Theater
Off-Broadway ice fishing
Nice Fish, Mark Rylance’s play based on the poetry of former Duluthian Louis Jenkins, made its off-Broadway debut at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn on Feb. 14 and continues its run through March 13. An article in The New Yorker notes Jenkins’ poems, “which are syncopated reveries about bologna sandwiches, sea lions, and the meaning of life, are integral to the Nice Fish script.”
Rylance won an Oscar on Sunday for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the Steven Spielberg film Bridge of Spies.
Perfect Play or Musical of 2015: Renegade’s Eastland
Renegade Theater Company has earned its second consecutive Perfect Play or Musical plaque, this time for a dramatic musical that marked the centennial of the tragic sinking of the SS Eastland. The 1915 shipwreck resulted in the death of 844 passengers, the largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes.
Titled Eastland: A New Musical, the play was partially inspired by Jay Bonansinga’s 2004 historical novel The Sinking of the Eastland: America’s Forgotten Tragedy. The show debuted in 2012 at the Lookingglass Theater in Chicago. Renegade’s staging in August 2015 was just the second professional production of the haunting musical written by Andrew White, with a folk, blues and ragtime score by Ben Sussman and Andre Pluess. (more…)
Poll: Best Play or Musical of 2015
Which Duluth-area theater production made your little Greek mask laugh or weep the most last year?
This poll has closed. The results were:
Renegade Theater Company’s Eastland – 44 percent
Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre’s Shrek – 31 percent
Duluth Playhouse’s Mary Poppins – 25 percent
The Plays of 2015
Before we launch PDD’s poll to determine the best play or musical of 2015, we present this list of every play or musical from the past year we could track down, with the hope that you’ll let us know in the comments if we’ve forgotten any.
Avenue Q – The Underground
Banning Around the Christmas Tree, or, The Last Noel of Don Ness – Rubber Chicken Theater
The Barber of Seville – Lyric Opera of the North
Behind the Shining Star – Duluth Playhouse Theatre for Young Audiences
The Birds – Renegade Theater Company
Blithe Spirit – St. Scholastica Theatre (more…)
Glensheen: the Musical
Glensheen, a musical based on the book by Jeffrey Hatcher and music and lyrics by Chan Poling, opens at the History Theatre in St. Paul on Oct. 3 and runs through Oct. 25.
Good lord. (more…)
Duluth-area Theater Primer 2015-2016
Theater season is upon us, and the Duluth/Superior area has you covered. There are a variety of shows happening every month, ranging from comedy to drama and something for the kiddos. (more…)
The Potluck: An integral part of our functionality
A brief peak into conversations at the UMD Costume Shop during last month’s run of Detestable Madness.
Perfect Play or Musical of 2014: Renegade’s Red
It was close, and it has to be considered an upset. Renegade Theater Company’s two-character biographical play, Red, staged in the roughly 100-seat Teatro Zuccone theater, was the winner in Perfect Duluth Day’s poll to name the best play or musical of 2014. It edged out the Duluth Playhouse’s centennial-marking, big-budget musical production of Les Misérables, which was staged in the 2,200-seat Symphony Hall at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
Poll: Best Play or Musical of 2014 (Final Ballot)
From the list of 18 nominated plays or musicals from last year, our previous poll trimmed it down to the final two. Now it’s time to ask, once and for all …
[poll id=”79″]
This poll is now closed. The results were:
Renegade Theater Company’s Red – 51.1 percent
Duluth Playhouse’s Les Misérables – 48.9 percent
Poll: Best Play or Musical of 2014 (Elimination Round)
The nominations are in and it’s time to vote. Which Duluth-area theater production made your little Greek mask laugh or weep last year?
[poll id=”78″]
This poll is now closed. These two plays advance to the final poll:
Les Misérables – Duluth Playhouse
Red – Renegade Theater Company
Best Play or Musical of 2014 Nominations
It’s time again to look back at the previous year of locally produced theater and choose the nominees for Best Play or Musical. In 2013, the Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre’s production of Cats took top honors. What was your favorite play of 2014?
Reviewing Hedwig and the Angry Inch
So I thought I would like to write a review of the rock-musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
I am new to writing full-blown reviews so I guess by default this will be the worst one ever… but also the best? I am by no means an expert on anything, nor should you hold my opinion to more or less value than you would hold to someone you just met on the street. My opinion is my own, but I would like to share it.
(more…)
Perfect Play or Musical of 2013: Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre’s Cats
It was a big year for Duluth theater in 2013, with eight productions receiving a significant number of votes for the honor of best play or musical. In the end, the Duluth Playhouse Children’s Theatre production of Cats emerged as the favorite.
(more…)
Glengarry Glen Ross
Last night, Kate and I went with our friend and colleague Elizabeth to see Glengarry Glen Ross.
There was a time in my life when I liked Mamet plays — it overlapped sharply with the time in my life that I liked Quentin Tarantino films. And while Reservoir Dogs will always have a place in my heart, that place has changed. I now think of it as one of many average “double-cross” movies, rather than a pressure-cooker of male aggression. But when I was a kid, oh man, it was all about the tough guys. (more…)
Opening Night of Reasons to be Pretty
Opening night of Reasons to Be Pretty is Thursday, June 2, at 8pm. Stick around after the show for the after party in the Zeitgeist lobby featuring food from the Zeitgeist Cafe and music by Mae Martin. Then, stick around for a free Long Form Improv set from the newly formed Long Form Team of Renegade Improv.
And if all that wasn’t enough, opening night is pay what you can! Only have $1? That’s fine! Feel like the show is worth $100? We will totally accept!
But come out and celebrate with us. Whatever you decide to pony up to see Reasons to Be Pretty also gets you free food and music, plus a free late-night improv set. Because we think you are all awesome and we like hanging out with you.
A Bloody Good Time
Renegade Theater Company presents Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutentant of Inishmore. (more…)
BOLD-choice Theatre presents The Peach
Battling Obstacles Living with Disabilities provides a unique style of theatre performance that exposes community and student audiences to the talents of individuals with disabilities, opening new channels for dialogue and providing a venue to “talk” across barriers. BOLD-choice Theatre Company is created by Choice, Unlimited.
(more…)
Renegade Theater Company Season Kickoff
The 2nd Annual Season Kickoff and Silent Auction is almost here! Join Renegade on Feb. 3 to celebrate what promises to be a year of excellent shows. Our event this year will once again include a silent auction and raffle, with tons of great items generously donated by community businesses. There is no cost to this event, but donations are more than welcome. (more…)
Rubber #@$! Chicken presents David #$@%! Mamet’s “American $#&*!@# Buffalo”
May was a great time for homegrown music. June is shaping up to be the month for homegrown theater.
Rubber Chicken Theater presents
“American Buffalo” by David Mamet
June 3-5, 10-12, 17-19
7pm at The Venue at Mohaupt Block.
Directed by Minden Anderson
Featuring Tony Barrett, Brian Matuszak and Tate Haglund-Pagel
218-213-2780, rubberchickentheater.com
The Birds, by Aristophanes by way of Van Halen
The 1980s is the updated feathers-and-glitter setting for Aristophanes’ political satire, spoken and sung by Emily Parr’s Harbor City School theater students. It’s Thurs-Sunday, April 29-May 2, 7 pm through Saturday, and 2 pm on Sunday. Don’t miss it–it’s at 322 Michigan St. in the Harbor City School Theater. The entrance is in the skywalk.
Colder gets older
Colder by the Lake‘s “Older by the Lake,” a comedy about aging, opens this Thursday night at Teatro Zuccone.
In the pic: Cathy Podeszwa, John Schmidt, Christa Schulz, Jack Setterlund and Gary Kruchowski. They guarantee the show will be “more fun than a barrel of reading glasses.”
This post is being published early on Sunday morning for a reason. The first person to write a comment on this wins two tickets to the opening night show (Thursday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.). It’s a reward for being up early on a Sunday and reading about oldness.
Oh, and don’t worry, the playbill is in large print.
Renegade Theater Company Grand Re-Opening
A new year, a new name, a new look. Renegade Comedy Theatre is changing its name to Renegade Theater Company. Please join us to celebrate! We’re having a party and silent auction fundraiser to coincide with the opening of our first show of our 2010 season, The Sparrow, on Thursday, Feb. 4. (more…)
Rubber Chicken Radio Hour has a permanent home at The Shack
The Rubber Chicken Radio Hour has a new permanent home at the Shack in Superior. (more…)
“Evil Dead” is campy Halloween fun for adults
Evil Dead: The Musical is definitely worth checking out.