Vietgone is Hamilton meets Kendrick Lamarr meets the Vietnam War, and it’s sublime.  Photo by Rich Ryan. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, something will walk across your path that is so totally awesome, so fully realized, that all you can do is sit back in awe and appreciate it. Vietgone, currently

Wicked offers many lessons for reinventing the “classics.”  Photo by Joan Marcus I’ve been thinking a lot lately about art in terms of modernity versus the “canon.” I truly believe that nothing is sacred and that taking a fresh eye to things is not only fun but often necessary in

Roald Dahl’s eerie story reigns at the Orpheum Theater this week.  Photo by Tim Trumble. There are some things I am grateful for being sheltered from as a child. I was lucky in a lot of ways, and an analog upbringing was really good for my mental and emotional development. 

The beloved classic feels fresher than ever in a new staging at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres Photo by Dan Norman. What’s full of black leather, shiny cars, sizzling tunes and a full frontal spoof of the 1950s? Why that would be Grease, fully revitalized and hanging out at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre’s

THE 24 HOUR PLAYS is coming to Minneapolis for the first time, and it looks to be a doozy of a show. #24HRMPLS   Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust. Are you a fan of improv? Observing the creative process? Making the magic happen? Are you an artist or creative

Despite the show’s problematic history, it’s a lovely immersion into a complicated world of splendor. Photo by Matthew Murphy. There’s no such thing as an untouchable classic. I have always been a firm advocate of judiciously editing stories from the past (even Shakespeare); they still have something to say to

Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry…. Photo by Rich Ryan. Immigration is a hot topic these days, so the new joint production from Park Square Theatre and Mu Performing Arts couldn’t have come at a better time. Flower Drum Song, a seldom-performed part of Rogers and Hammerstein’s considerable

#bealight #ghostlightproject #allarewelcome Photo courtesy of Mixed Blood Theater. Ahead of the looming inauguration festivities (or, some might say, dirges) this coming weekend, theaters around the country are hosting a Ghostlight ceremony this Thursday, January 19 at 5:30 p.m. to help shine a light of solidarity with marginalized groups and fellow

I have always felt that playing roles of real-life people are the hardest of all. Photo by Joan Marcus. This is especially true of iconic celebrities; get it right, and you are a superstar. Fail, and it could end your career. We’ve been gifted with marvelous performances of Ray Charles,

The 2nd Annual Twin Cities Theater Blogger Awards are coming! Photo courtesy of Park Square Theater. And I cannot wait to see how they turn out. We have had such an incredible year of theater here in the Twin Cities and let me tell you: trying to narrow down the