Twin Cities Community Theater Beat

Ariel has never felt like she fit in with her family and her surroundings. She has glimpses of a different world and imagines a new life for herself, but can’t make her father understand, so she ends up taking a dangerous risk to try to live her dream. Yes, she’s a mermaid. But there’s a universality to the story of Ariel’s search for the place and identity that makes her feel at home, and that’s a big part of what makes The Little Mermaid an enduring story. It's about a colorful and musical ocean world, but it's also about risking everything for the chance at true happiness. This is my second time attending a 4 Community Theatre, but my first at Orono High School Auditorium; it’s on the smaller side for a theater, and the stage isn’t raised at all, which is unusual, but the acoustics were better than some other spaces I’ve been in.   I happened to attend the sensory-friendly performance, and I thought 4CT did a really clever thing by preparing a pre-show slide sho...

Rent is one of the most iconic shows in musical theater history. Based more or less on the opera La Boheme , it follows a group of young people in 1980s New York trying to find their purpose or just trying to live despite poverty, addiction, and illness. The show is propelled by a rock and roll score, bold characters, and the sense that time is limited and precious - primarily because  multiple characters are living with AIDs at a time when long-term survival still felt like a longshot. This show brought me for the first time to Inver Grove Heights Community Theatre, which performs at the Simley High School Performing Arts Center. Due to COVID concerns, some of the cast was masked for the performance I attended. One thing I appreciated from this theater group was the inclusion of cast and crew pronouns in the program. That's something I'd love to see catch on. It's certainly helpful for me as a reviewer to know that I'm referring to people correctly! Quinn Forrest Mas...

 Sorority girl Elle Woods is ready to start her perfect future with her perfect boyfriend  — and even when he dumps her, she's sure that their love will win in the end. Her dedication gets her into Harvard Law School, but it's not the success she imagined. Eventually, Elle realizes that she'd rather use the law to help people than keep chasing her ex. But can she be her true self and still be taken seriously? Minneapolis Community Education had the second Legally Blonde  of the summer, and it's always fun to see which elements stay the same or change from one production to another. Minneapolis Community Education isn't primarily a theater group; its main focus is offering affordable classes to the community on all sorts of topics. But it's a natural decision to make use of the available resources (e.g. a nice performance space) and talent to put on a show! I really enjoyed last year's Matilda , despite the limitations of the outdoor space (mainly relating to...

Bobby is the kind of guy who always imagined he would get married someday, but as he turns 35 he realizes he’s reached “someday” with no marriage or even a serious relationship, even though he’s surrounded by married friends. This is the premise of Company, and as the show progresses we watch Bobby try to make sense of what marriage is about and what’s held him back from getting married himself. An interesting aspect of Company is that the scenes don’t go in chronological order.   The show starts and ends with two different versions of Bobby’s birthday party, and in between are vignettes of Bobby interacting with his married friends and women that he’s dated.   In act one, Bobby tries to make sense of his friends’ relationships, but he doesn’t really understand what makes their marriages work.   In act two, we see that Bobby’s friends rely on him for validation and vicarious freedom – in some ways, they’re a part of his single status.   Meanwhile, Bobby is try...