Theater Reviews of theater productions, both traveling and originating in Minnesota.
Reviews of theater productions, both traveling and originating in Minnesota.
Aug 10 2023
MN Fringe 2023: Decapitated Disney, Tarantino Satire, and Powerful History on the Augsburg Mainstage
I’ve been busy, busy, busy and having a great time checking out shows at the 30th annual Minnesota Fringe Festival. Among the festival’s venues, Augsburg University is a great option to stop at for the day, as it’s got the Mainstage with lots of seating and the smaller and more intimate…
Jul 28 2023
The Kung Fu Zombies Saga Combines Action, Comedy, and Deep Reflection
If anything is likely to get my butt into a theater seat, it’s the promise of kung fu or the promise of zombies. When you combine the two, the result is nothing short of magical.
I had the pleasure of attending the preview of Theater Mu’s production of The Kung Fu Zombies Saga: Shaman Warrior and Cannibals…
Jul 06 2023
Win Tickets to See the Kung Fu Zombies Saga from Theater Mu!
This month, Theater Mu is producing the world premiere of Minnesota playwright and poet Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay’s The Kung Fu Zombies Saga: Shaman Warrior & Cannibals, and you and a friend could see it for free!
Directed by Lily Tung Crystal, the show examines the effects of colonialism…
Apr 28 2023
True West’s Small Cast Packs a Punch at Theatre in the Round
April is historically a very busy time for me, so seeing a show at all is quite a treat. Seeing a show directed by Duck Washington is even more a treat. So seeing Sam Shepard’s True West at Theatre in the Round, which is playing now through May 14, was nothing short of a delight.
Full disclosure: I perform with…
Mar 01 2023
A Drinking Game, Minnesota Leaves the Phoenix Theater for Can Can Wonderland
The concept is relatively simple, but its brilliance lies in that same simplicity.
A cast of actors take the stage, scripts in hand, to read through a popular film. Costumes are identifiable yet accessible, and props are often children’s toys. The buzziest lines of dialogue are named as drinking cues,…
Dec 17 2022
The Yule Scream Holiday Haunted House Brings Krampus to Life
Finding things to fill your weekends with festive winter cheer is definitely not hard to do in the snowy Twin Cities. What can be more challenging is finding an event that actually hits different and is geared toward adults. That’s why this year, many fans of horror and immersive theater are so…
Sep 17 2022
Between the Lines Challenges Its Audience to Write Their Own Story
When I say I waited years to see the new musical Between the Lines—based on the YA novels Jodi Picoult wrote with her daughter, Samantha Van Leer—I’m not exaggerating. I was first made aware that a stage adaptation existed when it premiered in Kansas City in 2017. After almost five years of following its…
Mar 11 2022
At the Jungle Theater, Redwood Examines the Legacy of Race in America
Two men enter a coffee shop. One is Black. One is white. They sit down at a table together. They’ve never met before, but we learn the Black man reached out to the white man through email. The white man isn’t sure what the Black man wants, but he’s cordial, friendly even, if a bit guarded.…
Mar 02 2022
Man of God Is a Riveting Return to Live Performance from Theater Mu
Man of God is Theater Mu’s first live, in-person production in more than two years. I know each of us is still negotiating our relationship with gathering in public spaces, but I have missed live theater so much, and this tremendous play reminded me why. (For the record, the venue requires masks at all…
Feb 16 2022
Reboot Is a Unique Hybrid of Virtual Theater and Escape Room
One of my favorite shows I’ve ever seen in Minneapolis was Dangerous Productions and Live Action Set‘s immersive Crime and Punishment in 2015, which, among its many achievements, boasted the building of a whole city in the Soap Factory basement. One virtue of live theater, the creators noted,…