American Idiot at The Orpheum

Of all the people I know, my mom was the most excited to hear American Idiot was coming to town. So, using the Orpheum's student offers, my sister, mom, and I got inexpensive seats in the pit! I had never been that close to the stage in the Orpheum before! (I think my previous record was row E.) It was really exciting being that near to the action, because you could really get a feel for the details in the props and costumes as well as see the subtle interactions between the actors.

The show itself was almost pure music with little dialoge outside the songs. It was like a rock concert. All the performermers were great, especially Larkin Bogan who played Johnny. The show is not my favorite, but it was still a fun show that was really well done.



Ballad of the Pale Fisherman at The Illusion Theatre

I had no idea what to expect as I went to see Ballad of the Pale Fisherman at The Illusion Theatre this February. My friend offered me extra ticket and I was more than happy to tag along, although the title sounded odd. I was extremely pleased by what I saw that night.

The show, written & directed by Isabel Nelson, is a fishing town folk tale. The show was very simply put together with a chair and accordion being the only props, used only by the narrator. This simplicity of the setting led to complexly choreographed movements and well executed sound effects created by the cast. The entire show was very much like a dance, each movement carefully performed to portray activities like the washing of laundry or the waves of the sea in the background.

Diogo Lopes and Anna Reichert in Ballad of the Pale Fisherman. Photo by Aaron Fenster, courtesy Illusion Theater.

The story, acting, and movement were all brilliant. Each actor played a variety of parts, changing characters easily and clearly. Although the show was short, it was very satisfying and different from shows I typically see. If you ever have the chance to see this show, I highly recommend it.

1968 Exhibit and Play

In the beginning of February I had the pleasure of going the Minnesota History Museum to see the 1968 exhibit as well as the accompanying play. I had the pleasure of experiencing these events in depth because my professor was the curator of the exhibit and the director of the play came and spoke to my class. I loved the exhibit, as did many people- as was made clear to me by how busy it was the two times I went. It was tons of fun and, to give you a scary look into my childhood, reminded me of my youth. (Yes, I am only 20, but I grew up on Hawaii 5-O, The Monkees, and Brady Bunch reruns as well as frequented the home my father grew up in, which had not changed much over the years.) The exhibit had many items I recognized from my life and I felt nearly as nostalgic as the baby boomers that surrounded me, who each spurted memories they were reminded of by each new display. The memories shared by those experiencing the exhibit tied seamlessly into the exhibit its self as a welcomed addition. It all gave me a warm-fuzzy feeling.

The accompanying play, 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, was put on by The History Theatre. The play was made up of seven different scenes, tied together by the announcement of events and Vietnam War body counts between the stories. I found the standout scenes to be the two opening ones.

"Welcome Home" by Reginald Edmund

"Welcome Home" was about a Vietnam vet come home from the war and haunted by the events and loss of his friend, a service dog. Next was "Go Up Together," a scene about two African American workers, picketing for their rights and debating crossing the line. Both scenes were dramatic scenes with an emphasis on relationships and conflict, both internal, external, and social.

One scene I found detracted from the play was "Smith & Carlos." This scene broke up the show in an abrupt way as actors pretended to be a WCCO news anchor, cameraman, and audience member being interviewed about the impact the 1968 Olympics had on his life. The scene felt like an abrupt awakening from a dream you were rather enjoying, as the house lights were turned up and the cast interacted with the crowd. I also found this scene to be condescending and a bit alienating to younger people. As the young news anchor interviews the older black man about 1968 she is portrayed as a complete idiot with no concept of the past. When the man says he wore an Afro in those days her response, “You mean your hair?” was delivered in an obnoxious style rivaling that of Paris Hilton. If that was not bad enough, when the man mentions The Black Panthers the girl has no idea who they were, something our generation learns in elementary school. That was just too much for me! Ugh! The one contemporary young person shown in the play was a twit who could have fit in on MTV. That disappointed me a little. However, the rest of the scenes were well done and I appreciated the play over all.

Best Night of My Life: The Wanted at The Fine Line

Okay. If you know me, you know I like music and LOVE all things British. So I was excited out of my mind when I found out The Wanted, a fab British boy band, were not only going on an American tour, but were visiting Minneapolis!
I have been following the boys' (Max, Jay, Siva, Nathan, and Tom's) music endeavours ever since their first single, All Time Low, dropped in 2010 and hit #1 in the UK. It is hard not to become obsessed with these boys, as they tweet like mad and create weekly YouTube videos to keep you up to date on their lives and give you an inside look at their hijinks! They are so great to their fans, of which they have tons internationally, but until recently they were relatively unknown in the US.

Siva, Max, Jay, and Nath at The Fine Line

Due to their relative obscurity in the US, the boys played in small clubs during their tour, like The Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis on January 27th. At the show, I was one of the older fans, as most of the girls that follow these boys probably aren't even legal. I was lucky enough to be right in front, touching the stage. Although the boys do not dance like boy bands of the 90s, they keep up the energy by jumping around the stage, interacting with the fans, and just being silly. I was lucky enough to touch all of the boys and, by nature of the teens smashing me from behind, had my face less than a foot away from most of their crotches... So that was something. The show was just so fantastic, fun, and intimate I can hardly stand it!!! I left that night with a set list and shirt, and squeed all the way home.

This experience is even more mind blowing now that the boys are #5 on the Billboard charts, had their single, Glad You Came, covered on Glee, and are on a full blown arena tour in the UK performing in front of thousands each night.
Having followed the boys since the beginning and being at that small show during their first US tour makes me feel like I've been part of their journey. And every bit of success they have gives me a feeling of pride for all the boys have done!


Here's a video I made with video clips and pictures I took that night. Check it out and fall in love!

The Lion King at The Orpheum

The Lion King was not one of my favorite movies growing up, but I have always enjoyed the music. When I saw The Lion King was returning to Minnesota I was very excited to check it out and see those legendary costumes for myself. And legendary they were.

The costumes were, however, the best part. It may be due to the hype, but I found the show a little disappointing in other ways. "I Can't Wait to be King," the most exciting number in the film, was really boring and poorly done on stage. Additional scenes, like Scar hitting on Nala and Timon falling in the river, seem strange and out of place as they have no lasting effect on the characters or events that follow. The best of the show was the costuming and technical aspects, otherwise not an overly impressive show. I am sure children would love it though.

Independence at TRP

In the first weekend of January my sister, mother, and I went to check out Independence by Lee Blessing, a show at Theatre in the Round. The show is about a dysfunctional family composed of a mother and her three daughters. One daughter moved to Minneapolis years ago and is returning to the small Iowa town, at her sister's request, to help relieve tensions in the house. Their mother is essentially loony and the family has to figure out how to deal with it.
The play was well preformed, Rachel Austin and Jean Wolff were particularly good. The character of Sherry reminded me a lot of people I have known in the past.

However, I did not find the writing of the play anything special. The characters seemed a bit wishy-washy and the the show only seemed to brush the surface of the real issues. I feel like if you really want to see a quality play full of drama, some laughs, and a mentally unstable mother you should go see Next to Normal. Independence is not necessarily bad, just not as good as it could be... However it is encouraging to any aspiring playwrights.
So if you want to go see a so-so drama that is put on well, go see Independence at Theatre in the Round. Info, dates, and tickets here.

The Dining Room at Theatre in the Round

The dining room! Such resonance!
So, this play and I go way back.  We put on this show when I was in high school, where I was the prop manager and entire back stage crew. Now my sister and I are taking turns running the light board for the current production at Theatre in the Round. I have seen this show many times from a variety of perspectives, whether it be sitting in the house, booth, or backstage in a proscenium stage or round. So here are my thoughts on the play itself and the current TRP production in particular:

I do not even want to try and count how many times I have sat through this production with all the rehearsals and performances. However, not until recently have I grown to appreciate this play. In high school I found the entire show to be utterly boring. I must admit, I am typically a fan of musicals, so I usually do not find dramas with long scenes of dialogue between two seated people to be as stimulating as a rousing song and dance. There is a lot of sitting and talking in The Dining Room... Anyway, I like to think I have grown as a theatre goer, as well as a person, since that first run of the show.

The play depicts many everyday scenes that happen in a dining room. It is a play very much about people and the importance of the dining room as a gathering place of family, friends, lovers, and acquaintances. It can be the heart of the home and bring people together as well as be a cold place with family meals straight from the first season of Gilmore Girls. Each scene has a universality to it. The play often has you wondering how many of the scenes are actually the same characters from previous points in the show because each part seems like it could be the same family or a completely different one.

I think the actors in the performance at Theatre in the Round do an excellent job. They are able to successfully change themselves into a new character for each scene. An actor can appear as a child at a birthday party one scene and a moment later appear as the crotchety, wheelchair-bound grandfather. I may be a bit bias, cause I get to hang out with these people backstage, but I feel like they do a wonderful job.

The only questionable part of this production is the staging. It does not seem to have been staged ideally for being in the round. I have not seen the show from the opposite side of the theatre, but I have a feeling if one is sitting on the far side from the booth it would feel like you were seeing a lot of the action from the back.

Otherwise, acting, props, costumes, lights, etc. are all well done. (And I'm having such a blast being a part of it!!!!)
So come by and see us! Running at Theatre in the Round until December 18th. More info here.