Showing posts with label Adan Varela. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adan Varela. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
"Sweet Charity" at Artistry
Artistry is beginning their 2025 season in a similar fashion as their fantastic 2024 season: a classic musical staged almost like a concert with a full orchestra on stage, and fabulous dancing in front of it. The 1966 Broadway musical Sweet Charity, adapted into a movie in 1969 starring Shirley MacLaine, is an excellent choice for this type of treatment; it almost feels like a series of vignettes about a NYC dance hall hostess in the '60s, rather than one continuous story with beginning, middle, and end. The strengths of this Bob Fosse show truly are the music and dancing, with a story about a "dance hall girl" looking for love in all the wrong places and continually being rejected that feels a little dated. So why not put the focus on the music, dancing, and performances of this terrific cast? The result is an absolutely smashing production that soars with one big music-and-dance number after another. Sweet Charity continues at the Bloomington Center for the Arts through February 16.
Sunday, April 9, 2023
"Ragtime" by Morris Park Players at Edison High School
It's rare that I get a chance to see community theater, with the plethora of theater in this town (e.g., 20+ shows are opening in the next three weeks). But I happened to have a free night, so I was thrilled to check out Ragtime by Morris Park Players, a Northeast Minneapolis community theater that's been around for 70 years. I became aware of this company last year when they did Falsettos, of which I'm still waiting for a professional #TCTheater production since the recent successful revival. I was super impressed by this risky choice, and their execution of the tricky work. Their current show is perhaps even more ambitious in scope and theme. Although Ragtime is a more familiar show than Falsettos (two local productions in the last 11 years), its huge cast, intricate score, and themes of racism, immigration, class, gender, and labor rights make it a challenging show. While performances are a bit uneven and there may be a few technical issues, as to be expected with community theater, I'm once again impressed by Morris Park Player's execution of this work, the level of talent in this community, and the heart and passion they put into the show. Ragtime continues through next weekend only.
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
"Twelve Angry Men" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater
I know what you're thinking: the classic American film and play Twelve Angry Men... as a musical?! It sounded pretty odd to me too when I first heard about it a few years ago, but after seeing Theater Latte Da's world premiere musical adaption (on stage at the Ritz through July 17), I'm sold! It just goes to show that literally any subject can be made into a musical, if done well and thoughtfully by talented artists. Check, check, check. Telling this story that was originally a TV show in 1954 through a modern and musical lens heightens the themes of justice and productive communication. It's still the 1950s on stage, but the cast and creators are aware that it's 2022 in the audience, and this story needs to speak to now, which it pretty geniusly does. Combined with a really interesting jazz score that's seamlessly woven into the dialogue, a simple and classic design, and a diverse cast of 12 talented men, and it feels like this story was crying out to be a musical all along.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
"Christmas of Swing" at History Theatre
#TCTheater loves its holiday* shows, and my very first this year (not counting Annie, which is holiday-adjacent) is History Theatre's remount of their original musical Christmas of Swing, which I first saw in 2013. They've updated it this year to reflect the greater diversity of soldiers who served in WWII, making it more poignant and powerful than ever. But it's still highly entertaining, featuring Minnesota's own original girl group The Andrews Sisters, singing WWII era songs both Christmassy and not. The large and talented cast does a wonderful job of bringing this music and these heart-warming and heart-breaking stories of WWII soldiers to life.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
"In the Midst of Things: In Medias Res" streaming from An Opera Theatre
One fun thing about this virtual theater era is that you can discover new companies that you haven't been able to see before, since they're now easily accessible in your own home. Such as the new opera company called simply An Opera Theatre. I love their mission statement: "to produce socially-relevant works, in order to break down the barriers of the classical art form, and bring communities together," and this: "We hope to promote work for working artists in Minnesota. And it doesn't just stop at opera! AOT believes in fusing multiple art forms to create tantalizing theater events for a diverse artistic community." They've created a new original 15-minute opera that they've been sharing with schools around the area, and will be available to the public May 28 - June 6 on their Facebook page and website. I got to see a sneak peek of In the Midst of Things: In Medias Res; it's really great, and left me wanting more!
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
"Evita" at Lyric Arts
Continuing with their season of showcasing women's stories, Lyric Arts presents the musical Evita, one of the most popular woman's story in music-theater. There hasn't been a local production of it in several years, so the time feels ripe to revisit this story. It's a big show for Lyric Arts to tackle, a sung-through musical with a large cast and complicated score, but they've proven that they're up to the task (this season began with a regional premiere of a new musical, and next season will too). They've enlisted a strong cast, which is notably one of the most diverse casts I've ever seen at the Anoka theater, plus a great design team. The result is a thrilling production of this 1980 multiple Tony-winning classic.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
"In the Heights" at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts
Before writing the brilliant Pulitzer Prize winning musical theater masterpiece that is Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote something a little closer to home. The 2008 multiple Tony winner In the Heights is basically a love letter to his family, his neighborhood, his community, his people. Specifically, a community of Latin American immigrants and the children and grandchildren of such immigrants. After seeing the Ordway's glorious production last night, I was reminded of what Oskar Eustis (artistic director of the Public Theater where Hamilton debuted) said about Miranda on the PBS documentary Hamilton's America, that he elevates the language of the common people in a way no one has done since Shakespeare. I was also reminded of playwright August Wilson. I recently saw the movie version of his play Fences, followed by a discussion led by his friend and colleague Marion McClinton, who said that Wilson's plays show that just living a life is noble. In the Heights tells a simple story about average people, in some ways the opposite of Hamilton, which tells an epic story about the founding of a new nation. But In the Heights is epic in its own way, and like August Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda reminds us that the common people who never get rich or famous or written about in history books still live noble lives with stories worth telling and worth listening to. And also, by the way, super fun and entertaining and moving and engrossing.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
"The Realish Housewives of Edina" at New Century Theatre
I have not watched a single minute of a single episode of any of Bravo's popular Real Housewives TV series (Wikipedia tells me there are seven series, five of which still in production). Don't get me wrong, I love my reality TV, but more of the competition variety (Survivor, The Amazing Race, Top Chef, American Idol). I don't quite understand the fascination of watching "celebrities" in their daily lives, but there's no doubt it's a hugely popular phenomenon, and one that's ripe for parody. So it's a perfect time for this outrageous comedy by playwrights Kate James and Tim Sniffen of The Second City comedy machine. Their intention is for The Realish Housewives of X to play at regional theaters around the country, with slight tweaking for each location. Their first location - Edina. With a fabulous local cast, this show is a hilarious parody of the reality TV phenomenon.
New Century's wide and shallow stage (which can sometimes feel awkward) is a perfect fit for the preview show of the newest series of the Real Housewives-esque show, with cabaret tables in the audience adding to the fun and informal atmosphere. Host and creator Randy (Adan Varela, who also plays multiple other characters) introduces us to each of the housewives (curiously, only two of them have husbands). Ravonka (Kim Kivens) is the vaguely European royalty who carries her tiny dog around in her purse, demands that everyone "pay attention to me right now," and never sees her Baron husband. Claudia-Louise, aka CL (Quinn Shadko), has the perfect family and isn't afraid to tell everyone so. Gwen (Katherine Kupiecki) is an incarcerated politician trying to redeem her image with the public. Ditzy Desiree (Karissa Lade) is a fro yo addict and neck model. Brooke (Anna Hickey) is the newest member of the group, a self-made business woman who has made a fortune selling clothing with writing on the butt. Some of the other members of the group don't accept her "new money" so easily, causing the necessary tension for a show like this.
Randy prompts the women to talk about their feelings as he shows them clips from the season, which are acted out in front of us. We see the women visit each others' work places, attend various charity events, and gossip with and about each other. There's a bit of audience participation as CL's husband and Ravonka's daughter are picked out of the crowd and played off of. Everyone in this cast is so loose and playful, yet precise in the characterization of their stereotypical housewife type, I imagine it will only become more fun to watch them play with the audience as the 8-week run continues. Each of these women (and Adan) is a hoot, but Kim Kivens as Ravonka is hysterical. Anyone who's seen her Michelle Bachmann impersonation knows how great she is at these over-the-top caricatures, completely committed with every look and gesture, but here she is absolutely Ravonkulous (meaning ridiculous and fabulous and any other -ulous word that might apply).
The creators have worked with locals to throw in plenty of Minnesota references, and we love that! From Zumbrota to Spalon Montage to the Galleria, these housewives hit all the local hot spots. Not to judge a book by its fashionable cover, but the opening night crowd seemed to include many "real housewives" types, leaving their husbands and kids at home for a night on the town. In fact, the show could be a brisk 90 minutes if they cut out the intermission, but then they wouldn't sell as many drinks to this crowd that seems intent on having a good time.
The Real Housewives franchise is an easy one to parody. OK I've never seen it, but it seems like there is plenty of fodder for comedy. It's pretty much a slam dunk, especially when played to a crowd that is obviously hungry for it, and this play delivers on that expectation. Funny, ridiculous, over-the-top, and with a cast that gleefully milks every moment. Playing through November 15 at the New Century Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, grab your best girl and guy friends, a few drinks, and settle in for some easy laughs.
New Century's wide and shallow stage (which can sometimes feel awkward) is a perfect fit for the preview show of the newest series of the Real Housewives-esque show, with cabaret tables in the audience adding to the fun and informal atmosphere. Host and creator Randy (Adan Varela, who also plays multiple other characters) introduces us to each of the housewives (curiously, only two of them have husbands). Ravonka (Kim Kivens) is the vaguely European royalty who carries her tiny dog around in her purse, demands that everyone "pay attention to me right now," and never sees her Baron husband. Claudia-Louise, aka CL (Quinn Shadko), has the perfect family and isn't afraid to tell everyone so. Gwen (Katherine Kupiecki) is an incarcerated politician trying to redeem her image with the public. Ditzy Desiree (Karissa Lade) is a fro yo addict and neck model. Brooke (Anna Hickey) is the newest member of the group, a self-made business woman who has made a fortune selling clothing with writing on the butt. Some of the other members of the group don't accept her "new money" so easily, causing the necessary tension for a show like this.
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Anna Hickey, Karissa Lade, Kim Kivens, Quinn Shadko, and Katherine Kupiecki (photo by Bridget Bennett) |
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the housewives and Randy (photo by Bridget Bennett) |
The Real Housewives franchise is an easy one to parody. OK I've never seen it, but it seems like there is plenty of fodder for comedy. It's pretty much a slam dunk, especially when played to a crowd that is obviously hungry for it, and this play delivers on that expectation. Funny, ridiculous, over-the-top, and with a cast that gleefully milks every moment. Playing through November 15 at the New Century Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, grab your best girl and guy friends, a few drinks, and settle in for some easy laughs.
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