Rise Up O Men at Plymouth Playhouse: TCTB Review Round-up

Photo by Kendra Plant

The second Twin Cities Theater Bloggers event was a great success! We enjoyed the premiere of Rise Up O Men at Plymouth Playhouse, as well as an amazing pre-show dinner with the bloggers at Green Mill Restaurant and Bar. We also enjoyed an incredible talk back with the cast, who not only performed but WROTE the show!

They had so much to share and we can't wait for our next event. Bloggers said of Rise Up O Men (running August 17 – November 13, 2016  & January 5 – April 8, 2017):

"I'd be perfectly happy to spend a nice long funeral lunch in the kitchen with these ladies--they are hilarious, and they do sing so beautifully."

Photo by Kendra Plant

"I can’t help but smile and nod as I watch these characters, hear their stories, tap along to their songs, and commiserate with them when things don’t go they way they’d planned. It’s like being back home on the farm, and attending a potluck at my home church."

"This was certainly an ensemble show with sparkling moments coming from each character throughout the night. The technical elements also blew me away."

"Rise Up O Men is a great show for small town folks who don't mind seeing a slice of their life poked at on stage. It is a creamsicle delight for those who yearn for the days when moms were home, dads worked with their hands, and everyone knew the hymns by heart."

Check out our reviews here:

Artfully Engaging 
Compendium

Minnesota Theater Love
Play off the Page 

Paint Your Wagon at Ordway Center: TCTB Review Roundup

There is a limited run of PAINT YOUR WAGON closing this weekend at the Ordway, and our bloggers think you need to go! They commented:

"Paint Your Wagon may be set nearly 175 years ago, but the themes featured in the show still ring true today."

"Paint Your Wagon honors the beautiful songs of Lerner and Loewe while simultaneously telling a modern, thoughtful story of a moment in American history when people from a range of origins all came together. Representation matters, and it's so exciting to see it onstage at the Ordway."

"Anyone who already knows they like musical theatre– go see this production of Paint Your Wagon. The End."

"Anyone who is a fan of traditional musical theater should be sure to see this show before it leaves town."

"This thrilling story of the beginnings of the American West (think Deadwood the musical, only with significantly less cursing) with a beautifully diverse cast has rescued this gorgeous Western and Mexican influenced score from the place where problematic old musicals go to die."

Cherry and Spoon : http://bit.ly/2b4khOL
Girl Meets Broadway : http://bit.ly/2bg39Jx
Minnesota Theater Love : http://bit.ly/2aPmq0x
PhenoMNal Twin Cities : http://bit.ly/2bg244b
Twin Cities Stages : http://bit.ly/2b3R49x

Disgraced at the Guthrie: TCTB Review Roundup

We have our next review roundup, this time for DISGRACED, showing at the Guthrie through August

28. This new, Pulitzer Prize-winning show made a powerful impact on the bloggers, who said:

"When the Guthrie programmed the 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Disgraced to run this summer, they couldn't have guessed just how relevant and timely it would be."

"Disgraced is a visceral, physical and psychic, stunning piece of art that deserves as wide an audience as possible."

"With everything going on in the world today, this play sparks the conversations and inward reflection need when discussing religion and politics, especially in group settings."

"No matter how far some people think they might have come to remain neutral and accept others as simply people, the truth is those deep seated prejudices and fears are still there."

Cherry and Spoon : http://bit.ly/2aA43N7
Compendium : http://bit.ly/2aVQc4C
Girl Meets Broadway : http://bit.ly/2aGURcL
Play off the Page: http://bit.ly/2aPnr9r

And additionally, one reviewer went to the limited performance of Acting Black last weekend - check her thoughts out here: http://bit.ly/2bezcrb