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Archive for the ‘Arts Spotlight’ Category

Teatro del Pueblo’s ninth annual Political Theatre Festival, which runs from February 25 through March 13, has the theme “Across the Divide.” An immigrant displaced in a new land considers a surgical change; would-be immigrants struggle for visa; Latino women face misconceptions about one another; a survivor of sex trafficking seeks justice; a multitude of characters live together on one block.MORE »

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It’s often said about old cars and old houses that you can maintain them, but you could never build them again. The same is true of classic Bel Canto operas: they don’t make ‘em like that any more. (That said, if any composer in the postmodern era were to sustain the concentrated sincerity necessary to write three hours of solid emoting, a reasonable pastiche might be hard to tell from the real thing.)MORE »

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Bruno Ribeiro with Brenda Harris (above) and Tamara Klividenko (below) in Roberto Devereux. Photos by Michal Daniel, courtesy Minnesota Opera.

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Blue Felix don’t play regular, run-of-the-mill metal rock. What they perform is metal fusion. At least, I’m told that’s what it’s called. What do I know? The closest I ever come to metal anything is opening a can. I know amazing music, though, when I hear it. It’s available on their tour de force CD In Line 2 Die, in spades.MORE »

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Blue Felix don’t play regular, run-of-the-mill metal rock. What they perform is metal fusion. At least, I’m told that’s what it’s called. What do I know? The closest I ever come to metal anything is opening a can. I know amazing music, though, when I hear it. It’s available on their tour de force CD In Line 2 Die, in spades.MORE »

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Walking to the Ordway last Friday night with the Christmas lights in Rice Park and the ice skaters nearby, it felt like my friend and I were passing through an enchanted winter wonderland. And for me, the enchantment continued as the curtain rose on the Ordway’s production of Beauty and the Beast.MORE »

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“Remember that time we went down to the river with a bottle of wine?” Good things happen down below for those who wait—in basements, below river bluffs, and in various such nether regions. Now, finally we can experience another live Frances Gumm show down below. Keeping with tradition, the band are playing in a basement, the legendary Clown Lounge, below the Turf Club.MORE »

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Cover art by David Thiel

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The version of A Christmas Carol currently playing at Park Square Theatre isn’t your typical holiday fare, and it shouldn’t be confused with the other Christmas Carol playing across the river. This is Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol—the familiar story as told through the eyes of Scrooge’s deceased business partner.MORE »

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Jim Lichtscheidl in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol. Photo by Petronella Ytsma, courtesy Park Square Theatre.

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With the December calendar choked with Christmas shows—Nativities, Nutcrackers, shows about Santa crying and A Christmas Carol featuring the Golden Girls—it seems only fitting that some alternate holiday programming should pop up. Hanukkah seems like a natural choice.MORE »

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Elena Giannetti and Josh Larson in Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Photo by Sarah Whiting, courtesy Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company.

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Whether or not you were able to see Greta Oglesby’s acclaimed performance in the Guthrie’s Caroline, or Change, you can now enjoy this fantastic performer in Black Nativity: A Season for Change, now playing at Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul. Oglesby plays the role of Grandma Walker in the newest version of Penumbra’s annual holiday show, and her riveting portrayal and beautiful voice is worth the price of admission.MORE »

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Image courtesy Penumbra Theatre

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A few don’ts for those attending Sister’s Christmas Catechism at the Ordway: don’t arrive late, don’t chew gum, and don’t wear anything you wouldn’t wear to church. Sister will notice, and you may have to pay for your sins. Lateness and chewing gum could have you paying a dollar or more and low-cut tops will be covered up with a Kleenex, kindly provided by the nun.MORE »

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Kimberly Richards in Sister’s Christmas Catechism. Photo courtesy Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

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