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Tag: Theater

Mamma Mia! – The Ordway

The Ordway kicks off their 2018-19 Broadway Series perfectly with the Tony Award-winning musical, Mamma Mia!. Incredible show, cast, and music!

I know most of the world knows the story but here’s a quick overview. 😉

A cherished story of friendship, love, and family set on a beautiful Greek island where a mother, her daughter, and three probable dads find their way back to each other and just in time for a wedding. The story is told through many of ABBA’s greatest hits like “Dancing Queen”, “Take a Chance on Me”, “Thank You for the Music” and “SOS”.

The all-new Ordway Original production is directed by Martha Banta, the associate director for Mamma Mia! on Broadway; and features choreography by award-winning London-based artist Mitch Sebastian, and a cast composed of a variety of Minnesota talent and national artists.

The mix of the cast was impeccable and it’s always so fun to see local favorites. Ann Michels was meant for the role of Tanya, she inspires me every time I see her on stage. Erin K. Schwab (Rosie) always has such a strong presence bringing life and laughter. Christine Sherrill (Donna) is making her Ordway debut and was part of the national touring production.

I love these ladies! I saw the show last Thursday and I’m still smiling and singing! 🎶

Erin K. Schwab, Producing Artistic Director Rod Kaats, Christine Sherrill, and Ann Michels for Mamma Mia!. Photo by Rich Ryan.

Quote from the new Producing Artistic Director, Rod Kaats:

They literally dance their way through life with an irresistible mix of self-deprecating humor and fortitude that makes them nothing less than heroic.

That quotes nails it. That is LIFE.

We are all going to go through hard times, we are going to be afraid, we will have our hearts broken but with friends and family, we can dance, sing and keep our sense of humor.

Now more than ever, it touched my soul seeing three strong women on stage telling this story. A story where woman are fierce and don’t need to “depend” on men. I never thought that would be so relevant in 2018.

Like the Ordway says:

You ABBA-solutely can’t miss this ultimate feel-good summer musical at the Ordway!

You can get your tickets HERE and make sure to check out the Ordway Extras – unique events on different nights!

Dieter Bierbrauer, Christine Sherrill, and the cast of Mamma Mia!. Photo by Rich Ryan.

Patrick Connaghan and Caroline Innerbichler in Mamma Mia!. Photo by Rich Ryan.

July 23, 2018
Carmen – Mill City Summer Opera

Audrey Babcock as Carmen, Stage direction by Fenlon Lamb, Set design by Narelle Sissons, Costume design by Sarah Bahr, Lighting design by Nate Wheatley, Wig and Makeup design by Jason Allen, PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Norman

Music by Georges Bizet | Libretto by Henri Meilhac & Ludovic Halévy

Experience Carmen under the stars at Mill City Museum! The Mill City Summer Opera is a show that I look forward to every year. It’s such a unique experience. There’s something about being out in the fresh air, in the historic ruins of Mill City watching an opera from the 1830s!

From Mill City Summer Opera:

Among the most famous and performed of all operas, Carmen is a riveting story of love, lust, betrayal, jealousy and murder. Set in 1830s Seville, the gypsy girl Carmen seduces soldier Don José away from his post and his beloved Micaëla. After luring him to join her and a clan of smugglers, Carmen turns her attention toward the swaggering bullfighter Escamillo. Carmen’s fate is met in the final act when she meets the madly jealous Don José outside of the arena.

I love the intensity of this opera. I was completely mesmerized by their voices and the acoustics at the ruins are perfect. Hearing their operatic voices swirl around you and float into the night sky is bewitching.

At first, I found myself reading the words but the passion of the actors quickly pulled me in and I didn’t need them. It’s beautiful when actions, facial expressions, mannerisms can tell you everything.

The show was called due to rain but that made for a memorable evening!

©Tracy Blowers

©Tracy Blowers

There are only 7 opportunities to see this show! July 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22 and 24. Last night was opening night and tickets sell out fast. There is a rush line beginning each night at 6pm and rush tickets are $35.

Location: Mill City Museum, 704 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Time: Performance begins at 7:30 p.m.

Price: Tickets range from $50 to $125 for all nights

You can purchase tickets HERE.

Even with the rain, it was so fun to see the final dress rehearsal of Carmen with some of the other Twin Cities Theater Bloggers! You can check out our Facebook page and read other reviews HERE.

July 14, 2018
West Side Story – Guthrie Theater

The cast of the Guthrie Theater’s production of West Side Story, based on a conception of Jerome Robbins with a book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Joseph Haj. Scenic design by Christopher Acebo, costume design by Jen Caprio, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Photo by T Charles Erickson.

Leonard Bernstein would have been 100 this year. His daughter shared a beautiful memory about her father. He believed that if he “just wrote a good enough melody that maybe he could heal the world”. Maybe the world isn’t completely healed but the moment that I sat in the Wurtele Thrust Theater, the music filling the air, the audience mesmerized by song and dance, that energy filled my heart and that is healing. That moment we collectively all stood for a standing ovation at the end of an incredible show….that’s healing. A twinkle of what it’s like when we all stand together.

©T Charles Erickson

West Side Story is a modern day Romeo and Juliet. It’s interesting how we can come so far and yet at the same time not much changes. Set in 1957, I feel like I could be watching this story unfold in the streets today. A story of rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks in an ongoing feud over what it means to be American, their differences in belief breeding hatred. Tony a former member of the Jets falls in love with Maria, the sister of a member of the rival gang. Professing their love for each other causes a rumble to be planned and even though Tony has good intentions, chaos ensues.

Many productions of West Side Story model the film. I love that Guthrie Theater took it a step further, bringing it to 2018 and showing us the truth of now. The set is so powerful with the Statue of Liberty, our symbol of freedom and democracy, toppled over on the stage. Tony (Marc Koeck) and Maria (Mia Pinero) both making their Guthrie debuts couldn’t be more perfect. Their voices melt through you sending chills to your toes. ❤️

©Tracy Blowers

As I always mention, don’t forget to make a night of it at Guthrie Theater. This time I decided to eat at the Level Five Café. The onion rings were delicious and it’s always such a treat to take in all the views and reflections that the windows provide. Don’t miss the speciality drinks that they offer for each show!

©Tracy Blowers

©Tracy Blowers

©Tracy Blowers

Another wonderful thing to note! The Guthrie Theater, in partnership with Medtronic and Americares, used the Friday, June 15 invited dress rehearsal as a fundraiser for Puerto Rico hurricane relief. They raised $57,300!

©T Charles Erickson

Jennifer Chavez Rubio, Senior Director, Global Engagement, Medtronic Philanthropy (left) receives a check for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico from the Guthrie Theater’s Artistic Director, Joseph Haj (right). Tickets were sold for the invited dress rehearsal of the Guthrie’s summer musical West Side Story on Friday, June 15, and those funds in the amount of $57,300 will be dispersed through Americares.

West Side Story runs through August 26, 2018.

Get your tickets HERE!

July 10, 2018
Under This Roof – Guthrie Theater

©photography by LKBachman

The Guthrie Theater presents a Full Circle Theater production of Under This Roof by Barbara Kingsley and directed by James A. Williams.

May 4-20, 2018 – Dowling Studio

Guthrie Theater has devoted the Dowling Studio space to the creation of theater that wrestles with urgent questions and inspires dialogue.

This show definitely does that.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Set in June 1948, in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, Mamie and Raymond find themselves in a difficult situation due to a recent accident. They don’t want to ask for help but realize they must in order to survive. Based on a recommendation from a close friend, they hire a woman for in-home help who is also facing her own struggles. When she shows up at their door, it’s quite a shock and the story begins.

Under This Roof struck me in many ways. The most being how society has taught us to think a certain way, to judge people, to make assumptions. We are human and we all do it, many times unintentionally because it’s so ingrain. But when we are open and share our truth, that’s when true friendship can begin.

This is a story of love. The strength of love when faced with hard times and how our journey isn’t always what we plan. We will all have something unexpected happen in our lives, it’s inescapable. We make promises, we have dreams but our paths are almost always altered.

Along with a great show, the 9th floor of the Guthrie is such a wonderful experience because of the location and views. We love to treat ourselves at the Sea Change and then after the show, enjoy the amazing Minneapolis views!

©TracyBlowers

©TracyBlowers

For tickets and more information, click: Guthrie Theater

The mission of Full Circle Theater is to produce heartfelt, groundbreaking theater that artfully addresses issues of diversity and social justice for the 21st century audiences. Learn more here: https://www.fullcircletheatermn.org

May 9, 2018
Annie – Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

ANNIE – Ordway – Photo by Rich Ryan Photography – @richryanphotography

The Twin Cities is full of amazing shows this season! Do you have plans to go to a show for the holidays? Annie is perfect for the whole family. There isn’t a more festive location as you walk through Rice Park on your way to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

Outdoor photos by @usoulphoto

Annie‘s story is one of love, hope and family. A small voice to remind us that yes indeed the sun will come out tomorrow. A great quote from the Director, Austene Van, that really touched me – “The definition of family is also on a sliding scale of perspective, and looks very different to different people. How wonderful that we can create this kind of love for ourselves!”. Watching Annie’s attitude, strength and perseverance in the pursuit to find her family and then in the end creating her own is so inspiring.

Carly Gendell who plays Annie in the evenings knocks it out of the park! Her voice and stage presence definitely carry the show. Annie also has some of my favorite Twin Cities actors. Ann Michels as Grace couldn’t be more perfect and I love Cat Brindisi as Lily St. Regis. PLUS…have I mentioned there is a dog in the show??! Sandy steals the show when she prances onto the stage. You could hear a collective “aaaaw” in the audience.

ANNIE – Ordway – Photo by Rich Ryan Photography – @richryanphotography

I can’t finish without mentioning the music, right? It’s always my favorite when the orphans sing Hard Knock Life but I find that Easy Street and Hooverville always stick with me and bring a smile to my face. 🙂

ANNIE – Ordway – Photo by Rich Ryan Photography – @richryanphotography

This festive, heart-warming production of Annie is an Ordway Original.

You can find more information and tickets HERE.

Also, to read other Theater Blogger’s reviews, visit our Facebook page @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Annie’s story reminds us how many older children are searching for a family. During intermission, the Ordway shared information about Ampersand Families. They are a wonderful resource. If you are interested in ways that you can help children and teens who are awaiting adoption, visit www.ampersandfamilies.org.

Happy Holidays!

December 14, 2017
The Abominables – Children’s Theatre Company

The Abominables opens at Children’s Theatre this weekend! I had the opportunity to go backstage and I’m always blown away by the work and passion that goes into these shows. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a diverse and wonderful theater community here in the Twin Cities.

The Abominables is the very first Minnesota Hockey Musical! Produced in association with New York City’s extraordinary theatre company The Civilians. The musical is written and directed by Steve Cosson with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman and choreography by Joe Chvala.

“This hilarious musical is full of heart and insight into our pursuit of success and how we define it.” – Peter C. Brosius, Artistic Director.

A cool note: This musical was created over a four year period, the development included interviews with over 75 hockey players, coaches and family members across Minnesota at tournaments, games and practices.

The Stage and Ice Rink – The Actors are on skates throughout the show! Can you imagine?

From Children’s Theatre Company:

Rink rats, hockey moms, tournament weekends and the quest to play your best – It’s tryout season in the Great State of Hockey! Mitch has always played on the A team for the Prairie Lake Blizzards – they are his guys – they’ve played together forever, but he’s worried this could be the year he gets sent down to the B team. When a new “kid” appears at Bantam tryouts, things go from bad to worse. From the land of ice and nice comes the first Minnesota hockey musical! Will you love it? You betcha!

Making the brick fireplace – it’s actually styrofoam. Can’t wait to see it finished.

The coveted trophy!

Wigmaster, Robert A. Dunn showing us the Yeti wig! The girl behind him is kind of freaked out. 🙂

Beautiful Yeti Princess Dress.

You could be sitting here!! GIVEAWAY! Comment here, on my Facebook or Instagram (find me at @usoulphoto or click icon above) Children’s Theatre post by Thursday and I will be picking the winner of TWO FREE TICKETS on Friday. Good luck everyone! If you don’t win, here is a nice consolation prize. Click HERE for a $10 off promo code for tickets.

As I was in the process of writing this blog, I am so sad to tell you that Michael Friedman passed away. This is a huge loss to the artistic and theater community. Here is the statement from Children’s Theatre.

Statement from Children’s Theatre Company on the passing of Michael Friedman

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news with our community on the passing of composer Michael Friedman who died on September 9^th at the age of 41. Michael was the composer and lyricist of The Abominables, which is to receive its world premiere performance on Friday, September 15 in our UnitedHealth Group Stage. The Abominables was commissioned by CTC in 2011 and is written by Michael and his longtime collaborator Steve Cosson of The Civilians.

“Michael was an extraordinary artist and an incredible human being,” said Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius. “He was brilliant, wildly funny and so deeply caring about other people. Michael was such a joy; his boundless energy, his infectious enthusiasm and his ability to be so fearlessly self-critical and clear eyed in the pursuit of something truly extraordinary made him utterly unique. He never rested, was a brave explorer of new possibilities and was one of the most creative forces you would ever meet. We deeply mourn his passing and feel truly blessed to have had this opportunity to work closely with him and bring his work to our audiences.”

While we are deeply saddened that Michael will not see the world premiere, we feel fortunate to be able to bring one of his final works of art to the stage and share his artistry with the community, in particular, with children and families. We dedicate the performances of The Abominables to Michael Friedman. For more information about The Abominables, please go to childrenstheatre.org.

September 11, 2017

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