Tag Archive | entertainment
in Events, Music, Theater, Uncategorized
Casey Kustak – Mill City Nights
My friend Casey Kustak will be performing his comedy routine this Saturday, December 15th. It is a great excuse to try out the new venue in town Mill City Nights. They are doing a night of music and comedy with headliners My Lady Four. Tickets are only $8 or $5 with a student ID.
The show starts at 8:30 but make sure you are there in time to see Casey who will be starting his set around 9:45PM. He uses his real life experiences as an inspiration and with two young children he has no trouble coming up with material. It is all written by him and is orignal. Some material may be slightly offensive so prepare yourself. Casey grew up in Minnesota and now lives out-of-state but I know he keeps Minnesota close to his heart.
because laughter can be the best medicine.
in Theater, Uncategorized
Elf – The Ordway
Elf is the perfect show to bring your family to this year. It is a fun and entertaining show for all age groups incorporating both child humor and adult humor perfectly. Despite the target audience being children there is enough in the story to keep adults attention. Plus, it is really wonderful to see their smiling faces.
I was sceptical when I found out someone was making a musical based upon the movie Elf. Kind of like when you hear a book is being made into a movie. But, this musical combined all of the funny one-liners and new material.
This show does run about 2 hours which may be a little long for very young ones but I saw many 6 year olds in the audience watching Buddy intently as he joyfully bounced around the stage.
Also, when you come to The Ordway you will be transported into the world of Christmastown thanks to Bachmans Floral who created a winter wonderland to the utmost detail. Believe me, it is magic.
The best part of all of this is that tickets start at 35 dollars making it an affordable holiday celebration.
Don't forget that by coming to see shows at The Ordway you are helping them bring 50,000 students in to see shows each year. You never know what show will bring a spark into a child's mind and help them become who they want to be.
because the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.
in Art, Theater
"Mama's Good to You" "Chicago" the musical -The Ordway
With a system called rec-i-pro-city, "Chicago" was one of the most entertaining shows that I have attended at The Ordway to date. The Audience was engaged from start to finish, clapping, cheering, and I think I heard a few cat calls. I would suggest front row seats to get up close and personal with some of the dancers and their convenient shirtless costumes. Goodness gracious, if you need an idea for a bachelorette party this would be the show to see.
I now know why Broadway does practice runs of their shows in Minnesota. We are awesome audience members who love a good performance. I cheered along with the other audience members in the middle of songs because I felt connected to each and every character. It was a genuine cast who played their parts much closer to what I saw as the original meaning of what the characters were supposed to be like. Roxy Hart (Tracy Shayne) was not the shy, kind, and nice character that I have seen portrayed in the role before. She wants to be a star and will be ruthless to get to the top. Amos Hart (Ron Orbach) was hilarious, self deprecating, nerdy, and most importantly not boring. I dread the song, "Mister Cellophane" and think it is the worst song in the show. Not this time, I found myself laughing along and enjoying Ron Orbach's choreography and movements.
The star of the show for me was Matron Mama Morton (Kecia Lewis-Evans) who stole the show with her voice. Mama knew how to work the audience with her tough love and introduced me to a new song called "Class" that I normally overlook.
Another standout performance came from Billy Flynn (John O'Hurley) who is famous for the role of "J. Peterman" on "Seinfeld". Other performances of "Chicago" that I have attended missed the boat on this character by putting in someone famous who couldn't sing at all. When this happens, you lose the magic in songs like "We Both Reached for the Gun" and "Razzle Dazzle" and it ruins the show. This was not the case with John O'Hurley, who delivered a wonderful performance with stunning vocals.
I cannot say enough about the wonderful cast. As an avid theatergoer I have seen "Chicago" several times. This version was different because of a smaller cast, a smaller set, and less props. There was only one part in the whole show that needed a bit more dazzle. Otherwise, in no way did smaller mean less entertaining. In fact, the "Cell Block Tango" was enhanced without the stupid jailhouse props that are usually used. The performers did not have to hide their voices behind any unnecessary props.
I am giving this version a round of applause because the second act did not suck. In the past, after watching the first act with most of the familiar hits in it, the second half seems boring and hard to stay awake during. The characters were witty and the humor carried me the songs that when listening, I usually wonder when they are going to be over and changed it to I don't want this to be over. The humor of the exit music and the interaction between the characters and the orchestra made the difference. It tied up the show with a big red bow or rhinestone buckled shoes.
"Chicago" will be running from August 7th-12th at The Ordway. You can go to their website to find out how to get tickets to this show and other shows for the 2012-2013 season. Bring all of your friends, your bachelorette party, and your mother to see this show and enjoy it as much as I did. Oh, and get those front row seats too!
Many thanks to The Ordway for letting me participate in Blogger Night.
The Ordway
because don't you deserve a sure thing?
in Events, Music
Winter Bluegrass Weekend
Every time I hear about a music festival like this I am proud to be a Minnesotan. We get a lot of talent to come to our cold state!
March 2nd-4th The Winter Bluegrass Weekend is happening at the Crowne Plaza in Plymouth. Over 3,000 people attended last year.
There are still tickets for the main act on Saturday, Steep Canyon Rangers at 9:30PM. This act is the current touring band with Steve Martin. There are workshops, jam sessions and artists playing all weekend.
See the website for more details HERE.
Because music can make your heart melt.