It seems 2018 is the year of historic anniversaries.   Photo by Dan Norman First we had the 150th anniversary of Louisa May Alcott’s delightful Little Women. It’s the 50th anniversary of the ridiculously eventful 1968, which is featured in a star exhibit at the Minnesota History Center. Park Square

Lush. Lavish. Generous. Honest. Humbling.   Photo courtesy of the Penumbra’s website These are just a few of the words that come to mind when I try to describe the full circle experience that is the Penumbra’s latest show, Ntozake Shange’s seminal for colored girls who have considered suicide /

Adapting favorite childhood stories to a new medium can be tricky business.   Photo by Rich Ryan The unique mix of nostalgia and ownership that childhood characters breed can wreak all sorts of havoc on an adaptation’s profitability. For example: despite coming from an eternally beloved book series and boasting a

I find that when it comes to art, it finds you when you need it most.   Photo by Dan Norman Take last week, when I truly had the week from hell. Between wedding planning, multiple family medical emergencies, and a busy work schedule, all of our plans got totally

How do you feel about romantic comedies?   Photo by Mike Pingel I, for one, love them unabashedly. I used to feel ashamed of this, but no more. It’s HARD to write a script that is equal parts funny, sweet, tense, winsome and winning (don’t believe me? You try it).

Every once in a while, someone surprises theatergoers with a sublimely fresh take on an old story.   Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Baskerville), the latest in Park Square Theatre’s annual mystery series, offers a totally new perspective of The Hound of the Baskervilles, perhaps the most famous of

Some people are just made for certain parts.   Photo by Dan Norman Robert Downey Jr. was born to play Iron Man. Denzel Washington was thoroughly destined to be Malcom X. Who but Idina Menzel could have originated Elphaba? Or who could have breathed life into the Phantom other than

Biopics can be a tricky thing.   Photo by Dan Norman I always feel for actors who have to portray famous figures, especially those alive during the last 100 years or so since the film industry exploded and we have real-life video footage to refer back to. Fans can be

It’s amazing how some themes endure.   Photo by Dan Norman Something about the human condition seems to render us unable to answer one simple question – why don’t we ever learn? A lust for power, flawed focus on short-term gains rather than long-term consequences, the allure of quick money

It begins and ends with a bang.   Photo by Allen Weeks A broken bottle, a crumpled body, a shattered heart. Photo by Allen Weeks These events are the bookends of This Bitter Earth, a terrific new play by local playwright Harrison David Rivers that is currently showing at the