January 2008
January 31, 2008What does Obama have to do with MN arts?
Last week's New Yorker offered an article on the "post-racial politics" of Newark mayor Cory Booker, an African-American and a friend of Sen. Barack Obama, with whom he shares an idealism about racial cooperation. Here, our thriving arts scene is launching into a season of perhaps the most frank and imaginative exploration of race we've seen in many years. Not that any of the shows are necessarily billed as such--and this, I think, is promising. While it's dangerous to think we can move on as a society without bringing special attention to this issue, it's progress, I believe, in a state as white as this one to think we can broach the discussion with the same comfort... Read more » Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (0) |
|
January 23, 2008Theater: "Poetry of Pizza" a slice of fun, "Blue Door" beckons
I like pizza. I like some poetry. But I never expected I would like a play about both of them nearly so much. Like a well-appointed pie, The Poetry of Pizza, now playing at Mixed Blood Theater through February 10, strikes a balance between lightness, heaviness, and simple good vibes--if sometimes uneasily. Mostly, I was impressed how well Ron Wenzel, who's featured here with his co-star Stacia Rice from the Guthrie's Jane Eyre, nailed his part of a Kurdish pizzamaker in love with an American, from the accent to the moment... Read more » Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (2) |
|
January 18, 2008Frida's last stand; hot arts for cold times
Among the many reactions people have had to the Frida Kahlo retrospective that closes this Sunday at the Walker Art Center is how hot it is, both in its provocative, florid, subject matter and more literally--the show is not actually that big, but the crowds are. That could be good or bad this weekend for anyone seeking warmth. By all accounts, and I admit I've waited until tonight to see it expressly to avoid those crowds (a plan that may well backfire), it's worth the wait. Some folks waited up to 1.5 hours last night (the last free Thursday of the show), and still had a bien experience. That's music to the ears of the Walker, or more specifically: "chi-ching." Back in the fall, discussing the show with the media, they admitted it was actually more of a show for... Read more » Posted on Friday, January 18, 2008 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (0) |
|
January 11, 2008This month's must-see shows
Not sure you care for modern dance? Or any dance performance short of your own, in the living room, with sunglasses and...never mind. Just check out Black Label Movement, whose show about sailors about to expire in Lake Superior, called Wreck, runs tonight through January 20 at the Southern Theater. These guys reportedly sold out every show of their inaugural season last year, and I'm not surprised--I realized there was hope for me as a dance fan when their refreshing leader, choreographer/attorney Carl Flink, told me, "You know those newspaper photographs of football players stretched out parallel to the ground to catch the ball? That's how I want my dancers to be." Fearless, even reckless. Throwing their... Read more » Posted on Friday, January 11, 2008 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (0) |
|
January 4, 2008New plays you can be the first to see
Ya'll made it into 2008? Considering how my family back in Milwaukee used to celebrate (see: Cannibal sandwich, raw-egg eggnog), I'm surprised I did. But it's worth it, so I could live to see if my predictions for 2007 came true... Was the Frida Kahlo show the biggest local art event of the year? Si. Did the Warehouse District art revival happen? Sort of. Several new galleries moved in. But the bigger story now might be what's happening in South Minneapolis. For years the city's sleepy bedroom community, it's now home to the area's hottest restaurants and new... Read more » Posted on Friday, January 4, 2008 in Front & Center | Permalink | Comments (0) |
|
