The Fine Arts Center Presents THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY
The Fine Arts Center Theatre Company is excited to present a?oeThe Bridges of Madison County,a?? Feb. 13a?"March 1, 2020, a musical by Jason Robert Brown and Marsha Norman, based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller. This production is directed and choreographed by Nathan Halvorson.
BWW Interview: Wild About Harry: MAMMA MIA's Robert O. Berdahl
There's something about summer entertainment -- light, frothy, happy shows that feel just like the season. A summer musical that takes place on a Greek island built around infectious tunes from the 1970s? Don't mind if I do... And a double dose in the same weekend? Sign me up! I hit up the Ordway's MAMMA MIA! on Friday night and then 'Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!' (the new film sequel) on Sunday night and had the tunes used in both stamped on my brain for two weeks straight. And I didn't mind a bit. MAMMA MIA! is hard not to love, which is likely why both the stage show and film were such mega hits, the former spawning a 'jukebox musical' wave of Broadway.
Photo Flash: First Look at MAMMA MIA! at the Ordway
Take a first look at the new production of MAMMA MIA!, the beloved international smash hit stage musical, which opened at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts just days before the release of the highly anticipated Hollywood motion picture, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Check out photos below!
Theater Latté Da Extends Performances Of FIVE POINTS
Theater Latte Da announces extended performances of the rousing, world premiere musical FIVE POINTS thru May 13. This latest and most ambitious musical world premiere to date brings together the talents of a dynamic creative team. The score is the work of Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar, a New York-based songwriting team with significant Broadway credits. The book is written by the prolific Twin Cities-based playwright Harrison David Rivers, who has penned three world premieres this season including FIVE POINTS, as well as productions at the History Theatre and Penumbra Theatre. Theater Latte Da Artistic Director Peter Rothstein directs the production with Resident Music Director Denise Prosek. Performances run now thru May 13 at the Ritz Theater (345 13th Avenue NE in Minneapolis). Single tickets go are on sale now and can be purchased at Latteda.org or by calling 612-339-3003.
BWW Review: The Ordway's Fan-Freakin-Tastic JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Closes this Weekend - Don't Miss It!
The Ordway's recent string of excellent locally produced Broadway sized musicals continues with the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, and it's fan-freakin-tastic. Unlike the Ordway's last original, WEST SIDE STORY, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is not one of my favorites; I've only seen it once before and never really listened to it. So I went into the show with mostly fresh eyes. I still think the piece is a bit weird, but there's something kinda fabulous about it. And the number one reason to see the show at the Ordway is this mostly local cast that is absolutely spectacular. The show is completely sung through, most of it at full volume, and everyone in the lead and featured roles just knocks it out of the park. And every member of the 30+ person ensemble (including several sweet-singing children) completely gives it their all. Notably, this cast is racially diverse (including an African American Jesus), a beautiful example of color-conscious casting by the Ordway.
BWW Interview: Ordway's WHITE CHRISTMAS' Jenny Piersol
Dreaming of a white Christmas? You're getting that triple-fold this weekend as Minnesota gives us a white blanket and the Ordway's WHITE CHRISTMAS also brings some snow inside the theatre. You're also getting a new face on the Ordway stage as Jenny Piersol plays Judy Haynes in this holiday classic. Get to know Piersol in this edition of 6 Questions & a Plug.
BWW Review: Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre and St. Paul's Ordway Center Bring Us a Reinvigorated PAINT YOUR WAGON About the Diverse Cultures that Built the American West
I had never even heard of the 1951 Lerner and Loewe musical PAINT YOUR WAGON when the Ordway announced it as part of their season. I guess that's not too surprising; it ran for less than a year on Broadway and has never been revived. The story was significantly rewritten for the 1969 movie adaptation starring Clint Eastwood, which also included a few new songs. Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre scrapped both the original and revised book (they're a little bit racist, and sexist) to write a new story set in the Gold Rush era of California, making it more reflective of the many diverse cultures that came together to build the great American West. This production has moved to the Ordway for two weeks, with a few local additions to the cast. This thrilling story of the beginnings of the American West with a beautifully diverse cast has rescued this gorgeous Western and Mexican influenced score from the place where problematic old musicals go to die.
The Ordway to Present PAINT YOUR WAGON, 8/9-21
The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts opens its 2016-17 season with an exciting new 'revisal' of Lerner & Loewe's Paint Your Wagon, Aug. 9-21. Featuring an all new book by Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright Jon Marans, the show opened at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in June 2016. Twin Cities audiences will be among the first in the world to experience this updated sweeping saga of the mythic West and the pursuit of the American Dream. Tickets for Lerner & Loewe's Paint Your Wagon start at $37 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in person at the Ordway ticket office.
BWW Interview: 6 Questions & a Plug with A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS' Chan Poling
Not often are we treated to a brand new musical theatre piece created by three local legends and acted by a dream cast of eight popular local performers. A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS is a rare treat on all counts. We get to hear directly from the creator and composer, Chan Poling, in this 6 Questions & a Plug.
World Premiere of A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS Begins Tonight at Illusion Theater
In the newest work by the creators of the smash hit Glensheen, Chan Poling's rocking rhythms, Jeffrey Hatcher's wicked wit and Bill Corbett's zany imagination come together to create a headlong ride filled with silliness, surprises and good feeling fun. A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS, a fresh musical comedy and tale of transformation, opens tonight, May 7 at 8 p.m. at the Illusion Theater, located on the eighth floor of The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts, 528 Hennepin Ave. in downtown Minneapolis.