The ambitious new musical from the Children’s Theatre Company leaves a lot of food for thought.  Photo by Dan Norman I’m always excited to see new work. I truly believe that the future of robust ticket sales for theaters of all stripes lies in commissioning new art that reflects the

The latest iteration of Disney’s classic cartoons has some fine moments. Photo by Deen van Meer The crowd at the Orpheum was getting restless. Two songs before the Act 1 finale we were informed that there was a technical issue and the action briefly paused. What on earth could we

What was Lin-Manuel Miranda up to prior to Hamilton?  Photo courtesy of the Ordway If you don’t know the answer to that question, you could be forgiven. Hamilton has become such a ticket sales juggernaut that its reputation has eclipsed a host of other excellent new musicals of the last

Let me tell you a little story. Five years in and stronger than ever – happy birthday Compendium! The date is September 2012. I’m one year past college graduation and have been supplementing my full time job, where I’m relatively bored, with writing on the side for Metro Magazine. As a

 Nordrsraga is a little punk, a little sexy, and a whole lot of rock and roll. Photo courtesy of Circus Juventas.  What’s dark and flies and is sparkly all over? Photo courtesy of Circus Juventas.  Why that would be Nordrsraga, the latest show from the Twin Cities’ resident circus arts school,

I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day…. Photo by Joan Marcus What would the world have been like if Motown Records never existed? I mean think about it – the entire popular musical landscape we enjoy today would essentially not exist. No Marvin Gaye. No Temptations or Commodores. No Diana

What are you waiting for? Run to get tickets to this hot new festival, lighting up the Guthrie’s Dowling Studio for the second year in a row.  Courtesy of Blackout’s website I have a confession to make. There are a few things I hear often from readers when I introduce

Are you broke?  Photo courtesy of Thrillist If you are (like many of us), you need free things to do that are also fun. Thank goodness it’s summer so there are a plethora of options available at your fingertips. One of the best free things to enjoy in the summertime

When is the last time you saw African dance performed live? How about on ice skates?  Photo courtesy of the Million Artists Movement For most people the answer to the first question is likely rarely; the answer to the latter is almost always never. Thanks to Brownbody CoMotion, that no

An impressive debut from a dynamic new company, The Boy and Robin Hood is an engrossing play and marks Trademark as a company to watch Photo by Rick Spaulding What would you create if you could create anything? I’ve thought about that question many times. I like to fancy myself