WOW - Northern Lights/Southern Cross

The Guthrie presents

An Interact Theater production of

Northern Lights/Southern Cross:Tales from the Other Side of the World

an international collaboration with Australia’s Tutti Ensemble

Now through November 8th, 2009

I had the pleasure of taking in a preview production of this fine piece of theater with my beautiful wife on the one year anniversary of the day that I proposed to her at the Guthrie. I cannot believe how lucky we are to have stumbled upon such a gem.

Rarely am I moved to tears during live theater. It is weird, because I can cry pretty easily during a sappy chick flick, and I love live theater a ton more than that, but it is a rarity for me to get emotional enough to let a tear fall. I can think of a few productions that have done it...

Spring Awakening on Broadway

In the Heights on Broadways

Parade the Musical during its original North American tour

Rent in its latest tour with the original Roger and Mark

Okay....there may be a few more, but for all of the shows I have seen, my point is that it doesn't happen often. However, in Norther Lights/Southern Cross the tears were a-flowin'!

N.L./S.C. is incredibly difficult to describe. It is like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. The play is centered around the story of Kevin Kling, a Twin Cities' storyteller who was in a significant motorcycle accident. His story is at the heart of this piece. Kling plays a character with a very similar story in this production and he does it with amazing tenderness and humor. He is truly a remarkable gift to the Twin Cities.

Playing his wife in the production is Australian, Catherine Campbell. Catherine is a fine example of the collaboration between Minnesota's Interact Center and Australia's Tutti Ensemble. If it weren't for this collaborations, us Minnesotans would have never been exposed to Campbell's grace and amazing storytelling abilities. She brings us through the heartbreak of almost losing a husband with strength and humility.

Did I mention the show had huge influences in Aboriginal and Native American storytelling. Somehow the blend of these two ostracized groups works SO well with Kling's story of recovery. It is hard to explain how it happens, but somehow we are introduced to a multitude of cultural influences in the 75 minute play and not one of them feels out of place. We get didgeridoo, fancy dance, tribal drums, and a gospel choir!!!!

But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the evening comes from the Interact Center's chorus of actors playing clowns. The Interact Center is a group charged with providing distinct arts opportunities for people with disabilities. The clowns, allow the hyper-fantastic theatrical experience of N.L./S.C. to be rooted in something beautifully human. The moments they are on stage help lift the piece from the stage and into our hearts as audience members.

The bad news...I hear it is selling out quickly! I encourage you to get tickets if you can while they are still available!

Pictures Courtesy of GuthrieTheater.org

Mary Poppins - Oh so good!!

It has been a while since I have posted on here...mostly because life got busy with the wedding and we haven't really been out to any musical, plays, or even movies! Grrrr Summer! But alas, our season tickets for the Orpheum/State theaters have started!!

Our first show of the season was Mary Poppins! I have yet to not enjoy a Disney Broadway experience (and I think I have seen them all except Tarzan...which went away VERY quickly!) Mary Poppins did not let us down! I have been somewhat unimpressed by many of the touring shows that have come our way recently come our way because of their paired down orchestrations and mediocre casts. Mary Poppins was the opposite of that. With many of the cast members who originated their roles on Broadway, this was one tour that spared no expense, with many of the original special effects from Broadway came along with the show!

The dancing in the show was absolutely fabulous! Some of the coolest MASS tapping that I have ever seen. Not to mention tapping on the ceiling...wow!

Go see this...it is a delight from beginning to end!

Frozen Yogurt Fun!!!! - Freeziac

I haven't talked food yet on here, but those who know me well know that I LOVE FOOD!!! Sarah and I had a new find tonight and best of all...it is not too expensive and pretty healthy! I know...WHAT!?!

There is a new frozen yogurt joint in Eden Prairie (on the corner of 5 and Eden Prairie Rd...by Kowalski's)! It is called Freeziac and I encourage you to check out their website as it explains the concept much better than I could. Basically, it is REAL cultured frozen yogurt (fat free) and tons of topping choices! We had been big fans of the LeeAnn Chin frozen yogurt, but it is kind of expensive and not a ton of options! Freeziac is the opposite! I had a Pomegranate Yogurt with a great granola and white chocolate chips. What is so cool is that it is all self serve...so you can load up your toppings if that is how you want it (another criticism of normal frozen yogurt joints...you never get enough toppings)!

Why do I sound like a commercial for Freeziac!?!? Frankly...I have visions of it closing, mostly because Sarah and I lose our favorite new finds all of the time because not enough people go to them (ie...Mix and Nick and Willy's Pizza). People of EP and Chanhassen...let us all do our part to keep Freeziac open!!!!!

MMMM MMMMM Happiness

Julie and Julia!

Sarah and I took in a surprisingly packed 1:00 pm showing of Julie and Julia. I don't know if it was the rain, the high unemployment rate, or just the buzz around this movie, but it was hard to find a seat for this wonderful movie!

As someone who enjoys being in the kitchen, this movie was an inspiration to make an intricate meal. I have always found Julia Child's incredibly fascinating and this movie is a great summation of that. Meryl Streep nails this performance. She looks like she is having so much fun in this role...it is contagious to the viewer! If you haven't seen this yet, make time for it this weekend!

The Science Museum of Minnesota - Titanic

Sarah and I had one of our final "hot" dates tonight as a non-married couple! We have been trying to get to the Titanic Exhibit at the Science Center all summer, but got so busy. So today, we decided to just go for it! I won't talk about it too much, but I have a few comments!

- First...the science museum is amazing in the evening on a weekday! It was so quiet, we pretty much had free reign over all of the exhibits. It was definitely the only time I have been there when you could actually take your time and move about the exhibits. I would not hesitate to go again in the evening...the museum is open until 10pm!

- The Titanic exhibit is pretty cool. Sarah and I enjoyed it very much. We both got audio tours which I enjoyed also. I would check it out if you get a chance!

- Titanica Omni Theater Movie is not as good as I was hoping for! Neither Sarah or I learned much from the movie that we didn't already know (except that J.P. Morgan had a suite reserved for him on the Titanic, but he cancelled at the last minute...oops...I just spoiled it for you). In all honesty, skip the cost of the omni theater ticket, pay the $5 for the audio tour, and when you are all done...go home and watch the Hollywood Titanic movie! Titanica focused a lot on a slow serious of pictures of underwater parts of the sunken ship. However, they don't reference what the items were...so half the time Sarah and I couldn't figure out what they were showing. I prefer the Hollywood movie where it shifts from the underwater parts to the computer imaging of what the ship looked like!

Overall, Sarah and I sure did enjoy our 'hot' date!!

A Chorus Line - Orpheum Theater - Minneapolis, MN

Sarah and I made a spontaneous week day excursion to see A Chorus Line at the Orpheum last night. Neither of us had ever seen this classic, nor did we know much about it going in. Basically, we were just hoping this "classic" piece of American musical theater would not let us down like Phantom of the Opera did earlier this month!!

I am going to be honest and say that - for me - this was one of the best touring productions I have seen all year! Besides Spring Awakening and maybe the final tour of Rent with the original Mark and Roger, we have seen some rough touring productions this year. Many of come across cheap and weak. Not A Chorus Line! I enjoyed this simple production immensely!

I wish I could say the same for Sarah. She struggles with musicals that don't have elaborate set pieces or lots of action. That is definitely not A Chorus Line!

This show is simple with very little set. The lighting was really solid and the sound was better than many of the touring shows we have seen too. Overall, the acting and dancing were so strong that I was sucked up in this production from the opening moments all the way until the showy curtain call. I guess this is one show that Sarah and I are going to have to disagree about!

Next weekend...it is all about Singin in the Rain at the Ordway! I hope it is better than I think it will be! :)

Phantom...missing the big deal!

Last weekend, Sarah and I took in the touring production of Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis. We were kind of excited to take it in because neither of us had ever seen it and it is kind of a well known show!

I want to preface this all by saying that I am sure somewhere (a long time ago) Phantom was probably really good! I but it was quite the thing to see. However, something about this tour was missing and it felt so watered down that it was lacking almost any REAL human emotion. Not that I have to be moved every time I see a play, but I expect theater to make me feel SOMETHING!!!

It is hard to pin point the real problems with the show. The sets were delightful (albeit some of them looked a little cheap) and the costumes were incredibly beautiful! The actors all held their own, but something was still missing? Needless to say, I walked out feeling like I couldn't figure out what all of the fuss was about!