TCTB Review Roundup: THE REVOLUTIONISTS streaming from Lyric Arts

Hi friends. It's been a while since you've heard from us, but we're still here! And today we are pleased to bring you a virtual Review Roundup of Lyric Arts's new production of the Lauren Gunderson play THE REVOLUTIONISTS, filmed on their Anoka stage. It's available to stream on demand through this weekend only, so act fast! This is a great opportunity to check out Lyric Arts's work without driving to Anoka (which isn't as far as you think it is).

Cherry and Spoon

: http://bit.ly/cs_revanoka

"Like many of Lauren's plays, it tells a fictionalized story of well-known (or should be well-known) women from history with modern language and sensibility, and is funny, smart, poignant, and relevant."

Lettered in Theatre

: http://bit.ly/LIT_Revolutionists

"I never anticipated that my first time seeing a production with Lyrics Arts would be streamed to my living room, but after seeing “The Revolutionists” I look forward to driving to Anoka to visit as soon as we are able to."

Post Script

: https://bit.ly/3t4LicH

"It's history, but it's not. It's conversations between women who could have been in the same room but weren't. "The Revolutionists" is a story that makes you wish for what could have been and yearn for unknown stories that were lost. And, with some killer one-liners ("What good is a declaration if everyone agrees?"), the play encourages and challenges our march toward justice in the 21st century."

TCTB Review Roundup: THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS streaming from Lakeshore Players Theatre

TCTB is happy to bring you a REVIEW ROUNDUP today! We haven't had very many of these in the last year, but several of our bloggers watched and wrote about Lakeshore Players Theatre's new recorded and livestreamed production of THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, a one-woman show about advice columnist Ann Landers starring Shanan Custer. We all enjoyed the experience, so we wanted to share this with you in advance of the show's final weekend.

Find more info and tickets here: https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/the-lady-with-all-the-answers

Read on for blogger thoughts, and click the links for the full reviews.

Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/cs_answers

"With full set, costumes, lighting, and even a bit of crowd laughter from the crew, filmed from several different camera angles, it really feels like an engaging and entertaining theater performance that we just happen to be watching from home."

Lettered in Theatre: https://bit.ly/3rlYgBN

"Shanan Custer gave an incredible performance capturing the heart, humor, and spirit of the woman behind the Ann Landers column."

and from our newest blog Post Script: https://bit.ly/3cpSzyN

"Shanan Custer (regularly seen with "The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society") largely succeeds with the help of director Sandra Struthers, and together, they make a flagging script into a piece that reflects America's heart in the mid to late 1900s. "

Theater Mu's Livestream of TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY

#TCTheater fans - here's another virtual review round-up for you! According to two of our bloggers, Theater Mu's first foray into the virtual theater world was a great success! TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY is performed live, with the actors each performing in their own home, as technical wizardy pulls it all together. Check out their reviews at the links below, then get your tickets for a live show this week/end, or the on-demand recording available next week. (But we really do recommend watching it live if possible.)

https://www.theatermu.org/today-is-my-birthday

Cherry and Spoon

: https://bit.ly/cs_today

"With actors in six different locations across the country, using multiple areas in their homes, along with green screens, virtual backgrounds, sound cues, split screens, and overlayed images in an incredibly ambitious and successful technical feat. TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY is truly innovative storytelling in a way that's never been seen before."

Lettered in Theatre

: https://bit.ly/LITBirthdayMU

"The use of virtual backgrounds and quick cuts between these various mediums was so clever and a unique way to lean into our current virtual lifestyle and transform it into art."

cover of virtual program (photo by Rich Ryan)

'TIL DEATH Livestream from Bucket Brigade

With a busy virtual theater month, we'll have a few review round-ups for you. The first is Bucket Brigade's live virtual concert version of their annual hit 'TIL DEATH. Two of our bloggers caught a live show last weekend. Read their thoughts below, then get your tickets for one of three remaining shows this weekend.

https://www.bucketbrigadetheater.com/shows/til-death/

Cherry and Spoon

: https://bit.ly/cs_tildeath21

"I'm truly impressed at how the charm, silliness, and heart of the piece has translated into the virtual space."

Play off the Page

: http://bit.ly/3jFNynt

"The Gambles put all that messy couplehood into a light-hearted musical that offered humor, sentimentality, tender moments, and great songs... the entire show is well written and scored, excellently accompanied by Donley."

Streaming #TCTheater

Hello friends. Another reminder to keep an eye on our EVENTS page to see what's happening virtually around #TCTheater. Some fun things coming up include:

Lakeshore Players Theatre

: a recording of their pre-pandemic production of WAIT UNTIL DARK

Great River Shakespeare Festival

: a live reading of HUMAN ERROR

Bucket Brigade

: a livestream version of their annual production of their original musical 'TIL DEATH

Theater Mu

: their first virtual full production - TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY

2020 Twin Cities Theater Blogger Awards

Hello #TCTheater friends. We've missed you, we've missed each other, and most of all we've missed theater. Like everything else, our sixth annual TCTB Awards look much different this year. Instead of the dozen or so categories, nominees, and winners we usually have, we've chosen to highlight some of our 2020 favorites in just four categories, both pre- and post-pandemic (voted on by 14 bloggers). 2020 was without question a difficult year in many areas, including our beloved theater, but we are impressed with the way that artists use the resources available to them to continue to make art. Let's look back at some highlights of the past year, and we look forward to seeing you all in the theater again soon.

FAVORITE PRE-PANDEMIC MUSICAL - TIE

Bernarda Alba,

Theater Latté Da

The Bridges of Madison County,

Artistry MN

Runners Up: Daddy Long Legs,

Minneapolis Musical Theatre

and Interstate,

Mixed Blood Theatre Company

FAVORITE PRE-PANDEMIC PLAY

The White Card,

Penumbra Theatre Company

Runners Up: A Doll's House, Part 2,

The Jungle Theater

and Twelfth Night,

Guthrie Theater

FAVORITE POST-PANDEMIC SHOW CREATED FOR THE VIRTUAL MEDIUM - TIE

Is Edward Snowden Single?,

The Jungle Theater

Operation: Immigration,

MN Jewish Theatre Company

When Your Love Sets You On Fire,

The Winding Sheet Outfit

for

Twin Cities Horror Festival

FAVORITE POST-PANDEMIC THEATER COMPANY - TIE

Park Square Theatre

Twin Cities Horror Festival

Runner Up:

Minnesota Fringe