Twin Cities Community Theater Beat

Before last week, I wasn't sure if I liked Guys and Dolls . I saw it once about 15 years ago and it didn't make much of an impression on me. I knew it had a few memorable songs, but was the plot kind of dull? And wasn't there a questionable scene with alcohol in Havana? Well, thanks to Ashland Productions, I know now that I do like Guys and Dolls . I think my different experiences then and now have a lot to do with age. This is a show about adults with adult concerns: the characters wonder if they should stay in or leave relationships, if they should settle down, if they should change careers... It didn’t reel me in when I was younger, but the characters are awfully relatable now that I’m an adult myself! Guys and Dolls follows a handful of characters through an eventful few days of their lives in a quasi-realistic Depression-era New York City. Nathan Detroit is trying to find a location to host his illegal gambling ring, while his girlfriend Adelaide wonde...

A big thank you to everyone who has been following this blog through its first (calendar) year!  This project has been great for me personally; I’ve seen a lot more shows than I was making it to before, and I’m starting to recognize names and faces in different places, which is a fun benefit.  In 2020 I hope to review more shows and improve my process so that it doesn’t take me quite so long to write each post. I’ve already got a few winter shows lined up, so I’m excited to get back into it. There were some shows in 2019 that I saw but didn’t review for the blog, and holiday travel (plus an overly ambitious crafting project) kept me from writing full reviews of the two versions of Beauty and the Beast that I saw in November and December.  There are one or two details, though, that I couldn’t let go of, and so I’m going to give a few highlights from both of those productions. Can I assume that everyone knows the plot of Beauty and the Beast ? Belle lives with h...