We asked YOU what shows you were looking forward to in #TCTheater and here's whay you said...

We asked YOU what shows you were looking forward to in #TCTheater and here's whay you said...

Cherry and Spoon: "Theatre Elision is FINALLY doing FIRST LADY SUITE, one of the many shows that was supposed to open in March of 2020. Elision fills a unique niche of rarely done one-act musicals with most or all female cast and creative team. The first ladies singing?! I'm in! https://www.elisionproductions.com/first-lady-suite"

The Stages of MN
Sapphire Bullets at Strike Theatre https://facebook.com/events/s/staged-reading-of-sapphire-bul/576951984376400/

 

Ryan D. Maddux

Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help by Sidekick Theatre

https://sidekicktheatre.com/incident

Keith Lunak

"Ragtime at Morris Park!"

https://morrisparkplayers.org/project/ragtime/

 

Alex Lauer

"We Shall Someday at Theater Latté Da and The Wanderers at Six Points Theater!"

 

Front Porch Theatre  ·

“Wit at Theatre in the Round, opening May 18th"

https://ci.ovationtix.com/36417/production/1148225

Nikki Monahan

https://morrisparkplayers.org/project/ragtime/

JRose Maruska

Again, Theater Mu

 

Brooke Nelson

Othello: The Remix from Minneapolis Musical Theatre! https://www.aboutmmt.org/othello-the-remix/

Jill Bernard

"Shrieking Harpies presents Regrets on Saturdays at 8pm thru the end of April! Amazing musical improv comedy."

https://www.hugetheater.com/.../shrieking-harpies...

Prior Lake Players Community Theatre 

Mary Poppins at Prior Lake Players Community Theatre

Maria Bartholdi

"Endometriosis: The Musical is having a reading of a new, extended version of their hit Fringe show at Theatre in the Round on April 30th at 7pm!" https://ci.ovationtix.com/36417/production/1143162

Kendra Plant

"Artistry MN is back and opens "The Pajama Game" on April 20!" https://artistrymn.org/pajamagame

"Analog and Vinyl" at Phoenix Theater in Uptown, Minneapolis

 

Happy Friday! We hope you are experiencing live theater this weekend. Our Facebook page has lots of suggestions for current theater productions to attend, but not surprisingly, we still have more:

 

A couple of the bloggers visited Phoenix Theater to see Minneapolis Musical Theatre's production of "Analog and Vinyl" which plays through March 12. More info & tickets: https://www.aboutmmt.org/analog-and-vinyl/

 

Find out what our blogger's thought:

The Stages of MN: https://bit.ly/analogandvinyl

#MMTAnalogandVinyl #TCtheater

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

Theater Crush Thursday: Minneapolis Musical Theatre

THEATER CRUSH THURSDAY
The Twin Cities Theater Bloggers are taking this long intermission in live theater to highlight some of our favorite #TCTheater Companies.

Today, we’re giving a little love to Minneapolis Musical Theatre, a scrappy theater with a big heart. Founded by Kevin Hansen and Steven Meerdink, MMT specializes in “Rare Musicals, Well Done” and some of our most memorable musical theater experiences have been courtesy of MMT.

MMT started its full theater seasons at Hey City Theater in downtown Minneapolis and our fond memories from that time include La Cage Aux Folles (with Hansen and Meerdink—former partners in life as well as theater—as Albin and Georges), a sweet and lovely production performed during Pride. Other shows in those years included Chess, Zombie Prom, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Zanna, Don’t and Mame with Hansen in the title role. Insert many heart emojis here. Despite changes in leadership, they continued to live up to their mission with shows like Reefer Madness, Sunset Boulevard, Carrie and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Eating Raoul, Calvin Berger and Murder Ballad. Unique shows and regional premieres are their specialty. We love their ambition and their eclectic selections.

In recent years, MMT has upped their game and entered a new era of quirky, eclectic shows with an even higher level of artistry. Three words: Silence! The Musical. This SHOW. Performed at the Lab Theater, we saw this hilarious musical retelling of Silence of the Lambs multiple times and LOVED it every single time. The production was spare but ingenious and the cast KILLED it.

And then there was High Fidelity, the musical based on the movie based on the book by Nick Hornby. Performed at Minneapolis’s legendary record store, I will NEVER forget standing in the Electric Fetus as the cast—browsing the selection among the audience—kicks off with the first song and the unbelievable joy on the faces of the audience members. Fantastic cast, perfect site-specific location, and one of the best shows we’ve seen in recent years.

Last year, MMT brought us Be More Chill, a show we saw on Broadway that left us cold, but was performed by MMT with such heart and sincerity that it was a whole new show to us. This winter, we caught MMT’s Daddy Long Legs, a sweet, two-person musical produced perfectly at the James J. Hill House and performed gorgeously. We’re beyond sad we can’t see their take on Lizzie, the rock musical about Lizzie Borden, but are hopeful we’ll see it sometime in the future.

Won’t you join us in supporting (http://www.aboutmmt.org/support/) this scrappy theater with heart? We can’t wait to see what they’ll do next.

- Minnesota Theater Love

TCTB Review Roundup: Minneapolis Musical Theatre's DADDY LONG LEGS at the James J. Hill House

The James J. Hill House is one of the hottest spots for site-based #tctheater performances. The latest production to grace this historical home is Daddy Long Legs by Minneapolis Musical Theatre, which runs through February 29. Check out what our bloggers had to say!

Play off the Page: http://bit.ly/3bjj8D0
"Get your tickets, soon, for this sweet musical. It’s a lovely way to spend a cold night in February. The venue is warm (don’t sit too near the lights), and charming. I wish I could go again!"

The Stages of MN: http://bit.ly/3bmehB0
"Daddy Long Legs performed in the James J. Hill House in St. Paul is as intimate a production of a musical as I’ve ever attended. A chamber musical with only two actors standing at times only a foot away from and actually making eye contact with you."

Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_daddyll
"Daddy Long Legs is another example of Minneapolis Musical Theatre fulfilling their tagline "rare musicals, well done." Often their shows are big or comic or scary or campy, so it's nice to see that they can do a sweet, small, intimate show like this just as well."

TCTB Review Roundup: Minneapolis Musical Theatre's BE MORE CHILL at Illusion Theater

In today's edition of #TCTheater does it better than Broadway: Minneapolis Musical Theatre's BE MORE CHILL, playing through this weekend only at Illusion Theater. Read on for specifics, and then get your tickets for one of the last three shows. And if you know any teenagers, bring 'em!
http://www.aboutmmt.org/tickets/

Say Entirely: http://bit.ly/2UhkrsA
"As lighthearted and silly as BE MORE CHILL is, it's also wholehearted. Yes, it's a funny story set in a high school, but it's not only that. It strikes at deeper human themes like the need to belong, self-worth, and standing up for the people you love. The fact that it's all wrapped up and delivered with humor and memorable song lyrics just makes it that much better."

Minnesota Theater Love: https://bit.ly/2IIx0La
"Minneapolis Musical Theatre's production of BE MORE CHILLis a rare opportunity to see one of the hottest shows on Broadway right here in Minnesota. And let us tell you friends, we VASTLY preferred MMT's version to the Broadway version."

Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_bemorechill
"BE MORE CHILL is a whole lot of fun, for young people and grown-ups alike. It's a fresh and modern retelling of an age-old story, that despite the current references is relatable to anyone who has ever been a teenager in any decade."

Photo by Scott Pakudaitis.

TCTB Review Roundup: February Shows Closing Soon!

It's the end of the month, which means there must be shows wrapping up this weekend! Our bloggers have been out and about covering a bunch of goodies for you; here's a few to catch if you still can:

"Stewardess" at History Theatre, closing March 3:
Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/2GLua8a
Play off the Page: https://bit.ly/2Tbkxp9

"Sense and Sensibility" at Lyric Arts, closing March 3:
Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/2IDmEOj

"A Bronx Tale" at Hennepin Theatre Trust, closed Sunday:
PhenoMNal Twin Cities: https://bit.ly/2H4EZl1

"Love Comics" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater through March 2:
Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/2IOqV1g

TCTB Review Roundup: Minneapolis Musical Theatre's HIGH FIDELITY at Electric Fetus

Our bloggers loved the fun and immersive experience of seeing a musical about a record store in an actual record store! Minneapolis Musical Theatre's HIGH FIDELITY runs just one more weekend with limited tickets remaining, so make your plans NOW to get to Electric Fetus this weekend!

http://www.aboutmmt.org/high-fidelity/

Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_highfid
"Maybe this show didn't/wouldn't play well in a traditional theater space, but in this intimate site-specific space that makes you feel like you're part of the story, it's a unique theatrical thrill. With a fantastic and hard-working 14-person cast, a rockin' band, and great use of the space, it's a sure-fire hit."

Minnesota Theater Love: https://bit.ly/2HZvIw6
"This show reminded me of a time that I LOVED hanging out in record stores. With the first song, "The Last Real Record Store," the audience was all about this show. Minneapolis Musical Theatre's tagline is "Rare Musicals. Well Done." and it's absolutely true."

Holiday Shows - TCTB Review Roundup

Our bloggers have a few more delightful holiday shows for your consideration:

Theater Latte Da's A CHRISTMAS CAROLE PETERSEN through December 23:"The stories are funny and sad and heartwarming, and the music beautiful and cheery. The joy radiating from the stage is contagious."
Minnesota Theater Love: http://bit.ly/love_pete
Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_pete

Minneapolis Musical Theatre's THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK CHRISTMAS MUSICAL through December 23:
"TGATPCM is a delightful show for your holiday season. Not for the easily offended--there's a lot of creative swearing--although the characters transcend their stereotypical origins. The cabaret at Camp Bar is the perfect setting for this story about down-to-earth folks celebrating Christmas in their own way."
Minnesota Theater Love: http://bit.ly/love_trailer
Cherry and Spoon: http://bit.ly/cs_trailer

Yellow Tree Theatre's A GONE FISHIN' CHRISTMAS through December 31:"A perfect mix of heart and humor wrapped up in local jokes that we love so well, with a talented cast that makes these characters and the sweet and silly story sing."
Cherry and Spoon:http://bit.ly/cs_fishin