Top Stories St. Paul

Archive for the ‘Arts’ Category

My grandfather was an English professor, but since my family wisely insulated my siblings and me from any knowledge of the demons he fought, I cannot verify whether the canon of American drama is correct in its repeated characterization of depressed academics as possessing an infinite supply of erudite, searingly witty bon mots to fling with most vigor at those who are least deserving. I trained as an academic, but I now teach online for a technical college, so I’m not sure what implications that will have for the zingers I might otherwise be expected to deliver in my old age. I suppose they’ll be tart, concise, and posted on discussion boards in bullet-point format.MORE »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

An unlikely cross between On Golden Pond and Waiting for Godot is the best way to describe Painting Churches, which opened last Friday at Park Square Theatre. Playwright Tina Howe wrote this drama in the 1980s and it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.MORE »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

An unlikely cross between On Golden Pond and Waiting for Godot is the best way to describe Painting Churches, which opened last Friday at Park Square Theatre. Playwright Tina Howe wrote this drama in the 1980s and it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.MORE »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

There’s no denying La Bohème is one of the world’s most famous operas. Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera is staged frequently across the globe and was the inspiration for the Tony-winning musical Rent, which ran for more than 12 years on Broadway and was just staged in an acclaimed Minneapolis production. One could argue it’s the love story at the center of the piece that’s contributed the most to the opera’s lasting resonance. And on that level, if not on all levels, the current Minnesota Opera production delivers.MORE »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

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 »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

The live hip-hop band Heiruspecs have never shied away from acknowledging their roots at St. Paul Central High School. Now they’re officially paying tribute to their alma mater by founding a new scholarship to provide opportunities for future students involved in the arts to go to college.MORE »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

The live hip-hop band Heiruspecs have never shied away from acknowledging their roots at St. Paul Central High School. Now they’re officially paying tribute to their alma mater by founding a new scholarship to provide opportunities for future students involved in the arts to go to college.MORE »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

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 »

Image Info

Roberto Devereux.jpg

Caption: 

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

Large Thumbnail: 

Use Large Format

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

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 »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

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 »

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.