September 2009
September 28, 2009Hartnett Pal Premieres Minnesota-Made Movie
It's a good thing for Minnesota that Josh Hartnett is rarely home at his Lake of the Isles mansion. Hartnett and Rob Perez, a Hollywood scriptwriter, hit it off several years ago when they worked on the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights, which Perez wrote. Hartnett showed Perez the Twin Cities he loves—one filled with actors and set designers and producers and film crews. And when Perez mentioned his desire to hole up somewhere and write and direct a movie of his own, Hartnett offered the house. A year later, opening... Read more » Posted on Monday, September 28, 2009 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (0) |
|
September 25, 2009Hot to Trot: Sex and Dancing at the Opera
Before there were soap operas there were, well, operas. And among the best of these sexy spectacles, for real sensuousness rather than silliness, is The Pearl Fishers, by Bizet (of Carmen fame). Gone are the days when the sweet come-hithers of opera were voiced by mammoth singers who stood at the edge of the stage and belted; in recent years, opera has caught up to the rest of the entertainment world by putting its prettiest faces forward—and moving them around more. For its production, opening tomorrow at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, the Minnesota Opera has enlisted a couple of the hottest stars of the musical stage—Jesus Garcia, who won a Tony Award for his role in... Read more » Posted on Friday, September 25, 2009 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (0) |
|
September 22, 2009Who were the best actors of the past year?
The Ivey Awards, recognizing the best of the local theater, have hit their stride, I think. I can't imagine any quibbling about the productions and actors honored last night in the Ivey celebration at the State Theatre. Read the list and see if you don't agree. Interestingly, as the trend toward more and more musical productions continues across the theater landscape, a significant number of the shows and actors honored last night were involved in musicals, such as Caroline, or Change at the Guthrie Theater. Posted on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (0) |
|
September 21, 2009Wilde meets the Avengers at the Guthrie
One snowy weekend at a cabin in Wisconsin I realized the owner had acquired several seasons on video of the classic British TV show The Avengers. I proceeded to watch them all. The show is steeped in that early James Bond look, of the swinging '60s, as well as the classically dry British humor that turns the characters just a little off-kilter, dry to the bone, and yet somehow sexy. And now, in a twist that would have made the characters of that show proud, one of the latter-day Avengers actresses, Linda Thorson (who played Tara King), is here, at the Guthrie Theater, starring in The Importance of Being Earnest. Regarding the Guthrie's recent... Read more » Posted on Monday, September 21, 2009 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (0) |
|
September 3, 2009Don't be chicken: Cluckeoke at the Fair
Among the spectacles at the Minnesota State Fair: Giant hogs, giant pumpkins, giant people, you can now add Cluckeoke, karoake with clucking instead of singing. On Friday at 1 p.m. you can watch the finals at Gold'n Plump's booth on Cooper Street, on the east side of the food building. Expect arm flapping, butt-shaking, farm implements as instruments, and plenty of yuks, er, clucks. On Saturday, the Soap Factory continues its recent streak of intriguing events with the opening reception for The Austerity Cookbook, an exhibition indeed inspired by a vintage cookbook full of recipes for hard times. The art ranges from an apocalyptic landscape to dust-streaked wallpaper to miniature... Read more » Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2009 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (1) |
|
