Triassic Parq by Minneapolis Musical Theatre

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: If you want to see “rare musicals, well done” (their mission), you have to check out Minneapolis Musical Theatre. We’ve followed them for years and they excel in presenting fun, quirky, and heartfelt productions of musicals you won’t see anywhere else.

Their current show, Triassic Parq, performed at Lush Lounge and Theater through April 13, is so tremendously rare, we've never even heard of it. And to be honest? It's a little bananas. It's about dinosaurs and gender, and faith and science, and it's utterly filled with chaos and camp. We've never seen anything like it. 

Life of Pi National Tour at the Orpheum Theatre

Life of Pi was originally a Booker Prize-winning 2001 novel by Yann Martel, which was also made into a 2012 film by Ang Lee. The play, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti, had successful runs in London's West End and then on Broadway. Now, the national tour of the play has opened at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, playing through March 9.

Taha Mandviwala as 'Pi' and puppeteers Anna Leigh Gortner,

Shiloh Goodin and Toussaint Jeanlouis as 'Richard Parker'

in the National Tour of LIFE OF PI. 

Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully at The Hive

Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully, playing at The Hive Collaborative through January 31, lives up to its name. In this self-penned one-woman show, Elena Glass shares the story of her father's Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis when she was a young teen, and how his decline defined her family and her life for 16 years. 

Parade Tour at Hennepin Arts (Orpheum Theatre)

Three days after Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term as President, the North American tour of Parade had its official premiere at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. The theme of injustice in America seemed terribly fitting.

Max Chernin (center) as Leo Frank with the
Company of Parade. Photo by Joan Marcus.

 
With a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown (who was in attendance), Parade follows the true story of a Jewish factory superintendent who in 1913 was accused of murdering a factory worker, 13-year-old Mary Phagan. The musical originally premiered on Broadway in 1998 and won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score (out of nine nominations). Despite positive reviews, the show ran only 84 performances on Broadway, followed by a U.S. tour.

Twin Cities Horror Festival XIII - Schaulust

This year's Twin Cities Horror Festival is celebrating its 13th year and this festival is truly an outstanding selection of short horror theater.

We've seen 10 of the 11 shows so far (and you can read our reviews for Day One, Day Two, and Day Three here) and Schaulust by Keith Hovis Productions is our final show. 

Twin Cities Horror Festival XIII - Day Three: The Alchemist's Bargain, Gh0stChaser04, and The Wrench

It's been a weekend of fun at the Twin Cities Horror Festival. Check out our reviews of Day One and Day Two. We caught three shows today and it was another delightful horror theater fest!

First up was The Alchemist's Bargain by Phantom Chorus Theatre and we couldn't have asked for a better show to get us in the mood for a theater marathon. We fondly remember Phantom Chorus's take on Frankenstein, Victor Invictus, at the 2022 TCHF. 

Twin Cities Horror Festival XIII - Day Two: Doctor Clown, The Regular, Campfire Stories, and The Night Parade

Do you want to see something SCARY? Us too! Also, funny and charming and gory and creepy! Do join us at Twin Cities Horror Festival, now in its 13th fabulous year, running October 24 through November 3 at the Crane Theater.

This year, we are seeing all eleven shows in the festival. Check out our other reviews: TCHF XIII - Day One  and Day Three: 

Day Two, we spent nearly six hours at the Crane engrossed in delightful horror theater. Here's what we saw: