Meet David. He’s the protagonist of
Le Switch, a play now having its world premiere at the Jungle Theater under the direction of Jeremy Cohen.
David is a 35 year-old gay librarian who loves long walks by the water, has a deep love for collecting rare books that he never opens and a deeper ambivalence about marriage. Everyone wants David to find someone. His best friend Zachary is getting married. His sister Sarah is already married. Even Frank, his never-married but deeply committed roommate, thinks he should get over himself and get into something serious. David asks “Don’t...
In a theater town like Minneapolis, there is no shortage of Shakespeare. In just this fledgling year, I’ve seen productions of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Macbeth,
Titus Andronicus, and
Henry IV Part I, and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what was available. According to
AmericanTheatre.org, the 450 year old playwright was not only the most produced during the 2014/2015 theater season (which, they point out, he is every season); he outperformed the next five most popular entries combined. Also I’m pretty sure they’re not counting community theaters, colleges,...
The basement of the
Soap Factory is best known as one of the Twin Cities’ most popular haunted houses. Today, if not for the eerie white masks worn by half the room’s inhabitants, it could be confused for the foyer in any of Minneapolis’s more traditional theaters. Of course I tend to think theater foyers look like Purgatory. There are couches and tables and gaudy red paint across the walls, all candlelit like a funhouse rendition of high society. Someone is serving tea on a cart in the corner. A warbled old radio plays lounge music.
I’m seated across from Joanna Harmon, Tyler Olsen, and Noah Bremer,...
The lights are up, the applause has died down, and the most awkward moment in every live theater production begins. Before you take the requisite stroll to the end of the balcony and peek out at the Mississippi, or squeeze onto the longest escalator in Minnesota, or pass the fancy restaurant and labyrinthine passageways of the Guthrie’s uniform architectural performance — there is that awkward, unavoidable transition from theater to life. One moment you’re part of a four hundred-year-old play about horny teenagers. The next you’re watching your neighbors, shuffling your feet, and wondering about where you parked and what you should say next...
One glance around the
Jungle Theater, as my friend and I took our seats for Tuesday night’s opening of
Gertrude Stein and a Companion, I was fairly certain we were the youngest people in the audience by twenty years. There’s an aristocratic air to the design of the Jungle, from the seats to the stage, to the nine page list of donors in the program, to the portrait of Artistic Director Bain Boehlke in the front of every program staring at you like you just spilled ketchup all down the front of your shirt. While many smaller local theaters...
DJ Lance Rock, Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee, and Plex all stopped by the State Theatre on their first stop of their "Music is Awesome" 2014 tour.
Playing two shows, an early 3 o'clock, and a later 6 o'clock, the cast got all the kids dancing over the course of the 60 minute show.
...
Tim & Eric have a new show out now airing on
Adult Swim called Bedtime Stories. It's a more traditional show while still aligning with the Tim & Eric brand of humor. Which is to say, it's one complete story that may or may not be funny, but is definitely weird, and possibly unsettling. The duo, along with their friend Dr. Steve Brule, are on tour promoting the new show, and dropped in on the State Theatre to make us laugh and feel strange.
...
Rocky Horror Picture Show, whether it be the stage production or the 1970s film, has been a cult classic for many generations. The story centers on a boring, ordinary, newly-engaged couple, Brad and Janet, who suffer a flat tire in the middle of nowhere on a stormy night. Looking for help, they stumble upon a dark castle-like home full of a remarkably strange group of people, following the lead of Dr. Frank-n-Furter (wearing heavy make-up and women’s lingerie), who is a self-described “sweet transvestite.” Brad and Janet are thus thrust into a dramatic, and hilarious, sex-obsessed world featuring dance numbers, aliens, and the...
Prepare yourself for a Minnesota theater invasion. The
Minnesota Fringe Festival will host a total of 169 shows in less than two weeks. The event started this past Thursday and will continue up until August 10.
The festival features a variety of performances, ranging from comedies to dramas to improvised pieces to everything else you could think of. Check out all the shows
here.
In order to go to a show, you must first purchase an admission button, $4 each. After that,...
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a show at the Acme Comedy Company. It's located in downtown Minneapolis on First Street, but just far enough on the outskirts to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown. But if you're looking for a quiet time then look somewhere else. The show will be filled with a constant flow of laughter from the audience matched with high spirited energy.
Monday night shows are always free. Although the doors open at 7:30 pm, I was sure to get there a little over 30 minutes early to be sure to save a spot in line. The club quickly filled up before the show and I wouldn't be surprised if some people were turned away from lack of space. While waiting to get into the club I was able to grab a bite and drink from Sticks, the restaurant hosting the comedy. Their menu was not very impressive....
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