Waitress - TCTB Review Roundup

Waitress plays at the Orpheum Theatre (Minneapolis, Minnesota) only through November 26. Our bloggers (save one) really enjoyed it. Check out what they had to say below!

Cherry and Spoon "finds it to be a successful adaptation with a fantastic score, modern and interesting choreography, and this touring cast really beautifully brings it to life."
http://bit.ly/cs_waitress

Compendium - Minneapolis asks "what better than to enjoy this positive, aggressively normal story of women supporting each other and emerging from their damaging pasts?"
http://bit.ly/2A3y1ae

PhenoMNal Twin Cities: "At the finale, there was simply no way not to smile from ear to ear and soak in all the warm fuzzies."
http://bit.ly/2mWLE8m

Coffee Talk with Brett: "This production is literally wrapped up and baked in a beautiful pie and I highly recommend everyone see it."
http://bit.ly/2n1i4yL

Twin Cities Stages: " It is a show about pies, about love and relationships, and about being yourself and knowing when to say no to relationships."
http://bit.ly/2Bf2bYm

And finally, weighing in with an unpopular opinion is Minnesota Theater Love, who says: " Lots of people liked this show. I'm not one of them. I have some serious issues with this show, which I will enumerate in full, exhausting detail. So get comfortable."
http://bit.ly/2ApZaHn

It's Monday, so clearly it's time to plan your weekend theatergoing. In addition to all the new shows opening, here's a few to catch before they close. We've got pirates, white whales, spirtualism, dementia AND labor disputes. DANG.

(photos courtesy of Mrs. Thor's 4th Grade class)

TCTB fave Transatlantic Love Affair's The Privateer (closes November 18):

Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_privateer

Minnesota Theater Love: http://bit.ly/2zDObH9

Moby Dick by Theatre Coup d'Etat (closes November 20):

Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_mobydick

Single White Fringe Geek: http://bit.ly/2iUEZqb

The Memory Box of the Sisters Fox and Facility at Sabes JCC (closes November 19):

Minnesota Theater Love: http://bit.ly/2zDObH9

Twin Cities Stages: http://bit.ly/2mnvrcb

Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/2zVByds

Ludlow by nimbus theatre (closes November 19):

Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_ludlow

Hamlet - TCTB Review Roundup

Photo by Amy Anderson

Check out a modern, new, Joel Sass-directed Hamlet at Park Square Theatre (now through November 11). Our bloggers were all love for TCTB favorite Kory LaQuess Pullam.

Cherry and Spoon sums it up for us:
"This Hamlet, adapted, directed, and designed by Joel Sass, features a condensed cast of just nine, some gender-swapping (which provides more roles for women in male-heavy Shakespeare plays), and what I would call a breakout performance by Kory LaQuess Pullam in the title role, except that he's been breaking out for a couple of years in #TCTheater."
More at http://bit.ly/cs_hamlet17


Compendium - Minneapolis adds:
"I really appreciated the fresh take on long-hallowed lines (yes, despite the heavy cutting you will hear your To Be Or Not To Bes and Good Night Sweet Princes) that removed their precious reputations and imbued them with a deeper feeling. It was awesome to see more non-traditional casting and an intentional - and mostly successful - attempt to imbue this very dark plot with a healthy dose of humor. I'm excited to see where this dynamic, fresh acting crew heads after this production. They are the future of our local theater scene, and what a promising prospect we have to look forward to."
More at tp://bit.ly/2yEaCOo


Single White Fringe Geek says:
"There are very few actors for whom I’d sit through another production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Kory LaQuess Pullam is one of them. So when I learned Park Square Theatre had cast Pullam as their Hamlet, I was on board. And that was before I learned that Joel Sass was in the director’s chair. That also helped put my mind at ease that this was going to be a different, and enjoyable Hamlet to watch."
More at http://bit.ly/2zxKu8Y


From Twin Cities Arts Reader:
"Revenge does not sit well on Kory LaQuess Pullam’s Hamlet. Pullam performs in Park Square Theatre’s current production, staged by director Joel Sass in a modern setting. The action moves forward at a lively pace; at the center of the production – and the thing that makes it worth seeing – is Pullam’s powerful, richly layered performance. Pullam brings exquisite emotion to the great role, especially in the great monologues, but throughout as well."
More at: http://bit.ly/2j0ZWTS

Wedding Band - TCTB Review Roundup

Our bloggers highly recommend Penumbra Theatre Company's production of Alice Childress's Wedding Band. Now through November 12. Go see it, friends!

Read more here:

"But Penumbra's gorgeous production of the 1966 play Wedding Band by Alice Childress (whose Trouble in Mind was seen at the Guthrie last year) is not just a beautiful, complicated, and ultimately tragic love story. It's also (not unlike Trouble in Mind) a still timely work that speaks to the issues of race, racism, and privilege in ways that feel entirely relevant."
Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_wedding

"Wedding Band is a raw, gorgeously told story that is vital to understanding interracial relationships and the devastating heritage of America's racial sins. If you want to understand how we got here (and how we can fix it); if you need a look in the mirror to see your own flaws and tribulations; if you simply want to see a show with powerful, nuanced performances and gripping dialogue; then you must attend Wedding Band."
Compendium - Minneapolis: http://bit.ly/2iCqWsE

"Wedding Band deals with a lot of heavy issues, but at heart is a story of ordinary people dealing with the harsh realities of their lives as best they can. And they are people worth spending two hours getting to know."
Minnesota Theater Love: http://bit.ly/2zeNdn3

Finding Neverland - TCTB Review Roundup

TCTB Blogger Review Roundup on Finding Neverland at Hennepin Theatre Trust, which closes this weekend.

Our bloggers said:

"It's miles better than the recent movie and well worth a stop if you want to escape our early November snow."
Compendium - Minneapolis: http://bit.ly/2A7jEkZ

"Even if it's not the most original musical you'll see, it's still quite delightful in execution."
Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_neverland

"The musical stage adaptation of Finding Neverland is beautiful, colorful, imaginative, and alive. "
Play off the Page: http://bit.ly/2xQOehc

"I can confidently say that my expectations were not only blown away, but they were shoved in a cannon on Captain Hooks ship and blown miles away. It was an absolutely charming, surprisingly touching, nostalgic musical."
Coffee Talk with Brett: http://bit.ly/2zeo1Nj