advice: call the Pillsbury BO and make your rezzies. This show will take you through the summertime theatrical doldrums and the goodvibes will last - well, almost - until the Fringe. You need to see this one.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Since the show's creator and star, Daniel Alexander Jones, dons gowns and heels to channel Jomama, it would be technically accurate to call "Radiate Live!" a drag show, but any comparisons to, say, Miss Richfield 1981 or Dame Edna end right there. Where those estimable ladies go for the jugular while aiming for laughs, Jomama is an infinitely gentle spirit more interested in lifting the human condition than jamming a satiric stick into it.
Jomama Jones performs Radiate Live! at Pillsbury House Theatre through June 24
Photo by Michal Daniel
Musically, the songs fit well into the soul and funk mode, concentrating mostly on spreading positive vibes. This isn't a traditional musical, or even something like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, where the songs serve to tell the story. Instead, they merge with the narrative to underscore Jomama's basic message: Open your heart, love one another, and be positive to make changes. It's hard to argue with that.
Have you seen Jomama Jones? If so, what do you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Guthrie Theater's 'Roman Holiday'
Posted at 8:44 AM on June 19, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The Guthrie Theater's latest production, "Roman Holiday," takes the storyline from the classic 1953 film, and turns it into a musical featuring the songs of Cole Porter.
Critics say the the staging, acting and music more than make up for the lack of a real plot.
Edward Watts (Joe Bradley) and Stephanie Rothenberg (Princess Anne) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Roman Holiday
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
What you can expect from Roman Holiday is an entertaining, light-hearted, makes-you-feel-good evening out in one of the most beautiful places in the Twin Cities. Nowhere else this summer can you find so much talent (both on stage and and backstage--Mathew J. LeFebvre's costumes are simply gorgeous, completely spot-on in period-accuracy, and entertaining on their own [see Francesca's gown in "Just One of Those Things"])--and energy in one place. Yes, you could go see The Avengers or Men in Black: III, but what you should do is spend the extra money on this: what could very well turn into "just one of those nights; one of those fabulous flights; a trip to the moon on gossamer wings; just one of those things."
The cast of "Roman Holiday" at the Guthrie Theater
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Yes, "Roman Holiday" is old, but as the new musical that opened at the Guthrie on Friday ably demonstrates, "old" can be "timeless." This fragile confection is built with elegance and sophistication around the idea that here we have a fairy tale about escape and impossible love. And try as we might -- in our edgy hauteur -- we cannot help but appreciate the sleek nostalgia wrapped in a love story. So sue me, I'm sentimental.
Edward Watts (Joe Bradley) and Stephanie Rothenberg (Princess Anne) in the Guthrie Theater's production of "Roman Holiday"
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
...although the storyline lacks genuine suspense, the music is lovely -- even if some of the song lyrics don't quite fit the action of the plot...Although this version of "Roman Holiday" doesn't merit the Academy Awards that the classic movie garnered, it still is a charming way to spend a Twin Cities holiday.
The Guthrie Theater's production of "Roman Holiday" runs through August 19
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
So you must make a decision: do you like Porter's amazing music, and fabulous design, and outstanding acting and singing enough to ignore a garbled and uninvolving story? If so, by all means, see Roman Holiday. You won't be disappointed.
Have you seen Roman Holiday? If so, what did you think?
All photos by Michael Brosilow
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for 'Fela!' at Ordway
Posted at 9:43 AM on June 14, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Dance, Music, Theater
FELA! is a musical directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones about the tumultuous life of Afro-beat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Using his pioneering music (a blend of jazz, funk, and African rhythm and harmonies), FELA! explores Kuti's controversial life as an artist, political activist and revolutionary musician. A three-time Tony Award winner in 2010, this production arrives at the Ordway direct from Broadway.
Critics say you' should be prepared for the high energy and emotional turmoil of this star-powered musical.
Sahr Ngaujah stars in FELA!
Photo courtesy Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Anyone who sits through "FELA!" may be forgiven for feeling wrung out after two-and-a-half hours of ecstatic Afrobeat music, pulsing dance, emotional turmoil and epic resolution.
From Ross Raihala at the Pioneer Press:
As the title character, Sahr Ngaujah not only has the moves like Fela, he has the stature, the voice and the star power. It's a stunning performance in a demanding role that requires Ngaujah to spend nearly every moment of the 165-minute show front and center.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
I don't usually give points just for energy. (Broadway musicals generally try to top each other as calorie-burning affairs for their actor/dancers.) But this one has a different kind of energy that feels organic to the piece - essential, really, and a natural part of the music, the story and the emotions that drive it all. He proclaims as a young man, "I'm going to change the world." In the final number, when he sings "They wan bury and forget, but we won't let them," it's possible to think that maybe he still can.
FELA! runs through June 17 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Have you seen it? If so, what's your review?
The reviews are in for 'Laughter on the 23rd Floor'
Posted at 9:32 AM on June 13, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Chaos is king backstage at the Max Prince Show, a popular 1950s comedy-variety TV series. The stress of slipping ratings is eating Max alive, but his staff hurls nonstop zingers at each other and everyone within earshot.
Neil Simon's play "Laughter on the 23rd Floor," playing through July 8 at Park Square Theatre in Saint Paul, was inspired by his big break on Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows."
Critics say you'll get your share of good laughs with this well-cast production. Scroll down to read excerpts of their reviews, or click on the links to read them in full.
Michael Paul Levin, Ari Hoptman and Karen Wiese-Thompson in Laughter on the 23rd Floor
Photo courtesy Park Square Theatre
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Yes, there is something of a plot, but it really doesn't matter. The joy of this show is just watching the characters pitching and catching one-liners and breezing through the light nostalgia of TV's golden age. Isn't that what summer is for?
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
It's often said that a director either solves or creates his problems when he casts a play and director Zach Curtis has put together a terrific ensemble for Laughter On The 23rd Floor.
Michael Paul Levin in Laughter on the 23rd Floor
Photo courtesy Park Square Theatre
Two towering presences dominate the script, and the respective actors fully inhabit them. First is Ari Hoptman as Ira, an extremely funny and extremely difficult-to-work-with writer (based on Mel Brooks), which is topped by Michael Paul Levin's absolutely mad performance of the oft-addled and more than a bit paranoid star of the show, Max Prince.
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Director Zach Curtis keeps the action as fast-paced as the zingers, so we don't have time to linger on the darker side of plot developments. This "23rd Floor" may not leave you rolling on the floor, but it's definitely got some genuine laughter.
Have you seen Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Park Square Theatre? If so, what did you think?
The reviews are in for Jungle Theater's 'Noises Off!'
Posted at 11:06 AM on June 12, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Sometimes the best drama - and comedy - in a theater is to be found backstage.
That's what inspired British playwright Michael Frayn to write his farcical play-within-a-play Noises Off!, which runs through July 29 at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis.
Noises Off! follows the on and off stage antics of an acting troupe as they make their way from dress rehearsal to closing night. While the show has received one rave review, other critics are decidedly mixed. Read on for more...
Cheryl Willis in "Noises Off!" at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis
Photo: Michal Daniel
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Sass has orchestrated an amazing, wonderful "mess" of a show, and assembled a cast who showed up with their own bags of tricks, including impressive skills in clowning and dance. It's such an ensemble show, and they were all so perfectly cast, that I don't find it necessary to single anyone out. Terrific performances--without exception.
From Jay Gabler at TCDailyPlanet.com:
Frayn's play was inspired by the observation that the backstage drama at many plays is often wilder and more interesting than what's happening onstage. That's absoluely true: real life is amusing, especially when dramatized in such elegantly absurd fashion as Frayn manages in this classic script. The script is so good that it's hard to ruin--I must admit to laughing hard during the opening minutes of Act Three, but I think I would have been laughing much more often if Sass and his team had let these characters keep their feet on the ground.
Kimberly Richardson and E. J. Subkoviak in Noises Off! at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis
From Mira Reinberg at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
...the Jungle Theater has rallied a team of talented contributors under the direction of Joel Sass who turn the intimate space into a thriving theatrical universe, teeming with minute-to-minute disfunctionality and frustration, along with empathy and responsiveness....The ensemble builds up a dynamic that increasingly blurs the line between the real and fictional play and demonstrates once again that human creativity and outrageousness are not mutually exclusive.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
If Sass's staging does not always grab me by the seat of the pants, it is because of timing and casting. When it's working, the production is tightly wound and everything clicks. At other times, it drags, and you can see the thinking of both actors and director. This on/off quality is supposed to peel back the workings of the theater for laughs. Instead, it slows down the production that should be a tour-de-farce.
Did you see Noises Off! at the Jungle Theater? If so, what did you think?
The reviews are in for 'Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays'"
Posted at 9:42 AM on June 6, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Hennepin Theatre Trust and Frank Theatre are both jumping into the gay marriage debate with the staging of "Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays."
The show, which runs through June 16, features a series of vignettes that celebrate the courage to be in a relationship. It's being produced in cooperation with Minnesotans United for All Families, the official statewide campaign working to defeat the constitutional amendment that would exclude gays and lesbians from marriage in Minnesota.
According to these reviews you're likely to have a great time... if you support gay marriage.
Mark Rhein and Jim Lichtscheidl in "Standing On Ceremony"
Photo: Karen Nelson
From William Randall Beard at the Star Tribune:
The plays are by turns thought-provoking, politically astute and bitingly hilarious. Frank Theatre Artistic Director Wendy Knox offers sharp direction to her ensemble of six actors, playing 26 characters. This is one of the smartest, most satisfying evenings of theater I've experienced in quite some time.
The pieces are solid, deeply felt, always entertaining. Will dyed-in-the-wool homophobics be swayed by the material? Probably not, but Standing On Ceremony effectively keeps this vital issue alive. It's well worth seeing.
Shawn Hamilton and Jim Lichtscheidl
Photo: Karen Nelson
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
....the conservative characters are not presented with as much compassion as the homosexuals and their allies. While some of these portrayals are funny, biting, and utterly recognizable - as in the re-enactment of a real-life Facebook debate in Doug Wright's On Facebook - others revert to familiar stereotypes of conservative paranoia and denial. If this play has a flaw, it is that it prepares audiences very well for blatant, outspoken conservatism, but perhaps less well for the more subtle homophobia that one might encounter in the workplace or a social situation.
On balance, Standing on Ceremony works when the politics are left in the background -- still there, but not our main focus, as in the sweet, moving closer, "Pablo & Andrew at the Altar of Words." In Jose Rivera's piece, two men share self-written vows that illustrate all that they love about each other. That's something theater can do that all the political statements, billboards, and bumper stickers can't: show us the powerful, beautiful, brilliant love at the heart of the issue.
Jim Lichtscheidl and Laura Adams
Photo: Karen Nelson
From Kathleen Watson of Lavender Magazine:
As a whole, the plays provided the perfect balance of side-splitting laughter, gut-wrenching honesty, and loving tenderness which reflects the constantly changing emotional dynamic of marriage.Standing on Ceremony is a must-see for anyone who cares about marriage equality. Both inspiring and honest, these short plays provide a night of entertainment centered around an issue very near and dear to our hearts: our right to love.
Is efficiency the enemy of art?
Posted at 3:05 PM on May 29, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Culture
Have we become too productive?
Tim Jackson thinks so. The professor of sustainable development at the University of Surrey and the author of Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet wrote an editorial in the New York Times arguing that it's time to stop working so hard.
Productivity -- the amount of output delivered per hour of work in the economy -- is often viewed as the engine of progress in modern capitalist economies. Output is everything. Time is money. The quest for increased productivity occupies reams of academic literature and haunts the waking hours of C.E.O.'s and finance ministers. Perhaps forgivably so: our ability to generate more output with fewer people has lifted our lives out of drudgery and delivered us a cornucopia of material wealth.But the relentless drive for productivity may also have some natural limits. Ever-increasing productivity means that if our economies don't continue to expand, we risk putting people out of work. If more is possible each passing year with each working hour, then either output has to increase or else there is less work to go around. Like it or not, we find ourselves hooked on growth.
Jackson argues there are a few sectors where efficiency and productivity are blatantly detrimental: education, healthcare, craft and culture.
It is the accuracy and detail inherent in crafted goods that endows them with lasting value. It is the time and attention paid by the carpenter, the seamstress and the tailor that makes this detail possible. The same is true of the cultural sector: it is the time spent practicing, rehearsing and performing that gives music, for instance, its enduring appeal. What -- aside from meaningless noise -- would be gained by asking the New York Philharmonic to play Beethoven's Ninth Symphony faster and faster each year?
While asking musicians to play faster is obviously a ludicrous form of efficiency, the classical music industry does have other, more complex problems. It is often beset with heated contract negotiations, as musicians fight for better pay while orchestras try to balance the budget. Are they striving to be too productive? Are they pursuing an unattainable level of growth? Or are they simply trying to do the best they can with what they have?
Some of the most efficient and productive people I know are artists. Some make incredible use of limited resources, or even use other people's cast-offs to create beautiful new works. I know painters who churn out a new work every day, almost compulsively.
So when is efficiency and productivity good for art, and when should it be dismissed?
The reviews are in for 'Compleat Female Stage Beauty'
Posted at 9:40 AM on May 29, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
In the flamboyant reign of King Charles II, London's most renowned leading lady is a man named Edward Kynaston. But when royal decree puts women onstage and Kynaston finds his role reversed, he must learn to adapt with the times.
Walking Shadow Theatre Company presents the regional premiere of "Compleat Female Stage Beauty," Jeffrey Hatcher's play which was turned into a film in 2004.
Wade A. Vaughn as Edward Kynaston in Compleat Female Stage Beauty
Photo by Dan Norman
Critics deemed this production a winner - here are excerpts of their reviews:
From Anna Rosensweig at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
In Walking Shadow's production (on which Hatcher consulted), it's Wade A. Vaughn's portrayal of Kynaston that really stands out. Vaughn embodies this fascinating character with a complexity that is nothing short of remarkable. Navigating several layers of performance, Vaughn must play Kynaston on stage as Desdemona, Kynaston in drag in St. James Park, and Kynaston as a fallen star attempting to re-fashion his persona. Vaughn succeeds at every level, often with staggering amounts of emotional depth and complexity.
Anika Reitman, Katie Kaufmann, Wade A. Vaughn and Duncan Frost in Compleat Female Stage Beauty
Photo by Dan Norman
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Kynaston discovers his inner man through a tryst with his dresser, Maria, although this experience doesn't quite feel profound enough to effect such a transformation. Suddenly, he is up for the testosterone-fueled role of Othello and is throwing Hughes' Desdemona around stage like he's Stanley Kowalski dispatching Blanche. But Hatcher's play is so enjoyable and his love for backstage drama so genuine that we suspend disbelief at this point and ride with the action.
Jane Froiland, Duncan Frost and Wade A. Vaughn
Photo by Dan Norman
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Director John Heimbuch offers a telling of the tale that captures its paradoxes well. A trio of live musicians plays sweet period music on the hammer dulcimer and period-appropriate string instruments. Every frill and corset stay is in place in Katherine B. Kohl's costume design. But both Hatcher's script and Heimbuch's direction show a shadier side of this proper society -- debauchery and petty jealousies; gossip, ambition and the price of pride.
Jane Froiland and Wade A. Vaughn in Compleat Female Stage Beauty
Photo by Dan Norman
What we have is a play rich in the gaudy excesses of the age. Think of the DayGlo 1960s, when the shackles of the gray postwar years were released and people were allowed to go more than a little mad. Now magnify that by 100. The explosions in culture, art, fashion, and more base pursuits all find their place in Compleat Female Stage Beauty, reminding us that the Baby Boomers didn't discover sex, and theater is a constantly evolving game that remains the same at its heart.
Compleat Female Stage Beauty runs through June 2 at Minneapolis Theatre Garage. Have you seen the production? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Penumbra Theatre's 'The Amen Corner'
Posted at 10:06 AM on May 15, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Penumbra Theatre presents "The Amen Corner" at the Guthrie Theater through June 17. Here's the plot summary:
The fiery and unfaltering Sister Margaret, leader of a devoted congregation in Harlem, has dedicated years of her life to serving the Lord. But when her son unexpectedly reunites her with her estranged husband, a jazz musician, she risks losing her standing in the church and the son she has tried to keep on a religious path.
While the opening weekend was marred with a few technical issues (actors adjusting to microphones, among other things), the majority of reviewers found this show meaty and rewarding, worthy of the three-hour investment it demands. Read on for excerpts of reviews, or click on the links to read them in full.
The cast of Penumbra Theatre Company's production of The Amen Corner by James Baldwin.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
"Amen Corner," James Baldwin's first play, is impressive for its meatiness. It packs many issues into three hours -- conflicts between the spiritual and the carnal, pastor and congregation, parent and child. The drama is suffused with themes that Baldwin, a disgruntled onetime preacher, dealt with in other writings, including the hypocrisy and holier-than-thou mores in so many churches.
Greta Oglesby (right) as Sister Margaret Alexander and Crystal Fox as Odessa in Penumbra Theatre Company's production of The Amen Corner by James Baldwin.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
The performances in The Amen Corner are outstanding. Greta Oglesby plays Sister Margaret beautifully, fearful of what Luke represents, yet drawn, inevitably, to his deathbed. She never wavers from her religious convictions, even as old passions rise up unbidden. She is able to give expression to gorgeous defiance in the face of her congregation's (egregiously unfair) accusations. Oglesby is also a terrific vocalist and she does some highly tasty singing - ditto the wonderful Dennis W. Spears. As Luke, Hannibal Lokumbe amazes, as he pants and weaves through his scenes - and plays them with can't-look-away fervency. Plus, as a bonus, Lokumbe is a gifted trumpeter. What more could you ask for? As Odessa, Crystal Fox does quietly lovely work, as does Faye M. Price. Thomasina Petrus is a hoot.
And Eric Berryman as David. Wow. Quiet, understated, poised, sweet, drawn to his father's musicianship, in love with his mother's safe religiosity. Quietly defiant: "I have things I have to do," he says, making you feel the pressing burden of his future. Berryman dominates every scene he's in. Bravo.
Eric Berryman as David Alexander and Greta Oglesby as Sister Margaret Alexander in Penumbra Theatre Company's production of The Amen Corner by James Baldwin.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Dominic Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Things pick up steam after intermission, when both the emotion and the rhetoric swell to poetic heights. But Baldwin, the playwright, seems unwilling to let these characters go. As the play moves toward an anti-climactic climax and a swift, shallow denouncement, Bellamy, the director, can't get the script to keep its pace.
Greta Oglesby as Sister Margaret Alexander and Hannibal Lokumbe as Luke in Penumbra Theatre Company's production of The Amen Corner by James Baldwin.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
The scenes with lengthy bouts of dialogue tend to drag, likely due to Baldwin's unfamiliarity with writing for the stage and the actors' unfamiliarity with the expansiveness of the Wurtele versus their more intimate Penumbra stage. Balancing the lulls, however, is the incredible music, courtesy of the actors (many of them trained vocalists) as well as the members of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, whose powerful voices and harmonies revitalize the action.
As is the case with any performance, these small lows will likely disappear by the end of the play's run, leaving only the powerful piece of art that is The Amen Corner--a work that, although written 50 years ago, still resonates with today's society.
Have you seen "The Amen Corner?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for 'Are You Now or Have You Ever Been...'
Posted at 10:01 AM on May 8, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
In 1953, poet Langston Hughes was required to appear before the Committee on Un-American Activities to answer Sen. Joseph McCarthy's accusations on being a Communist.
"Are You Now or Have You Ever Been..." is playwright Carlyle Brown's imagining of Hughes' sleepless night before appearing in court, as he wrestles with how best to answer the panel.
Gavin Lawrence (Langston Hughes) in Carlyle Brown & Company's production of 'Are You Now or Have You Ever Been...'
Photo by Charissa Uemura
The play, produced by Carlyle Brown & Company and directed by Noel Raymond, has received strong reviews for its seamless merging of poetry and politics.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com
The bulk of the play is a one-man show, with Gavin Lawrence as Hughes revealing many more things about himself and his writing life. But these are the context in which his poems are born, and the context that the Senate committee, late in the play, does not have the patience to hear. Lawrence is wonderfully engaging as the writer... Lawrence's performance of Hughes poems is reason enough to see this show. He really makes the poetry live!
Gavin Lawrence (Langston Hughes) in Carlyle Brown & Company's production of 'Are You Now or Have You Ever Been...'
Photo by Charissa Uemura
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
...Playwright Carlyle Brown's way of interweaving speculative musings, impassioned diatribes, and Hughes' poems themselves is so seamlessly done that the play itself is like poetry to watch...Are You Now... is a play that, like Hughes' poetry, opens many doors and refuses to close them or to give the audience too many obvious signposts. Themes circle back on themselves, expanding out or spiraling inward in new and unexpected ways.
The cast of Carlyle Brown & Company's production of Are You Now or Have You Ever Been...
Photo by Charissa Uemura
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Playwright Brown, who also plays Hughes' lawyer at the hearing, infuses this one-act with Hughes' poetry. In fact, Lawrence often makes the poems sing, delivering them with such force and power that audiences interrupt the action with applause.Its intellectual heft is part of what's so compelling about "Are You Now." This is a play about the power of ideas and also the difficulty of pinning down the imagination.
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
My companion was so infuriated by the actions of the committee that he said he had to keep reminding himself these were actors. The McCarthy era was a dark one for America, and Brown's story shines some light on how it affected those victimized by the violent prejudice against "communists" - while also reflecting on attitudes toward race and art.
"Are You Now or Have You Ever Been..." runs through May 20 in the Dowling Studio of the Guthrie Theater.
Have you seen it? If so, share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for CTC's 'Pippi Longstocking'
Posted at 9:39 AM on May 7, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Pippi Longstocking may be the archetype for the truly liberated woman. She's strong, livers on her own, doesn't conform to current fashion trends, and has a little bit of magic about her.
Children's Theatre Company has brought back the classic tale, and Pippi appears to be as beloved as ever. Scroll down to read excerpts of reviews; click on the links to read them in full.
Katie Adducci is Pippi Longstocking at Children's Theatre Company
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Pippi Longstocking, the mischievous, independent-minded youngster who thwarts authority for pleasure, has returned to the Children's Theatre stage with freshness and fun. Director Peter Brosius' production... with newcomer Katie Adducci as the rambunctious title character, teems with physical humor, including door-slamming and pratfalls.
Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund in Pippi Longstocking at Children's Theatre Company
Photo: Dan Norman
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Brosius takes the energy level to 11 and leaves it there for long stretches. No one taps anyone on the shoulder without a scream and pratfall. The two bungling burglars, Bloom and Thunder (played brilliantly - as always - by Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund), are so over-the-top they make the Three Stooges look Chekhovian. Autumn Ness's Mrs. Prysselius (one of the finest character names in theatrical history) is a bumbling and shrieking hoot and a half. She tries so hard to be nasty you want to kiss her on the nose.
The cast of Pippi Longstocking
Photo: Dan Norman
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
CTC's version of "Pippi" includes serious scenes not found in Astrid Lindgren's lighthearted book, such as a stunning interlude in which Pippi dreams of her missing parents. Swirling dancers and changes in lighting and sound skillfully move the fantastical sequence from joyful to nightmarish.Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking may be a little long for very young children, but the two-hour show will fly by for older ones - because every child would like to meet her - or be her.
Pippi Longstocking runs through June 10 at Children's Theatre Company. Have you seen Pippi Longstocking? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for 'Learn to be Latina' at Mixed Blood Theatre
Posted at 6:04 PM on May 1, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
How thick-skinned are you? The answer to that question may be what determines how much you like Mixed Blood Theatre's most recent production, "Learn to be Latina." The farce sends up pretty much everyone for pretty much everything, with pervasive sexual content and swearing.
"Learn to be Latina" at Mixed Blood Theatre Company
©2012 RichRyan
Here's Mixed Blood's description of the show:
The aspiring Hanan is hot, but FAD Records thinks she's unmarketable because she's Lebanese. But if the budding diva can learn to think, sound, and act like the next J.Lo, FAD reasons she can "keep the West and forget the rest." Desperate for fame, Hanan surrenders her ethnic identity for Latin pop stardom in this satirical rags-to-riches allegory. Replete with a dominatrix ethnic consultant, a scene-stealing bilingual hand puppet, and wild song and dance numbers, Learn To Be Latina is ultimately a coming out tale with heart.
Some critics say they found the show offensive at times, while others were left wanting for more...
From Lauren Peck at Metro Magazine:
Hilariously offensive doesn't even begin to cover Mixed Blood Theatre's newest production, Learn to be Latina. This high-energy satire by playwright Enrique Uruela doesn't hold anything back as it pummels the lines of appropriateness concerning race, sexuality, and gender. That brashness is precisely what makes this play is so much fun.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Director Valdez keeps everything moving at a madcap clip as he brings prejudices to the fore, and the vignettes are often humorous in their daring context. When the label bosses try to explain to Hanan why she can't be herself, one of them circles like an airplane, arms outstretched, and knocks over the other two a la the Twin Towers. At one point, as Hanan is taking lessons from Mary, babies are thrown at her from every angle. Both scenes push to the edge of propriety in a show that is part farce, part sex comedy and all extended sketch comedy.
Aditi Kapil in Learn to be Latina at Mixed Blood Theatre
©2012 RichRyan
In the end, I think Urueta could have ramped up the pressure even more. I'm hard to offend -- especially when most of the "wrong" comes from characters who are clearly nuts -- and I left wanting even more of this crazy world.
From Christine Sarkes Sasseville at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
As a Lebanese-American myself, I groaned at the terrorist, camel jockey jokes along with the rest of the audience but appreciated the challenge of facing the often hilarious hypocrisy of political correctness even while desiring to hold on to ethnic identities in our homogenized American pop culture and globalized society. In that regard, the play's satire deals not only with the specificity of learning to be Latina, but also speaks to more general concerns of identity and belonging.
Hope Cervantes and Jamie Elvey in Learn to be Latina at Mixed Blood Theatre
©2012 RichRyan
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press
This is the kind of show that might especially appeal to those who spend more time in front of the TV set than facing a stage - and combined with Mixed Theatre's "Radical Hospitality" no-cost admission option, it could even draw in theater virgins. They won't leave as innocent as they arrived, but perhaps with a smile.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com
I'm worried about Mixed Blood; they have now presented two vapid, poorly constructed and unfunny farces in a row. This is the theater that produced the magisterial Ruined and the Kapil's terrific and pyrotechnic Agnes Under The Big Top. They will shortly announce their 12-13 season. Let's hope they get themselves back on track.
"Learn to be Latina" runs through May 13 at Mixed Blood Theatre. Have you seen the show? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
Joe Dowling responds to criticisms of Guthrie's season
Posted at 3:05 PM on April 25, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(5 Comments)
Filed under: Arts management, Criticism, Theater
This afternoon All Things Considered host Tom Crann interviewed Guthrie Theater's Artistic Director Joe Dowling about criticisms of its 50th season, and a lack of playwrights and directors who are either women or people of color.
What follows is the complete transcription of that interview. An edited interview will air on All Things Considered this evening, at approximately 5:20pm. Or you can listen to the audio of the full interview by clicking on the link below:
CRANN: First I want to talk about the 50th Anniversary season. You've called some of the reaction around it over the past week a "distraction" and I'm wondering what message you have about this season that was distracted from?
DOWLING: Well I think that one of the things that's most exciting about this season is the number of different diverse and interesting stories it's going to tell between Christopher Hampton's plays about the emigre writers in Hollywood in "Tales from Hollywood" or the Appomatox which is going to deal with the last week in the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement - both hugely important parts of American history. And that's the starting off of the season as part of our Christopher Hampton celebration.
The fact is that for the very first time - which is astonishing to me - we're going to do one of the great American classics - Long Day's Journey Into Night - with two of the Guthrie's most favorite actors over the past number of years - Peter Michael Goetz and Helen Carey. Those are very exciting.
And the fact that we've got three works coming into the theater that we commissioned - works that we have actually been working on, including bringing Mark Rylance, widely regarded as one of the great actors of his generation back to the Guthrie with a play that was created and thought of because of his time with us. It's called "Nice Fish" and he's going to do that with Louis Jenkins and it's about ice fishing. It's about our region.
Then we bring in Roger Rees who's just opened a hugely successful show on Broadway to direct a beautifully constructed piece by Crispin Whittell based on Turgenev's novel, and then Born Yesterday, a fabulous American classic.
So the distraction is that we've got a lot of stories to tell as well as some new plays including the Pulitzer prize winning Clybourne Park, and these are all stories that I think an audience - our audience - will really enjoy hearing.
CRANN: As you sit down to plan a season, I'm wondering what sort of balance you need to strike on a lot of different fronts between commercially successful productions that will pack the house and innovative non-mainstream productions - and what's your thinking as you put that together?
DOWLING: Well it's very interesting because every season is a balance - a part of that balance demands compromise - things you'd like to do that people aren't available for or things that you can't afford to do. So there were a number of kinds of things that we were wrestling with in terms of exactly that balance you're talking about - between the commercially viable and breaking new ground, and as I say, with three plays commissioned, and bringing some of these major artists here - this season is rich with stuff. But yes it is a balance, because you know so much of our annual budget depends on box office. We really do have to (unintelligible) 1100 seat house in the Wurtele thrust, with 700 seats in the McGuire proscenium, and 200 seats in the Dowling Studio. So we have to sell a majority of those seats every year or our budgets wont balance.
So the starting point for me is I want - when I'm creating a season with all the various people in the Guthrie working with me - is let's get a season that we really feel people will want to see. That's the most important thing for me. Theater is not an art form that one can do on one's own - you need an audience, and that audience we've been very fortunate in building over 50 years a tremendous audience for the kinds of plays that the Guthrie do, but there have to be some in there that are recognizable titles that people will latch on to inevitably. If you have too many of those you're accused of being populist, too few of those and then some how or other you're something else. So there are always going to be differing points of view and that's perfectly acceptable, too.
CRANN: I know that each arts organization at the board level, the planning level, will talk about the issue of diversity, and as you put together a season, what role does the idea of diversity - and specifically when it comes to playwrights and directors - what weight is that given as you put the season together?
DOWLING:Well... I think diversity is much broader than simply a snapshot of an individual season. I mean the season planning as I say is very largely a matter of availability, choices, sometimes as I say, compromises. But I think diversity is a very big issue and I'm not certain that we're all addressing it in a sort of responsible way. The question that's risen specifically in regards to our season has been about women directors (Tom Crann: and playwrights). Let me address the playwrights first. We're largely a classics theater - that's what we do and I may be reading the wrong books but I find it difficult to see - because of social history in the 17th, 18th, 19th and indeed early 20th century - which are termed "classic plays" - women playwrights emerged who would be able to fill large theaters.
Now that's changing and it's changed quite dramatically in the last couple of years and there are now a lot more valuable women playwrights and indeed over the last couple of years we've presented the first production outside of New York of Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation, and we've had Rebecca Gilman's work on our stage. So we're very conscious of constantly looking for and finding work by diverse playwrights that we can. And we certainly see diversity but diversity also has to be seen in the context of the kind of stories we're telling and as I say those stories are quite diverse in this season.
Now as for women directors, in the last six months two of the best productions we've done I think we've done in years were done by Marcela Lorca with the Burial at Thebes and Lisa Peterson in A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. So the thing that's kind of disturbed me about this whole controversy, and it remains controversy very largely within the theater profession itself, is that the totality of what the Guthrie is and what the Guthrie does is not by any means discriminatory against women. Strong, vital women play a very important part in the Guthrie from our board chair right the whole way through our organization. And to sort of take a snapshot in a particular time in an institutions life and draw conclusions from that that are neither fair nor accurate seems to be to be a petty response to what in this 50th anniversary season is an opportunity for our theater community to engage with the rest of the world and also to highlight, as we will do, all the way through the season, our own local strengths. So I feel that we are somewhat being pilloried here for crimes that we simply do not commit.
CRANN: Now back in 2003 you told City Pages when they brought up this issue of women playwrights and diversity you said "Caught - we don't do enough women, yes, but I think the evidence is that we're shifting in the right direction." And I think that some of your critics would say that almost 10 years later - what they're saying about this current season doesn't show the evidence. So how would you answer your critics?
DOWLING: Well I think we are - as I say, we're certainly moving in that direction and will continue to do so. But at the end of the day, and let me be very clear about this: at the end of the day, the job that I am entrusted to do is to find plays that I believe as artistic director will serve the mission of the Guthrie and do so in a way that is commercially viable and artistically satisfying. If at this particular time with the various different options that were available to me and the various different opportunities - such as the opportunity to bring Mark Rylance back to the theater, such as the opportunity to get a new play from one of the world's great playwrights, Christopher Hampton... When these opportunities arose in the context of a season we were putting together, if it turned out that for a particular period of time we don't have a woman playwright in there, then I say we're doing the work that in my view - and you know I am very clear that an artistic director has to make these choices and those choices are not always going to be universally popular - but that's what I'm there to do, to make these choices and stand over them and I refuse to be defensive about the choices we've made.
CRANN: Now as the artistic director of the big house in town, in the region - in what ways do you see the Guthrie needs to be a model and a leader?
DOWLING: Well I think we are a leader, we're a leader in many different directions. We're certainly a leader in terms of our relationship and development of local companies. One of the things that we've done - and there are many things that we haven't done right - but one of the things we have done right is to develop strong relationships with local artists and with local companies. And we've done that systematically and consciously.
Six months of the year in the Dowling Studio is given over to companies that don't themselves have permanent homes and indeed, in the case of Pillsbury House Theater - who are coming in later this year with the second of the Tarell Alvin pieces - theaters that we believe have a fabulous mission that is complementary to ours, and we're also thrilled to bring them in, as we are now in the final stages of rehearsal for Penumbra's production of James Baldwin's "Amen Corner."
So the Guthrie has taken the lead in being responsible for developing a relationship with local companies and local artists. So I don't on the other hand see the Guthrie as being the only repository of dramatic literature and dramatic ideas in the Twin Cities. Of course we're not! We are the leading theater and we are basically a classics theater that is branching out and working in different directions now, and we give the lead in many many different ways. We give the lead in a lot of other issues, such as accessibility, the work we do for people with disabilities - we're one of the leaders in the country in that area.
So I think... I get somewhat frustrated because if the Guthrie isn't doing the sort or work we're doing, bringing companies in, working with local artists, then we're criticized for being elitist and for being out of the mainstream. If we are bringing those companies in, then we should be doing more, we should be bringing other people in. The reality is that I think, and I believe strongly that our audience feels, that we're getting the right balance between work we do ourselves - classical work, contemporary work - and bringing companies and artists in, not only locally but nationally and internationally as well.
CRANN: Does some of this come with the territory of being the "big dog?"
DOWLING: Yes it does, and I have no problem with discussions of these issues in our community. I have no problem at all with the idea that the Guthrie is held to the highest possible standards and we don't always reach those standards. And I believe we should be held to those high standards. Where I get frustrated is that the arguments in this particular instance have become deeply personal and they're being conducted in a way that really isn't helpful to the discourse between people who are interested in theater.
Theater, as we all know, is something of an endangered species in our world, with the various other media that are encroaching. And I believe that with the people in the theater community - and I've been a part of theater communities all over the world - and I think the people in the theater community need to recognize that we're better when we work together, that there's strength in the diversity that we all have... The different, diverse missions we all have and the way in which those missions are realized. It's far better for us to work strongly together than to have this kind of drip drip drip of complaints that overwhelms the narrative which is about 50 years - the Guthrie has not only survived but thrived and many many of the theaters that are in our surrounding area thrive because there is such a strong center in the Guthrie and we should be celebrating those 50 years and celebrating that the art of theater is alive and well in the Twin Cities.
And yes of course there are things that we can do differently and things we should do differently, and we're always open to suggestions and open to constructive criticism. But this kind of - it's mostly been conducted in social media - this kind of drip drip drip of complaints about the Guthrie - I'm not certain that it's constructive.
CRANN: There might be some [people] in this "drip drip drip" as you call it of social media where a lot criticism now happens - outside of the daily paper and all of that - who actually feel they are being constructive and they wonder, as you move forward here, is there something you've learned from the "drip drip drip" that maybe you'll look differently as you plan future seasons or even...
DOWLING: (interrupting) NO! No no no. I will continue to do the job that I am obliged to do, and that is to pick the best possible plays, irrespective of gender, irrespective of other issues. It's got to be the best work that we can put on our stage. It's got to be ... now one of the things that I think has frustrated us most is that we're still in the process of finalizing this season. And there is more to come and many other things that are in the pipeline. And there will be a great number of women represented in this season, both in the creative teams and of course on stage.
So no, I don't think that there's anything for me to be defensive about here. We create seasons year after year that reflect the best possible work that we have on hand and at that particular time. And of course it will involve women and if we have a play that we really feel will fill the Wurtele thrust stage or fill the Maguire proscenium than it is irrelevant to me, and I certainly don't have any animosity towards women playwrights, and we'll schedule those plays if we feel, and I feel that they're going to do the kind of business that I need to do in a theater that's quite large. Much of this criticism is coming from people who run very small theaters and certainly there's a different criteria to be applied when you're actually programming a small theater as opposed to one where you have to do 500, 600, 700 people a night.
CRANN: You're in Dublin now - have you seen anything there, any trends, any shows that might appear on the Guthrie stage at some point?
DOWLING: You never know - one is always looking for the best the world has to offer to bring to our audiences. I think over the 50 years the Guthrie has done a rather good job of doing that, and we'll continue to do it. And certainly there may be something happening here or in other places that we'll want our audiences to see, and we'll bring them.
Guthrie Theater's debt to women and diversity
Posted at 2:41 PM on April 24, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(21 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Culture, Theater
Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling is struggling to protect his theater's reputation after a week of outrage in the arts community over the Guthrie's new season, which some have declared "a tragedy."
Stephen Yoakam as Creon in the Guthrie Theater's production of "The Burial at Thebes" directed by Marcela Lorca. It was one of two plays directed by women in the Guthrie's 2011-2012 season
Photo by Michael Brosilow
When the Guthrie Theater announced its 50th Anniversary season last week, the absence of women and minorities among the playwrights and directors ignited a fierce debate in the Twin Cities arts community.
Many who felt they have long been excluded from the Guthrie's main stage - and some who haven't - used the Guthrie's announcement to highlight what they called the flagship theater's failure to embrace diverse audiences. Actress Heidi Berg was among them:
To suggest that there just aren't talented women and people of color out there this season is appalling. It isn't as though the Guthrie's not hiring from a national and international pool of talent. While we are accustomed to being told there aren't enough local people qualified to fill positions in the Guthrie season, now we are to believe there aren't enough talented women and people of color in the WORLD.
The theater's defenders rushed to say the Guthrie was only doing what it must do to fill seats and stay on budget.
Note: The Guthrie declined to make available members of the theater's board, on the grounds that the board has no say in the theater's season.
Given the region's increasingly diverse population - one the Guthrie will be pressed to cater to in coming years -- the controversy might have led to a timely and thoughtful examination of the theater's selection process.
Christiana Clark played Oya, a talented sprinter, in Pillsbury House Theater's production of "In the Red and Brown Water." The play was performed at the Guthrie Theater, but not produced by it.
Image courtesy Pillsbury House Theater
Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling fumbled the opportunity, at first appearing to encourage a discussion on diversity and then - despite his protests to the contrary - taking the defensive. By the end of the week, he was openly hostile to the premise that the Guthrie does not present diverse works. When asked in a recent televised interview about charges that the season suffered from a lack of women, Dowling said:
"This is a self-serving argument that doesn't hold water."
Underlying the artistic turmoil surrounding the Guthrie is a fundamental question: Does the theater have any obligation to present the stories of women and people of color? And if so, to what extent?
If not, at what peril is a theater that doesn't do so, given the demographic changes transforming the nation and the Twin Cities?
In the next three decades, the seven county Twin Cities metro area will see its minority population grow to more than 40 percent of the region, nearly double the current percentage, according a recent report by the Metropolitan Council.
Michelle Hensley, Artistic Director of Ten Thousand Things theater company, and a board member of the national Theater Communications Group, put it this way:
Demographics are changing dramatically, and if the Guthrie doesn't start making enormous efforts to reach out and engage audiences beyond aging, wealthy white people, it will be struggling to sell seats. It is absolutely in the self-interest of the Guthrie to work hard to make its audiences more inclusive.And the way you get a more inclusive audience is for them to be able to see themselves, their stories and their perspectives on stage. Theater offers the possibility of stepping into another's shoes and seeing the world through his or her eyes. For too long we've had to look the world through the eyes of white men.
Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling
Image courtesy of the Guthrie
Joe Dowling, in his own words
Joe Dowling's wide ranging responses to criticism's of the 50th season might appear to be the comments of a man who's still figuring out what the issue is, and where he stands. But today's debate cannot come as a surprise to the man who was interviewed back in 2003 for a City Pages cover story titled "A Woman's Work is Never Done." The entire focus of the story was the lack of women playwrights on the Guthrie stage. Here's an excerpt:
[Dowling] readily admits that his record in the female-representation department is less than sparkling. "A lot of people sort of look at us and throw stones," he says. "And they're right to. I don't object to criticism, I don't object to the kind of inquiry [City Pages] is making, which is absolutely valid and right. Hands up," he says, raising his arms like a bank robber. "Caught. We don't do enough women. Yes. But I think the evidence is that we are shifting in the right direction."
When Dylan Hicks wrote his piece for the City Pages back in 2003, a survey of the past ten seasons found that only 10 percent of the plays (7 out of 70) on Guthrie's stages were by women.
Today, a similar look back at the number of female playwrights in the Guthrie Theater's last ten seasons, as listed on the theater's own website, finds it staged 111 shows, 18 of which were written by women (that's counting two plays based on the novels of Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen).
That means that in the past decade, 16.2 percent of the plays were written by women.
At this rate, women will make up 50 percent of the playwrights by the year 2036.
However, critics of the Guthrie will tell you that staging a play on the Wurtele thrust stage - which seats 1100 people - is not equal to staging a production in the Dowling studio, which seats less than 200. And many of the works by women or playwrights of color are being relegated to the smaller space.
Greta Oglesby earned rave reviews on stage at the Guthrie for her role in "Caroline, Or Change" written by Tony Kushner.
Photo by Michal Daniel
The Difference a Big Building Makes
When Joe Dowling celebrated the opening of the new Guthrie Theater on the Mississippi riverfront, he had this to say:
I believe that the American resident theater movement, which was founded here in the Twin Cities with the birth of the Guthrie, now stretches from sea to shining sea in theaters all around the country. But it lacks a center," said Dowling, "it lacks somewhere that can call itself a national center of theater art and theater education. And that is what we aim to become.
Dowling has got his wish. The Guthrie Theater is indeed a national center of theater art and theater education. And as such, the Guthrie is seen as a leader in its field. So what message is it sending to theaters across the country when it programs seasons that are dominated by white men, both as playwrights and in the director's chair?
Last week Dowling alluded to the pressures of selling tickets when he told the Star Tribune "It is a very stern task to direct on a stage of our size, and I am responsible to the board for the shows we produce" (Point of clarification: the board does not approve the Guthrie's season, however it does approve the theater's budget).
So is it impossible for large theaters to stage work by women, or playwrights of color, and still balance the budget?
James Craven, T. Mychael Rambo and Abdul Salaam El Razzac in Penumbra Theatre's production of "Gem of the Ocean" on the Guthrie Theater's proscenium stage
Photo: Michal Daniel
No, it's not impossible, according to Zan Sawyer-Dailey, associate director of the Actors' Theatre of Louisville, which programs three different stages and also runs the national Humana Festival of new plays.
She said her theater makes a concerted effort to program seasons that feature a diverse array of plays.
The community here is richly diverse - African American, Asian American, Hispanics, immigrants coming from Africa and Southeast Asia - and while they are not all a part of our audience, we are still aware that they are a part of our community and we want to make sure that they feel welcomed and embraced if they are able to come to the theater. And to that end we want to make sure that there are stories on stage about their experiences.
Sawyer-Dailey said it's not just good theater, it's good business:
Not because we're making a lot of money off these populations... we see it as good business because we're good citizens and that's what we want to be - good citizens to our community. It's just a responsibility, regardless of whether or not it's going to develop a new audience.
Sawyer-Dailey admits there are challenges involved in finding and scheduling diverse work, but she says finding female directors is not one of them:
It's not difficult to find a female director. There are lots and lots of wonderful female directors out there, I think you just have to decide that you want to have them in your season, and find the one you want who best matches whatever projects you're interested in.
Joe Dowling built the Guthrie Theater complex on the Mississippi River to be a center for regional theater in the nation. So what message is it sending to theaters across the country when it programs seasons that are dominated by white men?
MPR Photo/Chris Roberts
Public Funding and a Mission that includes Diversity
In the last three years the Guthrie Theater has received more than $2.2 million from the Minnesota State Arts Board alone. But the Arts Board does not make reflecting a community's diversity a condition of funding.
Many argue that the recipient of so much public support has an obligation to reflect the diversity of the community in which it lives. Twin Cities theater director Ben Layne wrote in an open letter to Joe Dowling that the season announcement reflects a lack of recognition of the current climate:
There is a real political war going on over Women's rights, right now, on the campaign trail and in the halls of federal and state houses of government. There is still racism alive and well and at the forefront of national news, due in part to the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida. The Guthrie is in a unique position to speak to these issues and more. As the old adage goes, "with great power comes great responsibility." That you doubled down on these choices in your comments to the Star Tribune last week and to TPT this weekend is troubling.
In fact the Guthrie Theater's own mission mentions diversity:
The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. By presenting both classical literature and new work from diverse cultures, the Guthrie illuminates the common humanity connecting Minnesota to the peoples of the world.
The Guthrie does occasionally present work of diverse cultures, but not to the extent that critics would like. And often time "presenting" means giving one of its stages over to Penumbra Theatre or Mu Performing Arts, local theater companies that specialize telling the stories of specific cultures.
The Guthrie has also received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. On two occasions it was awarded $20,000 for specific productions - Burial at Thebes, directed by Guthrie's only resident female director, Marcela Lorca, and M. Butterfly, written by Asian-American David Henry Hwang. So even the Guthrie Theater recognizes that when applying for grants, diversity is key.
A scene from the Guthrie Theater production of "The Master Butchers Singing Club" written by Marsha Norman, based on the novel by Louise Erdrich, and directed by Francesca Zambello.
Photo by Michal Daniel
A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and a National Problem
Many critics point to the Guthrie as the cause of its own problems. Bonnie Schock, one-time Artistic Director of the former Twin Cities theater company Three Legged Race, said there are fewer "high profile" female and minority directors and playwrights because institutions of power and privilege such as the Guthrie are consistently failing to challenge the cultural assumptions that support that power and privilege.
It is the responsibility of our cultural institutions - particularly those that find themselves in the position of controlling a substantial piece of the region's resources - to use their position to lead. And leadership is hard. Leadership means investing in the future; it means intentionally creating opportunity for those who have historically been denied opportunity.
When asked about the pool of diverse and female playwrights available to major theaters, Jeremy Cohen, Director of the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis rattles off an impressive list of names.
We're now seeing the spotlight shine on such incredible talents as Quiara Alegria Hudes, Lynn Nottage, Sarah Ruhl, Marcus Gardley, Lydia Diamond, Amy Herzog, Qui Nguyen, Young Jean Lee, Tanya Saracho, Christina Anderson, Kate Fodor, Tanya Barfield, Annie Baker, Kia Corthron, Carson Kreitzer and Theresa Rebeck -- with productions in NYC and around the country. And for the theatres around the country like Centerstage, Mixed Blood, Berkeley Rep, Ten Thousand Things, Victory Gardens, Children's Theatre Company, Cornerstone, and the countless others who are producing a truer and more accurate reflection not only of our country...but of the world...they will be the leaders we look to, that we take our children to for inspiration and reflection, and that offer us a visceral experience unlike any other.
According to Cohen currently more than 50 percent of the Playwrights' Center's core writers and fellows are women and/or playwrights/theater artists of color.
Making theater more inclusive is a national challenge according to Teresa Eyring, the Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for American theater.
Diversity is one of our core values; we believe that the theater field should be diverse and inclusive. What I say now and really believe is that the theater field should be striving to model the world we want to see, not reflecting the parts of the world around us that are lagging behind.Eyring says a number of major theaters across the country need to be more inclusive, and she believes they are aware of the problem. She says the particular difficulties those institutions face are determined, in part, by the character of the institution itself and the community it resides in. (21 Comments)
The reviews are in for UofM/Latte Da's 'Spring Awakening'
Posted at 11:24 AM on April 18, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism
Rave reviews abound for "Spring Awakening," a high-energy musical that pairs Theater Latte Da's direction with U of MN students and Carl Fink's choreography.
Based on a play from 1891 by Frank Wedekind, the rock music adaptation garnered rave reviews on Broadway. But local critics say this new production surpasses the Broadway version that came to town in 2009.
David Darrow (Melchior) and the Boys in "Spring Awakening"
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Here's a play that rings all my bells: Spring Awakening. Terrific story, excellent book, tasty music, superb direction, boffo performances. Here's one I can brag about.
Cat Brindisi (Wendla) and David Darrow (Melchior) in "Spring Awakening"
The company, a mix of local professionals and university students, bursts with energy at every turn, led by terrific turns from David Darrow, Cat Brindisi, and Tyler Michaels as the main trio. Director Peter Rothstein and choreographer Carl Fink present a piece that is overwhelming in its constant movement and energy -- so much so that you want to jump out of your seat and join in by the end of the show.
Grant Sorenson (Hanschen) and Jack Tillman (Ernst) in "Spring Awakening"
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
As urgent as "Awakening" felt on Broadway, its strength evaporated in the large Minneapolis Orpheum Theatre during a 2009 tour.This is why Theater Latté Da's production at Rarig Center, in partnership with the University of Minnesota theatre and dance department, is so satisfying. It reclaims the intimacy of Frank Wedekind's 1891 play indicting authoritarian structures... "Spring Awakening" beautifully reminds us that every generation needs its voice.
David Darrow (Melchior) and the Company in "Spring Awakening"
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
Theater Latte Da's intimate "Spring Awakening" feels looser, more natural and much, much funnier [than the Broadway production]. Director Peter Rothstein and his talented cast effortlessly convey the "then and now" aspect of "Spring Awakening" by hanging onto the idea that, in far too many ways, then is now.
Spring Awakening runs through May 6 at the Rarig Center on the University of Minnesota campus. Note: the production contains nudity, strong language and adult situations.
Have you seen Spring Awakening? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
All images courtesy of Michael Daniel Photography
Star Tribune apologizes for misleading ad framed as a review
Posted at 6:30 PM on April 17, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Star Tribune readers could hardly be blamed for wondering how the newspaper was able to publish a review of the Guthrie Theater's new show "Time Stands Still" before the show opened.
It turns out, the "article" that appeared in the newspaper on Friday was actually a "spadea" - a one-and-a-half-page ad wrapped around a section of the paper. Any indication of it being an advertisement was missing. And it included a ringing endorsement of the play by the newspaper's editor, Nancy Barnes.
MinnPost's David Brauer reports that Star Tribune CEO Michael Klingensmith has apologized to readers for any confusion the ad might have caused. And Star Tribune theater critic Graydon Royce, whose review of the Guthrie performance wasn't in the paper until Monday, says readers should definitely care about this.
"It was laid out in a way that mimicked newspaper design; the newsroom gets calls about people who ask us about the Amish fireplace. I only know this second-hand, but I heard we got a call from someone saying they enjoyed the 'review' in the paper, but it didn't have the usual dates and times and ticket prices. It really, really creates an ambiguity that even the most sophisticated reader would have difficulty telling it" from regular coverage ... as a journalist, I'm concerned about confusing readers."The bigger question may be why Barnes lent her name to any ad section, much less one that, in effect, scooped her reviewer by three days. [Again, see update above.] The spadea ran Friday, the same day the play premiered; because the theater does not let reviewers review previews, Royce's judgment waited until Monday.
"I really did" like the play, says Royce, adding that no higher-up interfered with his coverage. "But all day long on Friday, I was perturbed, wondering what kind of a box did this put me in, how this screws me up. All day Friday, I'm in this hothouse of journalism ethics. But by the end of the first act, I said to myself, 'Big deal, I'm here, seeing the show, I know how to answer the question of whether I like it or not.'"
Adding to the confusion is the fact that the "spadea" was written by Guthrie communications manager Quinton Skinner. Until recently Skinner was a theater reviewer, and has written for, among other publications, the Star Tribune.
You can read the rest of Brauer's article here.
(1 Comments)Where's the diversity in the Guthrie's new season?
Posted at 4:15 PM on April 17, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(6 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Twin Cities theater professionals are pointing out the Guthrie Theater's upcoming season is missing something important.
Diversity.
As soon as I posted the season announcement news to Facebook, a flurry of comments showed up from women theater directors.
"What decade are we in?"
"This season is a tragedy."
"Sad. Tragic. Wrong."
Indeed, the 2012-2013 season is overwhelmingly white and male.
In addition to featuring a season of plays almost entirely written and directed by men, the Guthrie will also be hosting two productions by Propeller Theatre Company, which features traditional, all-male productions of Shakespeare plays.
Image: Propeller Theatre Company
Of the 12 productions slated for the Guthrie's two large stages, the Wurtele thrust and the McGuire proscenium, not one of them was written by a woman. And only one of them ("Nice Fish") is being co-directed by a woman (along with Mark Rylance).
In addition, the men involved in writing and staging these plays are all white - the most diverse among them is Carlo Goldoni, an Italian playwright from the 1700s.
The Guthrie's third stage, the Dowling Studio, has yet to be fully programmed for the coming season, but at this point it does include one play co-written by a woman. It's an adaptation of Homer's "Iliad."
Leah Cooper, who is both a theater director and the head of the Minnesota Theater Alliance, says it's insulting and degrading to see so little regard for representation by the state's largest performing arts institution.
For artists it's insulting and degrading to see so little regard for representation by the state's largest performing arts institution. But for all our citizens - audiences, artists, donors, volunteers, tax-payers, students - this is mainstream arts telling us that the voices and stories and perspective of women and people of color are not important, not relevant, not worth telling, sharing or knowing. The Guthrie has a tremendous amount of talent, resource, and community support with which its artists could be broadening our experience, inspiring us to greater empathy and deeper understanding of ALL the people in our world. And like any theater, they depend on growing and diversifying their audience to thrive. So the continued bias against women and people of color in leadership and authorship is either embarrassingly myopic or willfully negligent.
Director Genevieve Bennett agrees.
The final sentence in the Guthrie Theater's history, as stated on its website, reads: "Forever growing and changing as the community that founded it changes, the Guthrie Theater is a living organization reflecting the culture and human spirit of its audiences today."In light of the Guthrie's choices for 2012-2013, it can hardly lay claim to that statement.
While Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling was not available to respond over the phone to these complaints, he did send me a written response:
It is accurate that the program announced yesterday included one woman director, Claire Van Kampen, and one woman playwright, Lisa Peterson. And, as in previous seasons, other details and programming will be announced at later dates as not every project can be finalized in time for our budget deadlines. I look forward to sharing more about the season in the weeks to come and I welcome an ongoing dialogue within our community about the issues raised today.
This is certainly a restrained tone compared to the enthusiasm he showed yesterday about a season he called "so varied and immediate."
The truth is that the Guthrie is hardly alone when it comes to booking seasons that are predominantly written and directed by white men.
Leah Cooper points to a web-based roundup of reports examining the disproportionate power of men in the theater.
It includes numerous studies finding that plays staged in major cities are ovewhelmingly written by men - usually somewhere between 70 percent and 80 percent of them. Even though women make up far more than 20-30 percent of the working playwrights.
One of the articles, by Pulitzer- and Tony-winning playwright Marsha Norman, deplores the current state of affairs:
We need to hear all the American stories, not half of them. When Bill Gates went to Saudi Arabia, he declared publicly that the only way it could possibly compete as a first-class country was if it started using more than 50 percent of its brain power. And the women, covered in burkas, their identities obscured as their society demands, cheered. If American theatres want to produce the best work, they will have to find a way through our own cultural issues in order to grant equal status to the words and work of women. A theatre that is missing the work of women is missing half the story, half the canon, half the life of our time. That is the situation we have now.
Norman writes, "Women buy 70 percent of theatre tickets sold, and make up 60 percent of the audience." But despite their collective buying power, they continue to be offered plays predominantly written and directed by men.
(6 Comments)The reviews are in for Jungle Theater's 'Birthday Party'
Posted at 11:47 AM on April 10, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Q: When is a birthday party a terrifying event?
A: When it's the subject of a Harold Pinter play.
Pinter's "The Birthday Party" - which runs through May 13 at the Jungle Theater - follows down and out boarder Stanley Webber. Two strangers arrive at his place of lodging, insisting it's his birthday, and they proceed to throw him a party.
According to the Jungle Theater, "After a few glasses of whiskey and a game of blindman's bluff, Stanley's innocuous birthday party turns into a totalitarian nightmare in this deeply political and timeless classic. One of the great black comedies of the 20th century, Harold Pinter's play is at once funny and menacing in its study of the individual's imperative need for resistance."
Critics, while they appear to enjoy the ambiguity and menace contained within this production, are decidedly mixed. Read on for excerpts of reviews, or click on the links to read them in full.
The cast of "The Birthday Party" by Harold Pinter, on stage at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis through May 13
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Plays like this are more about the journey than the destination. Rather than clearly conveying a narrative from beginning to end, the objective of a successful staging of a play like "The Birthday Party" is for the audience to become sufficiently engaged with the characters so that they can connect the wide spaces between the dots on their own.In this respect, [Director Joel] Sass' handsome production mostly succeeds.
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
It was dark and it was funny, yes, but it was also beautiful, eerie, ironic, chilling, surprising, and sad. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen, yet at the same time all-too familiar. Which, I suppose, is what everyone had been trying to tell me before: You can't really describe a Pinter play. You have to experience it.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
The danger with The Birthday Party would be to play the ominousness too overtly. This wouldn't work; the play would quickly become one overblown moment after another. Director Joel Sass wisely avoids this and keeps things zipping comically along. He has also had the great good sense to cast the delightful Claudia Wilkens, who plays Meg with sweet gusto and a surprising amount of sexual zeal. Her work is nicely balanced by Richard Ooms (Wilkens's real life husband) who plays Petey with lumbering charm. Petey seems to be the play's only genuinely happy character, and we adore him. These two anchor the play satisfyingly. As the putative assassins Tony Papenfuss and Martin Ruben energize the play admirably as they circle and harass our hapless hero.
From Anna Rosensweig at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
Although this Birthday Party doesn't quite pack the punch that one might hope for, it's an incredibly rich play that has much to offer our contemporary moment. After all, exploring the ways repression - in all of its myriad forms - barges into our private lives remains of the utmost importance.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Playing the work this way is not an unreasonable approach, if the aim is a comic aeration. And indeed, Pinter felt he was having a laugh with "The Birthday Party." But this is humor with a threat; our laughter shivers through tension, nervously fending off the ridiculous absurdity that could invade our own lives. Is this really us, we ask? If we stop to examine our lives, would they appear this banal, meaningless and vulnerable?Those are the questions that Pinter intentionally left unanswered. In the Jungle production, they never feel asked.
Have you seen "The Birthday Party?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for 'American Family' at Park Square
Posted at 11:29 AM on April 3, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
In "American Family" a woman returns to the playground where she last saw her mother, searching for the life she might have had. It's a memory play about mixed marriage in an era when such unions were legal, but not really condoned. This new work by Twin Cities playwright Carlyle Brown runs through April 7 at Park Square Theatre.
Again we have an instance of "did these critics watch the same show?" For some the first act shone while the second act lagged, but another claims just the opposite.
They do seem to agree that this premiere is a bit rough, but with lots to commend.
Greta Oglesby and Michael Terrell Brown in "American Family" at Park Square Theatre
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
We've all been to those plays -- the ones that sneak up after intermission and suddenly explode in a gripping dramatic scenario that stabs you in the heart. Playwright Carlyle Brown has managed that dynamic in "American Family..." Directed by Marion McClinton, the drama takes time to lay down an expository first act and then zeroes in with a focused intensity on a singular and fraught relationship. By show's end, we could scarcely care more for two people.
Noel Raymond and Gavin Lawrence in American Family at Park Square Theatre
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
The difficulty with a play powered by a forbidden relationship is that the attraction between the two characters has to be stronger than the forces that keep them apart. The action of the play says that it is, but the chemistry happening between Raymond and Lawrence says that it wasn't.
Megan Fisher and Tracey Maloney as the younger and older Mary Ellen in "American Family" at Park Square Theatre
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Megan Fischer, who plays Mary Ellen, also charms the audience with her portrayal of an innocent young white girl caught in the middle of a racial vortex. She is the best thing about the production - conveying love, vulnerability, fear and heartbreak with a sweet face and a disarming southern drawl.Although the play is meant to end on hope, the path there feels too phony to make the ending work - even when Fischer comes back onstage for a moment of charm.
Gavin Lawrence and Carlyle Brown in "American Family" at Park Square Theatre
From Susannah Schouweiler at KnightArts.org:
"American Family" is an ambitious play, a laudable and moving production, even if it's not a particularly subtle one... Quibbles aside, "American Family" is a play whose merits more than compensate for this unevenness. In an essay published with the program, Brown is quoted as saying, "This is a new kind of play for me. I've never written a play with a female central character. And I'm exploring the American identity from an African-American perspective, but the central character is white .... I thought it would resonate with [the Park Square] audience ... [because] we can better look at issues when we can see ourselves on stage."
Have you seen "American Family?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
All photos courtesy Park Square Theatre
The reviews are in for 'Werther and Lotte'
Posted at 10:21 AM on March 28, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Books, Criticism, Theater
The Moving Company's latest production draws from the works of Johann von Goethe and Thomas Mann to tell an unrequited love story. "Werther and Lotte, the Passion and the Sorrow" runs through April 15 at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis.
Critics find the show rich in material and thoroughly enjoyed the performances by Christina Baldwin and Nathan Keepers. Read on for excerpts of their reviews, or click on the links to read them in full.
Christina Baldwin and Nathan Keepers in "Werther and Lotte"
Image courtesy of The Moving Company
From Lisa Brock at the Star Tribune:
Long before Beatlemania, the cult of "Twilight" or any other familiar celebrity obsession, there was the phenomenon of "Wertherism." Goethe's semi-autobiographical novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther" created such a sensation when it was published in 1774 that young men copied the protagonist's clothes, and young women yearned to inspire such undying passion. The MovingCompany's distilled re-imagining, "Werther and Lotte, the Passion and the Sorrow", shakes the cobwebs off this classic and demonstrates once again the emotional heft at its core.
Charlotte often gets short shrift in retellings of the story--see Jules Massenet's opera Werther for a prime example--but here Baldwin keeps her character completely grounded, wishing that her friend would understand that she was never available in the first place. In contrast, Keepers fully embodies Werther's descent, becoming increasingly disheveled and erratic before making his final appointment with a dueling pistol.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Theater is perhaps the most collaborative of the arts, bringing diverse elements into one cohesive whole. It is rare, however, that all the pieces become one, but this is the way this play feels: one piece, not many pieces stuck together. Movement and dance, live music and recorded, video projections and lighting, even the costumes and costume changes, were performance. There was no set, per se, only a few set pieces and props, but every single one was used--not peripherally, but as an integral part of the whole. Nobody does this better; it was simply beautiful to watch and to hear.
Have you seen "Werther and Lotte?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for 'Kingdom Undone'
Posted at 9:10 AM on March 27, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
What would it have been like to be on hand for the last days of the life of Jesus? Is there a way to experience this centuries old story in a way that feels fresh and new?
These were just a couple of the questions that inspired Jeremiah Gamble to write "Kingdom Undone" which runs through April 8 at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
Reviews have been generally strong and positive for this show, although critics have noted it still needs some editing (the piece runs just under three hours). Still they find the show to be "compelling theater."
Kingdom Undone tells the story of the last days of Jesus
Image: Ken Magno
With 16 actors, four musicians and a lot of story to cover, there's great ambition onstage. When it all comes together, such as the musical interludes created by Gamble and his wife, Vanessa (who also plays Magdelena), it can make for riveting theater.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
It is notable for many reasons: the continuing dramatic rehabilitation of Judas' character; the palpable presence of a Jewish resistance movement in ancient Palestine; the sense of ebullient hope that Jesus (played by Jeremiah Gamble) elicited during his ministry, and the aching devastation at his capture...This has the potential to become an estimable piece in the Passion literature.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Playwright Jeremiah Gamble (who plays Jesus and has composed, along with his wife Vanessa Gamble, the lovely music) has created a remarkably intelligent, if overlong, play based on this familiar material... Everyone's work, under the taut direction of Jeffrey S. Miller, is excellent.
Have you seen "Kingdom Undone?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for 'The Hunger Games'
Posted at 12:49 PM on March 26, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Film
With the media build-up to the opening of the movie "The Hunger Games," it was no surprise that the dystopian film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' book did exceedingly well on its opening weekend.
But is it any good?
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games"
Photo credit: Murray Close
Reviews are generally positive; certainly that's the case with reviews by local critics Colin Covert and Chris Hewitt (look at that - they agreed on something!).
But some noteworthy national critics found the movie lacking depth; read on to see a range of opinions, and be sure to leave your own in the comments section.
From Colin Covert at the Star Tribune:
I don't think there has been a studio sci-fi film this idea-rich since "The Matrix." Viewers who like a side order of political allegory with their science fiction will find much to savor here. So will romantics, fans of feminist heroines and action enthusiasts. "The Hunger Games" is that rare creation, an event movie of real significance.
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
"Hunger Games" pulls off the rare trick (filmmaker Francois Truffaut said it was impossible, in fact) of depicting violence without celebrating it. There's a reason it takes more than an hour for the movie to get to the event that gives it its title. Without stinting on the action, Ross' film shows us a sick, brutal society and then introduces us to a few characters who might be ready to start doing something about it.
From Manohla Dargis at the New York Times:
What invests Katniss with such exciting promise and keeps you rapt even when the film proves less than equally thrilling is that she also doesn't need saving, even if she's at an age when, most movies still insist, women go weak at the knees and whimper and weep while waiting to be saved. Again and again Katniss rescues herself with resourcefulness, guts and true aim, a combination that makes her insistently watchable, despite Mr. Ross's soft touch and Ms. Lawrence's bland performance. One look at District 12, which Mr. Ross conceives as a picturesque old-timey town -- filled with withered Dorothea Lange types in what was once Appalachia -- and it's clear that someone here was enthralled with the actress's breakout turn in "Winter's Bone" as a willful, resilient child of the Ozarks.
From Roger Ebert with the Chicago Sun-Times:
"The Hunger Games" is an effective entertainment, and Jennifer Lawrence is strong and convincing in the central role. But the film leapfrogs obvious questions in its path, and avoids the opportunities sci-fi provides for social criticism; compare its world with the dystopias in "Gattaca" or "The Truman Show." Director Gary Ross and his writers (including the series' author, Suzanne Collins) obviously think their audience wants to see lots of hunting-and-survival scenes, and has no interest in people talking about how a cruel class system is using them. Well, maybe they're right. But I found the movie too long and deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues.
The reviews are in for Guthrie's 'Hay Fever'
Posted at 10:44 AM on March 23, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Noel Coward's comedy of manners "Hay Fever" - onstage at the Guthrie Theater through April 22 - stars the eccentric Bliss family, and an unsuspecting array of houseguests who have no idea what they've gotten themselves into.
Critics will tell you there's not much of a plot to be had - but no matter, because hysterical melodrama andpregnant pauses will keep you in stitches.
Cat Walleck (Sorel Bliss), Harriet Harris (Judith Bliss) and John Catron (Sandy Tyrell) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Hay Fever by Nöel Coward.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
The family takes its 1920s Bohemian lifestyle seriously, to the point that they all are willing to do and say whatever they want--even if that leaves their poor guests twisting in the wind. The entire company dives right into the madness here, wringing comedy out of every awkward moment.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Hay Fever.. belongs to the designers. Enter the Wurtele Thrust and behold - "Wow." - Janet Bird's sumptuous, perfectly painted, gorgeously lit (by Philip S. Rosenberg) set. Paintings compete with rough drawings and eccentric props. Murals swirl - enough to draw your attention but never distracting. The floorplan is a wonder; there are a half dozen outstanding theatrical entrance/exits.
Harriet Harris as Judith Bliss
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Harriet Harris - who seemed a bit miscast when last seen at the Guthrie as Amanda Wingfield in a 2007 production of "The Glass Menagerie" - is working precisely to her strengths as the eccentric, dramatic matriarch Judith Bliss. Harris looks to be having the time of her life on stage, uttering every word as if it's a Memorable Line from some other show in which Judith has appeared. She seems to have figured that there is practically no way to overplay the role and lets loose with an enjoyable couple hours of chewing the scenery.
From Ellen Burkhardt at MinnesotaMonthly.com:
Coward wrote Hay Fever such that it accelerates with each act, getting funnier, crazier, more physical, and more ridiculous with each perfectly placed line. As the layers build, the Bliss's eccentricities are revealed. And as soon as they act "normal," luring their poor guests into a deceived notion of understanding, it's just a matter of seconds before they're back to being as unpredictable as ever. The play is an exhausting exercise in emotion and extremes, but instead of tapering out, the actors all play off one another, putting on an exhilarating and hilarious show--one that will make your odd family look blissfully normal.
Charity Jones as Myra Arundel and John Skelley as Simon Bliss in the Guthrie Theater's production of Hay Fever by Nöel Coward
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Have you seen Hay Fever? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
(2 Comments)Mu production of 'Edith can shoot things...' gets national attention, mixed reviews
Posted at 9:42 AM on March 20, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism
It was a delightful surprise this weekend to hear the familiar name "Mu Performing Arts" mentioned in the course of a National Public Radio story by Elizabeth Blair.
Isabella Dawis as Edith in the Mu Performing Arts production of "Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them"
Photo by Michal Daniel
Blair was reporting on Rey Pamatmat's play "Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them," which premiered last year at the Humana Festival in Louisville, Kentucky.
Showing those experiences on stage is important to Pamatmat -- and to [Humana director] May Adrales, who says that, for her, "seeing Filipino actors onstage and hearing them tell their story is always moving to me."Adrales and Pamatmat are part of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition. A recent study by the group found that last year just 2 percent of the roles on Broadway and major Off Broadway shows went to Asian American actors.
"You go to shows and everyone in the cast is of the same ethnicity," Pamatmat says, "when in reality, almost all Americans live their life and encounter people of various ethnicities everyday. Whether it's your co-workers or people at the grocery store."
His plays will always have diverse casts, he says, because "that is the way my world actually is."
Mu Performing Arts got a mention because the company is currently staging "Edith..." at Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis.
Isabella Dawis as Edith and Alex Galick as Kenny in the Mu Performing Arts production of "Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them"
Photo by Michal Daniel
All the reviews I found were clear to note that this is a play still in its formative stages, and it needs some work. For some, the experience was still worthwhile.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
Mu Performing Arts' production of this 2011 drama deserves to be seen, for the author has fashioned an intriguing coming-of-age story, one in which three youths try to figure out how to live without adult supervision. It's far from a perfect script, and the performances lose some steam in the second act, but when it's good, it's very good.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Mu gets a gold star for giving a playwright a look at his work. Gold is not cheap, though, and it comes at our expense... bring pillows and board games.
Isabella Dawis as Edith in the Mu Performing Arts production of Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Edith Can Shoot Things And Hit Them wants to be a movie. Much of what we hear about in A. Rey Pamatmat's play - Edith's armed "securing the perimeter" of the house, the shooting of Dad's girlfriend Chloe, Benji's fraught confrontation with his homophobic mother, Dad waiting in his car, unwilling/unable to enter the house - would be, in a film, seen, and to excellent effect....but too often the play has a choppy and often uncomfortable rhythm. Just as a scene develops power, it ends, and then we wait, with growing dissatisfaction, for the next one.
Have you seen "Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them" by Mu Performing Arts? If so, what did you think? Leave you review in the comments section.
(3 Comments)Is the Minnesota Orchestra headed for stormy seas?
Posted at 3:17 PM on March 19, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Arts management, Criticism, Funding, Music
Recent changes at the Minnesota Orchestra have some people worried, including professional conductor Bill Eddins.
Eddins, a resident of the Twin Cities and Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, co-writes a blog called Sticks and Drones. In his latest post he compares the Minnesota Orchestra to the battleship USS Minnesota, which was eventually sold for scrap after hitting a mine.
There is a confluence of events pointing to the 2012-13 season. First, they're in contract negotiations. Second, they're being kicked out of the hall [for renovations]. Third, the deficit is looming. Suddenly, and I mean very suddenly, the Minnesota is in desperate waters.For those able to read tea leaves we reached a tipping point last week when Sarah Kwak, Associate CM of the Minnesota, announced she was signing on as Concert Master of Oregon.
Eddins goes on to say while orchestra management seems determined to get costs under control, it doesn't appear to have a vision for artistic sustainability. Eddins declares that, based on the upcoming season, "The 'plan' seems to be to convert the Minnesota into a glorified Pops orchestra."
You can read all of Eddins' thoughts on the matter here.
(1 Comments)Graywolf Press author Geoff Dyer wins National Book Critics Award
Posted at 2:08 PM on March 9, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Books, Criticism, Writing
The critics love Graywolf Press.
Last night the Twin Cities publishing house was awarded its third National Book Critics Circle Award, for Geoff Dyer's Otherwise Known as the Human Condition: Selected Essays and Reviews.
Fiona McCrae, director and publisher at Graywolf Press, said of the book: "Geoff Dyer's critical essays are in a class of their own. He really owns this form, and he runs--flies--with it."
Geoff Dyer lives and writes in London; Graywolf is his publisher in the United States.
"Ever since I began writing I hoped to be published in America, and once I started getting published it was recognition in America that I longed for" said Dyer. "Being shortlisted for an NBCC prize a few years ago was a huge thrill; to actually be awarded it this time is a great honor."
Geoff Dyer
Otherwise Known as the Human Condition collects twenty-five years of essays, reviews, and misadventures, and has received wide acclaim for defying genres and infusing criticism with humor.
This is the second time that a Graywolf author has won the NBCC Award for criticism. Eula Biss won for Notes from No Man's Land: American Essays in 2010. In 2008, Graywolf poet Mary Jo Bang won the NBCC Award for her collection of poetry, Elegy.
The reviews are in for Guthrie Theater's 'The Birds'
Posted at 10:03 AM on March 6, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Conor McPherson's The Birds is based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier. The story also inspired Hitchcock's movie by the same name, but the play and movie share little in common.
The Guthrie Theater is staging The Birds through April 8. While McPherson is known for his great writing (as seen in The Seafarer on The Jungle stage back in 2009), but according to this flock of critics, the characters in his latest production lack depth.
Scroll down to read excerpts from reviews; click on the links to read them in full.
Angela Timberman (Diane) in the American premiere of The Birds at the Guthrie Theater, by Conor McPherson, based upon the Daphne du Maurier short story
Photo by Aaron Fenster
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Henry Wishcamper's hokey production comes up short for several reasons. Designer Scott Edwards' layered sound score is overloud and overused. The screechy birds crashing into the house that is one of the last refuges of humanity sound suspiciously like people punching walls... Maybe it was bound to fall short. After all, it's easier for a film to follow a play than the other way around. Still, I held out hope for a better "Birds."
It's hard to connect to a thriller without some sympathy, at least initially, with the characters. This is a particularly unlikeable quartet, meaning that whatever twists and turns happen don't carry enough emotional weight to keep the audience engaged.
I think the production could also amp up the absurdity of everything that's happening. In the same note, McPherson mentions both Pinter and Beckett, and his Birds could have been greatly improved by deploying some of the deft humor found in those playwrights' direst works.
J.C. Cutler (Nat) and Angela Timberman (Diane) in the American premiere of The Birds at the Guthrie Theater, by Conor McPherson, based upon the Daphne du Maurier short story
Photo by Aaron Fenster
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
The cramped production, atmospheric sound and world-weary acting (the difficult-to-pin-down Hagen and fiery Cutler are especially memorable) give this bleak and compelling play a sick momentum, even if we fear its characters are moving toward nothing. These three strangers were dead before they met each other and they don't need a bunch of birds pecking at their faces to tell them that.
From Anna Rosensweig at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
It's in this ability to sustain an anxious tone that The Birds really excels, rather than in its content. McPherson's script is well-constructed and nuanced, but it doesn't ever really get beyond some tried and true hallmarks of horror and science fiction. McPherson does introduce some promising questions about religion and morality into this nature-against-humanity scenario, but unfortunately they remain under-explored yet over-discussed.
Summer Hagen (Julia) in the American premiere of The Birds at the Guthrie Theater, by Conor McPherson
Photo by Aaron Fenster
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Stephen Yoakam appears as Tierney, the farmer who lives across the lake. I reviewed Yoakam in The Seafarer, also by Conor McPherson, and once again, I didn't think of him as an actor playing a part, which is the highest compliment I have for an actor. He simply stepped into the scene and it was his. The only disappointment was that he was on stage for such a short time.
Have you seen The Birds at the Guthrie Theater? If so, what did you think?
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for Theater Latte Da's 'Beautiful Thing'
Posted at 8:15 AM on February 29, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Theater Latte Da's production of "Beautiful Thing" runs through March 18 at The Lab in Minneapolis. While some critics questioned the set for the show, and others thought the live singing on stage by Erin Schwab distracted more than it added to the production, in the end all agreed that this production, at its heart, was a "beautiful thing."
Read on for excerpts of reviews; click on the links to read the full reviews.
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
It's a tricky thing, falling in love--especially when you're a teenage boy. And when you're falling for your neighbor. And your neighbor also happens to be a teenage boy.This complicated tug-of-war between fear and courage, denial and truth shapes the core of Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing, currently being produced by Theater Latté Da at Minneapolis's Lab Theater. Twin Cities newcomer--and Latté Da's first-ever guest director--Jeremy B. Cohen directs the emotion-driven drama, and does an excellent job to ensure the script's sincerity doesn't get drowned out by stereotypes or exaggeration, both of which could easily have sunk the play into the realms of a hyper-hormonal teenage melodrama.
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Given the national attention the Anoka-Hennepin School District has been receiving on the topic of gay bullying, the production is very timely - in spite of the fact that it was originally written in the 1990s... Ultimately, Cohen's risks pay off. His fresh staging of the story of young gay love adds engaging elements that deepen its appeal - which is a beautiful thing.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
It's a wonderfully entertaining play with tangy characters, crackling dialogue and a heartfelt message... One might argue that with so much that's chaotic in these characters' lives, real love seems a particularly precious thing, and indeed that turns out to be the case. This play isn't so much about gay teens who fall in love; it's about loving people the way they are, and that's a beautiful thing.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
In the drab, featureless slabs of concrete that make up a south London housing project, there are but two manifestations of life: Sandra's flourishing collection of green houseplants, and Jamie's budding affection for his neighboring schoolmate, Ste... Johnson and Darrow find the innocent, halting charm of two boys discovering and reacting to their sexuality. It is simple and poignant... There is a still, small center in "Beautiful Thing," which emerges ever so tenuously in Latté Da's staging. It is the sweetest part of life.
Hvae you seen "Beautiful Thing?" If so, what did you think?
The reviews are in for Pillsbury House's 'Buzzer'
Posted at 10:10 AM on February 28, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
No doubt, the election of President Obama, the first black president in the country's history, marked a significant turning point for the U-S.
But many will tell you it's a bit early to talk about living in a "post-racial" America.
Pillsbury House's latest production, "Buzzer" explores the reality of the modern complexities of race through the lens of three people living together in a gentrifying neighborhood, and how the tensions outside affect their interior lives.
Critics unanimously endorse this play, calling it timely, important, and simultaneously hilarious and tragic. Read excerpts of the reviews below, or click on the links to read them in full.
Namir Smallwood as Jackson and Sara A. Richardson as Suzy in the Pillsbury House Theatre production of 'Buzzer'
Photo by Michal Daniel
Politics onstage without a human, emotional core can turn into a boring polemic. Marry the two, however, and you can lead the audience into territory they wouldn't normally tread. Case in point, Tracey Scott Wilson's Buzzer, which is receiving its world premiere at the Pillsbury House Theatre. Wilson's script deals with issues swirling around race and gentrification head-on, but it truly makes its case with the thorny, complex relationships among the three characters.
Namir Smallwood as Jackson and Hugh Kennedy as Don in the Pillsbury House Theatre production of Buzzer
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Director Marion McClinton's work in "Buzzer" is like that of a master DJ. He segues quickly and seamlessly between scenes while keeping everything and everyone in balance and in the groove... The acting is beautiful...In the end, "Buzzer" offers, through three characters, a sobering assessment of the difficulty of moving past history. The fraught, charged play is right on time.
Namir Smallwood as Jackson and Sara A. Richardson as Suzy in the Pillsbury House Theatre production of 'Buzzer'
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
If you're looking for straight-forward entertainment, you may wish to give this one a pass. But if you want something maddening and compelling, absorbing and enraging, something that will exhilarate you while it makes you queasy, well, Buzzer runs through March 18. Kudos to the producers at Pillsbury House for taking on this play.
Sara A. Richardson as Suzy and Hugh Kennedy as Don in the Pillsbury House Theatre production of Buzzer
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
Buzzer achieves the kind of synthesis of personal and political that's inescapable in real life but is rarely found in fiction: these are three people just trying to live their lives, but issues of race and class shape the ground on which they move... It's an important and engaging look at the complexities of human relationships in a world where race doesn't mean what it used to, but where it's still enormously relevant.
Pillsbury House Theatre's "Buzzer" runs through March 18. Have you seen it? If so, what did you think?
Colin Covert and Chris Hewitt talk Oscars with the Cube Critics
Posted at 11:07 AM on February 24, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Film
Each week MPR movie buffs Stephanie Curtis and Euan Kerr give their take on the latest movie releases in a radio segment called "Cube Critics" (named so because they sit near each other in the newsroom's cube farm).
This week the duo have put together a special two-parter in anticipation of the Oscars this weekend, and they invited two other noted movie critics to chime in.
Star Tribune movie critic Colin Covert (center) visits the Cube Critics
MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel
Yesterday, the Star Tribune's Colin Covert weighed in with his thoughts on who will - and who should - win in the category of Best Actor.
Covert says he doesn't imagine the Oscars for the actors will vary in any way from the Screen Actors Guild awards.
He says those who were sadly overlooked for awards were Ryan Gosling and Andy Serkis.
Stephanie Curtis threw in her vote for Albert Brooks in "Drive"
Euan Kerr cast his vote for Tilda Swinton in "We need to talk about Kevin"
Tonight, the Pioneer Press' Chris Hewitt will give his nominations for Best Film.
So who do you think will win the Oscars this weekend? And who should win, but won't?
The reviews are in for Open Eye's 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'
Posted at 3:49 PM on February 22, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Do you remember that Disney movie "The Sorcerer's Apprentice?" The one with the dancing brooms that get out of hand?
Well at least one critic suggests you forget you ever saw it, and instead walk into Open Eye Figure Theatre with an open mind to see puppeteer Michael Sommers' brand new version of the story. And all three reviews I found strongly recommend you see this puppet show.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice runs through March 4; scroll down to read excerpts of reviews, or click on the links to read them in full.
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" on stage at Open Eye Figure Theatre
Photo by Larry Lamb
Copyright :2011 Lamb.com
You can take your multimillion-dollar CGI effects, I'll take good old-fashioned low-tech tricks. Employing some of the oldest techniques in theater--there is even a short shadow-puppet sequence--Michael Sommers and a team of talented puppeteers make magic happen during this one-hour world premiere.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice," which opened last weekend at Open Eye Figure Theatre, bears Sommers' signature old-European patina: intense craftsmanship, a sense of mystery and comprehensive artistry. His eye for detail is unerring, and one always gets the idea he has tumbled the whole show around in his soul many times before giving life to it on stage. His sweat and joy are evident.
From Jay Gabler at TCDailyPlanet:
...it's best to brush aside all your expectations and approach this show on its own terms. Puppetmaster Sommers is one of the great creative geniuses working in Minnesota today, and this is his first full-length original work of puppetry since 2007's A Prelude to Faust. If you care about the performing arts at all, you should definitely see it. ...Sit as close as possible, so you can appreciate the detail of this production.
Have you seen Open Eye's version of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice?" If so, what did you think?
The reviews are in for Ten Thousand Things' 'As You Like It'
Posted at 12:39 PM on February 21, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Ten Thousand Things Theater Company is known for stripping down plays to their bare essentials. That makes them easier to perform in unusual settings, like prisons, homeless shelters and rest homes.
For its latest production, TTT took on Shakespeare's "As You Like It," and is bringing to life a show featuring dozens of characters with just six actors. The result has captivated local critics. Read on for excerpts of local reviews, or click on the links to read them in full.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Ten Thousand Things Theater Company almost always handles Shakespeare with a deft and knowing hand, but even by its own high standards, the company's staging of "As You Like It" is a top-notch production, filled with love and laughter, the bittersweet tang of longing and the redemptive power of possibility.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
This As You Like It is stripped down and highly edited. Does it require familiarity with Shakespeare's original? I thought about this at some length and finally decided that while it helps to have seen more straight-forward productions (or to have recently spent some time with the text) this is optional. TTT performs at prisons, chemical dependency treatment centers, rest homes and for many this is their first Shakespeare. As artistic director Michelle Hensley says, these people exhibit a real "hunger for language." This play plays... As You like It is one of the best shows I've seen in a while.
Folks tend to be far more engaged in the production than traditional theater audiences. This came out in the first performance of the show, when the audience -- rather vocally, Reyes says -- wanted Rosalind to come clean much earlier about her disguise and her love of Orlando.They certainly were engaged last Friday afternoon, even if it took a bit for everyone to adjust to the Shakespearean syntax. Lear de Bessonet's quick-paced creation not only wrestles plenty of laughs, but also gets to the deep heart of the play.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
The soul of this piece, however, reveals itself in actor Pearce Bunting, a relative newcomer to the Twin Cities stage. Bunting nimbly flexes between Touchstone -- played as a Brooklynese sharpie -- and Jacques, the dispirited traveler. His visage and manner bear the full weight of experience as he tells us that "All the world's a stage." That famous speech of humanity's circular and hollow drama lands fully in our hearts. Bunting is an actor of authentic and sympathetic depth.
Have you seen TTT's production of "As You Like It?" If so, what did you think? Performances run through March 11.
The reviews are in for Mixed Blood's 'Crashing the Party'
Posted at 10:13 AM on February 15, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Mixed Blood Theatre bills its latest production, "Crashing the Party," as a "hilarious new comedy about the pursuit of the American dream, where hardworking parents lavish their children with material "love" and leave them with nothing to work for."
While at least one critic felt the show lived up to its promises, others say the comedy is strained. Check out these excerpts of reviews, or click on the links to read them in full.
Crashing the Party at Mixed Blood Theatre
Photo by Rich Ryan
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Directed with zeal by Sarah Rasmussen and featuring a cast of well-paced pros, "Party" offers a comic tonic for our doldrums... The show has liberal blasts of humor and a few bullets (there is a shotgun in this "Party"). Rasmussen's production is well-timed and -executed. The orchestrated jokes, even when you see them coming, land perfectly. The fanciful plot twists further the humor.
If the American Dream is dead, then the characters in Crashing the Party, the world-premiere comedy by Josh Tobiessen at Mixed Blood, are picking at the corpse...
Tobiessen has created a screwball comedy for the modern world, one in which the physical humor can come from a clueless FBI agent (delightfully played by Mo Perry) who repeatedly shocks Arthur (Rolando Martinez, who does a fine job with all of his physical humor) into a stupor. The foibles of the family--and believe me, they are many--are merged with a growing sense of unease that their lives are at a dead end.
Crashing the Party at Mixed Blood Theatre
Photo by Rich Ryan
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
This zestfully bizarre but ultimately less-than-wonderful play is a farce and uses a machine gun approach to comedy. It shoots gags out with scattershot fervor, the hope being that even if only 50% land the audience will be laughing too hard to groan at the jokes that fall flat. Unfortunately, with this play, a 50% success rate is an impossible dream.From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Channeling the likes of Noel Coward or Kaufman and Hart requires a rapier sense of wit, a keen ear for dialogue and a pitch-perfect sense for characters and situations. Tobiessen's domestic comedy about an affluent and somewhat clueless family captures the preposterous circumstances of those older works and offers a measure of laughter, but the labor in the effort is plainly visible.
From Anna Rosenweig at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
The play wants to inspire genuine interest in its characters and their relationships, but the zaniness of the plot doesn't allow these characters the space to develop. Although many of the plot twists are quite funny, their increasingly ridiculous quality undercuts the possibility for the affection expressed between the characters to be at all convincing. As a result, the more tender moments, which might themselves have been poignantly funny, come across instead as sentimental cliches that in turn work against the play's goofiness.
Crashing the Party runs through March 4. Have you seen it? If so, what's your review?
The reviews are in for Guthrie's 'End of the Rainbow'
Posted at 12:03 PM on February 8, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(4 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Set in December 1968, "End of the Rainbow" depicts diva Judy Garland falling deeper into drink and drugs as she simultaneously tries to revamp her career. The Guthrie Theater production features UK actress Tracie Bennett, who performed the role in London to rave reviews. Twin Cities critics, however, have not been as impressed overall. Many seem to want not just a shell of a character at the end of her career, but a window in to the vulnerable Minnesota girl that charmed the world. But at least one critic says to look for that is "a fool's errand."
You can find out more about the show, and Tracie Bennett, by checking out Euan Kerr's story here.
Scroll down to read excerpts of reviews, or click on the links to read them in their entirety.
Tracie Bennett in the role of Judy Garland in the Guthrie Theater's production of "End of the Rainbow," by Peter Quilter
Photo by Carol Rosegg
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Shouting, crying, kicking and screaming with a quavering voice that would make Katharine Hepburn sue for royalties, Bennett devours the London hotel room in which Peter Quilter's play is set.It is both an exhausting and a bravura feat of physical stamina by an actor who understands that this play reveals not much more than a slim portrait of addiction -- the disease's manifestations evident in Garland's manipulative bullying and helpless vulnerability.
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
It's easy to wish Garland's life were as clean-cut and beautiful as she appeared to be in her movies. But as End of the Rainbow shows, nothing is that simple--particularly when fame is involved. Bennett expertly portrays what it meant for Garland to be a star in this dynamic, intense, and emotional production, giving what could easily be the best performance ever to have graced the Guthrie's McGuire Proscenium stage. By the time she takes her final bow, you wonder what life could have been like for Garland had she been able to finally find her way over the rainbow.
Michael Cumpsty as Anthony and Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland in the Guthrie Theater's production of End of the Rainbow, by Peter Quilter
Photo by Carol Rosegg
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
...if you're looking for insight into what made Garland an important figure or exceptional talent, little comes from "End of the Rainbow." While a few of the musical numbers give you a sense of her onstage charisma, it's more an increasingly dark tale of one woman's disintegration.While Bennett does an admirable job of employing little details from the late-model Garland's conversational style and mannerisms, her hardened portrayal never finds the vulnerable girl from Grand Rapids, Minn., who still surfaced in her final TV appearances.
Tom Pelphrey as Mickey Deans and Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland in the Guthrie Theater's production of "End of the Rainbow" by Peter Quilter
Photo by Carol Rosegg
Bennett has honed the character through the play's West End incarnation, and she arrives at the Guthrie as an absolute force of nature. Quilter's script does give her rare moments of vulnerability, but they tend to distract as much as enlighten. I get the sense that by this time in her life the shell is all that is left of Garland, and searching for what's left inside is just a fool's errand. Bennett tries gamely, but her performance is at its best when it brings out Garland's outsized personality and presence.
Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland in "End of the Rainbow" at the Guthrie Theater
Photo by Robert Day
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Many of the songs are fragmented, Ritalin fueled, incomplete. This makes the performance section of End Of The Rainbow rather short. This is disappointing, for I found many of the hotel suite scenes repetitive and short on narrative momentum. Garland and Dean scream at each other endlessly. Deans goes from drug/booze teetotaler to enabler ("Take a few of these. They'll fix you up.") with no believable explanation.
Did you see "End of the Rainbow?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
(4 Comments)The reviews are in for Park Square's 'Ragtime'
Posted at 9:44 AM on February 7, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The musical "Ragtime" is set during a time of massive change. Adapted from the novel by E.L. Doctorow, it simultaneously takes on the legacy of slavery, the immigrant experience, and the grinding change to the status quo of the comfortably wealthy.
Created originally as a large Broadway fanfare, Park Square Theatre has toned down its production. Critics say this allows more room for the characters to breathe, and connect with the audience.
Scroll down to read excerpts of reviews - click on the links to read them in their entirety.
Brittany Bradford in the role of Sarah in Park Square's production of "Ragtime"
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Gary Gisselman's grand production... unequivocally aims for our hearts with these stories. Yet it would diminish the value of both the musical and Gisselman's treatment here to label the work merely sentimental. "Ragtime" takes a brisk and unflinching assessment of a society caught in the jaws of change, and creates central characters defined by bravery, pain, decency and a bedrock dedication to life. The portrayals are necessarily thin because "Ragtime" is more or less a narrated pageant; but writer Terrence McNally and lyricist Lynn Ahrens mine enough of Doctorow's plot to provide texture.This production feels absolutely essential by showing us American history through the lens of family.
Brittany Bradford as Sarah and Harry Waters, Jr. as Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in Park Square Theatre's production of "Ragtime"
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
...Any misgivings about the material are mooted by the loveliness of the production. Great praise is due director Gary Gisselman who, working with a limited budget, has assembled a boffo cast, first rate musicians, excellent designers and a terrific choreographer. He stages the show with aplomb.
With the spectacle toned down, the characters have a chance to take center stage, and the show takes on a life that the massive Broadway production could never manage. The flaws are still there, especially in a second act that loses the central thread of the story for long stretches, but it's easier to get swept along with this production.
Dieter Bierbrauer as Tateh in Park Square Theatre's production of "Ragtime"
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
It's a production that is beautifully sung by its leading players and its extraordinary chorus, whose members not only blow us away with their gorgeous voices but also their ability to perform quick costume changes and enact, believably, a variety of nonspeaking roles. The music in the enormous musical, the largest production ever mounted at Park Square, is consistently excellent, but it's in the acting that "Ragtime" occasionally falls short.
"Ragtime" runs through February 19 at Park Square Theatre. Have you seen the show? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' at the Guthrie
Posted at 11:08 AM on January 25, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The Guthrie Theater is staging Tennessee Williams' classic drama "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" through February 26. While reviews are generally very positive, details vary widely. Is the play steamy, or does it fizzle? Is the first act slow, or is it a totally absorbing show from the get-go? It all depends on which review you read...
Peter Christian Hansen as Brick amd Emily Swallow as Maggie
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Tensions detonate like fireworks for Big Daddy's birthday in Lisa Peterson's well-paced and -designed "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."Her atmospheric, expertly acted production of the Tennessee Williams classic, which opened over the weekend in Minneapolis at the Guthrie Theater, is a combustible collision of avarice, desperation and mendacity in a world where women get fulfillment through their husbands and resources are concentrated in the hands of one very profane man.
It's a production that takes its own sweet time getting started, but it opens the throttle at the start of a long, thrilling second act and rides high until the end. This combustible back half--complete with offstage fireworks and a thunderstorm--makes all the setup in the first act worth the wait.
David Anthony Brinkley as Big Daddy
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Dominic P Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
... in Lisa Peterson's staging, all of this drama flickers more than it flares. The first half of the play is so given over to Maggie that, particularly in this staging, it frequently feels like a single long monologue punctuated by the occasional divertimenti of other characters. It's a gigantic responsibility, and one simply too large for the shoulders of Emily Swallow. She wraps herself around Williams' rococo dialogue well enough, but she doesn't bring the passion the role needs.
Emily Swallow as Maggie
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Peterson's direction seemed to be more a collection of concepts, rather than a clear vision of the overall effect. Her use of Brick's crutch, for example, was overdone, as was Maggie literally chasing him around the bedroom.Over fifty years have passed since this play premiered and a lot has changed; sexual identity questions are at least discussed openly, and doctors today would not dream of lying to a patient about his diagnosis. Assuming one can view the crises in this light, the universal truths about love, friendship, family bonds, sexuality, even life and death itself - the larger questions that made this play great - have not lost their relevance. If you have even the slightest interest in Williams, this period and this style of theater, you really should make an effort to see this production.
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
The character Brick spends much of Tennesee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof seeking "that click" in his head: that moment when he's finally drunk enough to be able to ignore his yowling inner demons. There's a click of sorts in theater as well: when a production is working so well that as an audience member you become totally absorbed in its universe. That click comes as soon as the lights go up on the Guthrie Theater's new production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which doesn't release its grip until the play's final bittersweet embrace.
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
It's this premise of denial and desperation that fuels the play. And when a production of Cat is done well--when the poetic monologues and intense dialogues are properly executed; when the set and staging are given as much thought as the accents and timing; when the audience sits in suspenseful attention, willfully clinging to every last word and expression--it's clear to see why it continues to dazzle audiences 57 years after its premiere and Pulitzer Prize win. This is one such production.
Have you seen Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? If so, what did you think? Let me know.
Cube Critics sort through the Oscar nominees
Posted at 5:33 PM on January 24, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Film
MPR's Cube Critics, Euan Kerr and Stephanie Curtis, always have an opinion when it comes to movies, and this year's Oscar nominations drew plenty of reaction from the duo.
Euan seems to think the nominations were all "safe" - meanwhile Stephanie can't believe John Williams was nominated for the War Horse soundtrack (he was also nominated for "The Adventures of Tintin").
Take a listen, and share your thoughts on the Oscar nominees.
The reviews are in for 1968 at the History Theatre
Posted at 10:15 AM on January 24, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Enough happened in the United States in 1968 to fill both a museum and a theater in St. Paul.
John Mitchell (E.J. Subkoviak) and Richard Nixon (Paul de Cordova) strategize about how to make Nixon the Republican nominee for president.
Photo: Scott Pakudaitis
To coincide with the Minnesota History Center's exhibition "1968", the History Theatre commissioned seven playwrights to create "1968: The Year that Rocked the World."
Local critics find the show compelling, entertaining,and ultimately hopeful, albeit a bit long. Read on for excerpts of critics' reviews; click on the links to read them in full.
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
How do you pack the violent, transformative, manifold and chaotic events of a watershed year into just a couple of hours of theater? History Theatre's Ron Peluso decided to tap not one but seven writers in "1968: The Year That Rocked the World."Each creates an emotionally resonant miniplay that illuminates one key facet of the power-packed year, with the disparate pieces stitched together by snippets of music, quotes from popular TV shows and news stories of the day. It's a compelling crazy-quilt of facts, memories and ideas that presents plenty of food for thought.
Rosemary Clooney (Karen Weber) speaks with a nurse (Lynnea Monique Doublette) in a mental hospital where she has checked herself in to deal with her grief at losing Bobby Kennedy to an assassination.
Photo: Scott Pakudaitis
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
The scenes were ingeniously connected by a timeline created by History Theatre artistic director, Ron Peluso, who also directed. Music snippets from familiar TV shows, primarily, arranged and directed by Gary Rue and delivered by a talented band of McNally-Smith students, cemented the segues....Peluso's work as the cohesive element was critical to the success and entertainment value of this show. He not only deftly incorporated a style of theater completely in keeping with the period, (with the ensemble in multiple arrangements on metal scaffolding) but he bridged the gaps and provided necessary light-hearted relief from the heavy drama of some of the scenes. His timeline really polished off the rough edges and pulled the idea into one whole.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
The best historic drama lets us walk away with a strong idea that transcends mere images and information from our past. History Theatre's "1968: The Year that Rocked the World," largely an essay in glib nostalgia and ardent broccoli theater, redeems itself with just such a concept -- proposing that humanity's ability to persevere is eternal regardless of the agonizing dislocation within any single year.Peluso lets this show go on far too long. But in the final breaths, as was the case in 1968, a message of hope carries a measure of redemption.
Have you seen "1968: The Year that Rocked the World?" If so, what did you think?
The reviews are in for Torch Theater's 'Dangerous Liaisons'
Posted at 2:35 PM on January 18, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Sometimes a little danger is not enough.
Dangerous Liaisons, the play based on the French novel, runs through Feb 4 at Minneapolis Theatre Garage. Produced by Torch Theater, and directed by Craig Johnson, the show recounts the sexual exploits and manipulations of cunning and powerful courtiers. But eventually it all goes too far.
The three reviews I've excerpted below all applaud strong acting and a luscious set, but two of the critics wish for more cruelty and deceit.
Isn't that just like a critic?
Click on the links to read the complete reviews.
Stacia Rice and John Middleton in Dangerous Liaisons
Rice and Middleton have terrific chemistry, and the cracks in his vain and confident character, and her seeming indifference to it, draw the audience deeper and deeper into their lair. The rest of the cast is top notch as well, centered on marvelous performances by Linda Kelsey, Katherine Moeller, and especially Mo Perry as the women caught up in the machinations. Director Craig Johnson does excellent work with the cast, while set designer Michael Hoover transforms the Minneapolis Theater Garage into a fitting 18th-century location.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
This presentation, lovely as it is, nonetheless reminds us that the play itself is a bauble. Hard as we try to despise these spiteful villains, or even enjoy the delicious wickedness of their ways, the cold schemes don't land....Craig Johnson has directed with an efficiency that demands our constant attention. Ann Michels and Matt Riehle contribute period music, making transitions an essential part of the play. However, for all the sexy naughtiness implied in the play's title, Johnson's production does not breathe with enough cunning deceit.
From Erin Hart at the Pioneer Press:
The main trouble with Torch Theater's production is that, under Craig Johnson's direction, the cast seems at cross purposes over their approach to the material. Major dramatic turning points seem to pass by without truly resonating.To be fair, the mannered masquerade of elegance in 18th-century France is more than a bit foreign to American actors, and director Johnson lets his performers get away with far more fluttering about than is absolutely necessary.
Did you see Dangerous Liaisons? If so, what did you think?
The reviews are in for 'The Lion King' at the Orpheum
Posted at 4:37 PM on January 17, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Music, Theater
The Lion King, the Broadway show based on the animated Disney film, is back in town at the Orpheum through Feb 12. And according to even the crankiest local critics, the musical is still worth checking out.
J. Anthony Crane as Scar and Dionne Randolph as Mufasa in The Lion King. Photo by Joan Marcus
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
As you may know, The Lion King started its life here in Minneapolis, 15 years ago, in a pre-Broadway tryout. It has become, like all great shows, an institution. Now it's back, fully mature and imminently[sic] seeable.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
By now one might expect "Lion King," now in its fourth Twin Cities engagement, to show signs of road-weariness. Yet from biggest to its tiniest moments -- from its opening parade of human-and-puppet fauna in a "Circle of Life" through the reprise of the spiritual and reverential "He Lives in You" at the end -- the must-see show remains fresh and inviting.
The Lion King runs through Feb 12 at the Orpheum in Minneapolis.
Photo by Joan Marcus
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities.com
There is nothing to worry about. The talented cast of the touring company delivers everything you'd hope for from the show - earnest energy, strong vocal talent, and acrobatics that would've been impressive even without the elaborate costuming. Elton John and Tim Rice's music feels comfortably familiar without being tired or worn-out, and the songs written for the musical - which audiences familiar with the movie may not have heard before - add moments of emotional gravitas to what is otherwise a plot-driven show.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
Concede that an 89-minute cartoon has been blown up into a stage musical that stretches to a periodically draggy 2-1/2 hours that is not necessarily appropriate for very young children (like the wee one opening night who lost it when the house lights dimmed). Acknowledge that "The Lion King" on stage is an ambitious and rigorous piece of theater that requires more audience investment than the film.Do all of that and you're likely to find that "The Lion King" - which premiered at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre in 1997 before becoming a Broadway smash - still does pretty well in the face of passing time and trends.
Have you seen The Lion King? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
Why free shows get critical reviews
Posted at 11:13 AM on January 6, 2012
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Music
Yesterday over the lunch hour I walked over to the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul to enjoy a performance by the Artaria String Quartet as part of the Schubert Club's Courtroom Concert Series. The room was packed to the gills, with people standing in the adjoining hallway just to enjoy this free performance of two of Shotakovich's string quartets.
As with any of these lunchtime concerts, it felt like an absolute gift to be treated to such a performance without having to pay a penny. So I was a bit surprised when I spotted Pioneer Press music critic Rob Hubbard in the audience, pen and paper in hand. I asked him if he was going to review the show, which he said he was. You can read the review here.
"To review a show that's being given for free," I thought, "seems a bit like looking a gift horse in the mouth. We should just be thankful we're getting the performance at all!"
So, with that in mind, I posted the question "What do you think of a critic reviewing a show that's free?" to my Facebook page, sure that I would enjoy a wide variety of responses.
Well, it appears I was entirely in the wrong. Here's just a sampling of the answers which served to put me in my place, and rightly so.
Christi Rodriguez Cottrell writes:
"Assuming the criticism has at least some constructive points, then the company/artist can take something from the critique to improve the quality of future work presented. All in all, I don't think it matters much whether it's free or achingly expensive, being exposed to different perspectives, either positive or negative, of your work only makes you a stronger artist."
Sheila Regan (a critic) writes:
"If the said show is getting grant money, especially from a public source, then it's not really free. If they pass the hat at the end, it's also not exactly free."
Carolyn Payne, executive director at, SooVAC, points out that "visual art critics do it all the time" when they review exhibitions.
Steve Nelson adds "Discretionary time is also a key (and often scarce) asset that arts audiences have to decide how to spend. In that line of thought, a show is never 'free.'"
Colleen Sheehy, Director of Plains Art Museum, asks "does free mean you can't evaluate and respond? i don't think the cost is relevant at all."
And finally Ben Kreilkamp sums it up nicely: "Why should that matter at all? Reviews are just reports of experiences."
Thanks for all your wisdom. Let it be known, I shall never question the presence of a critic at a free performance ever again.
Rehearsal and performance space a challenge for small theater companies
Posted at 10:45 AM on January 10, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Arts management, Criticism, Dance, Funding, Theater
Do the Twin Cities need more small theater spaces?
This was the question I was left with after a recent discussion on the closing of the Loring Theater.
The question drew strong responses, from artists who have obviously been dealing with this situation for a long time.
The Playwrights' Center is one of the venues Twin Cities artists say is getting it right when it comes to providing rehearsal and performance space to local theater companies.
Frank Theater's Wendy Knox offered a blunt, "No, there are not" (FYI, Frank Theater is known for performing in less traditional locations, occasionally including abandoned buildings).
Screenwriter Marvin Joel Rubin said it's not just an issue of performance space, but rehearsal space as well. To which dancer Kenna Cottman added there's also a need for spaces that can serve dance companies.
Robin Gillette runs the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and is very familiar with performance spaces all over Minneapolis. She immediately had this to offer:
Seems like you can't just talk about numbers of venues - you have to factor in whether they're affordable, well-equipped and maintained, and conveniently located.She went on to say:
There are not enough 100-200 seat venues that are affordable, well-equipped and conveniently located. HOWEVER... I don't think the answer is to run around creating new venues, necessarily. If there was a way to either improve existing venues or clear them off the deck so there's demand/funding/staff/equipment for new ones, that'd be great. I don't know that the *total* number of venues needs to improve, but some shifting in the pool might be useful.
With that in mind, I asked which venues out there are models for how best to serve performance artists.
Jennifer Ilse, one of the creative partners behind "Off-Leash Area," a company that performs out of its, and other people's, garages, had this to offer:
I'd vote for the Playwrights' Center - really reasonably priced, maintained and equipped and efficient and straightforward to work with. Red Eye Theater is also great in providing inexpensive space and providing enormous room for artists to do what they want to create their vision. Rehearsal space - Patrick's Cabaret is tough to beat. Great, efficient staff, very well priced, especially helpful having cheaper prices for off-peak hours, and the space is really well kept and getting better all the time.
But running a performance space for other companies to rent is not that easy. Actor/director Paul Reyburn shared this:
This has been a discussion for several years. I tried to open a space about ten yrs ago but couldn't finance it. It's an ongoing need, to be sure, but finding the money seems to be the biggest issue. I'd love to see a couple more in St. Paul.
Ben Heywood, director of The Soap Factory, a gallery which also hosts performances, added:
In terms of City code not to mention equipping costs theater spaces a very expensive to set up. With limited seating it's then very hard to make them financially viable for anything other than stand up. Hence the popularity of the Fringe.
Liz Neerland, along with her husband Josh Cragun, runs Nimbus Theater. They recently moved into their own space in the Nordeast neighborhood, and rent it out to other companies. She echoed Heywood's thoughts and elaborated on them.
Speaking as someone who just did it, it's incredibly difficult to create new performance space. The city zoning/permitting/licensing process is a maze and there is no one to help figure it out. Funding is always an issue, and the amount of equipment needed to make a space desirable is a huge expense. Trying to balance - between needing to have a space that people want to work in, that is inviting to artists and audiences alike, and needing to pay the rent every month and keep the lights and heat on - it is a huge challenge. We may need more spaces, but we also need enough people to capably manage them.
And finally, actor and Minnesota Playlist staffer Levi Weinhagen had this to add:
In my humble opinion the real question is whether or not the Twin Cities can support more 100-200 seat performance spaces.Artists of any stripe, whether writer, painter, actor, or wig-maker, do not have inherent value. Everyone should have the right and probably encouragement to make cool things and do their art but that doesn't mean they're entitled to an audience interested in consuming their art. By that same token, if theater spaces aren't being created and thriving perhaps at times it's an indication of management issues but most of the time the indication is that audiences aren't spending their money to see shows in those spaces. If a venue can't support itself with audiences & revenue, or find a behemoth corporate sponsor than what makes the space worth keeping open?
So what's to be done? Does city management need to provide a process for helping small venues get up and running? Do current spaces need an injection of business training? Or is this simply the nature of market forces at work?
Share your thoughts in the comments section.
(1 Comments)Artists respond to the close of the Loring Theater
Posted at 3:38 PM on January 6, 2012
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Funding, Theater
Last week the folks who run the Loring Theater announced they would be shutting their doors on December 31.
Such announcements often spark debates in the arts community. What went wrong? Could it have been avoided? And what does this mean for the rest of us?
I asked folks in the business to share their thoughts on the Loring's situation - here are some of the responses I got:
Dean J Seal, writer, performer and previous Fringe Festival director, blames the location of the Loring Theater, formerly known as "The Music Box:"
The Music Box is a venue with location and parking problems. It is a great space, but off the beaten track, and has no lot immediately adjacent to the space. Minnesotans hate walking. I am guessing they loaded up with staffing overhead and couldn't make the nut every single week. It was used successfully by the MN Fringe for 2 years, but that was as part of a festival, with a crowd that liked walking, in the summer, with a couple hit shows. Longer term programming would need a hook of some kind that could overcome the natural geographic difficulties of the space. It was built before a freeway cut the neighborhood in half, so the problems weren't inherent to the space initially. But it's a dead zone now.
Actor Steve Hendrickson thinks the space itself is the issue:
I believe part of the Loring Theatre problem is the renovation the facility underwent in the mid-90s after the Cricket Theatre was kicked to the curb. It's no longer a useful venue for conventional theatre production. The auditorium is now deep and narrow, making it a hard venue for intimate productions. At the same time, the stage has little wing and fly-space making it unsuitable for larger (musical) productions. It can be a great space for concerts and specialty events like "Triple Espresso" but there may not be enough of these to keep the facility in the black.
Paul Wilson, a former full-time artist who now sits until recently sat on the board of the group Cantus and works in the financial sector, wonders if the theater was a bad fit for the organization:
As harsh as it may sound, I think this may be a great opportunity for another up-and-coming arts organization to come in and make something amazing out of that space. If The Directors, LLP couldn't get butts in seats, there was clearly a disconnect between their artistic model and their business model. Maybe a 200-seat venue would have been more appropriate for them - one with lower fixed costs.
Gallery owner Stephen Sugarman thinks there aren't enough people locally to fill the audiences of the numerous venues all over the Twin Cities:
Really we just dont have the population say like Atlanta , NY , LA Miami to fully support such a large and diverse arts community -anbd I belive that is the state of the arts in MN -the big question how do we change the M.O. of this community for the better in near and in the distant future. If MN realy belives that the arts are important to our culture -and in my case, I'm talking visual arts - then we are going to need to bring the buyer/the market to MN.
For some, news of the Loring also brought up memories about the collapse of the Southern and the closing of Theatre de la Jeune Lune.
Dancer John Munger worries that such closings speak to the loss of "the middle class" of the arts.
It is a grave concern because the "99% vs 1% dynamic" moves so many things closer and closer to a polarization where big theaters --arts palaces -- win, the alternative such as scruffy small venues like Bryant Lake Bowl (Which I love and where I choose mostly to produce and perform) or Patrick's Cabaret survive anyway because they're tough, inexpensive and the nobles in the castle don't really care what the villagers do. But I argue that, just as in the economic picture, there needs to be a middle class in the performance world. It is a grave concern if a mid-level venue like The Loring is another victim of the endlessly ferocious war between various opposing political and economic persuasions.
Christine Chernis Brandt worries about the health of non-profit boards:
I have been in nonprofit arts management all my life, mainly in other communities, and I find repeatedly that boards do NOT understand their fiscal responsibility. Few raise funds appropropriately and support their artists correctly.
Robin Gillette, Director of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, argues that business skills need to be an inherent part of the arts:
I'd argue that the skills necessary to operate a building are different (and more business-oriented) than the skills necessary to create art - when people with skills in one area assume that that gives them skills in the other area, there's often trouble. Without complete government subsidy of the arts (which I'm NOT lobbying for), I think there does need to be an element of "business" in art to keep the lights on.
John Munger was not alone when he questioned the amount of media time and money invested in sports compared to the arts:
Consider, for example, the Vikings. They might put 45,000 in the Metrodome. But they only do it eight times. Every weekend of the year at least one and as many as dozens of theaters are presenting work. That's not just eight times nor even 52 times. A Thursday-Fri-Sat run pumps one single 52 week theater to about 156 presentations. And how many theaters are there? And so forth. I keep going with the simple arithmetic, but the point becomes compelling once one stops to think.
Finally playwright Dan Pinkerton wonders if it's simply natural for an organization to close its doors:
Can't we ever accept failure? Can't we ever mourn a loss without launching a screed against everyone else? It's a shame the Loring Theatre closed, but we still have a LOT of theatres in the Twin Cities, and a very exciting, diverse group they are.
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
(1 Comments)When love borders on obsession
Posted at 11:57 AM on December 27, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Music
MPR's Chris Roberts has been delving into songs with the musicians who create them. For his latest installment of "Into the Song," Roberts talked with Nick Robin about his song "In My Pocket" which sounds strangely like vintage Velvet Underground.
"I was sort of obsessed with this girl," Robin said. "And I had really been into the Velvet Underground at the time.".
"Sort of obsessed" doesn't begin to describe "In My Pocket." You can feel the distance between the singer and the woman, her disinterest in him, his burning obsession with her, and his growing need to possess her completely. It's unsettling, unnerving, and completely intentional on Robin's part. Besides the Velvets, Robin says "In My Pocket" is kind of an homage to "Every Breath You Take," by the Police, or the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb.""Where they're almost like misogynistic in a sense, and creepy, but in the song format it works, and people accept it as normal," he said. Only in this song, Robin pushes the obsession further, to a completely uncomfortable level
Nick Robin
Image courtesy Nick Robin
You can hear the song, and more of Nick Robin's conversation with MPR's Chris Roberts, by licking on the audio link:
The reviews are in for 'The Soul of Gershwin' at Park Square
Posted at 2:54 PM on December 21, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Culture, Music, Theater
This morning I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing performer T. Mychael Rambo about his remarkable life and career on Midmorning. If you missed the conversation, I strongly recommend you take some time to listen:
Prudence Johnson, T. Mychael Rambo, and Maggie Burton in "The Soul of Gershwin"
Photo courtesy of Park Square Theatre
Currently Rambo is performing in "The Soul of Gershwin" at Park Square Theatre, which has received some fine reviews from the local press. Check out these excerpts, or click on the links to read the full reviews:
How long does it take for The Soul of Gershwin: The Musical Journey of an American Klezmer to capture the audience? A handful of seconds--just enough time for the famed opening clarinet notes from Rhapsody in Blue to be played by Dale Mendenhall. From there, Joseph Vass's creation is a joyful ride into the roots and eventual results of one of America's great composers.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
We have long thought of Gershwin as the guy who put his own stamp on a particular kind of popular, jazz-influenced music - and he did. But this show is out to clarify the relationships and make the point that Gershwin was, above all else, influenced by his own Jewish music and culture and, at its heart, even Summertime from Porgy and Bess owes more to cantorial singing than jazz or gospel. He may be holding hands with jazz or gospel (or ragtime or blues), but at its heart, he wrote his own style of Jewish music.Three singers - Maggie Burton as The Chazzen or Cantor, Prudence Johnson as The Chanteuse, and T. Michael Rambo as The Griot or Storyteller - make Vass's premise not just easily digestible, but deliciously so, demonstrating how Gershwin admittedly stole from anywhere and anyone, making famous someone else's musical phrases in enduring songs such as S'Wonderful and It Ain't Necessarily So.
Maggie Burton and Michael Paul Levin in "The Soul of Gerswhin"
Photo courtesy of Park Square Theatre
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Rambo, Johnson and Burton give the human and personal depth to "Gershwin." Rambo has such confidence and effortless power, never straining beyond what the score requires. His voice lands tenderly on each note of "Embraceable You." Johnson has carried Gershwin's music with her for years, and that knowledge never feels deeper than when she sings "Someone to Watch Over Me." Burton does the heavy lifting with traditional music but she gets a nice spotlight on "Summertime."The spirit of holiday, if not the substance, makes this show feel right this time of year.
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Despite the fact that the story doesn't have the depth one would expect from the title and lacks the emotional power of Gershwin's songs, it's still deeply entertaining - because of its stellar music and performances.A couple of things would improve the show. It feels short at just under two hours (including intermission) and seems stingy with Gershwin's tunes. It would have been nice to hear more of Gershwin's many standards - and also to learn a bit more about the composer - in other words, more of a good thing would have been great.
Have you seen "The Soul of Gerswhin?" If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for Cinderella at the Ordway
Posted at 10:31 AM on December 20, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Music, Theater
"Cinderella" runs through January 1 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. While the fairy tale is not your typical holiday fare, it does have lots of magic and a certain element of "good girl wins big" which seems to mesh well with the hopes of children for big gifts under the tree. And critics agree, if you have a wannabe princess in your life, this is the show for her.
The cast of Cinderella at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Two things stood out right off the bat in Nick DeGruccio's splashy production of "Cinderella," which opened over the weekend at St Paul's Ordway Center. First, Cinderella, played by Jessica Fredrickson, doesn't seem all that oppressed by her stepmom and two stepsisters. True, she gets bossed around a bit, being told to fetch this and clean that....Second, the fairy godmother (Tonia Hughes) who arrives in a flurry of magic to narrate the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical version of the fairy tale, doesn't fit the usual profile. She is sassy and African-American.
Yet when Fredrickson and Hughes sing, you see the wisdom of director DeGruccio's casting choices.
Jessica Fredrickson as Cinderella and Tonia Hughes as the Fairy Godmother
Photo by Ryan Jones
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Even the youngest in the audience understood that all Cinderella had to do was listen to her Fairy Godmother, played with humor and style by Tonia Hughes, and believe in herself to find her way out of her predicament. Fredrickson is delightfully natural in the role, with a powerhouse voice that seems to just float out of her. We are equally charmed by her prince (Jeremiah James), whose Sweetest Sounds is sweet indeed, with just the right mix of naiveté and determination.The King and Queen (Gary Briggle and Wendy Lehr) delight as the loving parents in Boys and Girls Like You and Me. They are the parents every child would love to have.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
At the end of the day, there are really only two questions that audiences are likely to ask of a production of "Cinderella": Those over 40 will wonder if the show will rekindle their fond memories of the TV version that aired each holiday in their childhoods. And parents will want to know if their young daughters can dress up in their sequined dresses and tiaras and have a good time. The answers are yes and yes. Though the execution isn't always perfect, the material is winning and the delivery is affectionate.
Have you seen Cinderella? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
(2 Comments)The reviews are in for 'Les Miserables' at The Orpheum
Posted at 2:20 PM on December 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The Orpheum celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Broadway hit "Les Miserables" with a revamping of the production. In local press the show has garnered one rave review and two solidly mixed reviews. But the observation I found the most interesting had nothing to do with the artistic merits of the production. William Randall Beard ended his review with this comment:
I adore Les Misérables, but it encompasses an uncomfortable contradiction. It's a story that advocates radical social change, but plays to audiences able to afford tickets over $100. I wonder if in all the music and theatrics, the true revolutionary message isn't obscured or lost.
Interesting question - what do you think?
Ethics aside, here's what the critics thought of the reworked show:
"Les Miserables"
Photo by Deen van Meer
From William Randall Beard at MSP Magazine:
The spectacle is intact, and even enhanced by the cunning use of projections inspired by Hugo's paintings, but the production takes the story very seriously. Amidst all the pageantry, it captures the heart of Hugo's novel, which is a story of Christian redemption. This is a serious take on God and the nature of salvation, and the production embraces it in deeply personal and emotional ways.
If only the performances had been directed with the same finesse as the production. There is a lack of subtlety across the board. Try as he might, J. Mark McVey could not fully realize the character of Valjean. His voice did not encompass the full range of the role, but even worse, his performance was so stagey and mannered that it was off-putting. He also lacked the kind of charisma the character needs to command the stage.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
...what remains is what has been the glory of the show to its legions of fans - its sweeping, unapologetic and...yes...baldly manipulative plea to the heartstrings and the sense of justice and right. As my 15-year-old theater-going companion opined after one of the show's many stirring, orchestra-swelling and vocal-chord-melting anthems - "a little melodramatic, isn't it?"This new staging of "Les Miserables" is neither a revolution nor a revelation. But, solidly built and well-executed, it is at least a breath of fresh air.
Andrew Varela as Javert
Photo by Deen van Meer
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
If you are not already a devotee of the musical composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer, this robust new version by director James Powell and Laurence Connor should make you one. The re-orchestrated music is delivered with clarity and verve thanks to conductor Robert Billig. (It sometimes is a bit loud as well.) The story, which orbits themes of justice and redemption, idealism and death, and, of course, love, is much more cleanly told.... The best part of this production is the cast.
"Les Miserables" runs through December 18 at The Orpheum in Minneapolis.
(2 Comments)The reviews are in for In the Heart of the Beast's 'Winter Dreams'
Posted at 3:50 PM on December 13, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
As we all prepare for the holidays, and the post-revelry hibernation, we might take a lesson or two from the animals who must make it through winter without the help of a furnace, hot coffee, and Netflix.
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre presents "Winter Dreams," the story of a wolf cub trying to find his way home as the forest gets colder and quieter.
These three reviewers find the otherworldly puppets and nature-based theme the perfect antidote to the holiday hustle, and the chill of Minnesota winter.
"Winter Dreams" runs through Dec 30 at In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
Photo by Bruce Silcox
From Lydia Howell at TC Daily Planet
After the holiday "door-buster" sales insanity, In The Heart of the Beast Puppet And Mask Theatre re-connects us to something priceless with its production of Winter Dreams. Transcending all religious traditions, this magical performance reunites us to the deeper rhythms of our natural world... Winter Dreams reveals that paper mache, fabric and wood, imbued with imagination, can make all but the most cynical see our planet with new eyes.
From Christina Ham at HowWasTheShow.com:
Winter Dreams examines the hibernation habits of native Minnesota animals utilizing live music provided by Sean Egan and Jim Parker that underscores these well-drawn scenes and a wide array of puppetry styles. This magical look at the behind-the-scenes of this winter wonderland has at the heart of its story a wolf cub that becomes separated from its pack and wanders through this treacherous terrain encountering the magical creatures that inhabit this world (the jack rabbit, the bear and a hilarious trio of squirrels who provide the comic relief) in the midst of Mother Nature's lush white landscape as he tries to make his way back home. What this piece does really well is capture not just the beauty of winter, but also the treachery, isolation, and sustenance that it provides.
Winter Dreams
Photo by Bruce Silcox
From Sophie Kerman at Aisle Say Twin Cities:
The pure imaginative energy of this production enchants adults and children alike, offering definite proof that kids don't need flashy colors or cutesy voices to be entertained, and that grown-ups too can be entranced by the natural world... Like the animals on stage, we all start to shut down during the winter, dreaming of Florida and waiting for the distant rays of spring sunshine. But with giant puppets to charm you, make you laugh, and warm your spirits, Minnesota winter really doesn't seem so bad after all.
Have you seen "Winter Dreams?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
Popular culture: stuck on repeat
Posted at 9:56 AM on December 9, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Culture
In the January 2012 issue of Vanity Fair, Kurt Anderson (host of public radio's Studio 360) writes that popular culture is stuck on repeat, and that we really haven't changed much at all in the last 20 years.
...try to spot the big, obvious, defining differences between 2012 and 1992. Movies and literature and music have never changed less over a 20-year period. Lady Gaga has replaced Madonna, Adele has replaced Mariah Carey--both distinctions without a real difference--and Jay-Z and Wilco are still Jay-Z and Wilco. Except for certain details (no Google searches, no e-mail, no cell phones), ambitious fiction from 20 years ago (Doug Coupland's Generation X, Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, Martin Amis's Time's Arrow) is in no way dated, and the sensibility and style of Joan Didion's books from even 20 years before that seem plausibly circa-2012.
Anderson blames this cultural plateau to the overwhelming changes in technology:
In some large measure, I think, it's an unconscious collective reaction to all the profound nonstop newness we're experiencing on the tech and geopolitical and economic fronts. People have a limited capacity to embrace flux and strangeness and dissatisfaction, and right now we're maxed out. So as the Web and artificially intelligent smartphones and the rise of China and 9/11 and the winners-take-all American economy and the Great Recession disrupt and transform our lives and hopes and dreams, we are clinging as never before to the familiar in matters of style and culture.
What do you think? Is there nothing new in the world? Is this just a swing of the pendulum, or this there something more substantial at work?
The reviews are in for Guthrie Theater's "Charley's Aunt"
Posted at 9:00 AM on December 7, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
In Guthrie Theater's "Charley's Aunt" - which runs through January 15 - it appears the set has upstaged the actors.
While the reviews are decidedly critical of this farce, most reviewers took a moment to acknowledge the set - by John Coyne - which on at least one night inspired applause from the audience.
Check out these excerpts of reviews, or click on the links to read them in their entirety:
(Clockwise from Top Left) Matthew Amendt (Jack Chesney), Ben Mandelbaum (Charles Wykeham), Valeri Mudek (Kitty Verdun), John Skelley (Lord Fancourt Babberley) and Ashley Rose Montondo (Amy Spettigue) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Charley's Aunt
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
There is nothing droll or subtle or witty about the Guthrie Theater's staging of "Charley's Aunt," which opened Friday.With a goose from director John Miller-Stephany, this farce rollicks with the broadest of music hall vaudeville. Rest easy, Benny Hill, your spirit is still alive here, taking cream pies in the face.
...If you are willing to trust the script, "Charley's Aunt" can be a delightful misadventure. This production? Well, if you like your humor overbaked with a pratfall on the side, it's gold.
John Skelley (Lord Fancourt Babberley) and Colin McPhillamy (Stephen Spettigue) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Charley's Aunt
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Playwright Brandon Thomas has thrown in plenty of impossible coincidences to goose the absurdity and humor of this classic romantic farce, and director John Miller-Stephany has given the actors plenty of fun sight gags and comic business to keep the laughs flowing, despite the predictability of the plot. Of course, you know from the beginning that this tangled mess of romances gone wrong will somehow get straightened out and everyone will have an implausibly happy ending.
Ashley Rose Montondo (Amy Spettigue), John Skelley (Lord Fancourt Babberley) and Valeri Mudek (Kitty Verdun) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Charley's Aunt
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
From Anna Rosenweig at AisleSayTwinCities:
Despite the absolute delight that is [John] Skelley's performance, the rest of the show doesn't quite land. Of course, Babbs' performance is the center of the farce, and it makes sense that the high-points revolve around him/her. It's understandable that the other characters play straight men and women to his comic performance. Still, it's too bad that these other characters don't feel fully realized, and that the show never quite gets on track enough to run off the rails. Much of the staging that doesn't involve Babbs/Donna Lucia comes across as tired and stilted, as if the show is going through the motions of being a farce without actually being one. But for those seeking a good laugh "Charley's Aunt" is worth seeing, if only for Skelley's charming embodiment of an Oxford boy playing a bewildering old woman.
John Skelley (Lord Fancourt Babberley), Matthew Amendt (Jack Chesney) and Ben Mandelbaum (Charles Wykeham) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Charley's Aunt
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Like most old farces, Charley's Aunt depends greatly on past-tense material - the winding up of the plot rubber-band. But when the band is released, the piece suffers from repetitive one-joke circularity. "I'm from Brazil, where the nuts come from," comes up a half dozen times. All this makes the play long. In 1890, Lord Babberley's cross-dressing must have been naughty and thrilling, but nowadays it feels silly.
Did you see "Charley's Aunt?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Guthrie's "A Christmas Carol"
Posted at 2:56 PM on November 29, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The annual holiday classic is back. "A Christmas Carol" opened this past weekend at the Guthrie Theater, this time featuring Twin Cities actor J.C. Cutler in the starring role of Scrooge.
According to local critics, this show features more comedy than in past years. And while most recommend the play, some feel this year's rendition is a bit over-stuffed.
J.C. Cutler is Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol"
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Is "A Christmas Carol" becoming a Christmas comedy?It sometimes looked that way at Wednesday's opening at the Guthrie Theater, the second year that Joe Dowling has applied his light touch to the classic. In his laughter-maximizing, pyrotechnic pastiche of styles, Dowling has amplified the humor in Crispin Whittell's witty adaptation from the novella by Charles Dickens.
...the music-infused production, which nods to Victor Hugo and Gilbert and Sullivan, is funnier, broader and more emotionally varied than in years past.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
[J.C.] Cutler delivers a lovely and understated performance, with none of over-the-top bluster that one so often sees with this character. This pays off big-time when Scrooge visits his past. This Scrooge is vividly confused and lonely, in his famous nightcap, in sharp contrast to the insensitive and greedy persona we get in the beginning. Cutler gives A Christmas Carol emotional depth - and makes the glitzy (and, all right, yes, occasionally over-the-top) production work.
J.C. Cutler (Ebenezer Scrooge) and Bob Davis (Jacob Marley) in the Guthrie Theater's production of "A Christmas Carol"
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
At two hours and 20 minutes, this "Christmas Carol" - like most Guthrie tellings of the tale - could profit from a couple more go-throughs with an editor's sharp pencil. On balance, though, this new effort is a robust, worthwhile telling, one familiar enough to please traditionalists and different enough for those looking for a new shine on a familiar tale.
From Christopher Kehoe at TC Daily Planet:
If you see A Christmas Carol, you'll have a memorable, if not delightful, time (especially true for anyone under the age of 12). But you may tramp back out into the snow not feeling as full as you were hoping; it's storytelling that plays out more like connect-the-dots than bonafide journey. It's as if the opportunity to tell something of a better story was missed and, like figgy pudding, you may not be exactly sure what that something was.
Have you seen this year's version of A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for Zenon Dance at the Cowles Center
Posted at 8:51 AM on November 22, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Dance
Zenon Dance Company's performance at the new Cowles Center drew three raves. While many dance concerts only run one weekend, this one continues November 25-27. Interested in seeing the show? Check out excerpts of the reviews below, or click on the links to read them in full.
Zenon Dance Company performs STORM at The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Caroline Palmer at the Star Tribune:
The members of Zenon Dance Company have proven their versatility time and again, but the 29-year-old troupe's season at the Cowles Center may be one of their most diverse and enjoyable yet. The program is filled with everything from fearless modern dance to cocktail-hour panache.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
...this weekend's program of four dances by one of the theater's core tenants was well worth the wait.On Saturday night, the dancers of Zenon presented an ideal showcase for their versatility, energy and sense of adventure. Launching the company's Cowles tenure with two new works, another nearly as fresh, and a jazzy staple from its past, the troupe showed why it's thrived through years of change on the local dance scene: It can be showy and circumspect, thought-provoking and pulse-quickening. As adept at intensity as it is at celebrating the pure joy of dance.
From Sheila Regan at City Pages:
The opening weekend included the premiere of two pieces by Daniel Charon and Mariusz Olszewski, as well as Morgan Thorson's fabulous "Deluxe Edition" from 2010 and Danny Buraczeski's fun "Swing Concerto" from 1993. While each of the choreographers showed off their unique style, they all espoused a sense of theatricality onto Zenon's athletic dancers.
Artistic Director Linda Andrews was dressed for the occasion in a sparkly red dress, calling for her gigantic martini. Indeed, the whole evening had a sense of celebration. Zenon has found its new home at the Cowles, and they intend to make their mark there.
Zenon Dance Company performs at the Cowles Center November 25 - 27. Have you seen the show? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
Graffiti: is it art or is it vandalism?
Posted at 11:14 AM on November 18, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Street Art
My colleague Euan Kerr's story today on street artist "HOTTEA" has inspired Today's Question.
Namely: When is street art art, and when is it vandalism?
The question has already drawn quite a few responses, with many agreeing that if the artist didn't get permission to create the work of art on someone else's property, then it's vandalism, no matter how good it is.
However, one commenter named Brian, thinks it's more complicated than that:
"Vandalism" is a legal term, and "art" is not, so the two are not mutually exclusive. I can appreciate the artistic merit of something, while also condemning its creation as an act of vandalism.
Certainly our view of graffiti changes depending on the context and time. Ancient graffiti in Rome (carved into buildings - imagine trying to clean that up) included curses, magic spells and declarations of love as well as political rhetoric. Now those markings leave important clues for historians and anthropologists.
In the case of HOTTEA, he switched from spraypaint to yarn to create a work that doesn't last much more than a couple of weeks before breaking down.
HOTTEA - a.k.a. Eric Rieger - says he got tasered four or five times as a graffiti artist before he switched from spray paint to yarn.
MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel
Banksy, a graffiti artist in England, has become so wildly popular that many building owners choose to leave his stenciled works up as an attraction.
Stencil graffiti by Banksy
Photo Adrian Pingstone, Wikimedia Commons
One of Banksy's pieces reads "If graffiti changed anything it would be illegal."
Sao Paulo, Brazil is generally considered to be home to one of the richest graffiti scenes in the world.
In an article for Time Out New York, Terrance Lindall, executive director of the Williamsburg Art and Historic Center said graffiti is a necessary means of expression for the poor and oppressed.
Graffiti is revolutionary, in my opinion and any revolution might be considered a crime. People who are oppressed or suppressed need an outlet, so they write on walls--it's free.
So what do you think? How do you differentiate between art and vandalism? And, how do you tell the difference between graffiti that's art, and graffiti that's simply writing on a wall?
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for CTC's 'The Wizard of Oz'
Posted at 10:17 AM on November 15, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The Wizard of Oz is one of those indelible stories that most of us can recount by heart. And in the case of the Children's Theatre Company's latest production, they've decided not to mess with perfection.
This show stays true to the original source material, and critics think that's just fine.
Scroll down to read excerpts of reviews; click on the links to read them in full.
Maeve Moynihan, Max Wojtanowicz and Dean Holt in The Wizard Of Oz
Photo by Dan Norman
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
...this Oz works, and works well. Everyone gasped when Miss Gulch kidnaped brave Toto; adored the dancing quartet (Dorothy with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion); hissed at the Wicked Witch (that long green nose!); jumped when the booming voice of Oz filled the theater. At the end of the show I heard moist weeping and felt rapt attention. The latter is specially meaningful, as this play is on the long side for children's theater. The audience was entranced.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Iconic images spill forth as is from a dream: a tornado sends a cow flying over the plains, Dorothy and her companions dance down the yellow brick road, and Glinda (Janet Hanson) and the Wicked Witch (Jennifer Blagen) arrive eye-poppingly.But "Oz" is much more than a live version of the film. The cast transports us to a world of mystery and color. Moynihan shows that she fits Dorothy's ruby slippers, investing the Kansas girl caught up in a tornado with sweet innocence. When she sings the standard, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," she shows her dreamy heart.
The Wizard of Oz at Children's Theatre Company
Photo by Dan Norman
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
This production's somewhat lower wattage allows for clearer storytelling, even if that clarity comes at the expense of some draggy moments, particularly after intermission.Maeve Coleen Moynihan - who made her CTC debut as a munchkin in the theater's 2002 "Oz" - caps her youth-performer career at the theater by playing Dorothy, and she finds some interesting edges to the role. With her round face and big eyes, she looks every bit the innocent, but she's not afraid to let Dorothy's bratty, petulant side bleed through a little.
From Lauren Peck at Metro Magazine:
Full of humor and heart, this long-running show tells the familiar tale of a girl who suddenly finds herself in the colorful world of Oz. And although it is ostensibly for children, its strong effects and cast - wonderful down to the last munchkin - make it capable of entertaining all ages....Overall, The Wizard of Oz is a great, family-friendly production that anyone - the young and the young-at-heart - can enjoy this holiday season. Just like Dorothy, you'll be sure to take a little magic home with you.
The Wizard of Oz runs through January 8 at the Children's Theatre Company.
Have you seen The Wizard of Oz at CTC? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Frank Theatre's 'Ajax in Iraq'
Posted at 8:31 AM on November 9, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Ajax in Iraq, by Ellen McLaughlin, weaves together Sophocles' classic play AJAX and stories from today's newspaper. Parallel narratives follow Ajax, a Greek warrior, and A.J., a contemporary female soldier on duty in Iraq, both of whom are undone by the betrayal of a commanding officer.
The show, produced by Frank Theatre, runs through November 27 at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis.
Reviewers seem to agree that - just like war - this show is messy and brutal.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
There are no minor characters in this play, everyone stepping forward at some point to deliver a speech that may stop you in your tracks, but always advances the story.Some may feel a bit bludgeoned by the many variations on "What are we doing here?" asked by the soldiers, but rarely does a play give you so much to chew on in such a short amount of time. It says something about the deft touch of director Wendy Knox and her talented cast that this rewarding production never pushes you into overload.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Ajax In Iraq sprawls. Frank Theatre describes the piece as a "mash-up" and it is that for sure. ...The soldiers often serve as chorus, in both the modern and Greek stories. Characters often speak directly to the audience. The play has a savage, almost insane momentum (kudos here to Knox).Does all this work? Well, yes, very often. I was blown away, for example, by the angry, choreographed, wordless choric dance of the soldiers. The play's climax, in which the contemporary and Greek stories twirl together, is heartbreaking.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
That director Knox's staging of MacLaughlin's poetic mashup of mythical Greece and contemporary Iraq is a mixed bag is almost beside the point. That the acting company has a few strong performers? Eh. That there is a nice symmetry of the chorus of soldiers switching between ancient times and today is nice.That indelible scene [in which a sergeant rapes a soldier] , in which the word "dismissed" flies like a dagger, makes this gritty, unsparingly directed show, well worth seeing...this "Ajax in Iraq" is bluntly affecting.
From Sophie Kerman and Anna Rosenweig at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
There are times... that both McLoughlin and Knox let the play get away from them. The connection between Ajax and A.J. feels underutilized; for the number of difficult questions that could have been asked - for instance, who is the Athena of the Iraq war? - very few of them actually were. There is also a strangely exhibitionistic baring of souls that at times feels too self-critical to be plausible for the character and the situation. Similarly, some events - including a staged rape scene - seem to be aimed more at fanning the flames of the audience's outrage than with communicating new ideas.
Ajax in Iraq is like a stomach punch--a messy, disturbing merging of the ancient tale of Ajax going mad on the beaches of Troy and similar events playing out amid the sand of modern-day Iraq. It's not a pretty or always cohesive piece, but the overall effect is gut-wrenching....At times the script seems to have trouble finding its focus, taking side trips such as introducing Gertrude Bell, the British writer and political administrator who drew up the borders of modern-day Iraq. In the end, these issues don't matter, as the performances--especially Katie Guentzel as A.J.--strip away the distractions and leave us with a heartbreaking tale.
Have you seen Ajax in Iraq? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Ten Thousand Things' 'Il Campiello'
Posted at 10:23 AM on November 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Ten Thousand Things theater company is known for producing classic theater to underserved audiences. It regularly performs Shakespeare to prisoners, Greek tragedies to the homeless, and musicals for rehab patients.
Now the company has taken on Italian comedy, with it's production of Il Campiello. Adapted by local talent Stephen Epp, the show is infused with physical comedy. For three of our four reviewers, the show shines - for one reviewer, the show shines a bit too much.
Scroll down to read excerpts of reviews, and click on the links to read them in full.
Elise Langer, Kimberly Richardson, Sarah Agnew and Karen Wiese-Thompson in "Il Campiello"
Photo: Paula Keller
Ten Thousand Things Theater continues its remarkable run with Il Campiello, Steven Epp's adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's 18th-century comedy about the earthy denizens of a lower-class corner of Venice. A spot-on cast teams with director Michelle Hensley to produce a show that is at turns ribald, warm, and sad--just like real life.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
"Campiello" is 90 wild minutes of theater in which nine actors take a full run at trying to top each other. Amid the controlled chaos are comic solo turns, juvenile putdowns and just enough love to create a celebration of humanity.Hensley produces the best Shakespeare in town, she breaks down musicals to their spiritual core, and now we can add commedia to the list of reasons that make Ten Thousand Things an essential -- not an optional -- theater habit.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
These characterizations come from the archetypes of commedia, but the respective strength of these performances and others gives the production an uneven sense of velocity. It's not that these performers are trying to steal the spotlight; it's more like there just isn't enough spotlight to go around.So while the show entertains, the herky-jerky energy of "Il Campiello" prevents the audience from giving itself completely to this gossamer tale.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Epp's script, written in his distinctive voice, has the sound of children at spontaneous play. While it's engaging in the moment, it's also a bit like following the "plot" acted out by kids playing in the backyard: quick interactions strung together on a simple premise, such as "let's play house," or "let's play wedding."...Of course there is a wedding--two, in fact--and a good bit of drinking to celebrate. That just makes for more rowdy, noisy fun. So, in the language of the play, "Don't be a poop-turd." Join in!
Have you seen "Il Campiello?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Guthrie's 'The Edge of Our Bodies'
Posted at 11:38 AM on November 1, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The Edge of our Bodies runs through November 20 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. The theater describes the show this way:
"It's a bitter winter night when 16-year-old Bernadette, an aspiring short story writer, boards a train to New York City carrying her notebook and important news for her boyfriend. What follows is a searing and poetic coming-of-age story as Bernadette intimately shares her encounters along the way and the devastating result of her visit, a journey punctuated by both a need to be heard and an aching desire to disappear."
Ali Rose Dachis stars in "The Edge of Our Bodies" at the Guthrie Theater
Photo: Heidi Bohnenkamp
While many critics applaud the performance of Ali Rose Dachis, others find fault with the play as a whole. Read the review excerpts below; click on the links to read the full reviews.
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
What distinguishes playwright Adam Rapp's accessible, dryly humorous script from the average coming-of-age tale is its meta-theatrical formal structure: for almost the entire play, Bernie (Ali Rose Dachis) is the only character on stage. She's telling a story, seemingly about herself, but we learn that she's an aspiring fiction writer, so the story may not be entirely true...
...Though the script does a lot of huffing and puffing to blow down all the usual houses, the Guthrie production is well-served by Dachis's focused, often riveting performance and by Benjamin McGovern's dextrous direction.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
According to the program, Rapp based this talking jag on stage on conversations with a female friend who used to tell him about how alone she used to feel riding the train to her own prep school. Evidently, Rapp never pressed this friend with some fundamental questions, including the one I was burning to ask Bernadette - the play's central character - throughout the evening: "Listen, you snotty, spoiled, self-involved, think-you've-got-problems little brat: Could you possibly take five seconds of your precious, privileged little life to get over yourself?"
...Sometimes, "The Edge of Our Bodies" is maddening in its myopia. Other times, it's dreary in its smallness of vision. Occasionally, it makes you laugh. But mostly, it leaves you fatigued and - if young Bernadette is a sign of things to come - a little depressed for the future.
Photo: Heidi Bohnenkamp
Rapp has crafted a complex, breathing creation that is, in turn, fully inhabited by Dachis. Alone onstage except for one, short scene, Dachis takes all of the audience's focus and uses it as additional fuel for her performance. Though Bernadette is often low-key -- perhaps unsure of the conflicting emotions bubbling beneath the surface -- Dachis brings out the pain and confusion so central to the little lost girl.
In the end, it's this performance that makes The Edge of Our Bodies worth our time. On the page, Bernadette may have come off as absolutely self-absorbed, not seeing the reality that all of the other characters face, but the performance gives it nuance beyond just the written word. Which, in the end, is one of the reasons why we go to the theater.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Rapp's writing is lovely. Bernadette's jottings would never fly as prose fiction, but they masterfully create an intelligent, poised, frightened young woman. The Catcher In The Rye influence is obvious, but Bernadette lacks Holden Caulfield's bitterness and fake-maturity; she really is mature and much more compelling as a result.
But. I have a reviewer's obligation to point out that The Edge Of Our Bodies is, essentially, a one-hander. The action is mostly past tense - we hear about Bernadette's journey, her encounters. There is some present tense action, as Bernadette struggles to maintain her composure, but this doesn't, in my opinion, sustain the whole play. Why, I kept wondering, aren't we seeing the wonderful scenes with Wayne, with Marc, et al? I felt frustrated.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
"Edge" has a straightforward, simile-laden elegance that will delight lovers of language, even as its character's mature mastery of language, literature and craft sometimes strains credulity. What 16-year-old, no matter how precocious, writes and speaks like this?Bernadette (Dachis) wants to be a writer and an actor. She is on her way to New York, where she plans a surprise visit with her 19-year-old boyfriend. She has sobering news.
We know this, and most everything else, because Bernadette tells us so, often reading from her diary. Playwright Rapp has given us a coming-of-age story ripped from the pages of the New Yorker. "Edge" feels inspired, stylistically and in subject matter, by the likes of John Cheever and John Updike.
Have you seen The Edge of Our Bodies?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for 'Four Destinies'
Posted at 10:38 AM on October 21, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
How does the experience of adoption change based on the culture of the adoptee? Which has more power - Nature, or Nurture? These questions are at the heart of Mu Performing Arts' latest production, Four Destinies, which runs through October 30 at Mixed Blood Theatre.
Playwright Katie Hae Leo inserts herself as narrator of the play as she wrestles with her hypothetical characters: four "Destinys," adoptees from four different cultures, raised by the same parents.
Read on for excerpts of reviews by the local media; click on the links to read them in their entirety:
Sara Ochs, LaDawn James, Katie Bradley, Nora Montanez, Neil Schneider in Four Destinies produced by Mu Performing Arts at the Mixed Blood Theatre
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
In Act 1, Leo creates the Destinys, four grown-up adoptees, celebrating Gotcha Day with their well-meaning but dorky parents. The first Destiny is Korean, the next is African-American, then Guatemalan; these are all female. The final Destiny is a white American man. Midway through the act, narrator Leo announces that these "characters have gotten away from me." Frankly, I didn't believe her. The firm hand of the playwright was all too apparent as the same scene, with variations, is played and replayed, 4 times. Moreover (and as an adoptive parent myself, this bothered me a lot), I found the parents shallow, vehicles for cheap comic effect. During the intermission, I was, I will admit, a restive play-goer.
Ah, but then Act 2 happened, and it's wonderful. Leo puts her characters through their paces - and narrator Katie Leo as well. They do unpredictable and surprising things. They make significant human connections. They become multi-dimensional. They grow, make meaningful discoveries. In the second act the characters really do get away from their author and result is sublime. When narrator Leo tells us "Truth is a painted toy," we know precisely what she's talking about. When the play ended, I was seduced.
Don Eitel, Maria Kelly, Sara Ochs, Katie Bradley, Shanan Custer in Four Destinies produced by Mu Performing Arts at the Mixed Blood Theatre
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
The major flaw of the play, which has an unnecessary coda by the playwright character, is structural: The parents are unchanging in the first act, no matter the situation or the adoptee. Same party, same neighbors, same story. That may be true, but it grows a little tiresome.
"Four Destinies" takes off in the second act, when each Destiny, after long years of wondering about his or her personal history, finds out some important information. These scenes show that such knowledge can be tricky, leading to unexpected reflection in the heart and soul.
Shanan Custer, Neil Schneider in Four Destinies produced by Mu Performing Arts at the Mixed Blood Theatre
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Sophie Kerman at AisleSayTwinCities.com:
As a viewing experience, the script's rough patches hardly detract from this funny, colorful and tender production. Director Suzy Messerole has found all the awkward humor in adoption, cross-cultural miscommunication, and growing up. With the help of Mina Kinukawa's pleasingly retro set and some well-placed video projections by Joshua Iley, the four Destinies inhabit a vivid world that is only idealistic on its glossy exterior. In a community with so many adopted children of so many different backgrounds, Leo's play provides an important look into the particular issues surrounding adoption - both for parents hoping to help, and for children making sense of their mysterious DNA.
Katie Bradley, Sara Ochs, Don Eitel in Four Destinies produced by Mu Performing Arts at the Mixed Blood Theatre
Photo by Michal Daniel
Have you seen Four Destinies? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
(2 Comments)The reviews are in for 'The K of D' at Illusion Theater
Posted at 4:16 PM on October 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
At the heart of theater is storytelling. And in the case of "The K of D" at Illusion Theater in Minneapolis, theater wears its heart on its sleeve.
"The K of D" stands for "the kiss of death," a power the neighborhood kids believe has been bestowed upon young Charlotte after the death of her brother.
The 90 minute play features one woman, a skateboard, and a simple set, but critics say "The K of D" manages to transport audiences to a small Ohio town with crisp clarity.
Read the excerpts from local reviews below; click on the links to read them in their entirety:
Renata Friedman in The K of D at Illusion Theater in Minneapolis
Photo by Chris Bennion
The one-woman show takes the audience on a dizzying, Stephen-King-like tour of a small Ohio town and the strange events that surround a man-made lake one summer.
Writer Laura Schellhardt has a real ear for the everyday details of run-down, small-town life, and that comes out in every corner of the production....The Stephen King vibe goes beyond the subject matter. Many of King's best works turn on the actions of youth as they live below the view of the adults. In K of D, these kids spread stories, "investigate" the goings on, and even hatch a rather lame-brained plan to get back at their neighborhood's main antagonist.
Renata Friedman in The K of D at Illusion Theater in Minneapolis
Photo by Chris Bennion
From Sheila Regan at TC Jewfolk:
The main character, Charlotte, never speaks, after the death of her brother. It's an interesting choice on the part of Chicago Playwright Laura Schellhardt to not allow the central character to have a chance to share her story- even if it were just her thoughts. All we know of Charlotte is what the narrator tells us, and in Friedman's physical realization of her character, which is very good. Still, it would have been nice to get inside a little bit more in her head, somehow. Indeed, because there is such a fast switching from character to character, there's not much of a chance to identify with any of the characters.
Renata Friedman in The K of D at Illusion Theater in Minneapolis
Photo by Chris Bennion
From Sophie Kerman at Aisle Say Twin Cities:
With Charlotte serving as the mute center, "The K of D" tells us just as much about the act of storytelling as about the legend itself. Both Abraham and Friedman have been inspired to revisit this play again and again, perhaps because - despite the play's apparent simplicity - there seem to be an endless number of layers to peel away. Where is the line between imagination and wishful thinking? voyeurism and curiosity? chilling violence and fitting revenge? This gripping story emerges at just that mysterious moment when the appetite to know turns into the need to create. It may be easy to be a skeptic - but "The K of D" fills our deepest, darkest desire to believe.
Renata Friedman in The K of D at Illusion Theater in Minneapolis
Photo by Chris Bennion
From Christina Ham at HowWasTheShow.com:
Ms. Schellhardt's tale of modern folklore seems to run short on sufficient suspense and pacing, and instead the script seems to emphasize poetic language and ambience. In a genre that relies heavily on elements of anticipation, dread, and uncertainty, The K of D falls short of its payoff.What does not fall short is the beautifully realized production by director Braden Abraham and his terrific design team that make this play run like an efficient machine. Matt Starritt creates a lush soundscape that characterizes St. Marys: the wind stirring through the tall grass, the song of the crickets, and the beating of heron wings are just a few takeaways from his aural landscape. The single set design by Mr. Abraham and L.B. Morse, and the stellar lighting by Robert Aguilar conjure the summer evenings of this sleepy town. Bolstered by Mr. Abraham's production and Ms. Friedman's performance they make The K of D's peek at spooked small-town culture worth the visit during this Halloween season.
Renata Friedman in The K of D at Illusion Theater in Minneapolis
Photo by Chris Bennion
From Lisa Brock at the Star Tribune:
In a tour-de-force performance, actor Renata Friedman takes on more than a dozen different roles to tell the story of the consequences of this fateful kiss. She displays a chameleon-like command of voice and body language as she conjures the gang of kids who are Charlotte's friends. There's the blustering, posturing Quisp Drucker, self-styled leader of the group; mature-beyond-her-years Becky Ray Von, who smokes a bubble-gum cigarette with the panache of a Hollywood vamp; the earnest and ultimately noble Trent Hoffman; the dizzily empty-headed Steffi Post, and the silent, withdrawn Charlotte who's at the center of this story.
"The K of D" is stunning in its simplicity. With only one prop -- a skateboard -- Friedman re-creates a time and place and the small world of individuals that inhabit it out of little more than her own versatile performance.
"The K of D" runs through October 22 at Illusion Theater. Have you seen the show? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Theater Latte Da's Spelling Bee
Posted at 9:15 AM on October 12, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
We have a lot of great shows out there this week Penumbra's Two Trains Running, Guthrie's The Burial at Thebes, and now Theater Latte Da's Spelling Bee all earning rave reviews.
Theater Latte Da's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs through October 30 at the McKnight Theatre at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. These reviewers agree that while this might not be a deep, character-driven musical, it is a whole lot of fun.
The contestants of Theater Latte Da's "Spelling Bee"
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
You don't have to grade on a curve to give Theater Latte Da's production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" an "A."The production - rechristened "The 25th Annual Seven-County Metro Area Spelling Bee" for its month-long run at the Ordway Center's McKnight Theatre - bounces along with snappy fun, a score that is tuneful and original-sounding and a well-woven set of performances that capture both the humor and the heartbreak of being a square-peg person in a round-hole world.
Mary Fox as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Theater Latté Da has reclaimed the wit of this musical, written by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin, in the intimate McKnight Theatre at the Ordway Center. The production, directed and choreographed by Peter Rothstein and Michael Matthew Ferrell, reveals the endearing vulnerabilities of teenagers whose mettle is tested under the hot glare of competition. We dare not laugh at Schwarty's lisp, or Olive's mousy self-image, because they want to win so badly and how can you laugh at kids doing their level best?This does not mean the six competitors and the three adults who proctor the bee are not funny. But this humor resists the hollow amusement of vaudevillian pretense and touches the heart.
Cat Brindisi and Joseph R. Pyfferoen In Theater Latté Da's production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
...[Composer William] Finn and [writer Rachel] Sheinkin fail to explore these characters in a truly satisfying way. Too often they fall back on camp and shallow comic effect. As a result we don't care enough about the triumphs of the characters and we don't really invest in the contest. The play certainly amuses - indeed, it'll have you laughing constantly - but in the end it doesn't compel.The actors delight. The danger with a show like this is that the performances can become campy and ungrounded, ends in themselves, and it is greatly to the credit of directors Peter Rothstein and Michael Matthew Ferrell (the show, oddly, credits two) that they are able to reign the cast in and keep the show focused and crisply paced.
Have you seen "Spelling Bee?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Guthrie Theater's The Burial at Thebes
Posted at 3:59 PM on October 11, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Did these critics see the same play?
Guthrie Theater's production of The Burial at Thebes has drawn two distinct reactions - either rave reviews, or a "it just doesn't sit right."
The play is a reworking of Sophocles' Antigone, and was written by Nobel prize winning poet Seamus Heaney.
Check out the excerpts of reviews below, or click on the links to read them in their entirety.
The chorus in The Burial at Thebes
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Tad Simons at Mpls-St.Paul magazine:
One of the many triumphs in The Burial at Thebes, which opened over the weekend, is the play's uncanny ability to bridge the ancient and modern worlds. Using a version written by Irish poet Seamus Heaney, director Marcela Lorca has created a production that feels timeless. More impressive than its timelessness, however, is its timeliness. It's the right story to be telling now, because it's classically tragic and eerily relevant.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
The Guthrie Theater is presenting a fairly strong production of Heaney's take on the tale of an autocratic king's clash with his headstrong niece. But it misses opportunities to resonate as deeply it could.That might be because Heaney chooses to focus on the hubris of King Creon, who clings stubbornly to his decisions when all around him warn of grim consequences. As a result, the play sometimes seems a reprise of the boss-gone-crazy scenario that the Guthrie explored last season with Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale."
Stephen Yoakam as King Creon and Sun Mee Chomet as Antigone
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
The great Nobel Prize winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney has adapted this rich material. Heaney's writing is lean and focused, muscular and tight. He displays a seasoned playwright's instinct for poetry of the theater (as opposed to poetry - pretty language - in the theater). Indeed, there isn't a wasted (or dull) moment. Clocking in at ninety intermissionless minutes, Heaney's Burial grabs you by the throat and never lets go.
From Becki Iverson at Metro Magazine:
Does the plot remain true to Sophocles' original script? Yes. Does it retain some emotional and philosophical power despite the cast's widely ranging deliveries? Yes. Does it have a serviceable set, lovely costumes and inventive twists on the stereotypical 'coliseum' imagery so often seen when ancient plays are performed? Yes.Despite all the signs that this should have been a solid production, it just doesn't sit right. Perhaps it was the Boyz II Men-meets-Sophocles vibe that arose at most of the chorus' stanzas. Something about the Tevye shimmy and soulful beats performed with the ancient dialogues felt highly out of place.
Greta Oglesby as Tiresias
Photo by Michael Brosilow
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
From the first moment to the last, director Marcela Lorca keeps Burial at Thebes taut and compelling. Everyone involved is at the top of their games, including set designer Monica Frawley, whose mammoth catacomb may cause you to gasp before the show even starts. Much of the show rests on the shoulders of the five-man chorus, who carry it well; among the men are the venerable Richard Ooms, the commanding T. Mychael Rambo, and Robert Robinson, a local Gospel legend whose great physical bulk and angelic voice lend gravity to every moment he's onstage--which, fortunately, is almost all of the play.This is a production that gets everything right.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
"Antigone," or in this case "Thebes," calls to us from the ages with such nagging and persistent questions. Sophocles' words are not much changed, just as the liturgies of a religious service remain the same each time we visit them. The strength of Lorca's Guthrie production is how these words unlock thoughts and reactions in our own minds. However unsettling that might be.
Have you seen Burial at Thebes? If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Penumbra Theatre's 'Two Trains Running'
Posted at 1:18 PM on October 6, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Focusing on what you do best is smart business.
In the case of Penumbra Theatre that means staging the work of August Wilson.
Wilson spent twelve years living and writing in St. Paul, and Artistic Director Lou Bellamy premiered some of his plays. After Wilson's death in 2005, Penumbra Theatre committed to staging all ten of Wilson's play cycle documenting African-American life in the 20th century.
Right now they're showing "Two Trains Running," set in 1969. Bellamy has directed the show multiple times, including on the Penumbra stage in 1994 and 2003. That experience has paid off, because the show is garnering rave reviews left and right. Check out the excerpts below; click on the links to read the reviews in their entirety.
Crystal Fox as Risa in "Two Trains Running" at Penumbra Theatre Company
Photo by Ann Marsden
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
Like all of Wilson's plays, Two Trains Running defines a decade through carefully crafted and powerfully individualistic characters. Set in Pittsburg, the story revolves around Memphis, played by a dynamic and calculated James Cravin, a restaurant owner fighting to get a fair price for his building from the city. But the diner isn't just a building, and Memphis isn't just fighting for money. This is a battle to protect the one place a group of weary characters can come day after day to shield themselves from the harsh realities and bitter truths of the outside world. This is a battle for equality and Civil Rights.
...Lou Bellamy's artful, insightful direction; the gorgeous, true-to-date set design by Vicki Smith; and the intensely passionate acting immortalize the message of Two Trains Running, plucking it from 1969 and transplanting it into today: It's never too late to fight for what is right, and it's never too late to make a change.
Ahanti Young as the mentally disturbed Hambone in August Wilson's "Two Trains Running"
Photo by Ann Marsden
This is why I go to the theater...terrific material, excellent directing and vision, and some of the best acting you'll find on a Twin Cities stage. What else can you ask for?
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Lou Bellamy's staging of this August Wilson drama, with a superb acting ensemble, is transporting...Wilson wrote his dramas like jazz pieces, with characters supporting each other and taking turns to solo. The people in "Two Trains," and the actors who portray them, all have their moments in the spotlight.
James Craven as Memphis and Abdul Salaam El Razzac as Holloway in Penumbra Theatre's production of "Two Trains Running"
Photo by Ann Marsden
From Christina Ham at HowWasTheShow.com:
Deftly staged by Penumbra Theatre founder and Artistic Director Lou Bellamy with a tightly cohesive, notably affective cast, and a pitch-perfect physical production to match, Two Trains Running represents part of Penumbra Theatre's commitment to stage all ten of Mr. Wilson's plays from his 20th Century Cycle. This play soars on the savory talk that has become Mr. Wilson's signature. The magnificent storytelling not only paints a colorful portrait, but provides an in-depth study of a world veiled to those outside of it.
"Two Trains Running" at Penumbra Theatre
Photo by Ann Marsden
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
It would be easy to praise individual performances. Craven. who has appeared in all three Penumbra productions of "Trains." plays the frustrated Memphis closer to the breaking point of violence or madness than some of his predecessors. Razzac's Holloway unwinds seemingly tangential stories with captivating ease and ties them tightly into the narrative. Fox, her low heels forever clacking gratingly across Vicki Smith's set, is so numb and insulated as Risa that she might be the walking dead; making her eventual warming near the end of the play that much more aching. Heartbreaking, too, is the word for Alfred's smooth-talking Sterling - who, for all his talk, is Hamlet-like in his inaction until the final line of the play.
But the beauty of Penumbra's production lies not in the bricks of these characters, but in the mortar that joins them. Working from a foundation of familiarity, the director and cast build not just a structure, but a monument to these characters, their hopes and their travails.
Have you seen Penumbra Theatre's "Two Trains Running?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
Two Trains Running runs through October 30.
(1 Comments)Alma Adentro, Miguel Zenon's new vision for Puerto Rican standards
Posted at 2:00 PM on September 29, 2011
by David Cazares
Filed under: Criticism, Music
For the cover photo of his latest CD, the alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon picked a stirring three-decades-old image shot by New York Times writer David Gonzalez.
In the middle of a South Bronx street, a sharply dressed couple dances to a band, sharing a tender moment in Mott Haven, then a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood that many had written off.
It's not the image Zenon had in mind for Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook, an ambitious recording of popular songs. But he set his original preference for an island scene aside after seeing the black and white photo -- which has everything to do with the music he celebrates and honors.
The South Bronx photo is a frozen moment in the Puerto Rican story: graceful and fluid, the dancers' steps speak to an intensity of spirit amid frustration and struggle. Though the concrete and asphalt surroundings reflect humble circumstances, their expressions are of perseverance and pride. Survivors of hard times, they are alive, celebrating a vibrant culture that connects city streets and island soul.
That same pulse courses through Zenon's interpretations of songs by some of Puerto Rico's most important composers from the 1920s to the 1970s: Rafael Hernandez, Pedro Flores, Sylvia Rexach, Bobby Capo and Tite Curet Alonso. The album on Marsalis Music marks the saxophonist's third exploration of the island's songs, after Jibaro, an album of music from the Puerto Rican countryside released in 2004, and Esta Plena, a 2009 exploration of the percussive storytelling genre.
For his latest work, Zenon is again backed by stellar musicians from his quartet -- pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Henry Cole. Added to their exquisite playing are the rich tones of a 10-piece woodwind ensemble put together by composer Guillermo Klein, who expands the music with layers of classical turns. The stunning recording has brought continued acclaim to the highly regarded Zenon, who performed the work at the Newport Jazz Festival.
From the first notes of the Bobby Capo composition Juguete, in which the opening measures are followed by a flurry of notes, it's clear that Zenon aims to evoke the Caribbean spirit of the original melodies while also using well-structured arrangements to launch soaring -- and pensive -- explorations into jazz.
Capo's Incomprendido, played as a salsa tune by the incomparable Ismael Rivera, becomes a soothing ballad. Soft updrafts of English and French horns buffet Zenon's elegant phrasing on alto saxophone.
On the Rafael Hernandez composition Silencio, the saxophonist starts off with a repeated phrase before turning to an initial melody, itself only an introduction to a roaming and improvisational discussion by Zenon and Perdomo that eventually returns to the repeated hook.
A brilliant performer and MacArthur Foundation award winner who is clearly inspired by the island, Zenon goes beyond a mere tribute to the five composers. Avoiding nostalgia, he transforms the tunes, using just enough of them to retain their essence while taking them in new directions, varying tempo, rhythm and mood.
Employing musical stories that develop themes, create conflict and offer resolution, Zenon creates an infusing mix of Puerto Rican melody and straight-ahead jazz, sharp notes and beautiful phrasing. He mixes long and short phrases, much as a writer would.
That is particularly true on the Syvia Rexach tune Olas y Arenas (Waves and Sand), a mini-suite that showcases the saxophonist's creative and performing dexterity.
The recording's blend of formality and spontaneity, of classicism and earthiness also is apparent on the Hernandez tune Perfume de Gardenias, which employs a cadenza to set the stage for Zenon's crisp and clear improvisational run.
In remaking Puerto Rican standards, Zenon has made an enchanting album of melody and rhythm, a contemporary vision of Puerto Rico in New York.
Like the dancers on the South Bronx street, his luxurious tunes are dressed to the nines, graceful and enduring.
The reviews are in for MN Opera's 'Cosi fan tutte'
Posted at 11:17 AM on September 29, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Opera
Mozart's opera "Cosi fan tutte" - oft translated as "women are like that" - is the tale of two young men who test their girlfriends' fidelity. (Editor's note: have you ever heard of an instance in literature or theater in which this is a good idea? I can't think of one.)
The Minnesota Opera's production (directed by Theater Latte Da's Peter Rothstein) has won over three local critics. Check out these excerpts of reviews, or click on the links to read them in full.
John Tessier as Ferrando, Dorabella's lover, Jennifer Holloway as Dorabella, Matthew Worth as Guglielmo, Fiordiligi's lover and Jacquelyn Wagner as Fiordiligi in The Minnesota Opera production of Così fan tutte
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Michael Anthony at MinnPost.com:
Attitudes shift, even in the world of opera. Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" ("All Women Are Like That"), which puts forth the notion that women can be just as unfaithful as men and that eternal fidelity may not be the natural state for any of us, was considered a "shocking and licentious work" during the moralistic 19th century. Today, the work seems realistic, witty and wise, a mix of tears and laughter, at once the broadest and most subtle of Mozart's operas. In fact, it wouldn't be totally out of place to think of "Cosi" as an operatic version of "Sex and the City," the city in this case being Naples.
...Peter Rothstein, whose staging of "Cosi" opened Minnesota Opera's 49th season at the Ordway Center this past weekend -- his first effort for this company -- gets [the] balance just right most of the time. He treats the opera with respect. He dispenses with the customary sight-gags and pratfalls that give comic opera a bad name, letting the humor instead grow out of character. The Act 2 scene, for instance, where the two couples are nervously getting acquainted, as if on a first date, is one among several droll additions that Rothstein comes up with. A bonus in the comedy department comes from Angela Mortellaro, who gives us a foxy -- rather than the usual earthy -- version of Despina, the maid, displaying expert comic timing and a sweet soprano voice.
Jennifer Holloway as Dorabella, Daniel Mobbs as Don Alfonso, a philosopher and Jacquelyn Wagner as Fiordiligi in The Minnesota Opera production of Così fan tutte
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
...Perhaps you'll enter St. Paul's Ordway Center expecting a work not quite up to the level of Mozart's other two collaborations with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte - "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Don Giovanni" - but this production makes a compelling case for the inclusion of "Cosi fan tutte" in the masterpiece category. Yes, there's an uneven pace to the opera, the zephyr-like first act giving way to a more melancholy mood in the second. But it's when the characters fall into sad reflection on the nature of love that the work becomes all the more transporting.
Not that there isn't a great deal of brilliantly executed music in the first half, especially some intricately layered quintets and quartets. But the second-act arias offer everyone a chance to step into the spotlight and show off some impressive pipes. There's touching tenderness in tenor John Tessier's solos, strength and suppleness in those of baritone Matthew Worth, each drawing sympathy for the scoundrel-ish soldiers.
Jacquelyn Wagner as Fiordiligi, Angela Mortellaro as the sisters' maid and Jennifer Holloway as Dorabella, in The Minnesota Opera production of Così fan tutte
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Larry Fuchsberg at the Star Tribune:
It sounds like formulaic farce, and at first it's just that. But the depth and sublimity of Mozart's music transform this brittle folderol, which some critics find unworthy of the composer, into an emotion-charged probe of the human (not just the feminine) heart. What begins as a game becomes, in Act 2, an agonizing reality in which characters and spectators are uncontrollably caught up. And if the ending is ambiguous, this much is clear: in "Così," passion trumps reason. Humankind is like that, as Mozart well knew.
Director Peter Rothstein shapes the production, the company's first "Cosi" in 20 years, with a sage hand. Breathing life into his characters, he adroitly manages the work's progression from slapstick to seriousness. Making imaginative use of Alexander Dodge's elegant, flexible set, he's especially attentive to the machinations of Don Alfonso, the philosopher, whose watchful presence drives the drama. And with the meteorological event that he conjures at the very end of the opera, Rothstein adds an ironic twist that Mozart and librettist Lorenzo da Ponte would have savored....Rothstein's earth-air-fire-water symbolism feels a bit studied, and his AstroTurf floor gets old. But quibbles aside, this "Così" is a vividly theatrical, sumptuously sung realization of an elusive masterpiece.
Cosi fan tutte runs through October 2 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.
Have you seen "Cosi fan tutte?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Pillsbury House Theatre's "The Pride"
Posted at 11:42 AM on September 27, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
How has life changed for gay men in the past 50 years?
That's the question at the heart of Alexi Kaye Campbell's "The Pride" which splits itself between two love triangles in 1958 and 2008 respectively.
Critics are equally split over the effectiveness of the production. Check out this mix of reviews from the local media:
"The Pride" at Pillsbury House Theatre
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
"The Pride" shows just how difficult it has been for gay men to claim theirs. Director Noel Raymond dives deep into dangerous emotional currents in Pillsbury House Theatre's production, aided by compelling acting and the intimacy of the small theater....There's some irony in the title of the show, which is more about shame than pride - yet ends at a Gay Pride celebration. The play shows just how far acceptance of gays and lesbians has come in 50 years - but also suggests that much more work must be done before all gay people can personally claim their pride inside and not just proclaim it as the name of a public event.
From Claude Peck at the Star Tribune:
"The Pride," directed by Noël Raymond, gets a committed, thought-provoking and at times quite moving production. It's easy to recommend an evening so full of tears and laughter, pathos and insight.The play also contains frustrations and clumsy tonal shifts. Paul de Cordova is hilarious in several smaller roles, especially that of the profane but sensitive editor of a "lad's" magazine, but his scenes are not always lashed securely to the rest of the show. When Sylvia and Oliver talk on a park bench after intermission, it goes on too long and seems more like speechifying than conversation.
"The Pride" at Pillsbury House Theatre
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Oliver at HowWasTheShow.com
I can confidently say that Campbell's back-and-forth structural motif really works. We are invited to make vivid connections: the repressed fifties vs. the go-go oughts; an era when homosexuality was a source of shame and anguish vs. the present when gay sexuality is (putatively) celebrated. How have things changed? Have they changed? Campbell asks these questions without providing impossibly easy answers. Lovely.
"The Pride" at Pillsbury House Theatre
Photo by Michal Daniel
There's nothing wrong at all with the ideas behind or the execution of The Pride at the Pillsbury House Theatre, I just wish that I felt a stronger connection to the characters, be it in the confinement of their 1950s reality, or in a different way, the confines of modern day....At times, Campbell's script seems a little too on the nose, underlining issues -- repression, bigotry, the overall gay rights movement -- that are best explored through the characters he has built instead of in off-the-cuff speeches they give. The play's best moments -- a verbal fight that turns increasingly violent in act one; a decision to undertake a dubious "therapy" (paging Marcus Bachmann) later on -- work because the characters, and in turn the audience, are completely invested in the action.
Have you seen "The Pride" at Pillsbury House Theatre? If so, what did you think? Share your reviews in the comments section.
The reviews are in for CTC's "Mercy Watson to the Rescue"
Posted at 1:22 PM on September 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The Children's Theatre Company appears to have a hankering for bacon.
After much success with its production of Babe the company is now presenting another play starring a pig. Mercy Watson to the Rescue is based on the children's book by popular Minnesota author Kate DiCamillo.
Photo by Dan Norman
Should you go? Two out of three critics say "yes!" Check out these excerpts of reviews to make up your own mind.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
The cast has at this material with CTC's patented over-the-top and howlingly funny bombastic blustering (Peter Brosius directs with his usual flair). As Mercy, Sara Richardson gives a winning performance, with her mincing walk and her Charlie Chaplin chapeau. Myself, I found her a touch automaton-ish, but then I'm not 6 years old. Every time Richardson made an entrance childish delight rippled through the auditorium. The kids adored her. She carries the show.I would recommend Mercy Watson To The Rescue but with a big caveat: it's for young children. Grown-ups are likely to become frustrated by the lack of meaningful character development and the extreme predictability of the story. So get hold of some kids and go. They'll have a great time and you'll have a great time watching them.
And be prepared to walk out of the theater with a powerful hankering for buttered toast.
Photo by Dan Norman
From Lisa Brock at the Star Tribune:
There's not much depth here (Mercy wants toast, Mercy gets toast, by hook or by crook), but plenty of twists, turns and pratfalls as an able ensemble brings these well-known characters to life. Gerald Drake and Mo Perry are entertainingly oblivious as Mr. and Mrs. Watson, a couple so contented with their lives and their "porcine wonder" that they simply ooze infectious cheer. Wendy Lehr brings the demeanor of a diminutive martinet to the role of killjoy neighbor Eugenia Lincoln, positively bristling with self-righteous annoyance as she terrorizes her sister, Baby (Elizabeth Griffith), and browbeaten cat (Jason Ballweber).The real standouts in this piece, however, are Sara Richardson as Mercy the pig and Reed Sigmund as her arch-nemesis, animal-control officer Francine Poulet. Displaying an impressive range of facial expression and a body seemingly made of rubber, Richardson imbues Mercy with a wide-eyed insouciance and a convincing range of oinks, grunts and squeals in a masterfully comic performance. She's well-matched by Sigmund's over-the-top Francine, who alternately simpers and blusters her way through capturing her prey.
Photo by Dan Norman
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
In the books, Mercy is clever and just naughty enough to be winsome and lovable. But something is lost in director Peter Brosius' translation to the stage. Richardson, who plays the eponymous swine, comes off more as a spoiled brat with overtones of ADHD than a guileless critter governed by her tummy.The problem is one of breadth. CTC seldom costumes animal characters with acres of foam and fur, preferring to let the skill of the actors and the imagination of audiences create the character. And while Richardson is an able enough performer, there's something - well - too human about her characterization of Mercy. Her performance - and some of the others that surround it - isn't sufficiently larger-than-life to transport us into the fanciful world of the play.
This robs the show of momentum and makes the second act of the play - which is essentially one long chase scene - drag rather than glide along.
Mercy Watson to the Rescue runs through October 23 at the Children's Theatre Company. You can also read a nice feature story on the show by Ed Huyck here.
Have you seen the show? If so, what did you think? Leave your review in the comments section.
Is sculpture too simple for today's art lover?
Posted at 12:02 PM on September 12, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Sculpture
Critic Michael Kimmelman thinks sculpture - by which he means those premodern alabaster and bronze figures - has fallen out of grace with contemporary audiences.
A tiny clay sculpture of John the Baptist at the Bode Museum in Berlin is attributed to the 15th-century Luccan artist Matteo Civitali.
Image: Gordon Welters for The New York Times
In a recent "postcard" for the New York Times, Kimmelman described having certain galleries of the Bode Museum in Berlin all to himself... I've excerpted the meatier bits here for your consideration:
...Is it me, or do we seem to have a problem with sculpture today? I don't mean contemporary sculpture, whose fashionable stars (see Koons, Murakami et alia) pander to our appetite for spectacle and whatever's new. I don't mean ancient or even non-Western sculpture, either. I mean traditional European sculpture -- celebrities like Bernini and Rodin aside -- and American sculpture, too: the enormous universe of stuff we come across in churches and parks, at memorials and in museums like the Bode. The stuff Barnett Newman, the Abstract Expressionist painter, notoriously derided as objects we bump into when backing up to look at a painting....I grew up with the smells of plaster dust and clay in my mother's sculpture studio on Third Avenue. Making a figure out of stone or metal retains its childlike wonder for me. But sculpture skeptics from Leonardo through Hegel and Diderot have cultivated our prejudice against the medium. "Carib art," is how Baudelaire described sculpture, meaning that even the suavest, most sophisticated works of unearthly virtuosity by Enlightenment paragons like Canova and Thorvaldsen were tainted by the medium's primitive, cultish origins.
Racism notwithstanding, Baudelaire had a point. Sculpture does still bear something of the burden of its commemorative and didactic origins. It's too literal, too direct, too steeped in religious ceremony and too complex for a historically amnesiac culture. We prefer the multicolored distractions of illusionism on flat surfaces, flickering in a movie theater or digitized on our laptops and smartphones, or painted on canvas. The marketplace ratifies our myopia, making headlines for megamillion-dollar sales of old master and Impressionist pictures but rarely for premodern sculptures.
...In an age of special effects, we may also simply no longer know how to feel awe at the sight of sculptured faces by the German genius Tilman Riemenschneider or before a bronze statue by Donatello. We can't see past the raw materiality and subject matter.
What do you think? Is Kimmelman right? In a world of multimedia performances, has sculpture simply become too... basic?
As always, your thoughts are welcomed in the comments section.
(1 Comments)Applause for the loud guy in the ballet audience
Posted at 11:25 AM on September 9, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Culture, Dance
Editor's Note: So this post has been circulating on Facebook this morning, and given its nature, I just had to share. It comes from a Craig's List site that aggregates "the best of Craig's List." There's a particular curse word that shows up a few times, which I've censored. But you'll get the drift.
******
It was Don Quixote, a rather fun full-length ballet, nobody dies like in the dreary Giselle or Swan Lake.
Another fantastic performance by the SF Ballet. I know you enjoyed it. Our whole section knows you enjoyed it. Every time a dancer would perform a particularly impressive jump, or a series of 3+ pirouettes, you would say, "Whoa!" or "Jaysus!"
This, I didn't mind. As a former dancer and now a season-ticket holder of our City's fine company, I get a kick out of hearing others' excitement for an artform I hold dear. Much better than the guy next to me whose head started to fall like a kid in an 8th grade math class.
So, the curtain falls. The end. Applause.
Curtain comes up and the dancers begin to take their bows. You notice a few people standing up. Was it an ovation? NO! They were LEAVING! These people could not WAIT to get to their cars (they were obviously not MUNI riders, walkers or cab-hailers like most of us in the City)! They had no time for CLAPPING! They had to get out now!
It was then you yelled, in your beautiful gray-haired old crotchety man voice, "WILL YOU PEOPLE SIT DOWN AND LET THE *POLITE* PEOPLE SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION?!," slight pause, "YA A******S!"
Now, I have seen dozens of ballets in my relatively short lifetime of 25 years. Never, not once, have I encountered a fan of ballet quite like you. At the ballgame, sure, that kind of yelling is par for the course. At the ballgame we eat peanuts and leave the shells in piles at our feet.
Sir, this was THE BALLET.
And for your outburst directed at the people who think somewhere in their tiny brains that it is even remotely acceptable to get up and leave during the curtain call, remotely acceptable to not even clap for the world class artists who just performed a most difficult and worthwhile ballet for our enjoyment (artists whose salary is about that of a standard office receptionist), remotely acceptable to WALK OUT while the house lights are up and we can all (including the dancers) see...
Kind sir, for your outburst, screaming at these " a******s", I thank you from the bottom of my art-loving heart.
I've been wanting to say that for a long time.
And WOW! They sat their a**es down, didn't they?! A few were even clapping.
You are the BEST.
Cordially,
Fellow Supporter of the Fine Arts in San Francisco
Who determines whether art is good or bad?
Posted at 9:28 AM on September 12, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(4 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism
A recent series of comments in response to a story on musician Gretchen Seichrist had me wondering, when do you know something is a bad work of art, as opposed to simply not to your personal taste? And who ultimately gets to decide what art is truly good?
As I usually do when pondering an arts related question, I posted it on Facebook to see what sort of answers I might get (I count approximately 1500 Minnesota artsy types among my FB friends).
The responses I got were, as ever, thoughtful, probing and witty. So I thought I'd share some of them with you.
Since the question is a two-parter, I'll break down the answers respectively:
How do you determine good art from bad? Or from art that's simply not to your taste?
Actress Linda Sue Anderson mused: "Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about pornography "I know it when I see it." Perhaps the same is true for "bad" art?"
Poet Kathryn Kysar answered: "Skill and craft can make it good art, even if I don't like the style."
Artist Deborah Foutch wrote:
Art that connects is successful. Sometimes the connection is beauty sometimes it's repellent & there is a lot of stuff in between these extremes but Art that fills the eye, or ears but leaves you with "eh" feeling is unsuccessful.
In a similar vein, writer Jacquie Fuller offered:
When I think of bad art, I think of Milan Kundera's definition of kitsch in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." In bad art, "all answers are given in advance and preclude any questions."
On the more humorous side, photographer Paul Shambroom wrote:
Simple. If it's in the Museum of Bad Art (http://www.museumofbadart.org/) it's bad. If it's in any other museum, it's good (or someone important thinks it is.) And if it's not in any museum at all it might be genius.
And finally arts educator Bonnie Schock suggests "this depends entirely upon how we define the function of art in society."
Who decides what is good art?
Poet William Reichard's response: "You get to determine what is good and bad art. It's completely subjective. You can trust 'authorities' to make these judgements for you, but it's much more fun to make them yourself."
Sculptor Jim Larson suggested "those who get to determine great art have skillfully maneuvered themselves into those positions."
Poet Leslie Adrienne Miller believes "a society's artists collectively decide good art from bad over time, though individuals with authority at any given moment sometimes think they are the deciders."
and finally Nimbus Theater director Josh Cragun offered this explanation:
The answer is simple: every single person who partakes in creating or consuming [art]. What is profound, beautiful, or mind-opening depends on each individual, their language, upbringing, experiences, and more. The idea that something must be universally acclaimed to be good is a fallacy at best, and perhaps more accurately, a destructive distraction.That doesn't mean that the conversation about what is important has no value, however. Our evaluations of art are reflections of who we are and how we perceive the world, and exchanging these perceptions is one of the most crucial tools we have in coming to understand both each other and the world in which we live in.
So, what do you think? Have anything you'd like to add to the thoughts above? Share them in the comments section.
Gretchen Seichrist elaborates on why "people don't like artists"
Posted at 4:46 PM on September 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Culture, People
So a couple of days ago I singled out a statement that Gretchen Seichrist made in a profile by MPR reporter Chris Roberts:
"People don't like artists," she said. "They're suspicious of artists. They resent them, if you've figured out that the people saying that they want to be an artist because they're going to their job every day, and they're resentful about it. I understand that. 'Well how come she gets to do that?'"
The comment inspired a series of reactions, which became the subject of yet another blog post.
That inspired a response from Seichrist, in which she both questioned some of the reactions, and offered this elaboration:
I don't need everybody to like me...One reason, I made the statement was because I have seen that reaction to other artists that I have known. Also, because it's a mean culture. It's a bully culture. And a gutless one. And I have been bullied many times for being who I am. And I have seen others bullied in the same way. The direct line of the bullying messages was about being an artist. Being myself.
...I would dare to say it again: people don't like artists and um.....women. They don't like women. And uh, the person that shows them what they could do. Oh and they don't like me. Oh and they don't like when their motives are exposed for the opportunistic ones they are! And they don't like themselves sometimes so they say they don't like someone else.
The idea that I am supposed to shut up about it or take it quietly up the shoot is not my philosophy.
There you have it.
Gretchen Seichrist
Artists: unpopular because they're renegade, or just plain bad?
Posted at 4:20 PM on September 7, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism
I love it when a post on State of the Arts sparks debate.
I particularly love it when it sparks an intelligent, thoughtful debate.
Such is the case with the comments that have been coming in responding to "Gretchen Seichrist: People Don't Like Artists."
In the post, Seichrist posited the following:
"People don't like artists," she said. "They're suspicious of artists. They resent them, if you've figured out that the people saying that they want to be an artist because they're going to their job every day, and they're resentful about it. I understand that. 'Well how come she gets to do that?'"
This immediately drew a skeptical response from reader Tammy:
Oh, yeah. Nobody likes artists. They were ever so resentful of Picasso, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Tennessee Williams, Marilyn Monroe, Rembrandt, James Dean, and, come to think of it, Lucille Ball. This woman just can't handle it that there are people in the world that don't care for her schtick.
Immediately other readers, including Carolyn Pensey of Eden Prairie, came to Seichrist's defense:
Tammy, I would like to point out that you just posted a long list of artists who were definitely resented for being different and innovative in their respective fields. Picasso? The art world persecuted a whole movement of artists who pioneered cubism. Elvis? He was banned all over the country. Michael Jackson...? Come on. Marilyn Monroe? They badgered her until she killed herself. And here you are very willingly leaping to an angry stance about a simple statement from an artist. Knowing Gretchen, what I think she was trying to say was more along the lines of questioning why artists need to justify themselves to the world at large. The insurance salesman doesn't have to justify why he goes out and sells insurance, but people who blaze their own trails are continually required to explain why it is they are doing what they're doing. Why are you different? Why are you gay? Why don't your shoes match? Why don't you speak my language? Why are you coloring outside the lines? Why don't you use mustard in your meatloaf? People generally develop a disdain for the things they don't understand. You are missing the point if all you see here is a "schtick." Those lyrics hold their own against anything out there--past, present, or future. Great music, great songs, great art, and her show the other night was funny and heartfelt.
But Tammy remained firm in her stance, offering the following:
You guys are totally missing the point. Of course every artist is going to have haters and critics; Gretchen needs to understand that some people don't like her music, and that's all. Not everybody is going to get it, not everybody is going to think it's great, and it's not because they don't trust her or are jealous of her because she gets to do what she wants. That was a crappy statement to make is all I was trying to say. My guess is that she can't handle it when people don't like her, so she is trying to justify it any way she can to make herself feel better. I've heard her music and I think it's simply awful. That's my opinion. You can have one, too, and you obviously enjoy her work. That's your opinion. But Gretchen is an artist and she needs to get used to hearing people say she sucks; there's always going to be somebody, and they might actually just think you suck!
Laura Dyer then had this to add:
Everyone has artistic potential of some kind and those who feel motivated to become full-time artists should be supported as much as possible. A healthy arts community means economic and social prosperity. The decision to define oneself as an artist must begin internally, and it takes great bravery to come forward and allow the external part of the process to begin. Taste is always subjective, but Patches and Gretchen has been criticized on a very emotional basis. I think this is because Gretchen is strong, ambitious and, like Madonna, has a highly visual talent for cultural synthesis with a particular genius that runs deeper than formal technique. Her work is warm and emotionally connected, though her style is the very opposite - like Dylan's is. This is confusing to some audiences, not to mention even more challenging from a female artist.
The conversation led me to wonder, who exactly gets to determine what is good art, and what is bad art? How do you know that something is bad, versus simply not to your taste?
Your thoughts are welcome, as always.
The reviews are in for Jungle Theater's Hamlet
Posted at 10:05 AM on September 7, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Shakespeare's Hamlet is a timeless play, made evident by how often the classic is staged even now, four centuries after it was written.
The Jungle Theater's production of Hamlet brings the tale solidly into the modern era, infusing the story with such technology as smartphones and ipads.
This mix of new and old worked well for some critics, but distracted others. Read on for excerpts of their reviews.
Hamlet at the Jungle Theater
Photo by Michal Daniel
Boehlke's idea of layering a modern veneer on the story certainly isn't unique (the National Theatre went down a similar path with its latest production). However, it works quite well, especially as he has added enough ancient weight (think back to those massive columns) to keep the original tale front and center, and isn't afraid to just head back to the story when needed. The opening, which used security cameras to show us the ghost of Hamlet's father, was stunning and gave the production the energy to keep moving, even when the plot (Shakespeare had a lot of story on his plate here, along with all the self-doubt, murder, and near incest) threatened to drag the proceedings down.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Boehlke's conceit never works better than when Ophelia, lamenting her father's death, hijacks a singer's microphone and addresses a gala crowd. TV screens grab closeups of her face, magnifying the chaos of her madness.In other manifestations, though, modernity threatens to upstage critical moments -- such as the ancillary drama in an airport bar where Polonius counsels Ophelia about Hamlet. Is there genius in creating a distraction that forces one to concentrate on primary action? Perhaps, but the gambit risks being nothing more than a diversion.
Writ large, that very question hangs over the entirety of Boehlke's virtuosic staging. Does the play itself find room within this remarkable vessel?
Hamlet at the Jungle Theater
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
Shakespeare's longest play asks a lot of a cast and crew, and this group seems keenly attuned to director/designer Bain Boehlke's vision. It often has the feel of a Hollywood political thriller, complete with conniving power brokers, action framed through video screens and gratuitous NRA-friendly product placement.
Amid this frazzling flurry of activity is the performance of Hugh Kennedy in the title role. His is something of a slacker prince, only occasionally exhibiting the sullen gravitas associated with the role, instead opting for a sing-song delivery that purists might find unnervingly flippant. But, at 25, Kennedy is convincingly youthful for this college-aged royal, coming off as a biting jokester with a casual air and an unpredictable temper. It's a very interesting performance.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
This makes for some striking effects. For example, the ghost of Hamlet's father is first seen on a security camera, as he stalks the drab concrete corridors of a modern government building. Hamlet rushes to meet him on the 12th floor, and the ghost takes him down to the sub-sub-basement for their gruesome and galvanizing scene. I have never seen this sequence done this way and it was revelatory.
But this came at a price, for it requires a lengthy set change, mid-scene: the set-shifters came out in half light to strike the elevator, move the massive columns around, creating the basement. Then the scene began again - with much of the energy gone. Indeed, my greatest criticism of this otherwise worthy production is that there are too many endless scenery shifts. It gives the show a herky-jerky rhythm and a start-over energy that, imo, interferes with the flow of the rich story.
Hamlet at the Jungle Theater
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Matthew Everett at TC Daily Planet
Jungle Theater artistic director Bain Boehlke once more, as he so often does (and often successfully), served as both director and set designer on this production. Here, however, it feels like the tail is wagging the dog. The production feels as if it has been conceived and designed, but not directed. This is a hyper-modern, high tech, multimedia Hamlet. Thanks to this production, I know that Queen Gertrude has an iPad, Polonius uses Skype, Ophelia likes gin and tonics, Claudius is obsessed with his cell phone, Laertes will attempt to hold conversations and work on his laptop computer at the same time, Hamlet has a blog or a Twitter account, and, honestly, I don't care.
Why would you choose a play this good and assemble a cast this gifted (Kennedy, Bradley Greenwald as Claudius, Michelle Barber as Gertrude, the almost relentlessly entertaining Gary Briggle as Polonius, Paul Rutledge as Horatio, just for starters) and then constantly get in their way? The sets are lovely, but the scene shifts and the never-ending stage business are devouring the story. (Claudius will be right with you, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but first he needs to load up at the breakfast buffet.) Numerous scenes are crammed with extras who mumble or audibly carry on conversations that are warring with the actual dialogue of the lead characters. You know, the ones with the lines Shakespeare wrote, the story we came to the theater to hear. The technology is clever and shiny but completely unnecessary. We're listening to Hamlet, the words do the heavy lifting, we get what he's driving at in the soliloquy. He doesn't need a PowerPoint presentation behind him on a large screen.
From Ellen Burkhardt at Minnesota Monthly:
Boehlke makes the most of the Jungle's relatively tiny stage by cleverly rearranging pillars, adding and subtracting furniture, and drawing on the impressive technical skills of lighting designer Barry Browning to depict mood, time of day, and emotional cues. Additionally, the location and time of each scene are clearly described on a projection screen, and whenever possible, digital images are broadcast on stage to emphasize the topic at hand. These added visuals help lend transparency to the play, thereby deepening the bond between the audience and Hamlet.
Whether or not Kennedy's Hamlet and Boehlke's interpretation of the woeful tale are what Shakespeare imagined some 400 years ago is up for debate. What is certain is that the Jungle has taken a classic production, added a twist, and concocted a show that's altogether powerful, memorable, and dynamic--and that's something even Shakespeare would approve of.
Hamlet runs through October 9 at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. Have you seen the show? Let us know what you thought in the comments section.
The reviews are in for the MN Fringe Festival
Posted at 11:46 AM on August 10, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Events, Theater
The Minnesota Fringe Festival has hit the half-way mark. This is the time when attendance at certain shows drops off markedly, while others now have lines out the door. Word is out on which shows to see, which to avoid, and which are generally a toss-up.
A line forms before a performance of "Taiko Blast!" at Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis
MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson
Want to make sure you've done your homework before you take on the second half of the Fringe? I've compiled links to reviews from the local media - more than enough information to help you separate the wheat from the chaff. See a review you think is totally off-mark? Let us know!
(2 Comments)Cantus vocal ensemble makes national news, part 2
Posted at 4:04 PM on August 1, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Music
So earlier today I posted on the New York Times' review of Cantus' latest CD "That Eternal Day."
The review, by James Oestreich, was less than stellar, and had at least one MPR Classical host, Brian Newhouse, fuming. He writes:
I think Mr. Oestreich needs to do a little more exercising, if he finds Cantus' version of Simple Gifts "exhausting." I first put Cantus' That Eternal Day into the car CD player on an overcast autumn afternoon last year. That very track, Stephen Caracciolo's arrangement of Simple Gifts, was the most beautiful thing on disc I'd heard all year. A first: I pulled over and listened to it three times in a row. When I put the car in gear again, the world was less gray, a little more illumined by beauty. How Mr. Oestreich hears this music as curdled and soupy is absolutely stupefying to me. What's that they say beauty being in the eye of the beholder?
However, Cantus Executive Director Mary Lee points out that sometimes a little negative attention is better than no attention at all:
We were thrilled that our latest disc, "That Eternal Day," was noticed and reviewed by the NYTimes. Cantus does not have the PR power of a label and doesn't use a national publicist, so the fact that the NYTimes has brought this recording to the attention of its national and international audience is very good news for us. And whether we agree or not with his specific comments, critical or constructive feedback is always much more welcome than none at all.
Have you listened to "That Eternal Day?" If so, what do you think of the album?
(1 Comments)Cantus vocal ensemble makes national news, part 1
Posted at 11:15 AM on August 1, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Media, Music
Cantus
Photo credit: Curtis Johnson
In this Sunday's New York Times, James Oestreich reviewed Twin Cities vocal ensemble Cantus' latest CD, "That Eternal Day." Oestreich compares and contrasts the album with two other releases by Ensemble Phoenix Munich and Apollo's Fire.
While Oestreich had some positive things to say about "That Eternal Day," overall he found it lacking. Here's what he had to say:
When the male chorus Cantus of Minnesota takes up "Simple Gifts" on its new CD, "That Eternal Day" (Cantus Recordings CTS-1210), in an arrangement by Stephen Caracciolo, tenors alternate lines, distending each sentimentally and pausing distractedly, over a backdrop of drones. Then in the chorus ("When true simplicity is gained") things get really complicated, with soupy harmonies that occasionally curdle; busy counterpoint; more stops and starts; more drones; repeated changes of direction. It's exhausting.
...Cantus fares better in William Walker's foursquare hymn "Wondrous Love," from "The Southern Harmony," with a vigorous, mostly straightforward a cappella....Individual comparisons aside, the Cantus recording offers many satisfactions, none greater than a touching, ineffably simple performance of "The 23rd Psalm (Dedicated to My Mother)" by Bobby McFerrin. But this is also the most problematic disc over all. From its opening -- the spiritual "There's a Meeting Here Tonight," in an arrangement full of finger snapping, hand clapping and humming -- the group is prone to a certain peppy slickness. The vocalization is typically polished, but there are lapses in the discipline essential to a cappella performance, notably in enunciation (on one occasion, "true zimplizity").
You can read the full review here.
Well, as you might imagine, some folks over at MPR Classical (where the members of Cantus have been "artists in residence" for the past year) were not in agreement with Oestreich's review. Check back later today for a rebuttal from MPR's Brian Newhouse.
The reviews are in for Theatre Pro Rata's Waiting for Godot
Posted at 3:31 PM on July 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
James Rodriguez as Estragon and Dave Gangler as Vladimir in Theatre Pro Rata's staging of 'Waiting for Godot'
Theatre Pro Rata presents Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" at the Hollywood Theater in northeast Minneapolis through July 23.
Critics seem to agree that, despite the stifling heat in the old building, this show is "worth the wait."
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
At intermission, I offered the man sitting behind me $10 for his bottle of Mountain Dew. He wanted $20, so we had no deal, but such was the value of a cold drink among us languishing in the heat of an abandoned building. Actually, that guy did me a solid because a tall Dew likely would have necessitated a subsequent visit to the Porta-Potty outside the Hollywood Theater in northeast Minneapolis. No air conditioning, no running water; just this dusty, disheveled auditorium teeming with ghosts -- the perfect location to consider Theatre Pro Rata's production of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot."
From Matthew Everett at TC Daily Planet:
Director Ryan Ripley and his cast of able buffoons are emphasizing the comedy and letting the philosophy take care of itself, which seems like exactly the right choice. They don't overdo it, they just follow Beckett's lead. After all, absurdity is more often laughable than it is tragic. The outlines of the play are fairly simple. Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo) are waiting. In each act, they have different coping strategies for passing the time. In each act, they are visited by the slightly menacing giant form of Pozzo (David Tufford) and his hapless servant-on-a-leash Lucky (Jesse Corder). In each act, they receive a visit from Godot's messenger boy (Hazel Cutting), telling them that Godot has been delayed and will probably not arrive until tomorrow. Within that framework, all sorts of comic shenanigans come to pass.
Gangler and Rodriguez make for an effective duo, playing the Vaudevillian moments and the crises with equal aplomb. Their two-man-act moments can be a lot of fun, but the characters really come alive when they begin to plumb the depths of their collective despair only to be saved by the friendship that has kept them coming back to this field, day after day, for years on end.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.Com:
Director Ryan Ripley's production is brisk and energetic. He seems to understand that the Hollywood is not the place for the deliberate, stylized, balletic interpretation so in vogue these days. His Godot emphasizes physicality and pratfalls. It doesn't pause to savor Beckett's opulent language, or his philosophical/quasi-theological musings. This Godot moves.
Have you seen Theatre Pro Rata's production of Waiting for Godot? If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Street Scene"
Posted at 4:15 PM on July 13, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Girl Friday Productions presents "Street Scene," Elmer Rice's play about immigrant life in New York City in the late 1920s. The show runs through July 30 at the Minneapolis Theater Garage, and features a cast of 26 people and a dog.
Some of the many characters in Elmer Rice's Street Scene
Image courtesy Girl Friday Productions
Thinking about seeing the show? Check out these reviews from Twin Cities critics. By all accounts, it looks like you'll need to get your tickets fast.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com
Street Scene is a genuine classic. It formed the basis for a very good (if stagy) 1931 film adaptation and it became an opera (by the great Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes) in 1946. It won a Pulitzer and has become a standard text in college surveys of the drama.But the play is rarely produced. Why? Because it has 50+ characters (depending on how many passers-by, students, etc, you care to cast). So huge kudos are due to Girl Friday Productions (in their first show in almost 2 years) and to director Craig Johnson for giving us a solid, intelligent and focused production of this neglected classic.
This is a play of vignettes, and Johnson teases out lovely performances from everyone.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press
Though it takes place in a compact space, it's a sprawling story, told in the rhythms and cadences of a time long gone by. Director Craig Johnson marshals his enormous cast of 26 actors (and one dog) effectively. His staging is crisp without rushing, sentimental without being maudlin, creating a world so palpable that you can almost feel the oppressive heat radiating off the pavement. Each character gets his or her moment to shine - some more than others - but all eventually blend seamlessly into this gritty urban landscape.
From Quinton Skinner at Twin Cities Metro Magazine
A plot summary would be almost foolhardy. Suffice to say we have adultery, drunkenness, Marxist ideology, bigotry, loutishness, futility and, eventually, murder amid a stew of verbiage and the palpable flopsweat of a summer heat wave (Manhattan wasn't always a glamour destination, one gleans). Craig Johnson ably directs this production, weaving crosscurrents of dialogue with shifting tones and a truly appalling action scene that knits together a mounting sense of menace after the intermission.
From Matthew Everett at TC Daily Planet
Girl Friday Productions has a knack for choosing plays that sound like real life, but are so expertly written, acted and directed that they flow like poetry. It's a special gift, and a joy to watch. You don't take it in so much as you just let it wash over you. It's a lot of fun to give yourself over to the play like that. Doesn't happen very often. Kurt Weill turned this play into an opera but viewing the original like this makes songs seem completely unnecessary.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune
"Scene" has a major omission in the American narrative, which Johnson fills in by introducing a black couple in Muslim garb (Byron Adams and Indira Addington).Johnson's often nimble staging, for Girl Friday productions, uses the Theatre Garage to good effect. The second-act climax, with all its sturm und drang, is well-executed.
Still, the third act feels coda-like, and could be eliminated. Also, the New York immigrant accents wax and wane. On Friday, when I saw it, an Italian character suddenly lapsed into a Southern accent. I watched the other actors around him to see if they could stay composed. They did, maintaining the air of a colorful and see-worthy "Street Scene."
Have you seen "Street Scene" by Girl Friday Productions? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
Cube Critics: Transformers, Page One and Barney's Version
Posted at 4:17 PM on June 30, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Film
This week on Cube Critics, Euan Kerr and Stephanie Curtis talk about the movies Page One and Transformers 3, as well as the DVD release of Barney's Version. Take a listen and find out why Curtis says she won't go see Transformers 3, even though Kerr recommends it.
And here, for your viewing pleasure, are their trailers:
The reviews are in for the Guthrie's "H.M.S. Pinafore"
Posted at 11:31 AM on June 29, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(40 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Robert O. Berdahl (Captain Corcoran) and the sailors from the cast of the Guthrie Theater's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore, with additional material by Jeffrey Hatcher. Photo by Michal Daniel
The Guthrie Theater presents the comic musical H.M.S. Pinafore through August 28. The production was the first blockbuster hit by the dynamic duo of Gilbert and Sullivan.
For some critics the show is the perfect tonic for a dull summer - for others it's simply "gone overboard." Read these excerpts to get a better sense of the show.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Joe Dowling's staging of Gilbert and Sullivan's "H.M.S. Pinafore" is a deluxe delight. From David Bolger's arresting choreography for a handsome crew of sailors and Andrew Cooke's disco arrangements for a live orchestra, to Fabio Toblini's sumptuous costumes and set designer Frank Hallinan Flood's tiptop ship deck, the creative team pulled out all the stops.
...Show updates include conductor Cooke's marriage of Gilbert & Sullivan with Abba-esque beats. Yet the karaoke-sounding parts of the score did not detract from the levity. Choreographer Bolger's gorgeous moves include a sexy tango by Berdahl and Baldwin (and Alfie Parker Jr. as her subconscious desire). There also is a terrific tap number plus an early dance by Baldwin and nine sailors in one line, each behind the other. Her cleavage-enhancing get-up, not to mention her agile coloratura, suggests that Buttercup is a feminine powerhouse....The show's elements, including falling confetti and a disco ball, help to make this "Pinafore" the comic tonic for our bummer of a summer.
Christina Baldwin (Buttercup) and Tinia Moulder in the Guthrie Theater's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore.
Photo by Michal Daniel
When it's clicking (which is a good chunk of the time), the Guthrie's H.M.S. Pinafore is a lot of fun--a wild romp through a delightfully silly situation with broadly drawn comic characters and a set of wonderful Gilbert and Sullivan songs. It doesn't always reach those heights, however, as the production is tied down by a, shall we say, poor choice to "update" the musical accompaniment and make some additions to the story (from local playwright Jeffrey Hatcher) that don't do much but lengthen the evening without adding anything to it.
...At times, the Joe Dowling-directed production threatens to descend from satire and goofy titillation into baser, Benny Hill territory, and the two sides don't sit together very well. I get that some of the characters are pompous asses; I don't need their rumps shoved in my face to sell the point.
Jason Simon (Dick Deadeye) and Christina Baldwin (Buttercup) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore.
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
Director Joe Dowling seems more intent on creating a huge spectacle than telling the silly story - and he's thrown everything he can at it.
The huge cast provides an endless kaleidoscope of noise and movement that begins with the chorus of sailors doing acrobatic flips and cartwheels and dancing across what appears to be the front deck of a coal-burning steamship....There's no way to miss the overblown climax, with lots of huge waving flags, a parade of oversized nautical props and oversized nautical props and confetti shooting wildly into the air. It feels a bit like a Fourth of July celebration - or that moment in Times Square when the ball drops. In fact, the production sometimes so overwhelms the show that it's a wonder it doesn't sink the ship.
The cast of the Guthrie Theater's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. PINAFORE, with additional material by Jeffrey Hatcher. Directed by Joe Dowling, choreography and musical staging by David Bolger, set design by Frank Hallinan Flood, costume design by Fabio Toblini, lighting design by Malcolm Rippeth.
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com
The acting is terrific, of course (this is the Guthrie). Ditto the singing; the wonderful G&S music comes through with resounding intensity. As the lovers Heather Lindell and Aleks Knezevich sing gorgeously and their scenes together are very funny. Robert O. Berdahl amazes as the Captain - although his physical, out-there approach caused me to occasionally fear for his mental health. Peter Thomson excels as Admiral Porter, with his potbelly and his goofy skipping dance. I adored Christina Baldwin as not-so-aptly-named Buttercup; perhaps it's because her performance is relatively straightforward. It all works well. Indeed, high-energy/low-camp is emerging as a dominant Guthrie style: witness the recent 39 Steps and (to a lesser extent) Arms And The Man. These artists do it as well as it's ever been done.
Does this approach please your Intrepid Reviewer? It does not. He has an allergy to performers who want us to believe they're better than the play. He also suffers from great respect for traditional Gilbert and Sullivan.But is the Guthrie's production of H.M.S. Pinafore well done? It is. In fact, it's beautifully done, as evidenced by the wildly enthusiastic reaction of the opening night audience. They applauded after every song and leapt to their feet for a standing ovation.
Have you seen the Guthrie Theater's production of H.M.S. Pinafore? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Rock The Garden"
Posted at 4:02 PM on June 22, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Music
Many Minnesota souls put on brave faces and plastic slickers this weekend for "Rock the Garden," the annual summer music event hosted by 89.3 The Current and the Walker Art Center.
This year's line-up featured Tapes 'n Tapes, Booker T. Jones, Neko Case and My Morning Jacket.
By all accounts, My Morning Jacket's set was a unanimous hit, and made the event a success despite wet weather. Feeling like you missed out? Not to worry, 89.3 The Current will air highlights from the show this Sunday at 9pm.
Meanwhile, check out these reviews from local media:
Tapes 'n Tapes
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
Tapes 'N Tapes played a spirited set in the RTG opening slot that's the next signifier of national prominence for a local act after they headline First Ave--but the poncho-clad crowd were in resolute mode, fully expecting to be standing knee-deep in mud within the next couple of hours, and were not about to dance their pants off.The rain had largely abated by the time Booker T. Jones took the stage, and hot damn! At 67, the living legend is looking good and sounding even better. Grinning widely and introducing his songs to an audience he was fully aware would hardly recognize many of them, Booker T. played with the balance of flourish and restraint that have made him one of the most respected instrumentalists and highly-sought sidemen in rock history. His three-piece backing band were tight, with guitarist Vernon "Ice" Black playing fiery licks that nearly stole the show. What seemed to most enthuse the crowd, embarrassingly, was drummer Darian Grey's rapping, which reminded me why you don't hear Us3 cited very widely as an influence by up-and-coming MCs. Diggy diggy flop, y'all.
Booker T. Jones
When Case took the stage at about 6:45, the crowd appeared pretty well settled in for the night, having finished their beer/food run(s), and surviving the worst of the rainy weather. Unfortunately, her set was underwhelming. A portion of the blame has to go to the volume of her set being awfully low overall, and maybe more importantly her vocals were tough to discern. For an artist that relies on the intelligence of the lyrics, and the quirkiness of her on-stage banter, low vocals can be a killer.
From Chris Riemenschneider at the Star Tribune:
My Morning Jacket was about 85 percent the reason it became one of the best Rock the Gardens of late, but there were other grounds for declaring it a good year -- despite rain spilling down for the first half of the concert. Among the other memorable moments...• Tapes 'n Tapes revisited "The Loon." In the opening slot, the kinetic chop-rock quartet weaved between each of its three albums but landed often on its breakthrough 2006 debut. The hometown crowd loved it, and so did anyone who remembered that frontman Josh Grier wrote those songs just across the street while living near Loring Park.
*Urban paradise found. Like the Basilica Block Party, one of the things that makes RTG such an inviting event is its downtown setting outside one of our local cathedrals. It's too bad the Walker hillside site can't be more of a full-time concert venue (the neighbors wouldn't have it). The rain really put the site to the test Saturday, too. Aside from a wimpy sound system (blame those neighbors again), the production was strong. And aside from several unlucky, mucky tumbles down the hill, fans got out relatively unscathed compared to the usual middle-of-the-road (or field, rather) festival site.
*Junior lost. Before MMJ's set, Mary Lucia made one of the more memorable announcements ever by a jockey from the Current 89.3, the event's co-curator: "There's a lost child," she declared in a keep-away-from-the-brown-acid tone. "You can claim him at -- ironically enough -- the vodka tent."
My Morning Jacket
The reviews are in for Park Square Theatre's "Panic"
Posted at 9:31 AM on June 21, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Stephen D'Ambrose - and a dead body - in "Panic"
Park Square Theatre presents "Panic," a classic Hitchcock style thriller written by Worthington native Joseph Goodrich.
Thinking about seeing it? Find out what the local critics are saying...
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Even though "Panic" won the 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best play from the Mystery Writers of America, it can still be edited. There's a scene in the first act that drags a little as reporter Alain Duplay (Garry Geiken) tapes an interview with Lockwood.Otherwise, from Kirby Moore's handsome set design to Michael Kittel's lighting, "Panic" is a winner. The smart, loyal American secretary is the hero, and Maren plays her with reserves of physical and intellectual strength. It helps that the actor is tall and solid, and that she signals her intelligence with her eyes and a tone that shows a sharp mind at work.
The casting is largely faultless. Kingsley invests Emma with moral strength, even as she toddles around with a cane. Geiken's Alain is smarmy and ingratiating, but not too unctuous. Fellner's Liliane is an international woman of mystery whose secrets we want to know.
The foreign accents, which sometimes wax and wane with actors in other shows, are fairly steady in this production, which means we can focus on the characters.
Its subject might be murder, but "Panic" is a show that's about thrills. Bratlie's staging, with this swell cast, hits the right buttons.
Barbara Kingsley in "Panic"
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Much praise is due Goodrich for attempting a stage mystery. The form has been thoroughly co-opted by Hollywood. Film-makers can use energy-conferring jump cuts. They can create realistic violence. Juxtapose multiple story lines. Playwrights have more limited resources. They must rely on old-fashioned character development, freely employ red herrings, and describe a lot of off-stage action. In Panic, Goodrich has hit on a nifty device: the spinning of film scenarios. This gives what might be static descriptions of action real present tense energy. Indeed, the writing here is smart and effective...Here's the bottom line: Panic is well-written and beautifully acted. But it's old-fashioned, which means the pacing is stately and play veers to the long side (an hour and ten minutes for Act 1, an hour twenty for Act 2). But if you like mysteries (e.g., the great Agatha Christie), well, this is a production for you.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
Alfred Hitchcock was called the "master of suspense" because the English filmmaker knew how to employ his ample cinematic skill set to create anticipation and tension, sending his audiences' adrenaline racing.Playwright Joseph Goodrich seems to hold similar aspirations, judging from the production of "Panic" currently receiving its Twin Cities premiere from Park Square Theatre. But even on the rare occasions when Hitchcock was off his game, his films never moved as slowly as "Panic," which drags along, pulled by the thin thread of one conflict and twists that take way too long to develop. Hence, despite the best efforts of a pair of first-rate veteran actors and a skilled design team, the production is far from a thriller.
Have you seen "Panic" at Park Square Theatre? If so, what did you think? Share your reviews in the comments section.
Basilica Block Party caught in same-sex marriage debate
Posted at 2:29 PM on June 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(8 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Music
The Basilica of St. Mary, in Minneapolis, host to the annual summer music event "Basilica Block Party."
MPR Photo/Tom Weber
When Minneapolis photographer Jason Wermager sent out a Facebook "invite" to 200 or so of his friends to "Say NO to the Basilica Block Party" his goal was simply to raise awareness. On the event description he writes:
This was created to take a stand and let organizations, businesses and other groups know that it is NOT OK to support those that do not support equality and want to change the MN State Constitution to ban gay marriage. To make a real change, we need to start taking action now. Do not wait until you vote in 2012.The Minnesota Catholic Church has made it their number 1 priority to define marriage in the State Constitution between one man and one woman, in tern, banning gay marriage.
The Catholic Church has already spent millions of dollars in the production of Anti-Gay DVDs and lobbying the State Legislature to add this hateful amendment to the Minnesota Constitution.
Please do not attend the Basilica Block Party this year. Please do not contribute money to a Catholic Church fundraiser while they are spending millions of dollars to write discrimination into the MN constitution.
I also encourage you to contact the bands and stage sponsors. This is the time to get peoples attention, sponsors and businesses attention.
Cities 97 is the main co-sponsor of the event, contact them as well.
Since Wermager posted the invite to his virtual event, more than 3,500 people have signed up to "attend" - although in this case, "attending" is really about being anywhere other than the annual summer block party.
Wermager says he's been amazed by his Facebook page's popularity.
Because of the overwhelming support from the Facebook event and people of Minnesota this has become way more than I could have ever imaged. I am hoping this inspires others to share their voice and start dialogue with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. A lot of people have been sending communication to the bands, promoters and sponsors. Many folks have shared the contact information and I continue to encourage people to contact these bands and sponsors directly as well.
In recent days the facebook page ("Say NO to the Basilica Block Party") has also become host to some very heated debate on the issue. But when asked if it worries him that his "awareness-raising" event has spun out of control, Wermager responds:
My only worry is that November 2012 election day comes and Minnesota did not share their voice. November 2012 will be the day Minnesotans cast their votes in regards to a Ban on Gay Marriage, there is a lot of work to do and awareness to get out there before that day.(8 Comments)
The reviews are in for Guthrie Theater's "God of Carnage"
Posted at 1:30 PM on June 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Tracey Maloney (Annette Raleigh), Jennifer Blagen (Veronica Novak), Chris Carlson (Bill Novak) and Bill McCallum (Alan Raleigh) in the Guthrie Theater production of "God of Carnage" by Yasmina Reza.
Photo by Paul Kolnik
God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza runs through August 7 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Thinking of seeing the show? Check out what the local critics think. Have you already seen the show? Then share your review in the comments section.
From Chris Hewitt at the Pioneer Press:
Ostensibly, the play is about two couples meeting to hash out an apology. The son of Veronica and Michael (Jennifer Blagen and Chris Carlson) has lost two teeth in a playground battle with the son of Annette and Alan (Tracey Maloney and Bill McCallum). The four gather at Veronica and Michael's tastefully uncomfortable home to discuss the unruly kids but, more important, to demonstrate that when it comes to unruliness their children are rank amateurs. By the end of the afternoon, insults, cellphones, purses and plenty of even more unpleasant things have been hurled.
Yasmina Reza's play often gets compared to Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," which also is about a long, drunken encounter between two couples where the balance of power keeps shifting. That comparison is not fair because "Woolf" is a masterpiece and "Carnage" is a much more modest affair - the sort of evening of semi-outrageous entertainment that will immediately be forgotten afterward when you're deciding what to eat to finish off the evening. It's a glib little play (translated, like all of Reza's comedies by Christopher Hampton, whose own work - including the play, "Dangerous Liaisons," and the film, "Atonement" - is more ambitious than Reza's). But it feels like it's aware that it's not terribly insightful, so it gets in, gets some laughs and gets out inside of 90 minutes.... But if their dialogue gets less compelling, these fine actors still manage to raise the stakes in their argument until, by the end, it's clear both that they're not bickering about a playground feud and that the collateral damage of a couple teeth is nothing. Heck, with these people for role models, it's a miracle their little monsters didn't rip each other's lungs out.
Jennifer Blagen (Veronica Novak) and Chris Carlson (Bill Novak) in the Guthrie Theater production of "God fo Carnage" by Yasmina Reza.
Photo by Paul Kolnik
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
We are having such a good time watching the bile fly, the repressed recriminations rise and the unvarnished brickbats sting that we can be lulled into enjoying Yasmina Reza's "God of Carnage" as a high-toned sitcom. Indeed, in venues less polite than the Guthrie's proscenium theater, we might hear the catcalls ("You go, girl!") or the swelling assent as a juicy insult lands ("Woooooooooh!").
Ah, but we are in the THEE-ah-tah, and perhaps our society's assumed gentility is the mark for Reza's stiletto."Morality decrees we should control our impulses," says Alan, a suave legal shark and one of the combatants. "But sometimes it's good not to control them."
Really? Where would we be without centuries of carefully crafted religion, law, ethics and manners to hide behind?
"I'm a Neanderthal," shouts Michael, Alan's opposite, and we wonder whether he might be the most honest character in this parlor farce.
...Certainly, the joy of "God of Carnage" lies in watching "folks like us" savage each other for 90 minutes. Reza's strong suit is an ear for dialogue, yet don't discount her ideas. Like a dagger, their impact may not occur until we notice much later the blood flowing from our ribs.
Bill McCallum (Alan Raleigh) Chris Carlson (Bill Novak) and Tracey Maloney (Annette Raleigh) in the Guthrie Theater production of "God of Carnage" by Yasmina Reza. Photo by Paul Kolnik
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
... when Michael breaks out the high end rum, the play takes on a truly frightening spin. That these people are so well groomed, so contained, so perfectly upper class makes their shrieking deterioration lusciously comic. Ms. Reza's feel for these sweetly nasty characters (it helps that she is French) is flawless.
At the end of this ninety minute free-for-all, the characters, the playwright, and the audience are spent. "What do we know...?" someone asks, panting. Indeed. God Of Carnage is a long day's journey into... well, perhaps not that much. But it is, thanks to the smart writing, a hoot and then some, and the Guthrie cast makes the trip well worth taking.
Simple, beautiful and so easy to make fun of
Posted at 2:52 PM on June 2, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Painting
Every once in a while I click through Stumble Upon to see where it takes me, with a particular focus on arts-related destinations. Today, it wasn't so much the video I found, but the comments that caught my eye.
After watching the video above, I scrolled down to take a look at what other people thought of the idea. While some were quite appreciative, others had more fun with it. To wit:
landoncalling 18 hours ago
This piece really harkens back to early Chevalier de Parapluie. Really really powerful moving stuff guys.landoncalling 18 hours ago
Oh my god, what a chilling interpretation of the plight of the American Indian. Absolutely brilliant. Every layer of color representing a hardship they've had to overcome. And at the center, a towering monolith representing their resilience whilst the war-paint drips down, leaving a trail of proverbial tears.xlittlemermaidx 18 hours ago
@landoncalling I disagree, friend. To me, it speaks of the Civil Rights Movement and the Anti War activities of the 60s. I have to say that the colors coming together, yet separate in nature speaks volumes of the racism and social problems we still have today. We've come together, yet we're so far apart. It's modern, yet it takes us back to a different time. Brilliant, this artist has moved us all.DebGhi 1 day ago
I can now say that I have enjoyed the pleasure of watching paint dry.
Gotta love those art critics...
The reviews are in for Cirque du Soleil's "Ovo"
Posted at 2:30 PM on May 31, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Dance, Theater
Image courtesy Cirque du Soleil
The circus has come to town again, and this time it comes bearing not elephants and tigers, but ladybugs, spiders and ants.
Ovo, Cirque du Soleil's latest creation, explores the world of insects, including their social habits, love lives, and of course, amazing acrobatic skills.
All three reviews I found for Ovo were generally positive, but some had their quibbles. And when tickets can run anywhere from $31.50 to $350, well, quibbles can sometimes be deal-breakers.
Read on for excerpts of reviews - click on the links to read them in their entirety.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
Of the many shows that Cirque du Soleil has brought to the Twin Cities over the past decade, including the dark "Dralion" and cute "Kooza," their latest offering is by far the most creative.
"Ovo," which opened Thursday in a giant striped tent across from the Mall of America, has acts that showcase feats of strength and daring -- acrobats on trampoline, trapeze and high wire who appear impervious to danger -- similar to ones we've seen before.But the creative team behind this show has invested it with much more imagination and invention this time around. The trampoline act near the end has gymnastic acrobats bouncing high off walls. A performer might drop say, 30 feet, on his back, then bounce way up in the same position, each time taking steps on the rock-climbing wall. (The creators of Broadway's problem-plagued, budget-busting "Spider-man" could take a note from this segment, which is no doubt copyrighted, but which seems simple and communicates very effectively.)
Image courtesy Cirque du Soleil
...Compared to some of the previous Cirque shows that have come to the Twin Cities, "Ovo" is lighter in tone (no melancholy clowns or tender moments here) and - at two hours and 40 minutes - can feel a little draggy, especially after intermission.
Though the finale - a company of crickets bouncing on trampolines and climbing walls - is propulsive, it feels its length and doesn't really end the show with the kind of exclamation point one expects from Cirque shows. In these small ways, "Ovo" doesn't measure up to the best of Cirque du Soleil. Despite not clearing that very high bar, "Ovo" is still a very entertaining evening.
Image courtesy Cirque du Soleil
Cirque music comes from a world all its own, or perhaps from a deep, previously unheard pit of Hell. Loud and aimless, it is mainly there to provide a backdrop for all of the action onstage, but the anonymous New-Age-like sounds really grate on the soul after a while. The volume doesn't help. I'm a 30-year veteran of rock, metal, and punk concerts, and my ears were starting to hurt by the end of the show. Of course, it did help to drown out the noise of the flights arriving and taking off from the nearby airport.
I don't want to harp on the music, but of all the Cirque shows I've sat through over the years, the only one that made any kind of aural impression was Love, which had the advantage of using the catalog of one of the great rock and pop acts of the 20th century. I'm not asking for music of the Beatles' level, but at least some tune I could take home with me, beyond aimless singing and pounding drums? Please?
Been to see Ovo already? Share your own review in the comments section.
Why comedy doesn't matter
Posted at 11:09 AM on May 31, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Comedy, Criticism, Theater
Joshua Scrimshaw, serious comedian
Being a "theater geek" comes with its own stereotypes and social pitfalls, but who knew that within the world of theater there exists a whole other pecking order.
On minnesotaplaylist.com, local comedian Joshua Scrimshaw writes of how he's handled the criticism of what he calls "Local Theatrical Luminaries" (LTL) who tell him a) it's time for him to do something "important" and b) he'll never be "taken seriously" if he keeps performing at the Bryant Lake Bowl.
What ensues is a serious, important and hilarious essay that rips apart the notion of labeling something as "smart comedy."
"Smart" is the adjective of choice whenever an LTL gifts a work of comedy with his or her praise (although so far it's always "his"). This is a backhanded compliment of epic proportions. The only reason to label comedy as "smart" is to delineate it from the rest of comedy, which, by implication, is not smart. When was the last time you heard someone talk about "smart" ballet or "smart" chamber music? Even mime (the most hated art form on the face of the planet, people!) is never subjected to this kind of caustic compliment. Why? Because we give other arts the benefit of the doubt-- they enjoy the presumption of intelligence while comedy gets stuck with the burden of proof. In short, comedians must accept the laws of a kangaroo court and defend their I.Q.s against a predetermined verdict of You're Stupid.
Scrimshaw goes on to argue that all comedy is important, whether high-brow or low-brow:
ALL comedy says something dark and true about the human condition. I don't care if it's Terry Gilliam's Brazil or a YouTube video of some fat kid farting the 1812 Overture. Actually, I think the farting kid says more. Every time we laugh at flatulence we're really laughing at the strange and disturbing machinery of our own bodies. We are wonderfully and fearfully made, yes, but one day we'll be unmade and that knowledge lurks at the heart of every joke, every laugh, every absurd bodily function. We don't whistle past the graveyard, we lift a cheek and let one rip.
Scrimshaw says ultimately, comedy is ordinary - just like life - and that's what makes it so great. What do you think? Is comedy important? Even fart jokes? Will Joshua Scrimshaw ever be taken seriously? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
You can read the rest of Scrimshaw's essay - and it's very much worth the read - here.
Afrocubism, a Mali-Cuba connection
Posted at 1:25 PM on May 27, 2011
by David Cazares
Filed under: Criticism
Any list of the best world music albums ever would have to include the 1996 Buena Vista Social Club recording that introduced international audiences to some of Cuba's living musical treasures -- and the Cuban son, the earthy genre that reflects the joy and pain of everyday life.
Released by World Circuit Records, the album featured then-89 year old Francisco Repilado, better known as Compay Segundo. Joining him were master pianist Ruben Gonzalez, singer Ibrahim Ferrer, guitarist and singer Eliades Ochoa and others. Producer and guitarist Ry Cooder played with them.
It was a brilliant collaboration of mostly elderly performers whose romantic musical conversations sold more than eight million records.
What most people didn't know then was that the project was the producers' plan B.
When a scheduled collaboration between Cuban and Malian musicians in Havana fell apart - perhaps because the Africans couldn't obtain visas - Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez (who now leads the Afro Cuban All Stars) rescued his elderly compatriots from relative obscurity for the project. In the twilight of their lives, they became big stars.
Fifteen years later, World Circuit producer Nick Gold is trying to recreate the magic of the Buena Vista sessions with his original idea. Afrocubism, released late last year on Nonesuch Records in the United States, brings together two of the original Malian invitees -- lute master Bassekou Kouyate and Rail Band guitarist Djelimady Tounkara.
Joining them are Ochoa and his ensemble Grupo Patria, kora player Toumani Diabate, Malian griot singer Kasse Mady Diabate and balafon player Lassana Diabate. (The Diabates are not related.)
Recorded in Madrid, the album's 14 tracks add Cuban influences to African tunes and vice versa in an elegant fusion of guitar and vocals, at times lively and at others pensive.
On an instrumental version of Mali Cuba, the musicians celebrate the close ties that developed between the two countries, with an intriguing interplay between Ochoa on guitar and Toumani Diabate on kora, a long-necked harp lute. Bouncing with multiple rhythms, it is an inviting introduction to the musicians' collaboration.
Jarabi (Passion) is a song about following one's heart instead of entering into an arranged marriage. It starts with a Cuban riff from Segundo's signature tune Chan Chan and features an exchange between Ochoa on acoustic guitar and Djelimadi Tounkara on electric guitar, each improvising off different rhythms.
The musicians also deliver a gentle and multi-textured instrumental improvisation of Guantanamera, a soft and swaying bicultural take of the classic Cuban song.
The music on Afrocubism is understated, and with spare percussion, the recording lacks the power inherent in much of Cuban and African music. But the recording is an inviting and intriguing exploration of the longstanding connections between African and Cuban musicians.
Though much of the African quality in Cuban music is centuries old, musicians from the two countries have collaborated since the 1950s, with Malians studying in Cuba and playing the island's music.
It's uncertain whether the new recording will achieve the same success as its predecessor. But Gold has again created something magical.
The reviews are in for "Come Hell and High Water"
Posted at 1:34 PM on May 24, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
There's been great anticipation around the debut production of The Moving Company, in part because it is not so much a debut as a reunion for these veteran Twin Cities performers. Dominique Serrand, Steve Epp, Nathan Keepers and Christina Baldwin were all members of the critically acclaimed Theatre de la Jeune Lune before it closed in 2008.
The Moving Company's first full production, "Come Hell and High Water," runs through May 29 at the Southern Theater. Thinking of going? Check out these reviews:
Steve Epp, Nathan Keepers, and Christina Baldwin in "Come Hell and High Water"
All photos by Aaron Fenster
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
The punch in this telling comes more from its images than from its story, and director Serrand's staging has crammed this production full of sense-tickling stimuli. Water is an ever-present motif in this story - almost a character in itself - and Serrand finds all kinds of ways to reference its omnipresent force. Water is sprayed, spat and spilled. It's used as a percussion instrument. It paints the floors. And in a breathtaking finale, the sound, sight and feel of it threaten to spill across the stage and into the audience....In other hands, this melange of song, story and image - jammed into a production that lasts just over 90 minutes - might feel overwhelming or overstuffed. But Serrand and his collaborators are working at a high level of artistry and sophistication, and if "Come Hell and High Water" brims with anything, it does so with grace and beauty.
Steve Epp and Nathan Keepers play the older and younger versions of the same character in "Come Hell and High Water," a device they also employed in the Theatre de la Jeune Lune production "Gulliver."
Come Hell and High Water works best in the moments between the story, where the chorus of singers and performers bring the rising tide of the river or the drudgery of the cotton field to life. Then there is the music, ranging from modern folk to rock to Mozart (always a favorite for Serrand and Epp), brought to life through Christina Baldwin's magnificent voice.Some of it is breathtaking, including a split-second transformation that completely changes the stream of the narrative about midway through, and the rain-soaked finale. The merging of music, movement, and drama is definitely something that Serrand and Epp are well known for from their Jeune Lune days, and here it serves the story remarkably well.
Christina Baldwin, Nathan Keepers, Steve Epp and Katelyn Skelley in "Come Hell and High Water"
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Water is splashed, sprayed and drops as rain from above; gunshots ring out (two athletic shoes slapped together); lumber waves above our heads and lands in perfect rows on the other side of the stage to construct another locale. Their staging is not only endlessly inventive, it all works together.What's problematic about this play is that it's hard to care very much about this journey. The characters didn't seem to connect emotionally with each other, so I had little invested emotionally in them. If they don't care particularly about this journey, why should I?
Nevertheless, it raises questions of race and prejudice, injustice, politics, education - any number of social issues relevant in 1927 and still relevant today. And I applaud this company for not playing safe, for pairing the unlikely, for seeing theater itself as a journey, rather than as a means to an end at the box office. This play might not have accomplished everything that was intended, but it is provocative enough to make me want to see what they'll do next time.
Have you seen "Come Hell and High Water?" If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
The reviews are in for Park Square Theatre's "Opus"
Posted at 9:35 AM on May 18, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Paul de Cordoba, David Mann, Emily Gunyou Halaas and Stephen D'Ambrose in "Opus"
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
Park Square Theatre presents "Opus" through May 29 in St. Paul. Reviews range from "lovely" and "honest" to "discordant and messy." Thinking of going? Read these excerpts of four different reviews; click on the links to read the full reviews. Seen the show? Share your review in the comments section.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
...The characters in ...Opus display no ...self-doubt. They are musicians at the top of their profession, playing in an internationally renowned string quartet (the Lazare), lionized, elitist, forging firmly forward. They waste no time reflecting on their one-in-a-million luck. Occasionally they do wax poetic about the amazing music they play, as when Grace rhapsodizes, beautifully, about the "dark, chocolate sound" of a special viola, or when Dorian theorizes that, still playing at the age of 90, he'll come to a musical rest, and "just stop." Lovely.But such lyrical moments occur, imo, a tad too infrequently. Playwright Michael Hollinger stays focused on the bitter and often nasty politics surrounding the quartet's exquisite music.
...the actors are, to a person (and under the firm direction of Mary M. Finnerty), wonderful. Peter Christian Hansen is marvelous, completely convincing as the passionately troubled Dorian. He wisely avoids off-putting scenery-chewing. Every time he and Elliot (the excellent Paul de Cordoba) are together, erotic sparks fly. Stephen D'Ambrose does wonders with the quietly grounded Carl; his work is understated and very affecting. David Mann plays Alan with sturdy comic fair. Finally, Emily Gunyou Halaas, in a difficult role, lets Grace gush and blush but still manages to give her dignity and resonance. We never doubt Grace's talent.
Indeed, Opus presents us with five performers who are, like the players they portray, at the very top of their game. They make this play well worth seeing.
Peter Christian Hansen, Paul de Cordoba and David Mann
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
There is lots of chewy stuff in Hollinger's play. Hansen shows the fragile personality of a genius who knows he should have been first violin but whose mental health relegated him to viola. Alan, fully aware of Dorian's brilliance, explains to Grace that, "You don't want Joan of Arc leading you. You might want her alongside you, but not leading." Dorian's relationship with the brittle Elliot illustrates how personal passion poisons the professional relationship.Beyond this, the simple candid details of preparation provide steady entertainment. Elliot turns up his nose at the idea of playing Pachelbel's Canon for the president. "It sounds like a tampon commercial," he sniffs. They argue over strident lyric lines and E-flats that aren't sharp. The actors mime with their instruments to music recorded in C. Andrew Mayer's sound design.
In his quest to make something more of this glimpse, Hollinger reaches for a dramatic conclusion that feels elliptical in the way a TV show might introduce a smoking gun that comes out of nowhere in the last five minutes of the episode. Tense histrionics argue in favor of the moment, even if it's a twisty trick. You should decide for yourself, because the play is worth the trip.
Stephen D'Ambrose
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
Hollinger gets the vibe of musicians collaborating down perfectly (being a violinist certainly helps) and structures the single-act show like a musical piece, sporting slow and quick sections, paralleling earlier moments, or even creating variations on them. It all rises to a tremendous conclusion. Some of the script does feel a bit too Behind the Music, from Dorian's spiral into madness (punctuated by a scene set to music by the Beach Boys, perhaps just to underline the moment a few more times) to Carl's health struggles, but the script stays honest to its intentions and doesn't offer easy answers along the way.It's also buoyed by a dynamite cast, who take up the bow and run with the characters...
The performers also have to act at being a string quartet, which they do with some success. They certainly have the silent interplay that distinguishes a chamber group in that they look like they are truly listening to each other play. They "perform" to taped music, and while their bowing is good, the lack of movement on the finger board is a bit distracting. They appear to be playing the same note on every piece all night long, which may work for a Phillip Glass piece, but probably not the epic Beethoven that sits at the heart of the play.
Emily Gunyou Halaas and David Mann in "Opus" at Park Square Theatre
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
From Dominic Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
If Michael Hollinger's play, "Opus," were a piece of music, it would be discordant and messy, filled with themes without variation and chords left unresolved.Taking seriously the adage to "write what you know," Hollinger - a violist-turned-playwright - has written a play about a top-tier string quartet struggling through the firing of one of its founding members and the attempt to replace him with a young, talented, but naive violist.
Lodged somewhere between comedy and drama, "Opus" tries to do many things - educate the audience about the mysteries and magic of classical music, interpret the particular dynamic of a small group of people, articulate the pressure inherent in trying to do anything at an extremely high level. But in his zeal to multi-task, Hollinger winds up doing a halfway job all the way around: Characters and situations are only partially developed; crises arise manufactured and are left unplumbed; personal entanglements are presented and then abandoned.
The result is a 90-minute play that moves in fits and starts; one that neither makes us laugh heartily nor think deeply as it lurches toward a melodramatic and unsatisfying climax with a lazy attempt at resolution.
The reviews are in for Pillsbury House's "In the Red and Brown Water"
Posted at 9:53 AM on May 17, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Christiana as Oya and Sonja Parks as Mama Moja and Greta Oglesby as Aunt Elegua in the production "In the Red and Brown Water."
Photo credit: 2011 © Michal Daniel
"In the Red and Brown Water" runs through June 5 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. It's a production of Pillsbury House Theatre, in conjunction with The Mount Curve Company. It's author, playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, has been hailed as "the next August Wilson."
Thinking about seeing the show? Check out these excerpts of reviews by local critics; click on the links to read the full reviews.
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
The first play in a trilogy, "Red and Brown Water" mixes myth with realism. It centers on Oya (Christiana Clark), a track star living in a Louisiana housing project, who is offered an athletic scholarship to college. Oya declines the offer to care for her sick mother, Mama Moja (the inestimable Sonja Parks). Her life goes on, dimmed but not over, as she seeks fulfillment in the arms of competing lovers -- army man Shango (Ansa Akyea) and businessman Ogun (James A. Williams).McCraney's writing is witty, poetic and profound, marrying the supple poetics of Shakespeare, the mythic sweet spots of Federico Garcia Lorca and August Wilson and the choreographed soulfulness of Ntozake Shange with an urban lyricism. There's not much to the plot, but McCraney brings out the majesty of his poor characters, named after Yoruba deities.
...This production, suffused with music, light and levity, announces the arrival of a brilliant new voice.
Ansa Akyea as Shango, Greta Oglesby as Aunt Elegua, and Christiana Clark as Oya
Photo credit: 2011 © Michal Daniel
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
"In the Red and Brown Water" flows briskly during its first half but grows static in its second. And the central character isn't nearly as magnetic as many of those who orbit around her. But what the author doesn't give her in words, Christiana Clark makes up for in a physically expressive performance.She plays Oya, a product of the projects in a Louisiana city. As the play begins, she's a high school track star being offered a college scholarship, which she declines because of her mother's illness. It's the first step on a path toward hopelessness for Oya, who becomes the center of a rivalry between two men and looks to motherhood as a last chance for fulfillment.
But the plot isn't the point of this play. It's more an exploration of emotions and interchanges, poetry and pain. Its characters' inner lives surface as they speak stage directions ("Elegba exits like a three-quarter moon in the daytime"; "Ogun exits, leaving his heart behind him.").
And there's a transporting sense of magical realism in the elaborate details of a dream and a character being swept away by a river of gospel singers.
Greta Oglesby as Aunt Elegua and Christiana Clark as Oya, with the ensemble in the background
Photo credit: 2011 © Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
The lyrical comedy, the moon-driven theatricality is terrific, as is the play's ambitiousness. But Oya's desire for pregnancy feels a touch tacked on, a way of providing a conclusion. A small complaint, this, given the complex beauty of In The Red And Brown Water.Is there better acting to be found in the cities - or anywhere? I doubt it. Director Marion McClinton provides us a simple painted floor and scrim (niftily designed by David Gallo and beautifully lit by Michael Wangen), puts some lawn chairs on the sides and then wisely gets out of the gifted cast's way.
As Oya, Christiana Clark thrills. Lithe and muscular, leggy and gorgeous, Clark leaps about the stage, running circles around the other characters, energizing, driving the play with a compelling combination of desperate fear and exuberant defiance. This is a performance that will grow and build - and stay with you.
Have you seen "In the Red and Brown Water?" If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
To learn more about the production, check out Euan Kerr's story here.
What Shanan Custer does for love and money
Posted at 2:41 PM on May 16, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, People, Theater
Shanan Custer
Shanan Custer is an extraordinary comedienne, actor and writer. She's also a veteran of Brave New Workshop. Today on MinnesotaPlaylist.com, Custer writes about the jobs one chooses, sometimes for the love of the work, and sometimes to pay the bills.
It's a hilarious rant, but one comment she made stuck out at me:
The business we work in is strange for many reasons, but particularly for this: we apologize or see it as a possible liability if we do any work that is popular to a wider audience. Put another way, if a lot of people like something then, ipso facto, it must not be very good (this is the first time I've used the phrase "ipso facto" in a sentence and I think it went pretty well). The issue revolves around the term "wider" audience, I think. If a show is meant to connect with a certain segment of the population that we find socially undesirable (people with jobs and houses in mostly white neighborhoods with gun racks in their basement) then we say, "Well, it is what it is! I'm getting out as soon as I can to do some real stuff! Pays the bills!" If the show connects with a more desirable audience (people with jobs and houses in properly diverse neighborhoods and no gun racks), then we say, "I'm so proud to be a part of this! I feel so lucky!"
We know that sometimes great works of art aren't popular straight off the bat. That's why we have non-profit organizations in the first place - because they could rarely get by on ticket sales. But does being popular imply a lack of artistic quality?
SPCO, Dawn Upshaw and Maria Schneider earn accolades
Posted at 11:06 AM on May 16, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Music
Dawn Upshaw and Maria Schneider with the SPCO
MPR Photo/Melanie Burford
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra performed Friday night in the first Spring for Music Festival at Carnegie Hall on Friday night.
Anthony Tommasini reviewed the concert for the New York Times as part of a larger piece on the Festival. Here's what he had to say:
On Friday night, for the sixth of the festival's seven concerts, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra offered a program that had no title and no discernible theme. Yet the four pieces presented made sense as a group. It opened with Stravinsky's Concerto in D for string orchestra, a 1946 work from the composer's Neo-Classical period, and ended with Haydn's "London" Symphony, a landmark of the Viennese Classical era. These works framed a recent piece for voice and chamber orchestra by Maria Schneider, the jazz composer and big-band leader, and a group of five folk songs for soprano and string orchestra by Bartok, both featuring Dawn Upshaw.Instead of relying on a music director, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra collaborates with five artistic partners, including Ms. Upshaw, who had asked Ms. Schneider to write her a piece. The resulting work, "Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories," is a setting of poems by a revered Brazilian poet translated into English by the poet Mark Strand. Written in 2008, this was Ms. Schneider's "first classical venture," as she put it in a program note. She conducted it here.
The dark and vivid first poem describes a group of people making fun of photos in a dusty old album of "the dead in frock coats." The settings of all four poems, which include a wry romantic roundelay ("Quadrille"), flow together in this organic 25-minute work. Ms. Schneider sets the words to sultry music lightly touched with jazz in the style of Gil Evans.
The harmonic writing is piercing and precise; the mood ambiguous, at once pensive and restless. The vocal writing deftly blends quasi-conversational phrases with soaring lyricism. The only miscalculation may have been the stretches, including a Prologue, in which the soprano sings wordless phrases on "ah" and "da-dee" sounds, which came across as generic, even though Ms. Upshaw sang alluringly, like a jazz vocalist leading an orchestra.
She was in better, more penetrating voice for the Bartok folk songs. Richard Tognetti's string orchestra arrangements lent depth to the accompaniments, while still retaining some of the bite of the original piano parts.
The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra often plays without a conductor, as it did here in the Stravinsky and Haydn works. These impressive musicians gave vibrant, natural performances of both pieces. Still, the playing might have been a little crisper with a conductor leading the way.
The SPCO performance was broadcast live on Minnesota Public Radio's classical station. Did you miss it? No worries, you can find it here.
The reviews are in for "after the quake"
Posted at 10:00 AM on May 11, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The cast of "after the quake"
Photo by Dan Norman
Walking Shadow Theatre Company presents "after the quake" based on the novel by Haruki Murakami. The play runs through May 21 at the People's Center Theater in Minneapolis.
Thinking about seeing the show? Check out these excerpts of local reviews; click on the critic's name to read the full review.
As Japan grapples with the results of the recent earthquake, tsunami and meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the play seems fresh. But this show was adapted by Frank Galati from Murakami's stories in response to an earlier tremblor -- the Kobe earthquake of 1995.Directed simply and effectively by Amy Rummenie for Walking Shadow Company, "Quake" interweaves two stories -- the fanciful "Superfrog saves Tokyo" and regret-filled "Honey Pie." In the first, a frog appears to a midlevel banker named Katigiri (Kurt Kwan), teaming up with him to do battle with underground forces and prevent an earthquake.
The other narrative revolves around three college friends. Jock Takasuki (Kwan) hooks up with Sayoko (Katie Bradley) and has a child with her even though it is the shy writer Junpei (Eric Sharp) who truly loves her.
Brant Miller and Kurt Kwan in "after the quake."
Photo by Dan Norman
The three actors at the center carry most of the story's weight, and they do it very well. Eric Sharp as Junpei walks a tightrope, making the character very likeable (he's kind, considerate, and quick to tell a story) but with heavy-duty flaws. Junpei keeps his desires hidden through the first half of the play, letting the story unfold to identify what's eating at his soul.Kurt Kwan gets handed two rather different roles to play, the well-meaning but something-of-a-jerk Takatsuki and the lonely but tough Katagiri, who collects on bad loans given to gangsters and other folks of ill repute. It's not just that Kwan manages to create two distinct characters, he is also able to find connections between the two in his performance, and connections to Sharp and Junpei.
The final side of the triangle is Katie Bradley as Sayoko. Her performance is as reserved as the rest, but Bradley makes the character a warm charmer, so it's clear why both men would fall in love with her.
Katie Bradley, Eric Sharp, Cory Grossman
Photo by Dan Norman
This is rich, subtle material, its romantic sweetness nicely balanced by its deadly serious intention. The play (which runs for an intermissionless ninety minutes) uses long sections of the Murakami text in Book-It style narration: characters frequently turn and address the audience directly. The formality of this is perfect; it's not just a love story ("Honey Pie") or a dream-like melodrama ("Superfrog"). There is something else going on, something mysterious, and it keeps us riveted. The payoff, which I will refrain from describing, thrills....That this play goes up so soon after Japan's recent quake/tsunami has given the production an unwelcome resonance. Walking Shadow handles this well: some visual material has been eliminated and the producers are properly aware of and respectful to Japan's current suffering. Don't let this keep you away.
Did you see "after the quake?" If so, what did you think?
The reviews are in for "The Year of Magical Thinking"
Posted at 12:00 PM on May 4, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Barbara Berlovitz stars in The Year of Magical Thinking at Nimbus Theatre in Minneapolis
Photo by Liz Neerland
Nimbus Theatre presents "The Year of Magical Thinking," starring Barbara Berlovitz, through May 21. The play is based in large part on Joan Didion's memoir of the same name, which deals with the death of her husband, while her daughter was in a coma. The play also includes the death of her daughter, which occurred while Didion was on the road promoting her memoir.
Are you considering seeing the show? Reviews of the play deem it everything from " a heartbreaking piece of theater that should not be missed" to "90 minutes of dispassion" and "a competent but flat production."
Check out these excerpts of reviews by local critics, or click on the links to read the complete reviews.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
...Berlovitz finds the sense of balance in Didion's logic. Her phrasing has the precision of poetry; emotion -- when there is any -- comes in silent pauses. Berlovitz creates a Didion who seems initially thrown off her game by this shock, but recovers through detached reportage. Her husband "does not look like he needs to be dead," she says in the kind of sharp insight that anyone who has seen a dead body understands. She considers the time zones when calling friends on the West Coast. It's three hours earlier there, does that mean her husband hasn't died yet? She's almost a bit smug in her confidence, in her sense of control. She will not let this intrusion destroy her homeostasis....Berlovitz loses some of her rigor in the latter half of Nimbus' production, directed by Liz Neerland. Her eloquence is not quite as sure, but this could be an opening-night observation.
"The Year of Magical Thinking" will not satisfy those looking for raw, emotional grief. Didion is not a robot. Her feeling is as deep as any person's but her reaction is a spare, intriguing look at the intellect's endeavor to right itself after catastrophe.
...The work offers tremendous challenges for the performer, as the emotions in the hour-long piece are kept so close, but veteran Barbra Berlovitz masterfully takes the audience on Didion's journey. Don't expect any massive epiphany or rafter-rattling histrionics. Berlovitz's performance remains true to Didion's cool but devastating prose, whether it's describing the author's inability to give away her husband's shoes (what would he wear if he came back?) to riding cross-country on a medical transport to take her daughter from Los Angeles to New York, all the while hoping the worst had passed but being honest enough to know it hadn't. Berlovitz, along with director Liz Neerland, crafts a heartbreaking piece of theater that should not be missed.
Photo by Liz Neerland
From Renee Valois at Pioneer Press
The idea of losing your entire family, including the sudden death of your spouse of many years and your children, would evoke deep pain and grief for most. But somehow, in "The Year of Magical Thinking" at Nimbus Theatre, that emotion is lacking....It begins to feel long, even with Barbra Berlovitz's tuned performance, including a very thoughtful, matter-of-fact delivery that never attempts to hook us into the deeper grief that may be lurking far beneath the surface.
The problem is that the story lists things that happen without conveying their emotional resonance. For instance, Didion finally gives in to the compulsion to drive down a street that she fears will resurrect memories of happier times and ends up spending hours there - but that's all we know of the event. We get no sense of her inner struggle or even what she thought about, although she obviously felt it was meaningful enough to mention. It feels as if we are on the outside looking in, barely scratching the surface of a deeper experience.
...Didion's story is at times interesting, but it is not as moving as one would expect from a litany of such loss. Her telling of the events is too reserved and her emotions too controlled to be satisfying onstage.
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
...Another challenging aspect of this script is that it's elliptical and non-linear, with the character going on tangents and making parenthetical observations, approaching its themes in a circumspect manner that belies the supreme craft that went into its writing. What's wanted here is a complete embodiment of this character, a performance that makes the audience believe they're listening in on Didion's spontaneous inner thoughts. Berlovitz, however, makes her stops, starts, and turns with a deliberation that never lets you forget this is a scripted monologue.She's not helped by Josh Cragun's set, which is functional but unattractive and does little to evoke a sense of Didion's world. The gauzy greys might be intended to evoke a higher plane among the clouds, but put a couple of couches in there and it would work better as a set for No Exit. Jake Davis's sound design also pings in with intrusive, distracting, and unnecessary effects. More effective is Mitchell Frazier's warm lighting design, which subtly modulates the space's mood over the course of the 90-minute show.
Those many readers who were moved by Didion's book will be interested to see how this theatrical adaptation incorporates the author's second loss. Those who haven't read the book, though--me included--might do better to spend an evening with it than to meet this material under the aegis of this competent but flat production.
Have you seen Nimbus Theatre's production of "The Year of Magical Thinking?" If so, what did you think? Share your reviews in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Sexy Librarian"
Posted at 2:22 PM on May 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Joking Envelope presents "Sexy Librarian" at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage through May 21. Here's how playwright Joseph Scrimshaw describes the show:
A meek librarian lives in quiet frustration until she finds an ancient tome with a horrible spell and transforms herself into a beautiful monster. Whip off your glasses and shake out your hair for this stereotype smashing twist on the classic Jekyll and Hyde tale. A rock musical about fantasy, obsession, and rockin' the bookmobile after hours. Get ready for the total opposite of quiet in the library.
Thinking of going? Check out these excerpts form local reviews, or click on the links to read them in their entirety.
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
Writer/director/drummer Scrimshaw's genre-busting plotting and often clever jokes--presented, per Scrimshaw usual, with infallible regularity--keep Sexy Librarian moving, but it's sometimes an uphill battle. At two and a half hours (including intermission), the show feels long, and if you gave me the editing pen, I'd trim the whole "rock musical" part of Sexy Librarian: File Under Rock Musical. Though the band adds an element of fun to the proceedings--and reveals that actor Adam Whisner has serious guitar chops--Mike Hallenbeck's songs are just okay, and the sound mix at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage on Saturday night often made Scrimshaw's lyrics difficult to discern. (I should note that I was sitting far to stage right; the mix might have been better in the middle of the house--er, the garage.)
Scrimshaw's assembled a wonderful cast, from the leads down to invaluable supporting player Kevin McLaughlin as a patron who keeps stumbling upon Internet porn--possibly deliberately. Sundberg, Landman, and Rylander have their characters on lock, and deliver rich comic performances that are a treat to watch. All three find the humanity behind their caricatures. Most poignant is Landman, whose hands are so gnarled from carpal tunnel syndrome that he won't even pull them out of his pockets; watch him try to pick up a book with his knees rather than accept Sundberg's help.City Pages just named Joking Envelope the best local theater company presenting original comedy, and that assessment is hard to argue with--especially on the basis of the shows Scrimshaw writes. He's not just one of the funniest local writers, he's also one of the smartest and most challenging. That's evidenced not only by his ability to write ribald jokes about books and libraries--though he can do that too. After Sexy Librarian, you'll never look at a bookmark the same way again.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com
The play stars Anna Sundberg, and that's all you really need to know....Sundberg makes the louche play work. As the Sexpot she is attractive and convincingly over-sexed but I came to greatly prefer her quiet and composed Librarian. Sundberg gives the frowzy Constance razor sharp cynicism and an impish grin. She makes long deliberate takes. The overall effect is, imho, very sexy.
Sundberg is greatly aided by her two male compatriots. As Frederick, Constance's superior, arthritic hands permanently thrust into his pockets, Sam Landman displays edgy amiability and impeccable comic timing. When he suddenly (and for unclear reasons) recovers the use of his hands, Landman is a hoot and a half. As is Mike Rylander who plays Chad the actor (he's auditioning for the timeless role of "Guy Selling Ladies Swimwear") beautifully. He's gorgeously air headed and appropriately swept off his feet by the hungry Constance. The rest of the ensemble (Kevin McLaughlin, Katie Kaufman, Lisa Bol and phillip andrew bennett) are quite good.
As to the material, well, gee. Joseph Scrimshaw (who also directs and plays the drums) has written a script that lurches along with admirable bravado and with regular flashes of brilliance ("You're prettier, but meaner." "Which is your Jekyll and which is your Hyde?") But the plot is garbled, fitfully developed and repetitive. How many toilet paper jokes can one play sustain? Still, as is always the case with Joking Envelope, the material is played with seriousness and passion. This adds up to a recognizable style.
From ROHAN PRESTON at the Star Tribune
[Sundberg's] Jekyll-to-Hyde change is one of the things that work well in this promising, if slow-paced, musical comedy at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage.The show, which riffs on cultural types and tropes, revolves around a librarian on the frontline of a citizenry that is becoming increasingly dumb and entitled. Patrons seek classic texts that they know only from films, and demand books that have movie pictures on the covers.
One library visitor wants Constance to re-stock the toilet paper in the men's bathroom. And yet another, a bad speller, keeps getting his Internet connection broken because he's typoing things to get into porn sites.
...Some of the tunes are catchy, and hummable, even if the score could be improved with better orchestration and a bigger band.
"Sexy Librarian" is a work-in-progress. The pacing suggests a drama, not a fast and funny show. The music and the play exist in different realms. In fact, although it's billed as a rock musical, it feels more like a play with rock musical interludes.
Have you seen "Sexy Librarian" at the Minneapolis Theater Garage? If so, what did you think of the show? Share your reviews in the comments section.
Omar Sosa delights at the Dakota
Posted at 2:50 PM on April 28, 2011
by David Cazares
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism
Omar Sosa performs tonight at the Dakota Jazz Club
From his opening notes, it's clear that Afro-Cuban pianist, composer and arranger Omar Sosa has a distinct vision, one that reconnects African music from around the globe with the African continent.
It's a worldview Sosa delivered remarkably in a performance at the Dakota Jazz Club on Wednesday night.
Sosa started with Intro to Elegua, an acknowledgment of the Santeria deity that opens doors. A practitioner of the Yoruba-based religion and a Catholic, the pianist left no doubt that he would use melody and percussion to explore new musical terrain.
With a light touch, Sosa coaxed listeners into a ceremony that was both thoughtful and celebratory, quickly making room for his three accompanists to join him on percussion and horns.The pianist switched back and forth from acoustic to electric piano, but also used a variety of special effects boxes near the piano, along with recorded voices and assorted sounds.
As the airy feeling faded, the ensemble with the big-band sound took off on a roaring flight on Metisse, with thundering playing by Marque Gilmore on drums and Childo Tomas on electric bass, and extended solos by Peter Apfelbaum on saxophone.
Inventive, intricately arranged and pan-African, their tunes juxtaposed expressions of tranquility and forcefulness.
Throughout the 90-minute second set, Sosa showed agility and inventiveness, fusing Afro-Cuban romps, with straight-ahead jazz runs and jazz fusion. Going where the spirits led him, he played with emotion and zeal, sometimes spinning around as if in an emotional trance and delighting in his discoveries.
At times, Sosa evoked a young Herbie Hancock, blending funk into his repertoire. At others, he reminded concert-goers of his experiments with hip-hop, playing percussive licks on his face with his hands, as Tomas played the role of human beat box.
Sosa's performance, the second I've seen in the last several years, showed remarkable growth for the pianist from Camaguey, Cuba, whose experiments with a variety of genres places him among world's most innovative jazz musicians.
Delivering his compositions as mini suites, he told complex musical stories, varying tempo and rhythm, and mixing the Cuban genres of danzon, cha, cha, cha and son with straight-ahead jazz. Linking them all were powerful syncopated rhythms and the call of Africa.
Toward the end of his show, as one concert-goer complained about another's enthusiastic but appropriate responses to the music's call, Sosa told them what his music is all about: peace and love.
He then took them to church with a tune from his 2008 recording Afreecanos: Light in the Sky. Both ancestral and futuristic, it was a nice summation of Sosa's approach.
The reviews are in for "I Wish You Love"
Posted at 1:28 PM on April 27, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Nat King Cole
Penumbra Theatre is presenting the world premiere of a play about Nat King Cole and his groundbreaking television show. It's called "I Wish You Love" and stars Dennis Spears as the velvet-throated legend, who's trying to renew his TV show amidst growing racial tensions.
Check out the following excerpts of reviews to get a sense of the show, and click on the link below to hear Tom Crann interview Spears along with playwright Dominic Taylor and director Lou Bellamy.
From Quinton Skinner at the Pioneer Press:
In the early going, it's an open question whether director Lou Bellamy's cast will be able to steer the ship above the middling range of the jukebox musical. This is no knock on Spears, who tackles the task of approximating one of the greatest vocalists of the previous century with soul and delicacy. In the first act, he delivers a wry "I Was a Little Too Lonely" and a precise "I Know That You Know" with a precision that duplicates Cole's making-it-look-easy virtuosity, if not quite his boundless mastery of tone....Spears wins us over in the early going; the question is whether the show will demonstrate the heft toward which it aspires...
It does, with a ratcheting sense of intensity. At the end of the first act the trio plays Alabama, where their reception dovetails with Civil Rights backlash and the ever-poised Cole is heckled from the stage (and his guitarist is assaulted by the police). The second act, which plays out in the TV studio, entails Cole receiving edicts from advertisers to segregate his band. Spears' performance begins to smolder, and we learn to question some of the more ambiguous looks Cole fired at those cameras more than a half century ago.
Along the way, mind you, Spears gathers even more steam and uncorks a series of brilliant performances: a transcendent, aching "Morning Star" and a wrenchingly beautiful "Mona Lisa." But it's the end that raises the stakes for the evening. While Spears delivers the title tune, a series of images play out on the screens above him -- while maintaining unflinching historical consciousness, the show leaves us with a reminder that truth, and memory, can contain profound notes of optimism and progress. It's nothing short of beautiful, and a fitting tribute to a complex man who left a difficult-to-summarize, yet undeniably powerful, legacy.
Dennis W. Spears (Nat Cole) in the Penumbra Theatre production of I Wish You love by Dominic Taylor, at Penumbra Theatre April 21 - May 22, 2011.
Photo by Michal Daniel
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
...I'm pleased to report that Spears, under Lou Bellamy's sharp direction, does Cole beautifully, and if you require a reason to see this show, Spears herewith provides it. He sings the Cole classics with restrained power and ease, smiling for the camera, finding the perfect vocal approach; this man can sing. Granted, yes, there is some tension in the air. We feel Spears yearning to break free of the role's severe restrictions. But this only adds spice.
...A story develops: Cole, the first African-American with his own TV show, struggles to keep it going in the face of building hostility from advertisers. ("Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark," as Cole famously said.) He takes on an ill-advised tour, playing Birmingham Alabama at a time when the Jim Crow system, beginning (we now know) its violent death throes, was virulent and vicious. The Alabama performance ends badly, with several assaults, one serious.
Powerful stuff. But it doesn't, for me, as the play currently stands, quite land. I was never fully convinced that Spears's Cole really wanted the TV show to go on. There is a reserve, a lack of passion, a vagueness, exacerbated by a somewhat fitful dramatic structure. Taylor and Spears might consider eliminating a song or two and spending more time with this story. It's work well worth doing, as Spears is giving a masterful performance and the play could easily evolve into [a] revealing and affecting look at a major American artist, one who left us far too young (Cole died in 1965, of cancer, age 45). I Wish You Love comes tantalizingly close to fulfilling its considerable promise.
Kevin D. West (Oliver Moore) and Dennis W. Spears (Nat Cole) in the Penumbra Theatre production of I Wish You Love.
Photo by Michal Daniel
Throughout Dominic Taylor's new play I Wish You Love, in its premiere at Penumbra Theatre, we sense the conflicts within Cole, who, above everything else, wants to make music, and money. That means paying out of his own pocket to reach his TV audience when sponsors were hesitant to sign on to his show, and it means making a trip into the deep South--and near Cole's hometown--to appease the network.Before we get to the drama, there's a lot of table-setting to be done, which threatens to drag down Taylor's play before it gets started. At the beginning, we are treated to what seems like a full episode of Cole's show, loaded with his standards. Then the music slips away for long stretches as Taylor works to deepen the characters and the situations. At first the show feels like a standard, if extremely well-produced and -performed, jukebox musical. Then it appears to start all over again, bringing in the layers of conflict that Cole and the members of his core band faced.
However, as the overlong first act nears its end and Cole and his band find themselves before a hostile crowd in Alabama, the piece finally comes into focus and doesn't lose it through a terrific, dramatic, and powerful second half.
....The production is as smooth as Cole's voice, with 20 expertly performed musical numbers and a drama that ends with an indelible image of three battle-worn performers playing their music before the curtain falls on a pioneering TV show.
Dennis W. Spears as Nat King Cole
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Rohan Preston at the Star Tribune:
...The Penumbra production, which takes place on Lance Brockman's sophisticated turntable set, is a smooth, multimedia affair, with Spears being filmed and projected live on five screens in black-and-white while we see him in color. Manifesting duality, both in content and in style, is one of the strengths of "Love."Spears handles the quicksilver shifts masterfully. What is happening offstage may be hurtful, and you can see the weariness in his eyes, if not feel it in his soul. But once the camera comes on, he is not so much a performer as a seducer, radiating romance and a chaste desire.
The normal challenge with stage biographies of musical figures, especially a pioneering one such as Cole, is that they get bogged down in the behind-the-scenes mess; there is always plenty of that to mine. Taylor's play veers too much in the other direction, showing Cole only in relation to the civil-rights fight. It would be nice to have more layering of his life in the first act, which could be condensed. Some of the songs, as beautiful as they are, could be cut and saved for the curtain call, where Spears gets his deserved and sustained standing ovation.
"I Wish You Love" runs through May 22 at Penumbra Theatre. Have you seen it? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Arsenic and Old Lace"
Posted at 12:43 PM on April 26, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Sally Wingert (Martha Brewster) and Kristine Nielsen (Abby Brewster) in the Guthrie Theater production of Arsenic and Old Lace
All photos by Michal Daniel
Arsenic and Old Lace, a farcical black comedy, runs through June 5 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. According to these critics the show provides a belly full of laughs, but lacks any deeper drama. Think you might go? Check out these excerpts, or click on the links to read the full reviews.
From Brad Richason at Examiner.com:
From the first glimpse of the tastefully refined parlor where cultured eccentrics engage in witty banter, Arsenic and Old Lace seems to possess all the attendant visages of a drawing room comedy - with the notable distinction of a cellar crowded with shallow graves. Victims of two elderly sisters who approach murder as a kind of charitable enterprise, the accumulating corpses are just one example of the play's waggishly skewed perversion of propriety. By equating social etiquette with mannerly homicides, the Guthrie Theater's new production of Arsenic and Old Lace succeeds in transforming unabashedly morbid humor into crowd pleasing entertainment.
Now considered one of American theater's defining dark comedies, playwright Joseph Kesselring had originally envisioned Arsenic and Old Lace as a grim crime drama until a friend astutely pointed out the ghastly humor to be derived from the story of Abby and Martha Brewster, spinster sisters whose unique definition of goodwill includes the poisoning of lonely old men...Populated with such delightfully bizarre characters, Kesselring's script excels at undermining social graces with diabolical charm. Occasionally the script's carefully calibrated mechanics do show some wear, particularly in an exposition heavy first act that allows more chuckles than outright laughter, but director Joe Dowling confidently sustains the mood with a tongue-in-cheek sensibility perfectly suited to the irreverent material.
...Though Arsenic and Old Lace may falter by dramatic standards, the Guthrie's emphasis on homicidal humor offers a farcical reminder that even murder can be a laughing matter.
Michael Booth (Officer Klein) and Bob Davis (Teddy Brewster) in the Guthrie Theater production of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
When talking about Arsenic and Old Lace, co-star Sally Wingert notes that it's a "handsome American play." That's an apt description of Joseph Kesselring's 1941 macabre farce about murderous aunts, a Boris-Karloff look-alike madman, and a baker's dozen of bodies in the cellar.
The show gets an appropriately handsome production at the Guthrie, led by Joe Dowling's steady hand and featuring terrific turns from Wingert and Kristine Nielsen as Martha and Abby Brewster, a pair of spinster sisters who are always ready to offer a hand to charity--and to off lonely, older gentlemen. The two actors are a perfect double act, bringing out all the jolly madness of their characters, talking of murder while gently clucking over their nephew's marriage plans.The nephew, uneasy theater critic Mortimer, spends most of the play trying to unravel the mess caused by his relatives, including long-lost brother Jonathan, who looks like the Frankenstein's monster actor. There's also another brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. He may be the sanest of them all. Jonas Goslow is probably too good looking to play a critic, but his rubbery face and expressions help to sell the increased chaos of the longest night of his life.
Kristine Nielsen (Abby Brewster), Tyson Forbes (Jonathan Brewster) and Sally Wingert (Martha Brewster) in the Guthrie Theater production of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
From Rohan Preston at Star Tribune:
Wingert and Nielsen have a supple chemistry, drawing from many influences to construct their farcical yet grounded roles. Both move with a lightness of feet that suggests oscillating characters from the Peking Opera, for example, part of a battery of expressive and funny physical attributes. And when these nice-seeming sisters are alarmed, they sound like creatures fluttering in a henhouse, quacking sotto voce.
Dowling tapped Tyson Forbes to play the sister's bear-like prodigal nephew, Jonathan. He is also in the family business, though not nearly as jolly. Jonathan arrives home with an Igor-like plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein (Kris Nelson), who gives him new faces. Jonathan also has brought home a body.The Guthrie cast does good work. They have expert comic timing, playing the script without too much scenery chewing and stage mugging. And the improbable jokes land, eliciting laughter and fun, even if you wish such good actors were doing their good work in something beside "Arsenic and Old Lace."
Kristine Nielsen (Abby Brewster) in the Guthrie Theater production of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet
...Conducted lithely by Dowling, this talented cast knock out the laugh lines like they're shooting ducks in a gallery--and give their characters such life that they get extra throwaway laughs from their gestures and expressions. There's not a weak link, but particularly notable are the three leads and Kris L. Nelson, who plays the caricatured role of Dr. Einstein (no, not that Dr. Einstein, ba-domp-ching) to the hilt. The set by John Lee Beatty is static but attractive, elaborate, and functional--everything is, to quote Radiohead, in its right place.
This production is sure to please its intended audience, and will even wring a few chuckles from members of its unintended audience who find themselves corralled into attending. But don't take my word for it. For this play about aunts, I brought no less an authority on the subject than my own aunt Betsy. What did she think? At intermission, she turned to me and said, "Those ladies are pretty epic."
So, have you seen "Arsenic and Old Lace" at the Guthrie? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
City Pages publishes its annual Best of the Twin Cities
Posted at 11:43 AM on April 20, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Media
So every year City Pages puts out its annual "Best of the Twin Cities" guide, and every year I immediately flip to the Arts and Entertainment section to see who made the list. There are a few names that regularly show up, and there always a few surprises, too. Here are some of the highlights:
This year, Theater Latte Da, and its director Peter Rothstein both received accolades, earning "Best of" rankings for theater company, musical ("Violet") and director.
Ten Thousand Things won for its production of "Life's A Dream."
Minnesota Orchestra won in the category of "Best Non-Movie Theater Place to See a Movie" for performing scores to movies like "Psycho" live while the film is screened onstage.
Uri Sands came away with "Best Choreographer" for his company TU Dance, and the male vocal ensemble Cantus (MPR Classical's musical group in residence) was awarded with "Best Classical Musician."
And of course, hats off to 89.3 The Current for taking the "Best Radio Station" award, and to Steve Seel garnering the "Best FM Radio Personality" (his colleague Mark Wheat won the Readers' Choice award in the same category).
Congrats to all the winners!
The reviews are in for "Man of La Mancha"
Posted at 3:30 PM on April 20, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Stephen Epp and Luverne Seifert star in Man of La Mancha
Ten Thousand Things Theatre is known for producing plays and musicals that are spare in their staging, but rich in their humanity.
The company's latest production tackles the musical "Man of La Mancha," starring Stephen Epp as Miguel de Cervantes and Luverne Seifert as his manservant. The reviewers agree; this is not the traditional musical, but it is a powerful, compelling piece of theater. "Man of La Mancha" runs through May 8 - check out the excerpts of reviews below, or click on the links to read them in their entirety.
From Graydon Royce at Star Tribune:
Epp's Cervantes is less a portrayal than it is a personal compulsion. Each moment burns with honesty, even as he descends into childish madness and self consciously goofs off. Epp constantly grounds the enterprise with Cervantes' nobility, a decency dedicated to transporting the inmates' spirits beyond these bars.
Actor Matt Guidry, ever the gnarly skeptic as Dr. Carrosco, scolds Cervantes's desire to escape through imagination, only to draw the rebuke that too much sanity is madness. Epp is spot on with a character who may act a fool but embodies an eloquent advocacy for greater existence -- an impossible dream.
Hensley's production keys off Epp's performance. Physically taut and musically lean, it is perfectly modulated to reveal tenderness and brutality side by side. Actors confidently indulge the manic burlesque with improvised asides and a loose playfulness -- they are, after all, prisoners making this stuff up. Yet sublime moments of ethereal beauty invade the ridiculous. T. Mychael Rambo lends a gorgeous and aching voice to "Dulcinea;" Epp channels an a cappella vulnerability in "The Impossible Dream."
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
...First among this production's powerful presences is Steven Epp's marvelous and moving performance in the central role. Epp is no opera singer, but he still gives a lusty rendition of "I, Don Quixote." His eyes glint with genial madness, and while he maximizes the role's comic possibilities, Epp also imbues Cervantes/Quixote with the wisdom of those Shakespearean clowns unafraid to speak truth to power.
...Luverne Seifert comes close to stealing the show as Quixote's antic, bug-eyed sidekick, Sancho Panza. His chemistry with Epp evokes fond memories of their days working together at the erstwhile Theatre de la Jeune Lune. In fact, if one were of a mind to pick critical nits, it could accurately be pointed out that director Hensley gives her performers considerable latitude, and that Epp (with his malapropisms) and Seifert (with his stammering line readings and vocal jumping jacks) both pull oft-used devices from their deep and substantial aesthetic bags of tricks.
That's a small price to pay, however, for a fine and moving interpretation of "Man of La Mancha" that loses no power in its compact telling.
Ten Thousand Things' production of Man of La Mancha runs through May 8
...Fueled by Epp's terrific performance and director Michelle Hensley's ability to get to the heart of any material, Man of La Mancha strips the musical bare from beginning to end. Seven actors play all the roles. The music arrives via keyboards and percussion. Sets and costumes, as usual for Ten Thousand Things, are minimal and improvised.
At one moment, Epp asked an audience member for her program, which he then fashioned into a very rough knife/sword so Quixote could fight his rival. This playfulness only sharpens the tragedies at the center of the show--of Quixote's need to be mad to finally be truly free, and of his creator's trial of his ideals before a court of prisoners (which probably went better than the one before the Inquisition, which looms over the entire proceedings).
Man of La Mancha reaches into the mind, heart, and soul in a way that all the flashy sets, cast of thousands, and bold, auditorium-filling voices never manage.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
Cervantes gives one of the inmates, the seemingly unreachable, lost-in-her-hallucinations Reyna, the role of Aldonza. She is then transformed - or transforms herself - into the exquisite Dulcinea. "My virgin." This progression from near-insanity into genuine grandeur amazes, and is a major reason this piece is so often performed. (That and the anthemic song "The Impossible Dream.") "Look at me as I really am," Aldonza/Dulcinea pleads. "I see Beauty," is Cervantes's reply. Wow.
Regina Williams plays this perfectly. Her approach to Aldonza is still, hushed, restrained - and gooseflesh-producing. She goes from bent over and muttering to convincingly regal. Every scene she plays with Cervantes mesmerizes. La Mancha is beautifully acted, but even so, Williams's performance stands out.
So did you see Man of La Mancha? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Wuthering Heights"
Posted at 12:39 PM on April 19, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Opera
Sara Jakubiak as Catherine Earnshaw in The Minnesota Opera production of Wuthering Heights
All photos by Michal Daniel
Minnesota Opera presents "Wuthering Heights," the opera based on Emily Brontë's novel, through April 23. Thinking of seeing the show? Check out these excerpts of reviews from the local media - click on the links to read the full reviews.
From William Randall Beard at Star Tribune:
Oscar-winning film composer Bernard Herrmann contributed to the success of such renowned films as "Citizen Kane," "Psycho" and "Taxi Driver." His sole opera, "Wuthering Heights," went unperformed during his lifetime. In fact, it had been produced only once before Minnesota Opera took it up.
I went to the opening, Saturday night the Ordway Center in St. Paul, hoping to discover a neglected masterpiece. The opera was not that, though Minnesota Opera treated it as if it were.
...Conductor Michael Christie led a brisk performance, but he could not overcome the opera's fatal flaw: Herrmann's lack of experience in pacing opera. Too often, forward momentum is sacrificed to orchestral expressiveness, as in Act IV, when another interlude interrupts drama that should be propelling to the climax.
The physical production could hardly be bettered. Neil Patel's set creatively contrasts an oppressive and gloomy Wuthering Heights estate with the elegant and airy neighboring Thrushcross Grange. Wendall K. Harrington's projections create an effective visual representation of the music.
...Minnesota Opera makes a strong case for "Wuthering Heights," but this is an opera I never need to hear again.
Joshua Ross as Hareton, Victoria Vargas as Nelly Dean and Ben Wager as Hindley Earnshaw in The Minnesota Opera production of Wuthering Heights
From Rob Hubbard at Pioneer Press
...you're not likely to come away wondering why this work hasn't been hailed as a modern masterpiece.
If only the tunes were as evocative as their words. Instead, the most swoon-ready love songs are given to Cathy's supposedly stiff-upper-lipped husband, Edgar -- and are sung splendidly by Eric Margiore.
...That's not to say this opera is lacking for marvelous music. It's just that almost all of it emanates from the orchestra pit. And conductor Michael Christie and the Minnesota Opera Orchestra sounded terrific on Saturday, the textures wonderfully woven, sweet solos pealing out from oboes, clarinets, violins and others.
If only Herrmann had given more of those melodies to the singers.
Lee Poulis as Heathcliff and Jesse Blumberg as Mr. Lockwood in The Minnesota Opera production of Wuthering Heights
From Michael Anthony at MinnPost.com
...Despite occasional flaws, the work is a rich and rewarding endeavor, as compelling in dramatic terms as it is musically accomplished, and the superb, thoughtful production it is receiving at the Ordway Center serves only to make the opera's strengths abundantly clear.
... It's a brilliant score in many ways. Much of it is delicate chamber music, though the climaxes, like that of the first act, are almost over-powering in their force. (Yes, we do hear echoes of Herrmann film scores such as "Vertigo" and "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.")
And what of that awkward ending that Herrmann left us? Heathcliff is supposed to wander the moors endlessly searching for Cathy. Simonson has him lie down with her on the table, as if joining her in death, and then carrying her decayed body across a field. Grim, perhaps, but surely a better solution than having the two of them climb toward heaven and the celestial choir, as happens in the 1939 movie.
Lee Poulis as Heathcliff and Sara Jakubiak as Catherine Earnshaw in The Minnesota Opera production of Wuthering Heights
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet
Wuthering Heights recalls Oscar Wilde's famous criticism of Richard Wagner's operas: it has "great moments and very dull quarters of an hour." As is, it's been trimmed significantly from Herrmann's original version (the composer died in 1975, so he had no say in the matter)--which, with all respect to the great Herrmann, probably serves his memory better than if it hadn't been cut.
As a composer, Herrmann's special genius was orchestral texture: shivering strings, yelping horns, foreboding woodwinds. (As David Sander succinctly puts it in his program notes, "Herrmann was not a melodist.") It's a treat to hear those textures come alive at the Ordway; conductor Michael Christie whips the orchestra into life for the opera's several thrilling moments. At those moments, particularly when textures and melodies intertwine and overlap, the opera really pops. It's when lyricism is required--when characters are lengthily professing their devotion, or their pain--that Wuthering Heights sags. Despite his intention to place "utmost importance on the expressiveness of the vocal roles," writing for the solo voice was evidently not Herrmann's forte, and this production's powerful leads are often reduced to mumbling, moaning, or barking.
...Though I appreciated this very rare opportunity to see the opera that Sander calls Herrmann's "lifelong obsession," this production does not make a convincing case for the piece to enter the standard repertoire. Herrmann fans will want to see this production, but others may find it more satisfying to stay home and curl up with Emily Brontë's classic novel.
Have you seen "Wuthering Heights?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Next Fall"
Posted at 3:23 PM on April 13, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Garry Geiken as Adam and Neal Skoy as Luke in "Next Fall" at the Jungle Theater
All photos by Michal Daniel
Next Fall tells the story of a gay couple divided by faith. Adam is an atheist and out, Luke is Christian and closeted. When Luke is injured critically in an accident, Adam and his family gather at the hospital. According to The Jungle Theater "NEXT FALL takes a funny and provocative look at what it means to "believe", and what it may cost us not to."
Thinking about seeing the show? Check out these varying reviews from Twin Cities theater critics... then make up your own mind.
From Janet Preus at HowWasTheShow.com:
Just letting the underlying tension inherent in this set-up play out would be enough dramatic action for one play, but instead the playwright seemed compelled to cover everything of significance since Adam and Luke first met--in the style of a TV sitcom: set up the joke, deliver the laugh line, repeat a few times and go to a commercial (in this case, a scene change). Unfortunately, this style kept the characters from truly engaging with each other until well into the play--the second act, in fact---as if the story wanted to go there but couldn't because they had to play the laughs...
...This production, however, has some powerfully redeeming qualities. Yoakam's portrayal of Butch would be at the top of the list. Butch's staunch denial of what he must know about his son, and the stoic love that finally overpowers him at the end, fires this play from beginning to end. This is a character that we can truly care about. At the final, terrible and enormously satisfying moment, Geiken's Adam comes through for Butch, but strangely he still hangs on to that detached persona...
...Pistner created a charming Arlene out of the character's serious foibles. The scene in the hospital "chapel" as she comes to terms with the play's final reality is truly beautiful, though I can't imagine any mother leaving her child's side at that moment. And one couldn't help but be taken with Skoy's affable Luke; who wouldn't care about such a sweet and likeable guy?
Which is why, I think, the play has appeal. We really do care about what happens to this young man, and because he loves the other characters, we come to care about them, too.
Sasha Andreev as Brandon, Garry Geiken as Adam and Andrea Leap as Holly in The Jungle Theater production of "Next Fall"
From Rob Hubbard at Pioneer Press:
...This comedy of ideas doesn't dwell in heady high-concept philosophical arguments. Its characters are flawed individuals who fall into believable discussions about the place of faith and love in their lives. The framing device is a hospital waiting room vigil, where Luke is comatose after being hit by a car. His parents, partner and friends will soon confront the "next of kin" conflicts that arise in places where gay relationships aren't recognized. But the story plays out primarily in flashback, as we watch Adam and Luke meet, fall in love, move in together and periodically wrestle with their religious differences.
Thanks to convincing portrayals by Garry Geiken and Neal Skoy, this odd couple proves engaging company, tossing clever bon mots at one another and dealing with situations such as an unexpected visit from Luke's fundamentalist father (which inspires a rapid-fire "de-gaying" of their apartment).
In a role that could have been a caricature, Stephen Yoakam instead makes the father a complex man who may or may not understand his son's sexual identity. Meanwhile, Luke's mother seems designed to be the chief source of comic relief, but Maggie Bearmon Pistner lends this southern eccentric enough vulnerability and sadness to invite our sympathy.
The play has some shortcomings that director Joel Sass and the cast can't quite transcend -- there are avoidance issues not only in the characters, but also seemingly the playwright -- and the performances of Andrea Leap and Sasha Andreev don't gibe well with the naturalism of the other four, she too over the top, he too icy. But it's an engaging, discussion-provoking play that gives you plenty for your head and might break your heart.
Garry Geiken as Adam and Maggie Bearmon Pistner as Arlene in The Jungle Theater production of Next Fall
...Sometimes the script does let them down--using a closet packed with the relationship's debris while Luke tries to "de-gay" the apartment in advance of his father's visit is just a bit too on point--but the performers work through these hitches and give us a real relationship.
Nauffts is more successful exploring the anxiety and grief felt by all the characters as they wait by Luke's side for a sign of recovery or, as it becomes clearer throughout the play, for the end. The stress on the other five characters is obvious, and how they react to it helps to give them extra depth. Interestingly, all of them are able to call on some faith, lapsed or not, to aid them--except for Adam, who is left alone in his pure skepticism.
The balance of the cast puts in solid performances, especially Stephen Yoakam as patriarch Butch, who knows much more about his son's "lifestyle" than he is letting on. The simmering conflict between him and Adam provides the strongest undercurrent and also gives us the evening's most surprising and touching moment.
The script moves with great energy and efficiency--it's much like a situation comedy, without the happy ending--and director Joel Sass never lets that wane, be it in the comedic set pieces, the fight, or the long night waiting for the final news.
Garry Geiken as Adam and Neal Skoy as Luke in "Next Fall" at the Jungle Theater
From Graydon Royce, at Star Tribune:
...Nauffts' play and Sass' production share a glib facility. Neil Skoy's bright and cheery Luke explains to Adam that he's a fundamentalist Christian, waiting for the Rapture. He prays for forgiveness after they have sex, explaining that he's just like any other Christian asking for absolution after a lusty day of sinning. What's more, Luke begs Adam to accept Jesus so they will live together in eternity.
Leaving aside Nauffts' naive theology, this gambit exists not to resolve itself but as a straw man preventing Luke from telling Butch about Adam.
Skoy, a fine young actor, never convinces us that Luke really believes in his fundamentalist ideology. Nauffts has shorted both religion and Luke's sexual identity with this implausibility. This is a guy who should be on an analyst's couch.
Nauffts pulls punches whenever such complexity arises, so that his characters can pose for more one-liners. Garry Geiken's Adam is lightweight, lacking droll insight or believable likability. Stephen Yoakam does better with the straightforward Butch. Sasha Andreev plays a self-loathing gay friend with white-knuckled gravitas. Maggie Bearmon Pistner has just the right affect for Luke's mother, Arlene, but her work is aware of itself. Andrea Leap's Holly -- a friend of Adam's and Luke's -- is all gesture and mugs.
Sass' production has the lacquer of small-screen cinema, again perhaps appropriately, but this seems to play right into Nauffts' trap. There has to be a better way.
"Next Fall" runs through May 22 at the Jungle Theater. Have you seen the show? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "To Kill a Mockingbird"
Posted at 11:12 AM on April 6, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
To Kill A Mockingbird runs through April 17 at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul
"To Kill A Mockingbird" is both a great American novel by Harper Lee, and a stellar movie starring Gregory Peck. It also exists as a play, and is currently on stage at the Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. Thinking of going? Check out these excerpts of recent reviews to get a sense of the show... click on the links to read them in their entirety.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
A half-century after its publication as a novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" retains its full potency as a simple tale full of complex truths, and the stage version now at Park Square Theatre nicely gives the story its due...
...At the center of this production -- as of all productions -- is Atticus Finch, the softspoken, self-effacing small-town lawyer with a bedrock sense of justice that leads him to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. Fred Wagner doesn't bring soul-stirring resonance to the role; his Atticus is more human than heroic, more laconic than lion-hearted. But Wagner moves comfortably in the role, and his impassioned closing argument at trial hits all the right notes.
...The three young actors who tell much of the story -- Elizabeth McCormick as Scout, Emma Wondra as her brother Jem and Jasper Herman as their friend Dill -- have the right look and feel for their roles, and though they each display a nice sense of presence on stage, all are a little mush-mouthed, meaning that the audience periodically loses lines and bits of plot because of their underarticulation.
If their words aren't consistently clear, the larger story of "To Kill a Mockingbird" remains definitively so.
Fred Wagner as Atticus
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
From Lisa Brock at Star Tribune:
Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a tale that doesn't grow old with the telling, as Park Square Theatre's current production ably demonstrates. While it encapsulates a time and place in America's past, the story's themes, characters and basic sense of humanity simultaneously transcend specificity.
Director David Mann and a sizable cast allow Christopher Sergel's stage version to unfold at a lazy pace, evoking endless summer days. Neighbors chat on porches and children play ball, while the scent of flowers and the distant music of a gospel chorus fill the air. Designer Joel Sass' lovely set evokes this idyll with graceful windows and arbors that roll in and out of place and a backdrop arched with trees.
...Warren C. Bowles, as Reverend Sykes, and his accompanying congregation -- Nina Black Zachary, Michael L. Brown, Delores G. Matthews-Zeno and Annamichele Spears -- fill the stage with music and even bring the audience to its feet at the end.
While this production loses a little steam after Atticus' fiery closing speech at Robinson's trial, it's a solid piece of work that argues for its place in the canon of American literature.
Scout (Elizabeth McCormick), Dill (Jason Herman) & Jem (Emma Wondra)
Photo by Petronella Ytsma
...The main problem is that there's a bit too much connective tissue needed to make these moments clear. There is a lot of talk about what has happened, and an adult version of Scout is on hand to basically provide stage directions. At times it feels like just a greatest-hits run through the book--hey, now Atticus is going to shoot the mad dog!
Thankfully, there's enough energy to keep the play moving between the slow spots, thanks to Fred Wagner as sage, "ancient" father, and attorney Atticus and Elizabeth McCormick as tomboy Scout. The two--along with brother Jem (Emma Wondra)--feel like a real family, one with troubles but also plenty of affection and love. That comes out best in the first act, when Scout and Jem help Atticus defuse a potential lynch mob from killing his client Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman.
Director David Mann smoothes over any rough spots (though maybe a bit more work on the accents--at least making sure they remained consistent through the show--would have helped) and Joel Sass crafts an elegant set that bridges all the locations used in the play and helps bring steamy Depression-era Alabama to life.
Have you seen Park Square Theatre's production of "To Kill A Mockingbird?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Uncle Vanya"
Posted at 11:01 AM on April 5, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Mo Perry as Sonya and Craig Johnson as Uncle Vanya in the Anton Chekhov classic.
Gremlin Theatre presents Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" through April 23. What follows are excerpts from reviews about town - click on the links to read them in their entirety.
From Brad Richason at Examiner.com
...Centered on a modest family estate in rural Russia during the waning summer days of 1899, Uncle Vanya brings together an assortment of characters straining under repressed resentments, impossible desires, and bitter class conflicts. Until that summer the management of the estate had fallen to Uncle Vanya and his unmarried niece, Sonya. Through years of monotonous toil, Vanya and Sonya maintained the estate while sacrificing the meager profits to support Sonya's father, Alexander Serebryakov, a retired university professor living in the city with his much younger second wife, Elena. Even with few creature comforts, Vanya and Sonya seldom questioned their duties until their routine is interrupted by the arrival of Alexander and Elena, come to the country in hopes of curing Alexander's failing health. The tensions aroused by the couple's presence, further exasperated by the attentions of the local doctor, threaten to render the carefully calibrated lives into complete disarray.
In terms of storyline, Uncle Vanya resembles a uniquely pastoral soap opera, filled with familial rancor and hidden romantic longings, but bereft of any glamorous seductions. A more profound distinction can be found in Chekhov's complex characters and charged dialogue, each interaction drawing out the fraught dynamics of this fragile family. Director Janice Stone puts the figures into motion with a consistent pace that admittedly does accumulate some languidness as the work moves into its second half. Thankfully the cast pick up the slack with performances that reverberate with emotional nuance.
Craig Johnson is remarkable as the central figure, charismatically expressing Vanya's disillusion through sarcastic swipes at everything in his path. Voicing his dialogue with informal naturalism, Johnson is utterly compelling in the role, especially as Vanya reveals more of his tortured soul. By the play's confessional resolution, Johnson has done nothing short of exposing the exacting pain of a life examined too late for change.
Insightfully perceptive and emotionally involving, Gremlin Theatre's production of Uncle Vanya should be required viewing for anyone inclined to shrug off Chekhov as a dramatic chore. Though the work eschews romantic notions, the sincerity of unvarnished emotion only proves the more poignant.
From Graydon Royce at Star Tribune:
If warm weekend breezes tempted you to loll idly in the sun, Anton Chekhov has the antidote.
"Work. That's what we must do, work," says the title character near the end of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." Stunned by recent events, Vanya desperately takes solace in the exhortations of his niece, Sonya, to go on living and working and enduring. For in this, she passionately comforts her uncle, we find our purpose and we will enjoy our reward in the next world.
Sonya's closing speech -- not to mention the mien of the actor playing the role -- indicates how a particular production intends to interpret "Uncle Vanya." For example, critic Eric Bentley -- arguing for an earthbound reality -- wrote that "work for these people is not a means to happiness but a drug that will help them to forget." Janice Stone's fine production at Gremlin Theatre wishes for itself more redemption and grace.
It is a choice that actor Mo Perry embraces with good-hearted decency and compassion. As Craig Johnson's Vanya sits exhausted and numb, Perry's Sonya cradles his head and encourages him to, yes, work and then find his rest. It is a moment of devastating poignancy that allows perhaps more hopefulness than Chekhov intended, but nonetheless seems true to his meditation on the tragic constancy of everyday life.
In "Uncle Vanya," we watch Chekhov at his best -- walking the tight wire between comedy and tragedy. Johnson rages like a harlequin; his Vanya packs a pistol during a tantrum against his pompous former brother-in-law, professor Alexander Serebryakov. Yet, in his verbal typhoons we realize that Vanya's hatred is aimed not only at this insufferable visitor to the country estate, but at himself -- for allowing his own bad choices and inertia to bully him into a wasted life.
From Renee Valois at the Pioneer Press:
...Throwing all of these opposing desires and frustrations together is a bit like tossing water on a grease fire -- it makes for great drama. Director Janice Stone boosts the flames, tossing any residual 19th-century-era restraint out the window as characters shout at each other, steal passionate kisses, writhe in agony and plot murder.
Some of Chekhov's characters convey modern environmental and political sensibility; the young doctor has a passion for preserving the disappearing forests of his homeland, and Vanya's mother reads political pamphlets and asserts her right to speak her opinions at a time when women couldn't vote.
But it is Vanya's character who provides a firm backbone for the theme that disillusionment and despair result from shoving aside one's dreams to support others' ambitions. Johnson vividly conveys Vanya's decline, starting with sharp, cynical humor that gives way to desperate romantic entreaties, increasing tirades against the professor and his lot, raging violence and finally numbing, suicidal despair.
However, the most moving lines in the play are not spoken by Johnson. It is Perry, as sweet, kind Sonya who evokes truly heartbreaking resignation to a dismal life with no hope of betterment. Her insistent, repeated declaration, "I have faith," sounds like she's struggling to convince herself as much as Vanya that they may find a final happiness somewhere beyond this world.
Have you seen "Uncle Vanya?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Heaven"
Posted at 1:19 PM on March 31, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Dance, Theater
photo by Joe Chvala
Flying Foot Forum presents "Heaven" - a dance/theater piece that looks at life and death in war-torn Bosnia in the early 1990s. Performances run through April 10 at the Guthrie Theater. Thinking about seeing the show? Check out what the local critics think. I've included excerpts from their reviews below - click on the links for the full text.
From Caroline Palmer at Star Tribune
It's an understatement to say extreme adversity changes people, but words often fail to fully describe the impact of earth-shattering events. "Heaven," a dance/theater piece directed by Joe Chvala of Flying Foot Forum, uses movement, music and story to convey the horrors of the 1990s Bosnian war.
The work is a compelling study of hope in the face of inhumanity but it is also so jam-packed with historic, cultural and literary references that sometimes the poignancy of individual experience is lost. Still, "Heaven" is recommended for its fearless exploration of the relationships forged quickly when people are thrust into crisis. It juggles tragedy, humor and irony in a manner that makes perfect sense for a world turned upside-down...
..."Heaven" focuses on Peter Adamson (Doug Scholz-Carlson), a photojournalist from Chicago ready to leave Bosnia because he feels his pictures are not spurring the world to action. He meets a Bosnian soldier, Faruk (the eloquently stern Eric Webster), who tricks Peter into accompanying him from Sarajevo into the countryside to find his wife. The journey changes their lives in ways neither could imagine...
...Chvala infuses "Heaven" with raw and vigorous dancing that reflects the tumult. The performers circle and toss one another while percussive rhythms propel with the aggression of gunfire. The haunting music and lyrics by Chan Poling (with additional contributions by Peter O'Gorman, Victor Zupanc, Nowytski and Chvala) draw on Balkan influences, as well as opera, pop and rap, to evoke the bleak poetry of wartime.
There are painfully beautiful moments within the songs, particularly as citizens-turned-refugees wonder, "What would you pack if this happened to you?" It's a question that gives pause, especially for those fortunate enough to know war only from afar.
Doug Scholz-Carlson as American war photographer Peter Adamson
Photo by V. Paul Virtucio
...To be honest, Adamson's story--there's a love interest in there too--is probably the least interesting material here. It's the experiences of the residents from all sides of the conflict that bring the show to full life. These are realized through spoken monologues, songs, and the expressive, masterful dance work that Chvala is famous for. Some of these moments are absolutely stunning, as the propulsive, traditional-folk-inspired score lets the dancers act out horrifying moments, from attempts to escape, to the soldiers hunting them, to a woman's fantasy about striking back at her tormentors as they rape her.
The heaviness is balanced with characters desperate to stay in touch with their humanity, finding moments of humor, love, and even peace. Still, the horror is never far away, from discovering a mass grave of victims or being forced to watch as a friend is brutally murdered. Near the end, Adamson explodes with ineffectual rage at the whole situation, and it's an emotion the whole audience should be feeling by that point (and continue to feel as the world is no safer now than it was 15 years ago) in the show.
The piece has some maddening lapses--Adamson's relationship with a local woman on the run never gets off the ground and features a duet that seems to belong in another show entirely--but the strength of the ensemble and the creative fire behind the project bull their way through any of these hitches. Onstage, Webster provides not just the spark but the fuel for much of the action in a stunning turn as a man desperate to find a shred of former life still intact.
Photo by V. Paul Virtucio
From David De Young at HowWasTheShow.com:
In the 1990s during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, over 100,000 people were killed and more than 2 million people displaced in one of the most horrific set of human-inflicted tragedies since WWII. Heaven, a new work by Flying Foot Forum, directed by Joe Chvala with music by Chan Poling (The Suburbs, The New Standards) is an ambitious and heart-wrenching piece of dance theater about the impact of that conflict. This emotionally-charged, human story left me feeling as if I'd been punched in the gut. Never heavy-handed, it educates without descending into didacticism. And with the news of the struggles in Egypt and Libya on the news each evening, I wonder: is there a more timely and important work being performed on a Twin Cities stage right now?
...Director and choreographer Joe Chvala succeeds in uniting the show's many winning elements. The versatile and attractive set by Joel Sass is a hit, music direction by Jake Endres (with help from Balkan music consultant Natalie Nowytski) is equally stunning, and there are too many memorable performances from the nearly two-dozen-strong ensemble to mention. To the credit of the entire cast (though the show is performed mainly in English) language consultant and translator Stele Osmancevic and dialect coach Joseph Papke had me totally taken in by the dialog (and even some complete songs!) in Serbo-Croatian. (Subtitles provided during those sections were projected on the back wall of the theater.)
For a brand new show, Heaven is already a tight production that could benefit from only a few cuts; overall it's well-constructed, with deft use of refrain and reprise. Chan Poling's songs drive the action and are never irrelevant, and when I left the theater, I believe I had gotten one of the main points of the show. More of a question or challenge, really, posed by Adamson in one of his stints as narrator: "Do you keep your eyes open, or not?" This is theater that grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you in your seat.
A woman near me sobbed through part of the second act. This show is that powerful. I can't help but direct you to the Dowling Studio to see it.
Photo by V. Paul Virtucio
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
War is hell. Anyone want to argue about it? Of course not. That's why Flying Foot Forum gets away as well as it does with the overstuffed farrago Heaven. The show is the theatrical equivalent of a commemorative 9/11 plate: you can't fault the intention, even if the execution is kind of tacky.
...What is definitely not done well in Heaven are the hackneyed book and lyrics, which are heavy in metaphors ("Here, hope is a plane that never lands") that sometimes get awkwardly mixed ("Deep down, he had bigger fish to fry"). The technique of portraying a foreign land through the eyes of an observer who comes from the same place as the audience is an old dramatic standby--with good reason--but one that's often criticized, also with good reason. Regardless, squeezing two love stories (or three, or four, or more, depending on how you count) into Heaven is too much. Matthew Everett's Leave is a good example of how to effectively integrate a love story into a broader historical context; here, the romance between the local girl and the foreign guy feels tacked on and distracting.
For all its flaws, Heaven is a sincere testament. On Saturday night, a number of audience members were moved to tears. My friend who attended the performance with me said that her father's girlfriend--a native Serbian--just gave her father a book about the 14th century battles in which the Serbs were defeated by the Turks, resulting from which this woman still holds a grudge against Muslims generally. George Santayana wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it"; Chvala and Poling agree, but additionally urge that our memory not be selective.
So, have you seen "Heaven?" If so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Arms and the Man"
Posted at 3:10 PM on March 29, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Mariko Nakasone (Raina Petkoff) and Jim Lichtscheidl (Captain Bluntschli) in the Guthrie Theater production of "Arms and the Man" by George Bernard Shaw.
All photos by Michal Daniel
George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man runs through May 8 at the Guthrie Theater. Here's a description of the show from the Guthrie's website:
A romantic comedy armed with chocolate. As a young lady awaits the return of her heroic fiancé from war, a disheveled soldier sneaks into her bedroom fleeing the fight. Finding his simplicity more alluring than her fiancé's arrogant posturing, she's faced with singling out the real man for her. Will it be the "accidental hero" who is more toy than soldier? Or the pragmatic "coward" who comes armed with chocolates instead of bullets? Crackling with wit, irony and charm, Shaw's romantic comedy pokes fun at the dangers of bravado in battle and idealistic notions of love.
What follows are excerpts from four reviews of the production from various local media. I find it interesting that the critics agree it's a fine, witty production, with a lovely set and lush costumes. But several seem to be left wanting more... something "for the ages" and "challenging," not "merely entertaining."
Read on, and let us know what you think in the comments section:
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet
The Guthrie Theater's current production of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man is like a pop-up to center field: it connects, it flies by, and it lands, but in the end, you haven't necessarily touched any bases.
This lavish production, directed by Ethan McSweeny on the McGuire Proscenium Stage, emphasizes Shaw's broad comedy while blunting his attacks. Every actor overplays, with the exception of J.C. Cutler (as a frustrated but dignified servant) and Lichtscheidl, cast against type as the dry Captain Bluntschli. It's a fine cast to watch plump themsleves up--Peter Michael Goetz and Kate Eifrig appear as Raina's parents, and Schantz plays his character as being just smart enough to realize how ridiculous he is--but a tougher, more intimate production might have more forcefully delivered Shaw's acid social observations.
... Indeed, this production provides plenty of comfortable laughs. If you're looking to be challenged, though, look elsewhere.
Kate Eifrig (Catherine Petkoff), Peter Michael Goetz (Major Paul Petkoff), Mariko Nakasone (Raina Petkoff) and Michael Schantz (Major Sergius Saranoff) in the Guthrie Theater production of "Arms and the Man" by George Bernard Shaw.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Ethan McSweeny's production stretches the natural farce in Shaw's spoof of war and social class -- sometimes too far but mostly to good effect. Everything looks great, but whatever feelings the piece evokes soon fade. It's a nice, tidy evening of theater.
McSweeny and set designer Walt Spangler have created an appealing container. The proscenium is turned into a Tyrolean jewel box with miniature toy soldiers arrayed along the stage front. As the curtain rises, Raina Petkoff's bedroom sits in the midst of a starry night and snowcapped mountains.
Raina is the daughter of Major Paul Petkoff, who is off fighting the Serbo-Bulgarian war. Mariko Nakasone gives this delicate creature a fine sense of regal insolence befitting her privilege.
Then, a Serbian partisan stumbles into her room seeking refuge from the fray. Jim Lichtscheidl's Captain Bluntschli is war weary yet worldly enough to smile at Raina's naive arrogance about war. After all, her fiancé led the charge that forced Bluntschli's flight.
...McSweeny's production holds the proper tension between Lichtscheidl's well-articulated Bluntschli and the whole Bulgarian gaggle of softheaded bourgeoisie. At times the exaggeration is just right, as when Nakasone's Raina swoons onto a fainting couch after being forced to tell a lie. In other moments, though, the actors' self awareness -- and awareness of the audience -- diminishes rather than heightens the ridiculous farce.
Murrell Horton's costumes are lovely -- even when expressed in Bluntschli's raggedy uniform. Time passes pleasantly enough, but on the walk home we feel we were merely entertained by an old-fashioned comedy. Others can judge for themselves whether that is sufficient.
Mariko Nakasone (Raina Petkoff) and Michael Schantz (Major Sergius Saranoff) in the Guthrie Theater production of "Arms and the Man" by George Bernard Shaw.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
The scenic design for the Guthrie Theater's production of "Arms and the Man" is more about suggestion than representation: There's enough furniture and background clutter to suggest the bedroom, the garden or the library of an upscale European house in the 1880s, but little in the way of walls to provide certain and specific definition to the space.
The same might be said for Ethan McSweeny's free-floating, workmanlike staging of George Bernard Shaw's comedy about war and peace, love and marriage, class and aspiration: It's pretty and it's light, but it doesn't have much to ground it.
McSweeny doesn't exactly crack the whip on the text -- the methodical scene-setting during which furniture and props are put in place by servants at the beginning of the show telegraphs that this will be a leisurely paced production. And the director seems uncertain whether he wants his production to be a broad, winking, self-aware comedy (as indicated by the wry intermezzo between the first and second acts) or a more cerebral, mannered evening of humor and insight designed to generate more smiles than laughter.
That indecision permeates his cast, which sometimes seems to be carrying out very different marching orders....
Taken together, "Arms and the Man" McSweeny and his cast produce a staging of a Shaw classic that's consistently competent but seldom anything more. It's nothing for the ages, and it's unlikely to win new converts for the prolific playwright.
Mariko Nakasone (Raina Petkoff) and Jim Lichtscheidl (Captain Bluntschli) in the Guthrie Theater production of "Arms and the Man" by George Bernard Shaw.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
In Arms And The Man (on the Guthrie's McGuire Stage, through May 8 ) George Bernard Shaw hides deep cynicism in plain sight, behind a veneer of flashy dialogue, sweet romance, giddy farce, lovable preening upperclass characters. We laugh, get pulled in by high energy antics, we have a wonderful time. But Shaw, the sly cynic/puppeteer, hovers: Heroism in war? Ha. Romantic love? Ha. Shaw will have none of it and those of us who, despite the buffeting of the years, retain a small belief in these things are likely to have a problem with this piece. There is definite tension in the air.
But good tension. And Arms And The Man, one of the playwright's first successes (1894), contains more than enough hijinks to make us forget, for long periods of time, GBS's nastiness....
Director Ethan McSweeny ups the "fun" quotient by employing louche and (dare I say?) cheap elements of farce: miniature popping cannons, a bizarre snow-capped set, over-the-top acting turns, a TV-esque "Nicolaaaaa!". It took me quite a while to decide whether I liked this. But I do: the slapstick serves the play nicely and in the hands of the as-always first rate Guthrie cast, it works - with lesser performers it would grate.
The design is marvelous. Walt Spangler's set bursts with color, fractured walls, enormous paper flowers, angry bulls heads. The floor and the false proscenium are treated with a peeling unfinished whitewash. Odd though this seems, it works perfectly. In particular I adored the second act garden, with the precarious wall, and the mountain goat perched on the snowy (despite the summery season) hillside. Even more color is provided by Murell Horton's excellent costumes, Robert Wierzel's lighting and Richard Woodbury's sound. As is so often the case at the G, the designers provide a feast for the eyes.
Have you seen "Arms and the Man?" If so, what did you think? Was it enough for the play to be "merely entertaining" or did you crave something more? Let us know in the comments section.
Brad Mehldau bridges a jazz divide
Posted at 4:34 PM on March 24, 2011
by David Cazares
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Music
Brad Mehldau's live performance at the Marciac Jazz Festival in southwest France is captured in his new album "Live in Marciac," put out by Nonesuch Records. David Cazares has this review.
We all live to our own soundtrack. From the politics we follow, to the books we read and the music we listen to, many of us seem to be pursuing a singular course, sticking to what's comfortable.
Breaking the boundaries that we impose on ourselves and listening to the other - while incorporating different perspectives into our own point of view - is rare. That's just as unusual in music.
It's refreshing to encounter a musician who explores other genres and styles as the pianist Brad Mehldau does on Live in Marciac. The album, released last month by Nonesuch Records, is his third solo recording.
Mehldau, a classically trained jazz pianist who usually plays with a trio, plays with precision and imagination on the CD, recorded at Marciac Jazz Festival in southwest France.
It's a rare musician who shines in a solo performance, even on piano an instrument that offers the broadest pallet. But the 40-year-old does so remarkably on a diverse collection of tunes that include his original compositions, jazz standards and rock tunes. From Cole Porter's It's All Right With Me to the Lennon/McCartney tune Martha My Dear and Radiohead's Exit Music (for a film), he takes the listener on a ride that spans several decades, telling stories along the way.
In a virtuoso performance, Mehldau builds on architecture and melody, delivering intimate, complex and intense interpretations of each song. He employs abrupt changes in tempo, gradual mood shifts, thunderous runs and repeated notes.
On some tunes, among them his composition Unrequited, Mehldau uses the structure as a base of creative exploration, powering through the numbers with a percussive left hand and multi-layered melodic lines with his right.
On others, he plays a short mini essay before touching on the melody, as he does on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic My Favorite Things. But instead of evoking John Coltrane's masterful interpretation, Mehldau gives the tune a light and airy touch.
He can also be lively, as he is on an intricate rendition of the Kurt Cobain song Lithium, pairing a rolling base line with an improvised theme. Though not a traditional jazz artist by any means, Mehldau is faithful to its roots, particularly on Dat Dere by Bobby Timmons, first recorded by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. It is a bluesy finale to a fine performance.
I first listened to Mehldau on his two dynamic recordings with guitarist Pat Metheny. On both, it seemed to me that Metheny brought out the best in Mehldau by expanding the pianist's orbit -- sometimes electrically so.
Though I think his playing still is a bit restrained, Mehldau clearly is turning up the juice. In bringing different influences to his work, he is evolving as a player and adding something to jazz, an art form rooted in improvisation that sometimes needs a push.
The music has its gatekeepers, purists who insist on allegiance to bebop, a style born of experimentation that is loved only by the most devoted fans.
Ironically, art that is meant to set our minds free so often relegates artists -- and listeners -- to categories. We are rock n' rollers, country music buffs, pop music fans, practitioners of hip-hop's lifestyle and salseros. We make only occasional attempts to integrate our musical tastes.
We bebop fans are guilty too.
As the trumpeter Nicholas Payton wrote on Twitter, "those fast tempos and flurries of notes alienated listeners and what was once American pop music became jazz."
Mehldau shows that jazz need not be just for the artist and the connoisseur. By offering a varied palate, he's opening the door for the curious to enter -- and listen.
Editor's Note: David Cazares is an editor for MPR News who happens to love both jazz and reading; he occasionally contributes his thoughts to State of the Arts. Brad Mehldau performs at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis on April 10.
The reviews are in for "Little Shop of Horrors"
Posted at 1:15 PM on March 22, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Sara Ochs as Audrey and Randy Reyes as Seymour in the Mu Performing Arts production of "Little Shop of Horrors."
Photos by Michal Daniel
Mu Performing Arts presents the cult classic "Little Shop of Horrors" at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis through April 3. Thinking about seeing the show? Check out these excerpts of reviews below, or click on the links to read the full reviews.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
Some day we will look back on these days as the golden era of Mu Performing Arts. That shouldn't assume some future collapse, but in years hence the mind will fondly recall that group of Asian-American actors who cemented Mu's place in the Twin Cities theater ecology.
This wistful mood is brought to you by Mu's delightful production of "Little Shop of Horrors," which opened Saturday at the Ritz Theater in northeast Minneapolis (and let it be said that the Ritz feels great as a venue for this show).
It's tempting to point at Randy Reyes, whose career has blossomed, as the reason for Mu's emergence. Reyes is a cuddly, lovable Seymour -- the nebbish who occupies the center of "Little Shop." Down on his fortunes, Seymour has nursed an oddball plant (with a taste for blood) to health and the resulting fame lifts the fortunes of his employer, Mushnick's Skid Row Floral Shop. Reyes' comic chops and timing have developed razor-sharp acuity, yet he retains an everyman charm.
To pin it all on Reyes, though, would ignore (speaking of charm) Sara Ochs as Audrey. Ochs shines as the fragile street girl who can't catch a break with men. Her previous work with Mu ("Flower Drum Song," "Walleye Kid") revealed a tender, sweet quality coupled with a lovely singing voice. Here, she loosens up her vocal chords -- particularly with "Suddenly Seymour" -- and we see another dimension. Ochs is the real deal.
From Brad Richason at Examiner.com:
...Lest there be any doubt, the work is unabashedly ludicrous, a knowingly absurd musical that derives endless mirth from unhinged eccentricity. Honoring that spirit of brazen bizarreness, Mu Performing Arts has launched an adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors at the Ritz Theater that thrives on quirkily macabre humor.
...Dedicated to presenting work from an Asian American cultural perspective, Mu Performing Arts doesn't initially seem a likely fit for Little Shop of Horrors. The original work, after all, designated roles to very specific character types; from a bubbly blond as Audrey to the trio of corner singers modeled after the African American girl groups of the 1960s. By using an all Asian American cast, however, Mu Performing Arts has not only defied stereotypes, but shown that richly realized characterizations mean more than surface appearances.
Directed with energetic wit by Jennifer Weir and supported by the melodic verve of musical director Denise Prosek, Little Shop of Horrors adheres closely to the original production. The most conspicuous difference relates to the setting, freshly imagined through the foggy lens of steampunk, a science fiction subgenre that incorporates archaic technology into more contemporary (often incongruent) worlds. While the setting makes for an intriguing diversion, the work's driving force remains the offbeat narrative and unexpectedly sympathetic characters.
...Mu Performing Arts' new adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors doesn't attempt to radically alter the work. Instead, the production serves as a reminder that an exceptionally talented cast and crew - regardless of specific ethnicity - hold the power to transcend a work's cultural assumptions. Seems like a lot to ask of a musical about a man-eating plant, but Mu Performing Arts achieves the task with a thoroughly entertaining mixture of lofty romance and ghoulish laughs.
Randy Reyes stars as the down-and-out florist Seymour Krelbourn and Sheena Janson portrays the famous man-eating plant, Audrey II in Mu Performing Arts production of "Little Shop of Horrors."
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
If you're in the mood to call out differences, you could note that Mu Performing Arts' production of "Little Shop of Horrors" features an Asian-American cast and that the role of homicidal houseplant Audrey II -- usually voiced by a deep-voiced male -- is played by a sultry femme fatale.
But if you're simply in the mood to enjoy a top-notch production of Howard Ashman's comedy-horror musical about a nerd, a beauty and a beastly plant, then nothing in the paragraph above matters.
Borrowing costume, setting and mood from the science-fiction subgenre known as steampunk, director Jennifer Weir announces immediately that her production of "Little Shop" will have a different look and feel: The raggedy costumes are earth-toned, gritty and anachronistic to the show's early-1960s setting. The sets are minimalistic and intentionally drab. And as famished flora Audrey II grows, her appendages are suggested by coils of foil-covered flexible ductwork.
...In many "Little Shop" productions, the performer singing the role of Audrey II is heard but not seen, hidden while stagehands manipulate the constantly growing botanical baddie. Here, Sheena Janson -- sporting a Medusa-meets-Miracle-Gro hairdo -- is prominent, and her bitchy, seductive and nicely sung performance affirms director Weir's decision to release the performer's light from its bushel.
... On balance... Mu's "Little Shop" is a terrific staging that acknowledges and honors the show's familiar history, even as it gamely, creatively and successfully subverts it.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
In 1982, composer Alan Menken and lyrics and book writer Howard Ashman watched Roger Corman's deservedly obscure 1960 film (shot in two days) about a plant that noshes exclusively on fresh-killed human meat and decided that it could be the basis for an extremely funny musical. Whatever they had for dinner that day, I want some, because Little Shop Of Horrors, with simplistic but sturdy and tuneful classics like, "Suddenly, Seymour," "Dentist!" and "Feed Me" has over the years received thousands of productions. Menken and Ashman (who died in 1992) went on to become auteurs of Disney animation (The Littlest Mermaid, Aladdin, et al). But this musical has become a cult classic.
Mu offers up an all-Asian production. Which signifies...nothing. One notices the Asian-ness of the show, thinks about it for perhaps 5 seconds, and then, in the face of director Jennifer Weir's blazing exuberance and energy, forgets about it. Weir produces Little Shop on a small budget and the production feels a touch rough around the edges, but this only adds to its charm.
Luckily for everyone, the two leads, Randy Reyes and Sara Ochs, are marvelous. Reyes amazes: thrilling as the Peking Opera star in the Guthrie's M. Butterfly, he directed Mu's difficult WTF with understated intelligence. Here he's a natural, stumbling through the play with a charming Cheshire Cat smile. He plays Seymour with a befuddled and goofy dignity. His sweet tenor is perfect for the music.
And Ochs, wow. This performer has a depth and a quiet presence that makes it hard not to watch her constantly. Exquisite in last year's Flower Drum Song, Ochs's Audrey is, in equal parts, intelligent, masochistic, confused, sexy. And utterly in love with Seymour. Their duet, "Suddenly, Seymour" electrifies.
Recommended.
So, have you seen the show? If so, what did you think? Share your reiew in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Broke-ology"
Posted at 9:40 AM on March 16, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Darius Dotch as Malcolm King, James Craven as William King and Mikell Sapp as Ennis King in the Pillsbury House Theatre production of Broke-ology
Photo by Michal Daniel
Broke-ology runs through April 10 at Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis. Here's how the company describes the show:
Broke-ology tells the story of a loving family struggling to make ends meet. Malcolm is the first in his family to attend college, but his brother Ennis has stayed behind, caring for their father. Returning home after graduation and with his brother urging him to stay, Malcolm struggles with the question any son dreads to ask: How do we achieve our dreams without hurting those that we love the most?
Considering seeing the show? Check out these reviews. Already seen the show? Share your review in the comments section.
It's apt that actor James Craven finished the run of August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" last Sunday at the Guthrie Theater and opened the new drama, "Broke-ology," Friday at Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis. The two tragedies are related, and not just because they orbit African-Americans whose dreams clash with vexing realities.
The plays regard the potent N-word in opposite ways. In the Wilson classic, Craven's trombone player Cutler freely and casually slings the epithet. It has muted sting.
In Nathan Jackson's "Broke-ology," directed by James A. Williams, Craven's terminally ill character does not curse (even though the actor seems to want to, especially when he sets himself on fire). But every time the N-word is used by one of his sons, his other son stops him, and makes him repeat the words "I love black people" five times.
The linguistic palliative suggests that Jackson may be a successor to Wilson. While Jackson's play is full of contemporary lyricism and cleverness (there are puns on the word "booty," and the play uses the neologism "incognegro") and while he grounds the action in a cultural idiom, his writing is not as poetic or as deep as Wilson's. The "Broke-ology" script could use some tweaking. Still, he charts new territory for black characters.
From Rob Hubbard at Pioneer Press:
Who's minding the parents?
Few are the families untouched by the decisions adult children must make about the care of their elders. The role reversal can feel surrealistic to those of the younger generation, a trip down the rabbit hole that can totally alter long-established family dynamics.
Nathan Louis Jackson has crafted a very good play about this increasingly common crossroads called "Broke-ology" that's receiving an excellent staging at Minneapolis' Pillsbury House Theatre. Featuring four memorable performances, it's a production with a comfortably lived-in feel, as if you've been invited into a family's home to witness how they deal with this transition. The talented cast makes it a compelling and ultimately moving family drama.
...Each character gets a fair hearing and a layered portrayal. Holding down the center is James Craven, who makes the father a divided soul, a man ably executing the balancing act of being both confidant and authority figure for his children, yet humbled to be viewed as a burden. Driving the conflict forward are Mikell Sapp and Darius Dotch as the two brothers, the former a live wire of the working class, the latter a calmer presence who nevertheless itches to escape their high-crime neighborhood. The duo makes their banter believable, creating sparks with palpable energy.
Completing the quartet is Sonja Parks, who ably conveys the mother's strength and confidence. Another exceptional actor helped sculpt these impressive performances: James A. Williams, who, like Craven, is a veteran of several seasons at St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre. This production makes clear that Williams has a bright future as a director, should he choose to spend more time on that side of the footlights.
From John Olive at HowWasTheShow.com:
...Broke-ology is a playground for actors and director James A. Willams has assembled for us a terrific cast, led first and foremost by the understated but sly and artful James Craven. Craven's William is bent, slow-moving, almost blind (the result of the many medications he takes). He's sweet, almost goofy, and thus it takes us a while to understand that William is in intense pain and engaged in a desperate final struggle to see his sons, Malcolm especially, established in life. The scene when he summons the ghost of his wife (played by the lovely and charismatic Sonja Parks) astonishes. Craven pulls us into this play and never lets us go. His final moments thrill.
As the sons, Mikell Sapp (Ennis) and Darius Dotch (Malcolm) energize Broke-ology and give it its considerable comic oomph. Malcolm wrestles with a (seemingly) vital issue: should I stay with my internship and hope that it turns into a real job, or go to grad school? Ennis is slipping into marriage and fatherhood and is very unsure of himself. The struggles of young men, in other words, which properly fade into the background as they begin to understand the enormity of what their father is undergoing. Dotch and Sapp are relatively inexperienced and director Willams teases first rate performances out of them. I hope they appreciate what he's done for them (and I hope to see them again). Excellent work.
This play is sometimes downright frightening. But it's beautifully done - a perfect play to take us into early spring.
Recommended.
(1 Comments)Ragamala Dance earns rave review from NY Times
Posted at 1:03 PM on March 12, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Dance
Ragamala Dance
The Minneapolis-based Ragamala Dance is in New York Washington D.C. for the Maximum India Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center. They performed Wednesday night, and New York Times critic Alastair Macaulay was in the audience.
Macauley saw four different companies perform over the course of three evenings, but it's obvious he was particularly smitted with Ragamala, to which he devoted the majority of his review. You can read the full review here, but I've isolated the section dealing with Ragamala below.
No sooner had either Ragamala Dance (an American company of the Indian Diaspora) ... begun, than every moment seemed precise, specific, focused. From those sharply defined beginnings arose complexities both rapturous and profound. The Ragamala musical instruments were actually an excellent example of fusion: for "Gangashtakam," the instruments included the mrindangam and nattuvangam and violin -- though producing sounds that most Westerners seldom associate with the violin.
"Gangashtakam" -- concerning the flow and worship of the river Ganga (Ganges) -- is a solo for Aparna Ramaswamy. Quickly she demonstrates just how many parts of the body are used in bharatanatyam (individual fingers, different parts of the sole of the foot, the spine tipped in many ways, eyes, head, arms and legs), the volumetric fullness with which a single dancer can become thrillingly three-dimensional, and the wide supply of rhythms and dynamic contrasts that enrich this form.
Every change of focus registers keenly. The swaying pliancy of the torso becomes deeply sensuous. (No dance form flatters the curves of the female torso more than that of India.) A simple, bouncing walk toward the audience and back is delivered with a subtlety that made it far from simple in its effect. Gestures ranging from small to large indicate the growth of the river, and their fluency its current.
But it is when it comes to meaning that we see differences between Indian and Western dance theater yet greater than those between Indian and Western music. In this solo about the Ganges, Ms. Ramaswamy seems now to embody the river, now to indicate it, now to worship it; and the forms of expression alternated between detailed mime gestures to the kinds of pure dance that seem as abstract and as impersonal as a human being can ever achieve. The dancer seems continually to move between different kinds of being and of thought, and the Western observer is aware of many layers of mystery.
In the second Ragamala dance, "Yathra" ("Journey"), five women dance to music for sitar and Indian cello. The work traces the course of a day and, by implication, a life. Dance themes are iterated by successive performers with different inflections. When, in the autumnal twilight-of-life solo near the end, we recognize some of the same material that had been shown in the brighter earlier section, the effect is movingly meditative. This is an excellent company; Ms. Ramaswamy is an enchantingly beautiful dancer.
...As with Ms. Ramaswamy, some of the most transporting instances are ones of near-stillness, when the dancer seems to be inhaling the moment as if it were incense.
Ragamala Dance next performs in the Twin Cities at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium March 25-27.
(2 Comments)The reviews are in for "Cabaret"
Posted at 11:26 AM on March 9, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The cast of Frank Theatre's "Cabaret," on stage at the Centennial Showboat on Harriet Island.
Frank Theatre is known for taking its shows to locations that help underscore the mood of the play. For its production of Cabaret, it's moved to the Centennial Showboat on Harriet Island, and converted the main stage hall to the "Kit Kat Club." Thinking of climbing on board? Check out these reviews - click on the links to read the full review.
From Bev Wolfe at TC Daily Planet:
...I have seen Cabaret performed on stage twice before but, despite a slow start, this production is the most compelling of the three. Under Wendy Knox's direction, the performance concentrates on two couples whose romance is intruded upon by the growing Nazi menace. The social pathology of Weimar Germany initially takes on a playful eroticism that turns ominous; portraying the enticing nature of evil.
Written by Joe Masteroff with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Cabaret originally opened on Broadway in 1966. Since then it has been brought back twice in two Broadway revivals and made into a movie by Bob Fosse staring Liza Minnelli. For those unfamiliar with the musical, the story centers on Cliff Bradshaw. Cliff, an American, is a would-be writer who goes to Berlin during the 1930s to seek inspiration for his writing. On the way there he is befriended by a disingenuous German named Ernst Ludwig and rents a room from an older woman named Fraulein Schneider. On his first night, he meets a young English woman named Sally Bowles, a performer at the seedy Kit Kat Club. Another boarder at the rooming house is Herr Schultz, an elderly Jewish fruit vendor. When Sally's relationship with the Kit Kat Club owner ends, she is both jobless and homeless. Her solution is to persuade Cliff to let her share his room. A romance ensues between her and Cliff, as well as one between Schneider and Schultz.
The specter of Nazism pervades the show in the guise of the Kit Kat Club and its Master of Ceremonies. Seduced by the hedonism and loose sexuality found at the club, Cliff and Sally are oblivious to the growing control of the Nazis. Living a more proper life, Schneider and Schultz also initially discount and ignore the growing influence of the Nazis. In the end, the overshadowing evil dooms both couples.
Once the show warms up, the club ensemble keeps the show moving effortlessly from scene to scene...The Centennial Showboat provides an appropriate vaudeville atmosphere for the show's decadent cabaret style. The sparse set design by Joseph Stanley works well as scenes shift between the boarding house and the Kit Kat Club. Whether you have never seen Cabaret or have seen it umpteen times, Frank Theatre's production merits your attention.
From Graydon Royce at Star Tribune:
The Emcee has commandeered the "Cabaret," and thank goodness for that. He had always haunted the edges of this awkward musical about Weimar Germany, but a 1987 Broadway revival pushed this enigmatic waif out of the shadows. He stands -- still something of a blank mirror -- at the center of a culture teetering on disaster.
Bradley Greenwald consumes this delicious avatar of decadence in Frank Theatre's production of "Cabaret" at the Centennial Showboat in St. Paul. Less creepy than Joel Grey's original, Greenwald's Emcee is funny and charming -- insouciantly poking fun at himself and his club mates. Sexy, dangerous chorus girls and rouged, dandy chorus boys all respond to his prompt.
With Greenwald at the center, the Kit Kat Klub musical numbers dominate Wendy Knox's staging. Music director Michael Croswell and choreographer Bonnie Zimering Bottoms create the palette, and Knox squeezes more flesh and bone onto the small Showboat stage than seems possible. Kathy Kohl's costumes serve a dual purpose, festooning these oddballs and turning them into human scenery.
...Knox gets all this stuff to stand up on its hind legs, driving through the dreary scenes and getting us back to club life. And at the center of it is the Emcee, who in his final image will raise the hair on your neck.
Bradley Greenwald is the Emcee in Frank Theatre's production of Cabaret
From Dominic P. Papatola at Pioneer Press:
Sally Bowles musically wonders "What good is sitting alone in your room?" in the title song of the musical "Cabaret." Rather than a glib query, the question takes on more ominous overtones in the Frank Theatre production.
Director Wendy Knox, opening her theater's 22nd season with performances on the Minnesota Centennial Showboat, offers an intentionally scruffy-looking production of the dark Kander and Ebb musical set in Germany near the end of the Weimar Republic. Inside the Kit Kat Club, there's a sense of forced, almost desperate gaiety as showgirls bump and grind in torn stockings and tired expressions and the boys cavort, rouged and hard-eyed. This isn't the stylized, heroin-chic look of the Broadway revival that played the Twin Cities in 1999. Rather than dancing as hard as they can to avoid thinking about the end of the world, everyone in this staging seems to be painfully aware that the good times are nearing a sickening end. Their debaucherous reveries, then, are fraught and tainted.
It's a subtle difference, but an effective choice, and it permeates every aspect of Knox's production, which titillates, teases and finally torments. Rooted at the center of it all is Bradley Greenwald's solid and splendidly sung performance as the Emcee. The character is ubiquitous -- wearing hose and heels in the chorus line one moment and appearing as a stern conductor the next, all the while acting as a kind of Greek chorus who doesn't so much narrate as illustrate.
...Sadly, the other leads don't provide as much support. Sara Richardson acts the snot out of the role of chanteuse Sally Bowles and is spot on in projecting a forced optimism that belies her desperation. But Richardson's singing voice is a limited instrument -- even for a character who probably is not much of a singer anyway -- and when she flats out (with disconcerting consistency), she can't fully construct the fantasy necessary to successfully carry the role.
Max Wojtanowicz presents an opposite problem as the struggling American novelist Cliff Bradshaw. His singing voice is sure enough, but his charisma-free characterization is such a limp noodle that it's hard to see why Sally would fall for him.
...The uneven performances make Frank's "Cabaret" something of a bumpy ride, diminishing but not obliterating the dark charms of a classic.
From Janet Preus at Howwastheshow.com:
This show has staying power to a large extent because of the disturbing message at its core: we know that "the party" continued and much of the world refused to acknowledge the terrible truth about the Nazi's campaign against the Jews. "Life is a cabaret," indeed! Director Wendy Knox uses this dark fact to make the debauchery of cabaret culture just that much sadder and the play's personal stories that much more poignant.
But there are plenty of laughs, in large part because Brandley Greenwald played an exquisite and delightfully depraved Emcee, embracing all that was other worldly about this iconic character and showing us a tremendously good time - right up to his own moment of truth. He was simply too marvelous!
...Max Wojtanowicz as Cliff played the foil to pretty much the rest of the characters - a little odd since Cliff is supposedly drawn to the Cabaret, but in this production he barely acknowledges his own presumed proclivities.
But Melissa Hart (who originated the role of Sally Bowles on Broadway) as Fraulein Schnieder was positively breathtaking. Her emotionally charged voice in "What Would You Do?" was so moving that the entire theater was silent but for that song. You could go to this show just to see this number and it would be worth it. Patrick Bailey played an endearing Herr Schultz, especially paired with Hart - a dynamic that powers the emotional content of the show and draws the relatively shallow relationship of Cliff and Sally in sharp relief.
Knox has chosen a diverse cast to otherwise populate this bizarre environment. They're not only incredibly good, they make us forget how demanding this show must be - and wow, are they an interesting bunch! This fact, and the wonder of hearing a show of such power acoustically, makes for a special and memorable night out. There's nothing Hollywood about this show. It's live theater all the way and I absolutely loved it.
So, have you seen Frank Theatre's production of "Cabaret?" If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Video break: International Women's Day
Posted at 10:08 AM on March 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Video
On the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, Dame Judi Dench asks a simple question of Daniel Craig: "are we equal?"
The reviews are in for "La Traviata"
Posted at 11:44 AM on March 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Opera
Bruno Ribeiro as Alfredo Germont and Elizabeth Futral as Violetta Valery, a courtesan in the Minnesota Opera production of La traviata
Photo by Michal Daniel
Verdi's opera "La Traviata" runs through March 13. Planning on going? Check out the following reviews. Already been? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
From Larry Fuchsberg at Star Tribune:
There are many ways to treat Verdi's 1853 "La Traviata," deservedly among the most popular of operas. Some are more fashionable than others. The Minnesota Opera's judicious, traditionalist revival, which opened Saturday in St. Paul, will never attract the kind of attention showered on the studied audacity of high-concept updatings in Salzburg or New York. Yet the company's new tweaking of its sturdy 2003 staging, smashingly sung, captures more of the work's emotional depth and power than most trendier productions could hope to do.
...The complex, wrenching scene between Violetta and Germont ...is the heart of "Traviata" and one of the finest things in opera. Elizabeth Futral and Stephen Powell play it magnificently, alive to every flicker of feeling: indignation, fear, shame, sympathy, grief, resignation. Futral, who moves as expressively as she sings, is attuned to both the vulnerability and the steeliness of her character; her crystalline soprano encompasses both the brilliant coloratura of Act 1 and the more lyrical writing of the later, darker scenes.
From Rob Hubbard at Pioneer Press:
...The Minnesota Opera's current production is all about making the emotions as genuine as possible. From heart-on-their-sleeves characterizations to voices wringing every ounce of joy and sadness from Verdi's music to a dignified design scheme that always augments the action, it's an excellent example of grand opera brought down to human scale. Yet it never minimizes its messages about love, propriety and the pursuit of happiness.
Being among the most popular of operas, it's no surprise that the Minnesota Opera is stuffing its schedule with eight performances in nine days, two pairs of lovers alternating in the leads. Whichever cast you catch, you'll encounter the same beautiful scenery, clever choreography and powerful portrayal from Stephen Powell as Giorgio Germont. As the father who asks the dying heroine to sacrifice her dreams of love for his family's sake, Powell uses his versatile voice and strong acting skills to create a fascinating blend of resolve, compassion and guilt.
Those attending Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday will have the good fortune to experience the tour de force performance of Elizabeth Futral as Violetta. It's a role for which Verdi asks a soprano to adopt three very different singing styles: Flighty coloratura in the first act, tortured lyric lines in the second, and dark mezzo material as death approaches. Futral executes each exquisitely while offering a convincing portrayal of a conflicted, consummate party gal who gives it up for love and encounters little but loss.
Bruno Ribeiro as Alfredo Germont and Elizabeth Futral as Violetta Valery, a courtesan in the Minnesota Opera production of La traviata
Photo by Michal Daniel
From Brad Richason at Examiner.com:
Great opera is predicated upon a handful of common elements which, while easy to define, are notoriously difficult to master. First and foremost is an emotionally evocative narrative capable of sustaining intoxicatingly heighted passions. Inducing such a sublime condition requires a captivating score matched against a riveting cast capable of fusing libretto with music, amplifying both to an exalted degree. While few productions fully achieve such an eminent goal, the Minnesota Opera's stunning new production of La traviata, now running at the Ordway Center, proves a thrilling exception. Transcending the graceful beauty of Giuseppe Verdi's score with mesmerizing performances and a richly imaginative design, La traviata exemplifies great opera.
...Played with tactful precision by the Minnesota Opera Orchestra as conducted by Michael Christie, the spellbinding power of Giuseppe Verdi's eloquent score is intimately realized. Blending melodic propulsion with Francesco Maria Piave's vibrant Italian libretto, the music ranges from suggestively sparse ruminations to baroque explosions of choral exaltation. The interplay between spiritual longing and material reality forms the primary tension that drives the musical progression and informs the captivating performances.
...Productions of revered works all too often exchange daring innovation for the safety of imitation, following prescribed patterns of presentation rather than taking artistic risks. The Minnesota Opera's La traviata is the absolute antithesis of such uninspired productions. Gifted with extraordinary performances and a visionary creative team, La traviata achieves heartbreaking pathos, reasserting the enthralling greatness of Verdi's masterpiece.
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
Like many operas, La Traviata takes a fairly simple plot and stretches it out over three hours, so you're not going to be hanging on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens: success is all about the details and the texture, and this production scores on almost all fronts. From score to floor, this is the best Minnesota Opera production I've seen to date.
Futral and Ribeiro are well-matched, both as singers and as actors. They have genuine chemistry together and, though on Saturday they started out a little stiff--especially Futral--by Act II they'd swung into their roles with gusto, wearing Verdi's classic melodies like gloves. From a dramatic standpoint, Powell has a thankless role, but his baritone is so rich and supple that you could sit there and listen to him lecture Violetta all night. Crucially, all are capable of the wide dynamic swings Verdi demands, from gentle pleas to throaty cries.
"No orchestra can really have fun playing Verdi's La Traviata," avers one anonymous blogger, but the band playing this production under the baton of Michael Christie sure sound like they're proving that assertion wrong. From the woodwind solos to the brass blasts, this is a scintillating performance that reminds you what Verdi learned from Mozart about drama, pacing, and orchestral color.
The reviews are in for "Hair"
Posted at 12:46 PM on March 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Hair tours at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis through March 6
Photos by Joan Marcus
Does a musical about the fervor of the '60s and flower children have a place on today's stage? Can a polished production capture something that was inherently messy and spontaneous? According to our critics, yes... and no. Read the following excerpts of reviews for "Hair" at the Orpheum Theatre, or click on the links to read the full reviews.
From Rohan Preston at Star Tribune:
For me, as for many theatergoers, everything pivots on the song "Let the Sun Shine In." The emotional power of this number captures the most moving elements of this musical by composer Galt MacDermot and book and lyrics writers Gerome Ragni and James Rado.
Tinged with both grief and optimism, "Let the Sun Shine In" is delivered as Claude (Paris Remillard), who did not drop out or burn his draft card like so many of his peers, lies in a cone of light, his stiff body set against an American flag. The stage image is powerful and relates very clearly to today, when the bodies of our young men and women serving overseas still arrive at Dover Air Force Base.
From John Olive at Howwastheshow.com:
...this show's music really holds up. Composed by Galt MacDermot with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, Hair's songs soar. None are deep - there isn't enough of a developed story for this - but they do work, tune after tuneful tune. Many have become classics: "Let The Sun Shine In," "Good Morning Starshine," the eponymous "Hair," the fervent "Aquarius." Maybe the counterculture Hair delineates is fakey, glitzed up and ersatz. I don't care: my toes rarely stopped tapping and a silly smile almost never left my face.
The players in this revival, none of whom were alive during the period in question, have at this material with gusto and energy. NYC is filled with performers who can act, sing their hearts out, and have a lithe athletic stage presence that fills large hoary theaters like the Orpheum. We reap the benefits of this in Hair. Director Diane Paulus moves her ragged Tribe of free spirits with effortless and streamlined focus. She directs the comic bits with flair and, most of all, she lets the music shine.
Whatever transgressive power that the hippy look and lifestyle ever carried has been wasted away by endless parodies, documentaries, parody documentaries, and straightforward documentaries that play like parodies.
For chunks of Tuesday's performance, that's pretty much how it felt. A young cast (most probably weren't alive when John Lennon was shot) gamely played with the material, cracking jokes about square parents, school teachers, the establishment, and living a free, easy, libertine life.
Near the end of the first act, the action snapped into place. The story began to focus more and more on Claude, a Flushing teenager who dreams of Manchester, England, and who is facing his draft notice. It's his struggle that fuels the best moments of the play, including a terrific, tribal draft card burning at the end of act one (also where you'll see the show's famous nudity--look quick!), through to the musical's uneven second act, and finally to the stunning final chorus of "Let the Sun Shine In." In fact, part of me wishes the show would have ended with that moment, skipping the lengthy curtain call entirely.
From Dominic Papatola at Pioneer Press:
The show looks and sounds like a million bucks, but its soul is as thin as a dime.
Diane Paulus' production tries mightily to re-create the look of the 1960s, complete with big Afros, beads and psychedelic lighting. But while the actors on the stage bring undeniable vocal power to their roles, virtually none are able to transmit the sense that they're doing anything but play-acting.
Steel Burkhardt is antic and larger than life as the lead hippie Berger, and Paris Remillard brings a certain angst to the duty-bound Claude. Both have well-trained voices that are more than up to the demands of their roles. But neither does much to distinguish their characters; the pair could have swapped roles at intermission without the audience noticing.
The females in the company, too, are a strong-voiced lot, but they, too, seem plagued by a reluctance to commit. Take Kaitlin Kiyan, who plays the role of Crissy -- a tribe member who steps forward in the first act to sing "Frank Mills," a song of unrequited love. In other productions, the tune has been variously interpreted as a broad comic number or a wistful elegy to a love that was never meant to be. Kiyan delivers the tune like an audition piece: bell clear, note perfect ... and devoid of any context that would give it meaning or emotional heft.
That performance is a microcosm of the whole show, which is carried out with a slick sense of professionalism and a certain politeness.
Did you see "Hair" at the Orpheum? If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for "Song of Extinction"
Posted at 11:08 AM on March 2, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Theater LatteDa presents Song of Extinction at the Guthrie Theater through March 20
All photos by Michal Daniel
The following are excerpts of reviews for "Song of Extinction" in various news outlets in the Twin Cities. Click on the links to read the full reviews.
From Rob Hubbard at the Pioneer Press:
The avoidance of pain is a core human instinct. But to what lengths will people go to dodge difficult truths? In "Song of Extinction" -- a very good new play by EM Lewis -- almost all of the characters are trying to bury their pain in something else, be it music, teaching or even entomology.
But these truths eventually must be confronted, and when the characters do so, it turns into powerful theater. "Song of Extinction" is receiving its area premiere from Theater Latte Da in a production filled with compassion for its characters and a delicate touch that makes it a very moving drama.
While Theater Latte Da is known for producing musicals, this play is light on music, most of it emanating from the cello of Dan Piering. He plays Max, a high school student whose mother is in her final days of a battle with cancer. Music is his escape, while his father retreats into an obsession with saving a species of insect he has discovered.
Filled with anger and despair, Max is a prime candidate for self-destruction until his Cambodian biology teacher intervenes. A survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide, Khim Phan employs straight talk and as much love as his damaged heart can offer to try to get Max's mind back on his schoolwork.
To the credit of author Lewis and director Peter Rothstein, no point is belabored, no audience member bludgeoned with a message. For a work with so many layers, it's nevertheless almost minimalist in structure, its dialogue convincingly realistic, its tone admirably restrained.
Dan Piering as Max Forrestal and David Mura as Khim Pham in The Guthrie Theater presentation of a Theater Latté Da production of "Song of Extinction" by EM Lewis, directed by Peter Rothstein.
From John Olive at Howwastheshow.com
Song Of Extinction is a fierce meditation on death, species extinction, grief, familial dysfunction, adolescent anger, and the redemptive power of music. It's often frustrating - but, really, what truly ambitious play isn't? This piece is intense, rich, affecting.
Playwright Lewis approaches her story with cinematic theatricality: scenes are short, often just fragments, woven together with music, dreamy lights (and harsh fluorescents), flashbacks, soliloquies. All this imparts an hallucinatory intensity to the proceedings.
Lily Forrestal is dying, of cancer. Her husband Ellery, perhaps as a defense, obsesses on the fate of a Bolivian insect, about to become extinct, and thus ignores his wife's physical deterioration, as well as his 15 year old son Max's building anger. Left to his own devices, unfed and dirty, Max (with his ever-present cello) washes up in the office of Khim Phan, a high school biology teacher, a man caught up in his grief for his family, slaughtered thirty plus years earlier in the Cambodian killing fields. I will refrain from describing in detail what happens when Pham visits the Forrestals in the hospital late at night. Know that it's surprising and highly effective.
All in all, marvelous stuff. But this play is tricky: the heavy use of theatrical techniques makes us pull back, whereas the story makes us want to lean in, embrace the characters. This creates a tension which, for the most part, director Peter Rothstein (also Latté Da's Artistic Director) handles well.
Carla Noack as Lily Forrestal, David Mura as Khim Pham and John Middleton as Ellery Forrestal in The Guthrie Theater presentation of a Theater Latté Da production of Song of Extinction
From Graydon Royce at Star Tribune:
Simplicity is greatly underestimated in theatrical virtuosity. The trick is to not starve your work of its emotion and its power, yet craft lean scenes that don't waste our energy.
Playwright E.M. Lewis accomplishes all this in "Song of Extinction." Director Peter Rothstein's production, which Theater Latté Da opened Saturday at the Guthrie Studio, honors the delicacy of Lewis' work, and the result is 90 minutes of poignant worthiness...
...Mura's background as a poet informs his portrayal of Phan, his phrasing and rhythms landing precisely on Lewis' words. He orates memories of the Cambodian killing fields, his assimilation in the United States and frustration that Americans can't imagine extinction for themselves. He, on the other hand, is the lone survivor of his family and understands the fragility of existence.
Noack has a flinty resignation as Lily, but also some wild-eyed morphine-fueled moments in which her bed is transformed into a vessel floating through a river of hallucination.
As Max, Piering avoids so many of the "young performer" potholes that exist when a role requires such emotional investment. Not to mention he plays his cello beautifully.
Technically and scenically -- with music undergirding the story and mood -- this production also has an economy of construction that again allows the story to tell itself.
It's really that simple.
And from Ed Huyck at City Pages:
Young teenager Max Forrestal is a mess. He shows up to school day after day in the same dirty clothes. He is rake thin, as if he hasn't eaten in days. He appears content to hide in the back of the class, duct-taped cello case at his side, listening to his iPod rather than the teacher--when he bothers to show up.
Most of his teachers are willing to just ignore the symptoms of a student in crisis, except for biology instructor Khim Phan. At the same age as Max, Khim lived through Cambodia's killing fields, and he recognizes someone on the verge of a personal extinction.
Their relationship lives at the core of E.M. Lewis's Song of Extinction, which--despite some shortcomings--gets a powerful and moving reading from Theatre Latte Da. That's fostered in part by remarkable performances from Dan Piering as Max and David Mura as Khim, along with a staging that never blinks in the face of deep pain.
Max's problems are fueled by his parents. His father, Ellery (John Middleton), is obsessed with saving a species of insect from extinction at the hands of an "evil" developer (Gary Geiken, whose character is bad because, in part, he wears very ugly pants while playing golf) and barely acknowledges his son. His mother, Lily (Carla Noack), is in the final stages of cancer, and her extinction weighs heavily on Max's mind.
Lewis does everything short of underlining these themes onstage, and that sometimes makes for clunky drama. The evil developer is the worst example of this, doing nothing more than serving as a point of conflict than being a fully realized character like the rest of the cast.
Still, the core drama of a family facing their own Armageddon fuels the play, and Lewis writes with a deft touch....As you can guess, Song of Extinction isn't a joy ride, but director Peter Rothstein gives the piece his signature stamp, helping the audience find the real humanity behind the stark hospital room and lonely home that Max inhabits.
Have you seen "Song of Extinction?" If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "The Balcony"
Posted at 1:08 PM on February 23, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Members of the cast of "The Balcony," by Jean Genet, now playing at Nimbus Theatre
The following are excerpts from reviews of the show The Balcony, playing at Nimbus Theatre in Minneapolis through March 6. Click on the links to read the full reviews.
From David de Young, at HowWasTheShow.com:
A sign posted at the entry to the house warns: "Please be aware this show contains cigar smoke, gunshots, loud explosions, vulgar language, adult situations, and whips." The Balcony delivers faithfully on each, and in nimbus artistic director Josh Cragun's hands, it provides a delightful yet thought-provoking evening of entertainment.
The play, by French novelist, poet and activist Jean Genet, was first produced in London in 1957 and has been a favorite among directors ever since. It won an Obie for Genet in 1960 after its American premiere in New York. The action plays out in an upscale brothel run by Madame Irma (a proud and business-like Heidi Berg). As a bloody revolution rages outside, we are introduced to power archetypes in the form of a bishop (Jeffery Goodson), a judge (Eric Ringham) and a general (Bud Prescott) who have come to Irma's to play out their fantasies. But they are perhaps not surprisingly reluctant when the opportunity to play these same roles in the real world arises after their corresponding societal equivalents are killed in the revolution.
Key supporting roles in the well-matched cast are the brothel staff, including MaryLynn Mennicke, Brian Hesser, Kate Gunther, and Katherine Moeller. All bring memorable performances. Also of note is Mason Mahoney as the dashing cigar-chomping Chief of Police and Erin Denman as Chantal, a former prostitute who has left the brothel to become a sort of living icon of the revolution...
...I should caution that run time is on the high end at just over three hours with one intermission, but the moments my attention wavered were spread out in such a way that I still felt thoroughly engaged from end to end.
Considering what has happened in Egypt in the last two weeks, along with the general instability in the Middle East, and the political unrest in neighboring Wisconsin, it's certainly prescient of Nimbus to tackle Jean Genet's The Balcony as the inaugural piece in the company's new northeast Minneapolis space.
Then again, reducing this 20th-century epic about revolutions and the slippery nature of our societal icons to mere politics is really doing the work a disservice. The politics behind the ongoing revolutions in the play's nameless city are meaningless--both the establishment and the revolutionaries talk mainly in metaphors. Instead, the idea of acting out roles in society sits front and center.
Though the decades have stripped away much of the play's transgressive energy--the public actions of real heads of the establishment are far worse than anything presented here--Genet's work still plays with the mind in thrilling ways, and despite an uneven set of performances, the Nimbus Production plays off that with real gusto.
Genet's script plays with audience expectations throughout, presenting plays-within-plays, including lengthy metaphor-driven discussions on the nature of the iconic figures of the state and revolutionaries driven by a desire for "reality" who take on the same style of meta characters as the rest.
In other words, this isn't an easy play to produce or to watch. Director Josh Cragun and the company reward audience with a production that feels both playful and insightful. But sometimes the acting loses the first element, as moments full of absurdity fall flat. The actors also seem to be unsure of the acoustics of the brand-new space, which can make it hard to understand all of their dialogue sometimes.
That aside, the whole production, featuring a terrific set by Zach Morgan and some pretty amazing costumes from Lisa Conley, carries plenty of energy and insight.
From Claude Peck at Star Tribune:
The woman next to me sighed throughout the first half of Jean Genet's "The Balcony" on Saturday at Nimbus Theatre in Minneapolis. When she and a few others left at intermission, they reduced the audience to a number roughly equal to the 16-member cast.
Welcome to the world of small theater, where budgets are micro, audiences may or may not show up, and directors sometimes seem hell-bent on presenting "difficult" work that may alienate even their hard-core partisans...
There is value in simply getting to see a live production of "The Balcony," the philosophically hazy, politically unpredictable play that caused cultural dust-ups at openings in London (1957), Paris (1960) and the United States (1960). So, congrats to director Josh Cragun for undertaking it, and throwing himself and his team into it. Their commitment is laudable.
The result is far from successful, however, with acting that varies from very good to wooden. For every bit of intellectual stimulation and dramatic poetry, there is an equal amount of tedium and confusion. It makes three hours and 15 minutes seem like four.
...Cragun and crew throw themselves into this tough dramatic nut (even Genet called it "thick," "heavy" and "idiotic"). From the three-level set -- designed by Zach Morgan in the theater's new space -- to the sound design, costuming and lighting, the message is: Storm the bordello and full speed ahead.
So, have you seen "The Balcony?" If so, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
(2 Comments)The reviews are in for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Posted at 4:55 PM on February 17, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Jevetta Steele is Ma Rainey
Photo by Michal Daniel
Penumbra Theatre presents "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at the Guthrie Theater through March 6. The August Wilson play, set in the late 1920s, depicts blues singer Gertrude "Ma" Rainey as she prepares to lay down a new record in a South Side Chicago studio, and how even the most legendary singer of her day had to fight for every scrap of respect she could get.
Thinking of seeing the show? Check out these review excerpts - follow the links to read them in their entirety.
From Brad Richason at Examiner.com:
Divas don't come any more high maintenance than the title character of playwright August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Unyielding in her demands and prone to volatile outbursts at the slightest resistance, Ma Rainey would be insufferable were it not for her enormously gifted (and equally profitable) vocal ability. And yet Ma Rainey's exacting stipulations, whether as sensible as approving her musical arrangements or as superfluous as having Coca-Cola on hand at every recording session, do not merely reflect an out of control ego. No, there's a pragmatic rationale to Ma's every demand, a justification sown under social oppression. Expressed through the cathartic essence of the blues, Penumbra Theatre Company's production of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, now running at the Guthrie, provocatively uncovers the disfiguring scars of bigotry and racism.
August Wilson's engrossing script follows one particularly chaotic recording session in the life of Ma Rainey, popularly known as the Mother of the Blues. As Ma Rainey's white producer and white manager fret over the infamously unpredictable singer's late arrival, the backing band passes the time with an initially easygoing banter that grows progressively tense. Three of the band members are musical journeymen, session players employed to follow direction. The fourth, however, is an outspoken trumpet player named Levee who nurses aspirations of artistic innovation. Fueled by his own impassioned vision of the blues, Levee stands in direct opposition to Ma Rainey's uncompromising will, assuring a showdown that will make this recording session anything but harmonious.
A marvel of tuneful composition, director Lou Bellamy plays August Wilson's script like the blues, steering the prevailing mood through each intuitively timed note. Much of the first act's charm rests with a group of men shooting the breeze, only occasionally allowing a glimpse of deeper meaning. A conversation about shoes, for example, speaks volumes about these characters' sense of position and pride. And these four men bust each other's chops mercilessly, only pausing when the subject cuts too close to the bone. Wilson's dialogue possesses a sculpture's exactitude coupled with a poet's sense of rhythm, molding an everyday vernacular to each character's unique personality.
...Though Ma Rainey and Levee clash over control of the music, neither has an exclusive claim to ownership. As Ma Rainey's Black Bottom so resoundingly demonstrates, the blues belong to anyone moved to feel deep emotion, a characteristic certain to include those fortunate enough to witness this remarkable production.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
We're a half-decade beyond the death of August Wilson. That's long enough so that every production of one of his plays no longer feels like an elegy, but not long enough for him to feel like a historical figure. It's a peculiar, liminal time for devotees of his work, and that sense of reflection permeates Penumbra Theatre Company's lovely but sometimes disjointed production of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at the Guthrie Theater.
Set in a Chicago recording studio in 1927 and centered on the eponymous diva and her back-up band, "Ma Rainey" interweaves themes of power and race, talent and desire, approach and avoidance. It was the second script Wilson wrote in his 10-play cycle chronicling the black experience in America during the 20th century, and within its pages, Wilson begins to show the mastery of image and language that would bring him two Pulitzer Prizes and a high place in the lexicon of American playwrights.
But there is a price to be paid for all of these gorgeous words. The play can sometimes feel like a loosely connected series of jaw-dropping, galvanizing set pieces than an event with a single, coherent through-line. Piano man and philosopher Toledo's ruminations about the black man eating society's leftovers is rendered with a clear-eyed sense of frustration and reality by Abdul Salaam El Razzac.
James T. Alfred plays up-and-coming trumpeter Levee, and his tale of his mother's assault by a gang of white men is rendered with the kind of horrific realism that brings the bile to the back of your throat. But the connective bridges among these stories and the countless other riffs told in "Ma Rainey" aren't consistently present, and the final, wrenching scene has a whiff of deus ex machina.
Penumbra artistic director and Wilson intimate Lou Bellamy thus cannot forge all of the connections, but he does give his cast -- many of whom have long associations with Wilson's work -- room to maneuver and invent in a production that pulses with the varying divertimenti of jazz without straying too far from the essential themes.
And from Rohan Preston at Star Tribune:
...Bellamy's staging of this jazz-and-blues-suffused drama unfolds with inspiring lucidity and lyricism.
Actor Jevetta Steele is wondrous as the title character, the mother of the blues who prefers to be called Madame. The character is larger than life, arriving in hullabaloo with an entourage that includes a police officer who is trying to arrest her.
Steele, best known for her singing -- her one sassy, soulful song is worth the "Ma" admission -- shows off powerful dramatic chops . She commands the stage with volatility and danger. Her Ma is more Greek goddess than diva.
Alfred, dressed in red by costume designer Mathew LeFebvre, has the cockiness of a prize fighter with a gift for gab. He bounces around the stage like a Muhammad Ali, ready to rumble. And as he shows us his ambition, we want to root for him.
Bellamy has cast only top-shelf winners in this play, which takes place on Vicki Smith's three-zone set. Wilson veteran Abdul Salaam El Razzac imbues Toledo with sagacity and cool.
Phil Kilbourne depicts Irvin, Ma's white manager, as if he were a water balloon being squeezed between two strong hands. And, in his delivery, he takes the sting out of "boys," which is what he calls the men. Tezla's Sturdyvant is unctuous, but he does not ooze too much oil. He comes across as a cold businessman, profiting from the sounds of suffering that he traps in a box.
James Craven, who plays trombone player Cutler, and William John Hall, who plays bassist Slow Drag, perform in the show the way they do in a band: as strong, solid ensemble players.
Even the smaller roles in "Ma" are notable. Lerea Carter drips eroticism as Dussie Mae, Ma's gorgeously endowed girlfriend, while Ahanti Young's Sylvester, Ma's stuttering nephew, is delivered with touching tenderness in a production that is superlative.
So have you seen "Ma Rainey?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
Disaster Preparedness: a memoir
Posted at 2:45 PM on February 16, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Books, Criticism
Disaster Preparedness by Heather Havrilesky, published by Riverhead Books
Editor's Note: David Cazares is an editor for MPR News who happens to love both jazz and reading. Earlier this week he gave us his take on the Grammys; today he shares his thoughts on the new memoir by Heather Havrilesky. You can look forward to seeing more of his commentaries on the State of the Arts blog in the weeks and months to come.
We live in a society where having enough is never enough.
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At an early age, many of us realize that we're mere mortals, outcasts of an in-crowd with better looks, brains, athletic prowess -- and the functional families and popularity we lack. They live in fancier houses, drive better cars, wear nicer clothes and have better relationships.
Ordinary people have no chance of keeping up with the Joneses. But that doesn't stop them from trying, even if the wasted time and effort makes them walking disasters.
Heather Havrilesky offers us a look at the disappointments of a real life with Disaster Preparedness, a memoir that describes her middle-class childhood in Durham, N.C. during the 1970s and 80s, and her neurotic journey to grown-up status.
Havrilesky, a staff critic at (the iPad newspaper) The Daily and a former television critic for Salon, is well-known for her spot-on deconstructions of the Mad Men television series, in which she takes no prisoners in detailing a character's flaws.
At first glance, her own story might be perceived as an unremarkable and less-biting tale of personal and emotional duress. But a careless reader might miss how Havrilesky's struggles resonate with real people struggling with their own imperfect lives.
In sometimes agonizing detail, she offers readers a window to the numbness of suburban life, her dysfunctional family, her parent's troubled marriage and divorce, and her bumbling but not uncommon journey to find love. She writes with an adult's hindsight but also employs the voice of a child and teenager.
Irreverent, funny, self-deprecating, her stories show how the path to understanding is filled with pitfalls and disasters, often of our own making. We're all screwed up and in need of therapy. But most of us, she writes, haven't worked it out because we're not honest with ourselves.
In describing the pathetic life of Lance, her assistant manager at Barney's Ice Cream, a guy who wanted to be a songwriter but still lived with his parents, she writes, "this was before shows like American Idol brought a teeming universe of deluded, largely untalented wannabes to the public's attention.
"It had never occurred to me that there were scores of people just like Lance, who had big dreams that would never come true, and they didn't even know it."
As an adult, Havrilesky seems to doubt if her own dreams would ever come true, even when - after a series of mostly good-for-nothing boyfriends - she finds true love. Even now, with two children, she sometimes wonders why she can't "be the relaxed, organized career mom instead of some harried, slovenly zombie."
The answer is that she was never intended to be. Angst-ridden and conflicted, she is human, still struggling to keep up with her own life, let alone the Joneses. And that's OK.
These days, it seems that to really be somebody, one has to be -- or at least appear -- larger than ordinary life.
From the celebrities and entertainers the public can't seem to get enough of, to victims of tragedy, politicians, business tycoons, talk show hosts and realty TV participants desperate to show all their warts, the message is clear: only those whose history, antics or misfortune make for a spectacle are worthy of an audience's attention.
Like car wrecks, many of these personalities are just a head-turning mess that we really don't want to see.
But even if they don't say something extraordinary about the times we live in, the stories of real people can be remarkable and worthy when they prompt us to look inward at our own flawed and complicated existence.
- David Cazares is an editor for MPR News.
The reviews are in for "Drakul"
Posted at 12:11 PM on February 16, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Walking Shadow Theatre Company presents Drakul, a riff on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Thinking about seeing the show? Check out these review excerpts to help inform your decision. Already seen the show? See if your review matches those of the local critics.
From Brad Richason at Examiner.com:
Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, was first published in 1897. Since that initial printing, this Victorian era work has proven the single most influential source of our modern vampire archetype. Mostly attributable to a vast array of cinematic adaptations, the ubiquitous vampire has achieved a kind of cultural immortality. Resurrected for each successive generation, Dracula has been depicted as both a sympathetic victim and the sheer essence of evil, representative of virtually every imaginable social taboo. After so many variations, it seems reasonable to ask if anything new can be contributed to such well-trodden mythology. The answer given by playwright/director John Heimbuch in his original work Drakul, now being presented by Walking Shadow Theatre Company at the Red Eye, ends up being decidedly mixed.
...The audaciousness of Heimbuch's script resides in the playwright's daring attempt to seamlessly blend original material with Stoker's source novel, filling narrative gaps and imbuing further depth to each of the characters. Heimbuch pulls off the task with admirable precision, creating a text that works both as a reimagining and a sequel to Stoker's tale. Adopting the novel's epistolary device, in which the story is recounted through documents (letters, diary entries, certificates of death, etc.), Heimbuch intriguingly explores the psychology of these characters and the peculiar motivations that drive their actions.
...At a three hour run time, Drakul's continually shifting focus does make sustained tension a challenging proposition. Patient audiences, however, will be rewarded with fascinating new dimensions in Heimbuch's ambitious vision. For all Drakul's narrative issues, Walking Shadow's latest production finds a distinctly human drama at the center of an undead classic.
John Heimbuch likes to think big. The playwright and co-artistic director of Walking Shadow Theatre Company has merged zombies and Shakespeare, penguins and the military, and has also crafted an original vision of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. For his latest, Drakul, Heimbuch takes Bram Stoker's Victorian horror story and expands it to look at the wreckage the events of the book leave behind for the characters. While the adaptation has its troubles, these intriguing explorations and the strong performances from the cast make it worth your time.
Heimbuch's adaptation takes Stoker's original novel and adds an intriguing conceit: What if the story was true? Part of the action follows the characters six years later, as their worlds are rocked by the publication of their journals and reports as a fiction. Their reputations in danger, the survivors gather to discuss what should be done and also uncover the remaining secrets within the group.
...The cast is well balanced, but sometime struggle with roles that haven't been fully fleshed out. Considering the show runs a bit over three hours, this is especially frustrating. A lot of time is spent with the characters, but they are often just serving as pieces of the plot rather than rounded human beings.
And while much of the action is engrossing, the show drags during the second act in places where it should be racing to its conclusion, both in action (the hunt for the vampire) and emotion (the battle, past and present, for Mina's soul). It doesn't help that the play is made up of numerous short scenes. The resulting stage shifting is a continuous distraction that holds up the pace.
From Graydon Royce at Star Tribune:
Dracula's crypt is getting crowded. Myriad adaptations of Bram Stoker's novel have proposed sexy, creepy, funny, clumsy and ghastly incantations of the old haunt. So allow playwright John Heimbuch points for bravery in taking another crack. His "Drakul" premiered Friday in Walking Shadow's production at Red Eye and you can add another adjective to the Dracula canon -- though it's probably not one Heimbuch was aiming for: wearying.
Heimbuch also directed the piece, which is good because he is one of the sharpest young minds in local theater. He understands actors and uses technical accents well. Walking Shadow typically displays articulate costumes (Amy Hill) and lights (Logan Jambik). Composer Tim Cameron's soundscape becomes indispensable in shaping mood and place.
An excellent cast and a well-wrought opening sequence raise the anticipation that something grand is about to unfold. Three hours later, we are not so sanguine.
...It's a worthy effort, but "Drakul" needs more pulse.
So have you seen Drakul? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The Winter's Tale revisited
Posted at 4:00 PM on March 2, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Michael Hayden (Leontes), Michelle O'Neill (Hermione), Emily Gunyou Halaas, Christina Baldwin, Suzanne Warmanen and Ansa Akyea in the Guthrie Theater production of William Shakespeare's The WINTER'S TALE, directed by Jonathan Munby.
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
A while back I posted reviews for Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale," which runs at the Guthrie Theater through March 27. The show has been commended for its execution of what is commonly known as one of the Bard's "problem plays."
While the critics gave the production high marks, I didn't see much - if any - critical treatment of "the problem." That is, in "The Winter's Tale" we are presented with neither an outright comedy nor a complete tragedy. Instead, we are left unsettled and unsure by what appears to be an overly simplistic ending to a highly complex situation.
The original premise of the play - the terrible acts committed by a jealous husband - are not unfamiliar to Shakespeare fans. In "Othello," the Moor suffocates his own wife Desdamona, convinced that she has betrayed him. But Othello's jealousy was fueled and fanned by the evil Iago, and cannot be blamed on Othello alone.
In "The Winter's Tale," Leontes is his own worst enemy, and when we meet him he has already convinced himself that his wife Hermione is having an affair with his childhood friend:
Is whispering nothing?
Is leaning cheek to cheek? is meeting noses?
Kissing with inside lip? stopping the career
Of laughing with a sigh?--a note infallible
Of breaking honesty--horsing foot on foot?
Skulking in corners? wishing clocks more swift?
Hours, minutes? noon, midnight? and all eyes
Blind with the pin and web but theirs, theirs only,
That would unseen be wicked? is this nothing?
Why, then the world and all that's in't is nothing;
The covering sky is nothing; Bohemia nothing;
My wife is nothing; nor nothing have these nothings,
If this be nothing.
- Leontes
Leontes, despite all the protestations of his counsels, condemns his pregnant wife to prison where she - we believe - dies, and has her newborn baby girl sent to a far-off land to be abandoned to fate. An entire ship's crew is killed at sea after carrying out Leontes orders, and his own young son dies for wont of his mother's care.
Devon Solwold (Mamillius), Michael Hayden (Leontes), Bill McCallum (Polixenes) and Michelle O'Neill (Hermione) in the Guthrie Theater production of William Shakespeare's The WINTER'S TALE, directed by Jonathan Munby.
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
Sounds like a tragedy, doesn't it? But fast-forward 16 years to the end. The baby girl Perdita survives and thrives, falling in love with the son of Leontes same childhood friend, Polixenes. They, by a twist of fate, end up returning to her home Sicilia, and she is reunited with her father. Leontes has been penitent all this time for his crimes of passion, and is delighted to have found his long-lost daughter.
Here's where it gets unsettling for me. Paulina, a counsel to Leontes (who lost her own husband due to Leontes' rage), reveals that she has commissioned a statue of his dead wife Hermione, and would the family care to see it now that it's complete?
If you can behold it,
I'll make the statue move indeed, descend
And take you by the hand; but then you'll think--
Which I protest against--I am assisted
By wicked powers.
...It is required
You do awake your faith. Then all stand still;
On: those that think it is unlawful business
I am about, let them depart.
Music, awake her; strike!
- Paulina
Like magic, Hermione steps down from her pedastal as beautiful as the day Leontes first accused her of disloyalty. She embraces her husband and greets her daughter thus:
...thou shalt hear that I,
Knowing by Paulina that the oracle
Gave hope thou wast in being, have preserved
Myself to see the issue.
Soon after the family exits the stage, with all having been put right. Or has it?
Let's take a look at what's happened. Leontes has suffered for his sins 16 years, and so he is rewarded for his time with a fresh start with his beloved wife. But does anyone ever really get a fresh start? Can Hermione truly forgive her husband for his actions which led to her son's death and the separation of her and her daughter? In fact, if she really chose to be "preserved," who's to say she didn't willfully abandon her own son to his death as well - is she not at least in part culpable? (see comments)
I found myself upset with the ending, but not just because of the characters' actions; I was also disturbed by my own reaction. Leontes did not - to my mind - deserve to be reunited with his wife; too many people's lives had been lost. But then, who am I to judge?
To my mind "The Winter's Tale" is a problem play because it leaves us to wrestle with some of our own problems, and to ask some soul-searching questions. Namely, when has a person paid enough for their crimes? When can we stop judging someone for their past mistakes, and instead consider them by their present actions? And what does it take to make us willing to forgive?
"The Winter's Tale" runs through March 27 at the Guthrie Theater.
(3 Comments)Pop fans sing the blues at 2011 Grammys
Posted at 1:40 PM on February 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Music
Jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding took home the "Best New Artist" award at last night's Grammy ceremonies, to many people's dismay. Photo by Johann Sauty
Editor's note: there's been a buzz in the air this morning as music fans deal with the honest-to-goodness surprise of last night's Grammy Awards. MPR's in-house jazz aficionado David Cazares thinks the outrage over Justin Bieber's loss in the "Best New Artist" category is unjustified, and he can tell you why. Here's his commentary:
You could almost hear the collective national gasp Sunday night when a singer most people have never heard of won the award for Best New Artist at the 2011 Grammy Awards.
Esperanza Spalding, a jazz singer and bassist who has performed at the White House, won the nod over 16-year old Canadian phenomenon Justin Bieber, the music industry's superstar hope.
I was thrilled. Spalding, a Portland, Ore. native and Berklee College of Music alum, is among a number of young artists winning critical acclaim for their contemporary interpretations of jazz, America's art form.
But millions of teenage girls - and a lot of adults -- were stunned. Almost immediately, Twitter lit up with posts of "Esperanza Who?" The masses wanted to know how a hero with the perfect voice could lose to someone who performs a "dying" genre. Some defaced her Wikipedia page.
Even some who should know better posed that question. The writer Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, who has a degree in jazz performance from Berklee, told her Twitter followers that Bieber is more fun to listen to than the "mediocre" Spalding, and a better singer.
Valdes-Rodriguez faulted Grammy voters for rewarding a singer who sings like "people who were popular 70 years ago" and decried what she called musical elitism.
"Jazz is the most garrulous, narcissistic form of music on earth," Valdes-Rodriguez wrote. "For the artist, not the listener."
Well, I'm glad she at least clarified that.
Valdes -Rodriguez is wrong. Jazz is not dead. It's alive and kicking, thanks to young performers like Spalding and many others. Despite cuts to the arts nationwide, high school students are still learning and playing this great music.
Jazz also remains popular with international audiences hungry for its authentic, imaginative and improvisational sound. Wed to the majestic blues, it is not a pretentious art.
It is true that jazz is no longer the popular dance music it once was. In perhaps a period of intellectual and artistic hubris, jazz musicians turned inward half a century ago focusing their imagination on complex musical ideas that proved inaccessible to a mass audience. Though such efforts created high art, they were reason for some to worry.
The trumpeter Miles Davis once told pianist Herbie Hancock, that if there were no women in the audience, the music wasn't happening - a reminder to never lose touch with real people.
There were crucial periods when jazz did fall out of favor, when rhythm and blues and rock 'n roll lured young fans. That wasn't lost on the music industry, which is all about the latest thing.
So when I tuned in to the award show, I wasn't at all surprised to see the heavily produced numbers with legions of dancers trying to channel Michael and Janet Jackson, the mind-numbing auto tuning or the over sexualized spectacles. Or Justin Bieber trying to prove he belonged on the same stage as Usher.
That is what the music business has come to as it seeks to capture all those young fans hooked on simple beats, celebrity and hair.
But Grammy voters got it right. It's so cool that the awards can still honor an earthy, inventive and honest sound that remains relevant and timeless. In honoring the afro-wearing Spalding, they directed the nation's attention to a singer and musician with three lively and inventive albums. They honored music over formula.
Yes, plenty of people are upset that the Best New Artist award went to someone they never heard of. She deserved it. And I love her 'fro.
- David Cazares is an editor for MPR News.
So, do you think Spalding's win was justified? Is jazz "the most garrulous, narcissistic form of music on earth?" Share your thoughts in the comments section.
(1 Comments)The reviews are in for "Little Eyes"
Posted at 3:14 PM on February 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Braxton Baker, Luverne Seifert and Sarah Agnew in "Little Eyes."
Photo by Kevin McLaughlin
"Little Eyes" by local playwright Cory Hinkle runs at the Guthrie Theater through February 20. Set in post-9/11 suburbia, the show has drawn mixed reviews for its use of surrealism. Read the following excerpts to get a sense of the range of the reviews; click on the links to read each one in its entirety.
From Brad Richason at Examiner.com:
In the monologue that opens playwright Cory Hinkle's Little Eyes, the latest production from Workhaus Collective now playing at the Guthrie's Dowling Studio, an adolescent character named Martin expounds upon an ill-defined but pervasive sense of malaise that settled over suburbia in the wake of 9/11. Economic insecurities and family instabilities at home were now countered by menacing enemies abroad. Though not entirely new ground, the suburban anxiety depicted throughout Little Eyes possesses an urgency that dashes all false reassurances and propels the work toward a gripping conclusion.
Centered on neighboring cul-de-sacs in a suburban community, Little Eyes involves two very different pairs of characters, each privately cringing from closely guarded secrets and deeply repressed suspicions. In one home, married couple Steph and Mark live in a coiled state of emotional frigidness, their fragile coexistence poised to shatter at the nearest round of recriminations. In the other home, Judy spends her evenings fending off questions from her young son Martin about the whereabouts of his recently disappeared father. Though Judy insists that her husband, Martin's father, has been spending his nights at the office, it's obvious from the collection of empty beer bottles and hours of late night television that Judy's explanation has little credibility.
The determined banality of both homes begins to come undone with the arrival of Gary, an eccentric stranger whose amicable demeanor does little to soften the intrusiveness of his inquiries. Claiming to be sent from the mayor's office to document the town "as it is," Gary has no compunction about prying into the most personal details of his subjects' private lives. Before long, Gary's cheerfully callous presumptions come to feel more indicative of his own self-righteous judgments than a supposed public relations campaign.
Cory Hinkle's script probes suburban fears with fine-tuned precision, slowly evolving the tone from a darkly comic first half into an increasingly tense second. Rather than dwelling on surface eccentricities, Hinkle goes deep into the neurotic psychology of unfulfilling monotony, spousal betrayal, and parental worries. While such a theme could be unremittingly bleak, director Jeremy Wilhelm shows adept skill at keeping the prevailing atmosphere buoyed with gallows humor.
....Some might view the increasingly surreal second half as straying too far from reality, but the encountered dangers never feel less than genuine. Whatever our fears of the outside world, Hinkle's work advises us to look inward. As perceived by Little Eyes, the worst of hazards may well reside within our very own homes.
From Max Sparber at MinnPost.com:
Set in the months following 9/11 in a small American town that's ahead of the curve, in that it's already failing, Hinkle's script has three sets of characters who form a continuum from realistic to absurd. There is a young mother whose husband just up and left, played by Sarah Agnew, who limns her character as believable stunned. Then there are the next-door neighbors, Steph and Mark, played by Maggie Chestovitch and Adam Whisner, who sleep under a painting of Jesus and have looping, nonsensical arguments with each other while Steph pretends to be pregnant by stuffing a pillow under her shirt. Finally, there is a large, loud-talking stranger in a cheap suit and an old camera, played by Luverne Seifert, who claims to represent the mayor and whose photography is bullying and occasionally sinister.
Each of these three groups could exist very comfortable in their own play, but Hinkle thrusts them into each other's, where they bewilder the other characters, and risk bewildering the audience. The play is filled with signs and portents that seem meaningful but go unexplained, and the entire production is spotted with moments of bleak satire. It's a play that refuses to explain itself, and the audience must not merely suss out the subtext, but some of the text. It's very hard to tell whether this is a careful piece that made some commendable, albeit risky, decisions to challenge its audience, or if it's an impulsive piece that relies on freighted hinting and glib suburban surrealism in the place of telling a story. Most of the local critics have so far assumed it is the latter. I'm not so sure.
From Graydon Royce at Star Tribune:
Hinkle's work, directed by Jeremy Wilhelm, would like to land in a sort of David Lynch surrealism; is it allegory, absurdist, realistic symbolism or just a dream? It's refreshing to find drama that doesn't always strike us on the nose, but Hinkle's play wobbles among these prevailing realities and lacks internal consistency. Who's playing for real? Who's faking it? What's happening?
...In fact, Hinkle's play never achieves cohesion with its metaphors of surveillance, protection, invasion of privacy and anxiety. Its cynicism has no moral purpose; its comedy rarely invites us to invest an emotion in these people. They are objects of ridicule, not sympathy. Hinkle might be close to something with "Little Eyes." Choosing a specific universe -- and he seems to favor the possibilities of a less-literal world -- might help shake out the chaff and find the nugget of his message.
And from Ed Huyck at City Pages:
In the program for Little Eyes, playwright Cory Hinkle mentions that one of the inspirations for his latest play was Gregory Crewdson's surrealist portrait of modern American life, Twilight. Perusing the photographs in that collection does show a kindred spirit. In image after image, we find everyday scenes twisted and merged, to the point where yard work is done in the living room or a flooded bottom floor is as much a swimming pool as a reason to call the plumber.
...Though Hinkle's work doesn't entirely hold together, there are terrific moments sprinkled throughout, like the tableaus Crewdson creates. He's aided by a terrific cast that works wonders with a string of difficult characters and an overall vision that pushes everyday absurdity and fears to the limit.
...We all can use a guide through the madness, which Hinkle steadfastly refuses to give any of the characters. By the end, even though much has happened and situations have changed, they are all as lost as in the beginning, just frozen in a fresh pose.
So, have you seen "Little Eyes?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Doubt: A Parable"
Posted at 12:30 PM on February 11, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Kris Nelson and Sally Wingert star in Ten Thousand Things' production of "Doubt: A Parable" at Open Book through March 6
It takes a lot of nerve to stage a play that got rave reviews as a movie starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. But Ten Thousand Things, under the direction of Peter Rothstein, did just that. The result? According to these reviews, there's no "doubt" about the quality of this production. Read on for excerpts, and click on the links to read the full reviews.
From Graydon Royce at the Star Tribune:
The competing forces of law and grace, modernity and tradition collide with intense personal clarity in "Doubt," John Patrick Shanley's 2005 Pulitzer winner. Two sharply drawn characters -- each working out a crisis of faith -- spar for the souls of those around them. In the wreckage, no one survives whole.
Ten Thousand Things' production of "Doubt," directed by Peter Rothstein, is one of those rare dramas perfectly wrought in all its pieces...
...We leave not certain of the truth -- the disturbing reaction that Shanley intended.
Rothstein's production breathes with confidence, clearly expressing the metaphoric stakes in each actor. Simply put, he knows this play. It is a tightly etched, 75-minute parable on how we live in relationship with each other and ourselves. It should absolutely be seen.
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet
At the heart of the play, and director Peter Rothstein's sizzling production, is Sister Aloysius. Wingert's fierce performance is a must-see; she rails against the forces conspiring against her with the fury of Ahab, easy though it would be to accept the world's assurances that the killer whale she pursues is a figment of her imagination. Nelson and Froiland are also effective, though those who have seen the film will miss the nuance Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams brought to their roles. In contrast to Hoffman's persistently malevolent performance, Nelson portrays Father Flynn as a cheerful man full of bouyant bonhomie; when he cracks, he falls all the harder.
Williams gets only one scene, but it's a tour de force that had the inmates cheering. Shanley puts her character in a thick knot from which there is no easy escape, and Williams and Wingert make the most of their intense face-off, in which they debate how--or whether--to fight their way out of the cage that they and Donald are trapped in together.
The play leaves room for argument as to whether or not Father Flynn is innocent, but it's always been my impression that Shanley tips the scales in favor of Aloysius, and as Wingert pointed out in a post-performance discussion, in wake of the revelation that child abuse was shockingly widespread in the Catholic Church at that time, history is on her side. Still, when asked for a show of hands, the majority of the inmates at Saturday's performance indicated a belief that Alosyius was mistaken in her accusations regarding the priest.
From Dominic P. Papatola at the Pioneer Press:
On the face of it, "Doubt" is a zeitgeist-y play that turns on the question of whether a priest sexually exploited a 12-year-old altar boy. But it's not necessary to dig too deeply into John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play to find the more central conflict of flesh and blood versus ideas and convictions brought to thought-provoking life in Ten Thousand Things Theater's production.
Director Peter Rothstein's staging takes advantage of the up-close, lights-up, fourth-wall-shattering style for which Ten Thousand Things productions are known. The play is set in 1964, the sunrise of the reforms in the Roman Catholic Church by the Second Vatican Council. At its beginning, as the charismatic Father Flynn is homilizing, the other three characters of the play sit with the audience, effectively making them the congregation.
The story balances on a delicate emotional fulcrum, and Rothstein's take on the script tests that balance. He's less equivocal on the did-he-or-didn't-he question than other productions I've seen. This has the effect of making the play even more about its central character, Sister Aloysius, who has only circumstantial evidence and her certitude to back up her concerns. Aloysius' epiphany in the show's final moments, then, takes on an entirely different flavor; one I hadn't previously considered.
Wingert's deeply grounded portrayal of Sister Aloysius commands attention and respect; you may or may not like the character at the play's end, but Wingert's crystalline performance makes certain you understand her. Kris Nelson is as compelling as Father Flynn, the object of Aloysius' suspicion. There's nothing threatening about his Father Flynn, but there's something about his hale nature that rings a half-tone flat, and that razor's edge of innocuousness gives the character a captivating nuance.
So, have you seen "Doubt?" If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "Shirley Valentine"
Posted at 4:00 PM on February 9, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
Cheryl Willis as Shirley Valentine
Shirley Valentine is a Liverpool housewife who leaves her drab life in search of something more, and finds sunshine and self-confidence in Greece. The one-woman play is on stage at the Jungle Theater through March 20. Thinking your life could use a little warmth and sunshine right now? Check out these reviews...
From Dominic P. Papatola at Pioneer Press:
It's a simple, appealing, sometimes bromidic tale, and a different and in some ways more difficult acting job than the Jungle's single-actor, multi-character extravaganzas: Rather than dazzling us with snippets of characters in short-attention-span succession, the actor in "Shirley Valentine" must create a single character with whom we don't mind spending a couple of hours.
Cheryl Willis is more than up to the task. Like the character, she's a native of Liverpool, and so she brings an immediate and automatic authenticity to the role -- no need to squint through badly conceived accents or tentative presentations of the local idiom here. Working from that place of authenticity -- and in tandem with director-designer Bain Boehlke's leisurely but clear direction -- Willis immediately earns the trust of the audience with a no-nonsense characterization that is self-deprecating without being self-pitying.
...That ease is the key to Willis' lovely and engaging performance. Rather than being dazzled by the performer's technical proficiency, you're invited in as if a friend is telling you a story. It's not showy, but Willis' performance -- and the whole of the Jungle's "Shirley Valentine" -- is as warm and comfortable as a sun-kissed beach.
From Graydon Royce at Star Tribune:
Who doesn't want to get away? Perhaps it's the weather, perhaps it's more, but "Shirley Valentine" makes a persuasive case with us to break out of this dreary rut. Shirley, the Liverpool housewife of Willy Russell's one-woman play, runs off to holiday in Greece, but it's more than Mediterranean sun that she's after. She wants a new contract with life.
...Russell was in the midst of the self-actualization game when he wrote "Shirley Valentine" in the mid-1980s. Many of those tenets -- if you can call them that -- ring as clichés now, but Russell still manages an eloquent argument. And actor Cheryl Willis, directed by Bain Boehlke, gives a performance at the Jungle Theater that finds the germ of truth in Russell's work.
...Russell's play isn't the deepest experience you'll ever have at the theater. To paraphrase Stewart Smalley, Shirley is good enough, smart enough and doggone it, she deserves to escape. But Willis's performance helps us get beneath the banality and see the metaphor: We don't necessarily need to run away; we just need to find more life in our own lives.
There. I feel much better now.
From Matthew A. Everett at TC Daily Planet:
The thing that saves Shirley Valentine from being completely self-indulgent is that Shirley is smart enough to understand her place in the world. Yes, she is the center of her own personal story, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world is required to kiss her butt and make sure all her wishes come true. Other people have lives, other people have wishes. Everyone is the center of their own story. No one else is required to play along with you, unless it suits them. At the same time Shirley finally understands that she's not born to always play second fiddle to the needs of her husband and children, that awareness includes an understanding that no one else is required to put her needs above their own. Shirley makes her own escape, and others are welcome to come along for the ride.
The combination of Bain Boelke's direction (and vibrant set design in a bright pink frame), Russell's script, and Willis' performance is almost effortless enough to make you forget just how hard it is to do what they're doing. One-person shows can be deadly dull. The writer has to have a gift for shaping a story, and the actor and director need to have a gift for telling it in an engaging and varied way. Plus, the actor in particular has no safety net, no fellow actors to pitch in and help out if the thread of the script gets lost. If the actor in a one-person show messes up on their lines, they're screwed. It takes a certain kind of bravery (or foolishness) to tackle a task like that. Everyone associated with this Jungle production throws themselves into the task with all they've got.
Is Shirley Valentine life-altering? No, but I don't think it means to be. Life-affirming? Certainly. It's good to be reminded every now and again not to let your life slip by you without savoring it. Some of us need a reminder more than others. For all those folks, it's a good thing Shirley Valentine is out there. After all, Shirley isn't just talking to the wall, she's talking to all of us, in the audience. The question behind the play is always: Why is she telling us this story, and why now? After we've heard Shirley's story, what are we going to do about it?
So have you seen the show? If so, what did you think? Share your review in the comments section.
The reviews are in for "The Winter's Tale"
Posted at 11:41 AM on February 9, 2011
by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Criticism, Theater
The Winter's Tale at the Guthrie Theatre
Photos by T. Charles Erickson
The Guthrie Theater presents "The Winter's Tale" on it's thrust stage through March 27. Known as one of William Shakespeare's "problem plays" the story is split in half between two countries over the course of 16 years. But according to these reviews, "The Winter's Tale" isn't a problem at all...
From Rohan Preston at Star Tribune:
There would be less heartache and injustice in the world if more people had the courage of Paulina in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale." As played with fearlessness and deep moral authority by Helen Carey at the Guthrie Theater, Paulina speaks truth to power powerfully.
This wife of a lord respectfully but determinedly challenges Leontes, the king of Sicilia who has gone crazy with jealousy and has publicly -- and wrongly -- accused his pregnant queen, Hermione, of infidelity with Polixenes, the king of Bohemia. Like a delusional leader bent on a particular course of action -- he puts his wife on trial and banishes her -- Leontes (Michael Hayden) has made up his mind and cannot be swayed. He dismisses the pleas of Hermione (dignified Michelle O'Neill), his counselors and even the gods, whose oracle (Suzanne Warmanen) is wheeled out for a dramatic pronouncement.
With the help of Sicilian lord Camillo (Bob Davis), Paulina helps set things right in Jonathan Munby's lovely, lusty, and a tad overdrawn production that opened Friday in Minneapolis.
From Rob Hubbard at Pioneer Press:
William Shakespeare never wrote a play as bipolar as "The Winter's Tale." Its first half is a chilling drama of power, paranoia and an obsession that damages everything it touches. Then the play executes a whiplash-inducing U-turn into romantic comedy, its characters donning disguises and waxing whimsical about love and theft.
Hence, by the end of the Guthrie Theater's production of "The Winter's Tale," you may feel as if you've attended two plays. But they're both imaginatively staged and strongly acted, filled with engaging design ideas in both sound and scenery. While it's not among Shakespeare's most satisfying plays, the Guthrie gives it an interpretation worth experiencing.
That's partially because each of the play's settings -- dark, tragic Sicilia and sunny, festive Bohemia -- is brought to such vivid life by the design team, with Alexander Dodge's elegant evocation of a White House reception hall standing in stark relief to a bright birch forest where composer Adam Wernick lends Shakespeare's songs a bluegrass bent...
...It's unlikely that you'll come away feeling "The Winter's Tale" deserving of a place alongside Shakespeare's masterpieces. But the talented cast makes music with his poetic language, while the designers deliver one interesting idea after another.
From Jay Gabler at TC Daily Planet:
In contrast to the Acting Company's Comedy of Errors--recently seen on the Guthrie's McGuire Proscenium Stage--this Winter's Tale dons Shakespeare's unparalleled language like it's slipping into a perfectly-fitting glove. The line readings sound natural and there's no problem following the actors' meaning: the cast members glory in the clever and sometimes farcical plot.
A sterling cast it is, led by Michael Hayden and Bill McCallum as Leontes and Polixenes respectively, kings whose brotherly relationship is severed when Leontes accuses Polixenes of having adulterous relations with Leontes's wife Hermione (Michelle O'Neill). Tragedy ensues, and Act Two fast-forwards 16 years, when Leontes's cast-off daughter Perdita (Christine Weber) has fallen in love with Polixenes's son Florizel (Juan Rivera Lebron)--which would be convenient, except that no one realizes Perdita is anything more than a shepherd's daughter, and fraternizing with the locals was not cool when you were an ancient prince. (Well, at least not to the point of marrying them.)
... At the heart of this production's success are the uniformly strong characterizations, particularly by Hayden and McCallum in the crucial roles of the estranged kings. Hayden's performance is extreme: he starts to fray as soon as the play begins, and within minutes he's entirely unhinged. A more subtle take on the character would certainly be possible, but Hayden is so powerful that I'm not going to quibble. As mother-daughter pair Hermione and Perdita, O'Neill and Weber are regal and empathetic: there aren't many actresses who could stand in a forest in a handmade dress and a wreath of flowers and look unmistakably like royalty, but Weber is certainly one.
With its lucid, compelling, gleefully entertaining presentation of a classic story, The Winter's Tale has it all. It's only February, but I'm going to call it: this will likely prove to be one of the best shows of the year.
From Max Sparber at MinnPost.com:
It's great. It moves along at a tremendous pace, and benefits from terrific performances. Helen Carey will be singled out in every review published, and with cause. She plays Paulina, whose function in this play is to defend the virtue of the accused queen, and Carey brings a regal sort of rage to her role, as though she were one of those very proper English headmistresses that you daren't cross. She's all moldering stares and withering comments, and she's somehow both heroic and terrifying. But I should point out that there really isn't a weak performance in the play. Especially good, among many, is Guthrie regular Bob Davis, playing Camillo, the jealous king's right hand man and, for the sake of justice, his betrayer. Davis has a weary, wry humor about him, and, in some ways, he's our guide through the play's shi