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About the Beat

The world of community theater is full of talented and hard-working people donating their time and energy to telling stories on the stage.  The shows that are created can be exciting, thought-provoking, frightening, funny--but they're all labors of love.  Community theater reviews are a way to recognize the skills that people bring to these shows and the moments that make these shows shine.

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Shrek: a Powerful Opener for Open Door

If you don’t like Shrek: the Musical , I have to wonder if you’ve even seen it.  Or maybe you have to see a community theater production to really get into it. I did see a professional version once and it wasn’t as good, but every community production I’ve been to or been in has been really enjoyable.  Maybe it’s that the show’s message is about embracing differences, but Shrek is better when it’s done by “real” people. This is not to insult professional actors or non-professional actors, but there is a difference between the performances that the audience can feel, and this time the advantage is definitely not with the professionals. Shrek , based on the animated film of the same name, is about a grumpy ogre who lives in a swamp.  When the short, title-hungry Lord Farquaad evicts all magical creatures from their homes and dumps them on Shrek’s swamp, the ogre ends up going on a quest with a talking donkey to rescue a princess in exchange for the deed to his swamp....
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"Rent" Rocks at Inver Grove Heights Community Theatre

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...
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I'm "Positive" You'll Enjoy "Legally Blonde" at Ashland Productions

When Elle Woods is dumped by her boyfriend because she’s not “serious” enough for him, she knows just how to get him back; she’ll get into Harvard Law School and prove in person just how serious she is. East Coast academia is a cold new world for a girl used to sorority life in the California sun, and Elle seems destined to fail, proving that everyone who thinks the worst of her is right. But with encouragement from new and old friends, Elle finds her footing and her drive, just in time for the biggest challenge yet – a murder trial! Can Elle win the case without compromising on who she is? There are some musicals I wouldn’t want to see over and over again, and a large part of that is whether the main characters are ones worth caring about.   Legally Blonde is a show that’s fun and energetic, but at its core it’s a show about doing what you believe in and building supportive friendships along the way.   Elle Woods may be vain and she may commit to things for t...
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