Yes, sir. Yes, sir. The piper pays him. Long before Lin-Manuel Miranda made spoken word (aka hip hop) the hottest trend on stages anywhere, Meredith Wilson penned the iconic opening number of The Music Man (quoted above), where a peck of salesmen jostle on a “train” while sitting on their sales suitcases.

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

DEAL ALERT! DEAL ALERT!  Photo by Mark vanCleave Just popping in on a *very* busy theater month with this amazing deal for tickets to Romeo and Juliet at the Guthrie! There will be a special 1 p.m. matinee on Sunday, October 8 where all tickets are $10. This is definitely

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

“The man behind the myth” may be a cliche phrase, but it’s stuck around for a reason.  Photo courtesy of Matchbox Theater Such a phrase is perfectly applied to Einstein: A Stage Portrait, currently showing at Matchbox Theater. This one-man show places Einstein at the end of his life, reminiscing

What is it like to play the villain?  Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust I think many people stereotypically assume that the best part to play in any script is the role of the hero. I mean, who doesn’t want to be admired and spout pithy quotes and swashbuckle their

The Immigrant Journey Project is everything that Refugia should have been but wasn’t. I hope it has an incredible audience engagement; it deserves it.   This little map was the most beautiful way to connect all audience members’ families’ journeys to the United States!  When I was arranging to see

 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,

What’s vibrant and interactive and great for people of all ages?  Photo is my own Why that would be the brand new feature exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMN), of course. SMN always has an incredible array of exhibits, but they have truly outdone themselves with the latest.