Theater Reviews of theater productions, both traveling and originating in Minnesota.
Reviews of theater productions, both traveling and originating in Minnesota.
Nov 13 2021
The Guthrie Brings a Fresh Take to A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol has been a beloved annual tradition at the Guthrie Theater since 1975 (except, of course, in 2020). While the production is always well done, it is hardly unique, since various adaptations of Charles Dickens’s novella—first published in 1843—have permeated pop culture to the point…
Mar 25 2021
Lakeshore Players’ The Lady with All the Answers Is Refreshingly Familiar
God, I miss live theater.
Technically Lakeshore Players’ performance of The Lady with All the Answers doesn’t qualify, as it’s not live and I watched it on the same screen I’ve used to play 300 hours of Destiny 2 over the last year. But something in my soul perked up as this performance…
Jan 26 2021
Game Night with a Ranger Brings Nature to Zoom
Ask any child of the 21st century: a bitter rivalry exists between going outdoors and playing games on your phone. But the last year has forced us all to re-examine many relationships, whether that’s the relationship between sweat pants and work meetings; between ice cream, buffalo wings, and…
Aug 08 2020
Park Square’s Riddle Puzzle Plot Delivers on Two-Thirds of Its Promise
I don’t think I’m surprising anyone when I say it’s been a rough year for live theater. We don’t need to rehash all the reasons. I’ve tried and failed all summer to get into pixelated video recordings of old performances or Zoom chat open mics. It’s not ideal. There’s…
Mar 07 2020
Silent Sky Brings Theater to St. Paul’s Bell Museum
Planetariums are designed to inspire wonder. The overhead dome consumes our field of vision, the quiet darkness inspires our deepest thoughts like a prayer, the reclining chairs invite us to look skyward, and the leg room . . . you don’t realize how much sufficient legroom improves your viewing experience…
Feb 19 2020
Dog Logic Is a Revenge Play with a Philosophical Bent
Dog Logic, onstage at Theatre in the Round through March 8, 2020, is an interesting tale wrapped in layers of misdirection. It is the story of Hertel (Josh Jabas), a man living alone in a failing pet cemetery that is about to be engulfed and redeveloped by the surrounding town. He believes he understands…
Nov 21 2019
Towards Zero Is No Zero at Theatre in the Round
Sometimes, despite or because of the plethora of content available to us in the geek-based world—seriously, you kids have no idea how good you have it, with your omnipresent AAA games, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pokémon Go, your loud rock music, and hula hoops—we need to step away and cleanse our palate…
Nov 07 2019
Action Movie: The Play Is a Fun Romp through the Writer’s Room
How many times have you writers out there been struck with writer’s block, hard against a looming deadline? (Totally been there myself.) What if the project were a screenplay for a blockbuster action movie starring a major star for a large studio, and it was due tomorrow? (I haven’t been there, but I’d…
Sep 07 2019
Theatre in the Round’s The Birds Is a Disjointed Thriller
It’s always embarrassing when you show up to an important occasion without the appropriate gift. (Sorry, Mom, I didn’t know “divorce cake” was a thing). This time it was a whammy: the Theatre in the Round Players are celebrating 50 years in their location on the West Bank, and 68 years as…
Aug 01 2019
Reverend Matt’s Monster Science Show Is Both Entertaining and Educational
We all have preconceived notions of what a person in a given field ought to look like. A scientist is older, bearded (if male, which is usually the case), and always wearing their lab coat. A plumber is built on a larger scale with disastrously low-riding pants. A writer is handsome and superhero buff,…