Recent content from Rohan Preston
Review: Husband-and-wife actors bring timeless love to life in 'On Golden Pond' at Minnetonka Theatre
Long-married couple Jim Cada and Susanne Egli honor the roles made famous on film by Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn.
After off-Broadway tryout, New York team revisits 'Scotland, PA' at Theater Latté Da
The comically macabre rock musical mashes up "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Macbeth" in small-town Pennsylvania
Review: Children's Theatre launches new season with spirited South African circus show 'Moya'
At only an hour, the music-infused performance is packed with talent and energy.
Best 10 theater musicals and dramas in the Twin Cities for fall 2024
From musicals like "Some Like It Hot" and "Scotland, PA" to solo shows by Patrick Page and Roger Guenveur Smith, Minnesota theaters have a lot on offer.
Watch for these seven up-and-coming young actors onstage in the Twin Cities
The theater performers, who have already demonstrated their skills with power and passion, unleash more this fall.
Review: With special effects buzzing, 'Back to the Future' bends time at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre
The musical adaptation of the 1985 film is chock-full of special effects that make the music sometimes seem like second fiddle.
South African circus 'Moya' leaps and flies through obstacles as it kicks off CTC's 2024-25 season
The acrobatic show includes dance and music as it illustrates stories of resilience.
Minnesota-based film star and Hollywood writer go 'Back to the Future' with Broadway musical
Retired Macalester professor Harry Waters Jr. and story writer Bob Gale muse on show's transition from iconic film to entertaining stage musical.
Minneapolis' HUGE Improv Theater to close in October
The comedy company, known for its longform sketches, has been in financial difficulty since moving into a $2.4 million home a year ago.
Review: With a spirited talkback, Mixed Blood's 'Equitable Dinners' redefines dinner theater
The series takes place in select people's homes and the conversation after the meal almost feels like the main event.
CTC's new leader Rick Dildine brings Southern charm and 'baby rave' energy to post
He has been keeping up with the Energizer Bunny pace set by his predecessor, even as he brings his own vision to the nation's biggest theater for youth.
After the 'Beautiful' turn at Chanhassen, Broadway actor Monet Sabel puts down Minnesota roots
The California-raised, New York-based actor who embodied Carole King embraces swimming in lakes, her newfound friends and the expansive food scene.
2 key leaders abruptly resign from Huge Improv Theater
Controversy over marginalized groups creates fractures in the Minneapolis longform comedy company.
New artistic director Justin Lucero brings ambition and Broadway lights to Theater Latté Da
He has stepped boldly into the chair left by the theater's founding director, Peter Rothstein.
Shh. Tickets to musical version of Prince's 'Purple Rain' have gone on presale to some lucky fans
Those who signed up are getting dibs to buy a finite set of tickets during a limited window.
Don't miss four tap-happy musicals and plays closing out summer's dog days
"Little Shop," "Newsies," "English" and "The Outsider" are among the last-chance shows.
Review: Streisand, Angelou and Wheaties evoked in the eclectic Minnesota Fringe Festival
The 31st edition of the festival has its finger and some toes on the unsettled zeitgeist.
Minnesota Fringe Festival is smaller in 2024, but still is wild and wooly with 100-plus shows
For its 31st year, the festival includes campy drag shows, whimsical dances, one-man whodunit and imaginative theater.
Review: Artistry's 'Newsies' thrills as it leaps off the stage in Bloomington
Director Ben Bakken works the huge cast into an entertaining lather.
Review: Is Guthrie's Pulitzer Prize winner 'English' too subtle for its own good?
The play centers on interpersonal relations as Iranian students take a language class but is haunted by historic geopolitical ghosts.
Review: Pop styles, spunk and sparkly outfits rule in Ordway's 'Six,' back for a zesty third time
The remix of history reclaims the herstories of the Tudor queens as channeled by pop princesses.
Hitchcockian psycho thriller 'Rope' gets back to its stage roots at Gremlin Theatre
Peter Christian Hansen, who has never seen the film, says his staging of the play will feature interesting similarities and differences.
Jeff Bartlett, lighting designer and former Southern Theater artistic director, dies at 73
The "painter with lights" helped performing arts companies launch even as he helped artists realize their visions onstage.
Review: Guthrie serves up macabre wit with summer sleeper musical 'Little Shop of Horrors'
The theater's first production of the 1982 show makes light, fun work of the bloodthirsty plant.
Review: Latino update of 'Romeo and Juliet' in Minneapolis thrills as 'Rent'-like musical
The collaboration between the Bach Society and Teatro del Pueblo feels vital as it resets the Bard's work in a Mexican border town.
Guthrie summer musical 'Little Shop of Horrors' leans into its B-movie roots
It's a popular show across U.S. stages. But director Marcia Milgrom Dodge promises Minneapolis a definitive production of the cult musical that teases out its deeper themes.
Wanna be in the 'Purple Rain' Broadway musical? Producers have started casting in Minneapolis.
During an event Saturday, the creative team reassured fans that the new show will retain Prince's essence: "We're going to introduce 'Purple Rain' to a whole new generation."
Dates announced for world premiere of Prince's 'Purple Rain' musical
The show will begin at the State Theatre, blocks from First Avenue, the nightclub where Prince filmed much of his 1984 film.
Dennis Oglesby, St. Paul pastor and half of Twin Cities power couple, dies at 64
A mentor and encourager, Oglesby "lived out the values that we as a community most affirm."
History Theatre's murder musical 'Glensheen' keeps fans coming again and again
The show, which leans into the crime's "murder, millions and mansion," returns to St. Paul for another summer. The superfans will be there.
Hennepin Theatre Trust changes name to Hennepin Arts. It's now Minnesota's 2nd largest arts group.
The nonprofit merges with Historic Theatre Group, doubling its budget and staff.
Minnesotans are in the Broadway mix at the 2024 Tony Awards
Jessica Lange is nominated for best actress and "Suffs," backed by Minneapolis-based Stone Arch Theatricals, is up for best musical.
Review: 'Johnny Skeeky' gets an antic, broad update by Theater Latté Da
A Miami yacht is the stately site for a dying comic in this version of the one-act opera.
Review: Cirque du Soleil's 'Bazzar' mixes pedestrian and dreamy acts in Bloomington
The mini-United Nations company of acrobats and aerialists draw oohs and aahs for their physical dexterity.
Guthrie reports a record $3.8 million deficit
Audiences and donors have not come back in expected numbers, theater officials said.
Review: Michael Jackson fandom, rejoice – 'MJ' musical at the Orpheum thrills
The Broadway tour deftly captures the superstar's music, moves and appeal.
Lotto-winning Tennessee ex-monk helped bring Guthrie's epic Shakespeare History Plays to the stage
The three plays, which can be seen in a 13-hour marathon Saturday, have drawn patrons from 46 states and three countries.
Review: Ordinary, invisible worker is validated in Guthrie's gritty, poetic 'Skeleton Crew'
The cast did not miss a beat after an interruption caused a delay just three minutes before the play was to end at Friday's opening.
'MJ the Musical' offers a snapshot of Michael Jackson at top of his reign as King of Pop
Playwright Lynn Nottage says she wanted the show to celebrate MJ's music and life story, but not necessarily from beginning to end.
Guthrie's 'Skeleton Crew' interrupted by medical emergency on opening night
It happened 3 minutes before the end of the performance and caused a 35-minute delay.
Review: Ten Thousand Things' 'Spitfire Grill' crackles in minimalist staging
An ex-con helps folks in a small town imprisoned by their own stories and histories find renewed hope.
Guthrie's 'Skeleton Crew' reveals the pain and resilience of auto plant workers during the foreclosure crisis
We posed four questions to the cast and the director of the final play in Dominique Morisseau's Detroit trilogy.
Review: 'Blended Harmony' at History Theatre shines light on Minnesota's Kim Loo Sisters with style
With clever writing, catchy songs and strong performances, the ambitious Theater Mu co-production lives up to expectations.
Review: 'Flex' brings hoops and dreams to life at Penumbra Theatre
At a time when Minnesotans are hoping for a championship basketball run, the St. Paul theater has a real winner.
Jessica Lange is among the Minnesotans nominated for 2024 Tony Awards
Lange got the nod for playing the title role in Paula Vogel's "Mother Play." "Lempicka," "Suffs" and "The Who's Tommy," all with strong Minnesota ties, are also nominated.
'Blended Harmony' at History Theatre unearths tuneful history of the first Asians on Broadway
The Minneapolis-born Kim Loo Sisters cut a melodic path on American stages, entertaining under the lights but also in patriotic shows for troops.
Review: CTC's 'A Year With Frog and Toad' doesn't miss a step despite actor's departure
The cast performs admirably after a lead actor left the revival two days before opening night.
Broadway actor quits CTC's 'A Year With Frog and Toad' 2 days before opening night
Jay Goede originated the role of Frog at the theater in 2002, and played it on Broadway the following year.
'A Year With Frog and Toad' closes a chapter at CTC
Peter Brosius readies his swan, er, swamp song, after 27 years as the artistic director with the musical that went from Minneapolis to Broadway in 2003.
Review: Artistry's 'Sound of Music' continues buoyant comeback for Bloomington playhouse
In his directorial debut, Max Wojtanowicz finds balance in the staging and physical comedy of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.
Penumbra Theatre sets up to score with hoops dream play 'Flex'
Basketball drills meet acting chops at a moment when the zeitgeist is has gone wild for female athletic prowess.
A former deli maestro steps into Capt. von Trapp's shoes in Artistry's 'Sound of Music'
Rodolfo Nieto makes his leap from operatic singing and sandwich making to his biggest role on the theatrical stage.
Review: Guthrie's epic Shakespeare History Plays open in mountainous marathon
In the theater's once-in-a-generation production, Shakespeare's king stories strike chords that resonate from ancient England to contemporary America.
Guthrie's epic 12-hour Shakespeare marathon has 3 plays, 3 kings, 25 actors
Joseph Haj's vision for the History Plays taps 25 actors to tackle three dramas about the lust for power that eerily resonates with today's politics.
Ten Thousand Things Theater's artistic director to step down
Marcela Lorca guided the company's transition from its founder and through the pandemic and social justice upwelling.
New Children's Theatre managing director got her start in its basement
Wisconsin native Jill A. Anderson comes to Minneapolis via Syracuse, N.Y.
Review: Meme-ready 'Lion King' returns with thunderous family saga to Minneapolis
"Any story worth telling is worth telling twice," says medicine woman Rafiki. No lie there.
Review: Theater Latte Da's 'Color Purple' marries brutality with artistry
Nubia Monks and Angela Wildflower shine in an elegant production slated to transfer to New York.
From Minnesota to Broadway: Here are 7 shows that launched in the land of 10,000 lights
The Twin Cities also has been a jumping-off point for noted national tours.
'The Lion King' roars back to its first Pride Rock at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre
Hear from some of the Minnesotans and other artists present at the creation of the Julie Taymor-led juggernaut that's become the biggest-selling show in Broadway history.
Review: History Theatre's 'A Unique Assignment' salutes a Minnesotan hero in a segregation riot
Harrison David Rivers' play shines light on Henry Gallagher, who was in charge of James Meredith's security at Ole Miss.
Review: Five things that will keep kids engaged in CTC's 'Babble Lab'
Autumn Ness taps and isolates a battery of soupy sounds for this show about language development.
Review: Laughter is the real killer in 'Miz Martha Washington' at Mixed Blood
Backed by rap references and game show antics, James Ijames' satire is a riotous blast.
'Hamilton' resident director to stage 'Frozen' in Children's Theatre Company's new season
The 2024-25 roster includes a South African circus and the return of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
Review: 10 reasons why 'Beautiful' at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres makes the earth move under your feet
Monet Sabel personalizes Carole King in an interpretation that connects with the singer-songwriter's soul.
'Cabaret,' 'Lehman Trilogy,' Broadway star Patrick Page are part of the Guthrie's 2024-25 season
The roster also includes the 50th "Christmas Carol" plus shows by Pearl Cleage and Lloyd Suh.
Ordway's 2024-25 season boasts 'Mermaid,' 'Mean Girls,' 'Evan Hansen' and 'Ain't Too Proud'
The Disney musical will take the holiday slot, running for the month of December.
A 'Beautiful' daddy-daughter collab takes the stage in Chanhassen's Carole King musical
Michael Brindisi and Cat Brindisi-Darrow co-direct the show headlined by Monet Sabel, who played the legendary songwriter on the national tour.
Review: Interrupted by snafu, 'Clue' gets back to murderous fun at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre
Actors took the hiccup as inspiration during the national tour launch.
Review: A talking wall and a golem keep things strange in 'Hatmaker's Wife' at Ten Thousand Things
Director Joel Sass' minimalist production has flecks of twinkling magic.
Review: Guthrie's 'On Beckett' brings clownish entertainment to doyen of despair
With his engaging solo performance, Tony winner Bill Irwin makes the case for linking Samuel Beckett and circus arts.
Review: Penumbra offers rare vintage 'Wine in the Wilderness'
Lou Bellamy's staging of Alice Childress' play features a revelatory lead performance by Nubia Monks.
The Old Log, Minnesota's oldest theater, is shutting down
The abrupt closure slated for March 2 has taken alumni by surprise.
Review: Children's Theatre offers a trippy 'Alice in Wonderland'
While inventive and far out, Peter Brosius' production tamps down comparisons to psychedelic jaunts.
Tony winner Bill Irwin brings solo Samuel Beckett show to Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater
The masterful mime is marrying clowning to the stark works of the Irish dramatist.
