Year: 2005

Yes, it seems outlandish, but that’s the correct title. Charlotte Bronte’s classic tale of bitterness and resignation, rendered as a musical. Poor dowdy Jane cultivated an air of invisibility as she skulked about doing her menial work and watching her cruel crush woo other ladies, so the very thought of this mousy heroine breaking into song is a stretch. Nor is this happy ending any kind of Cinderella story. Yet somehow John Caird’s play, with music by Paul Gordon, earned five Tony nominations when it appeared on Broadway. How? By looking on the bright side of things! Laurine Price and Tim Kuehl star as plain Jane and the angst-ridden Rochester, diving head-on into the whirl of emotions that makes this Gothic romance so compelling. 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-673-0404; www.aboutmmt.org

It’s usually not a good thing when your landlord takes an interest in your love life. But in Annie Wilson’s case, a little meddling is just what she needs. Having recently lost what she thought was the love of her life, she’s uprooted herself to a new apartment across town. The landlord tells her 3A is the best apartment in the building, in large part because of a mysterious yet eligible next-door neighbor. Apartment 3A was penned by the actor Jeff Daniels, the oddball everyman whom we loved in Something Wild (and who currently appears in the family flick, Because of Winn-Dixie). 245 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-333-3010; www.theatreintheround.org

Game show hosts, goateed beatniks, and a chorus line of bathing beauties? Why, it could only be a McCarthy hearing! Time Track Productions takes an absurdist look at the red scare by envisioning the questioning of J. Robert Oppenheimer as a fifties-era variety show. It’s hard to take on the politics of fear, whether vintage or contemporary, without being heavy-handed, so The Train Wreck is Proceeding Nicely takes the opposite tack, inviting the audience to join the father of the atom bomb and suspected Commie on his romp through patriotism, conscience, camp films, and the late, late, late show. 1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-340-1725; www.southerntheater.org

Our love for Belgium doesn’t stop at frites and chocolate; the Flemish have as much a knack for the avant-garde as their Dutch neighbors. Take De Onderneming, the minimalist, director-free company that is the latest import in the Guthrie’s World Stage Series. This four-member troupe of street performers will reprise The Notebook and The Proof, a company-created double bill that was a smash at last year’s Edinburgh Theater Festival. Juggling characters, set elements, and the poetic texts of Hungarian author Agota Kristof (translated into English, mind you), the company tells the story of two brothers in a war-torn country. To survive, they devise a language and moral code all their own that, inevitably, tears them apart. Years later, when one tries to reunite with the other, the brothers’ history–that version of truth they invented together–is still there, waiting to be wrestled with. 700 First St. N., Minneapolis; 612-377-2224; www.guthrietheater.org

By now you’ve probably heard all about the New York wunderkinds, Andrew Rasmussen and Rob Laqui, who are bringing Andrew Lippa’s award-winning jazz musical to town. But Joseph Moncure March remains obscure. He’s the man whose 1928 prose-poem spectacular inspired the musical, which recounts the booziest, bawdiest, sleaziest and most stylin’ bash in 1920s Manhattan. Read more about March in Over the Coals (page 81), and then head to St. Paul and get wild with all those jazz babies. 651-290-1221; www.thewildpartymusical.com

As the baby boomers age, we expect to see a lot more shows set in retirement communities. And why not? As a latter-day version of dorm life, with drugs (non-recreational), sex (nineteen women for every guy), and gossip (what else is there to do all day?), it makes for perfect theatrical fodder. In this play, set in Florida, naturally, a rash of murders exposes the ill will of just about every resident in a retirement community. They all have good reasons to bump off their neighbors–and trust us, it’s not just about money, in a world in which an attractive man is a breathing one. This wicked comedy was the talk of last year’s Fringe festival, and it’s back for a proper, twisted run. 528 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-339-4944; www.illusiontheater.org

This 27-year-old Harlem painter has hundreds of collectors on a waiting list for his work–artists don’t get any hotter than he is right now. At first glance, the six paintings by Wiley on view here are a crack-up. Handsome young black men in urban street wear assume classic poses of religious figures and events like St. Michael, the Annunciation, even the Marriage of the Virgin; they are rendered against (or really, within) electrically ornate, often Renaissance- or Baroque-style backgrounds. Man, it’s tough to look tough when you’re surrounded by pretty little flowers. At second glance, you get pulled into Wiley’s deft use of oils. His bold, graphic approach blends the in-your-face appeal of poster art with the subtlety and symbolism of the Old Masters (whom he also mimics by using assistants to paint all those dazzling backgrounds). 1021 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-872-7494; wwwfranklinartworks.org

Where have all the pizzas gone? It’s getting hard to find one that hasn’t been gussied up with odd toppings like potatoes and corn, or with a dull wheat crust, or some oily white stuff that isn’t pizza sauce by anyone’s stretch of the imagination. A real pizza is a simple affair: salty mozzarella, zesty tomato sauce, and a perfectly chewy white-flour crust. And it should be big enough to feed at least three people–dainty one-person/appetizer pizzas don’t count. Is that so much to ask for? Not at Gina Maria’s, where they nail the crust, the spicy sauce, and the really good cheese requirements, and stick to classic toppings. With thirty years in the business, Gina Maria’s got the recipe right a long time ago. 7416 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie; 952-937-1589; 14655 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka/Hopkins, 952-933-5735; 330 E. Lake Drive, Chanhassen; 952-934-6600

What’s with the lodgification of the outer metro–this idea that if you give your restaurant a northwoods lodge feel, people will believe they are on vacation? The latest entry on the knotty-pine-everywhere scene is Big Buck Roadhouse, which comes complete with a giant portrait of the titular buck. Of course you’d expect a menu full of rich venison and big beefy burgers, and you’d be right, but there are some offerings that go beyond the expected, like the rustic scallop stew and the seared yellowfin tuna, a bright choice amid all those landlubbing animals. The lamb shanks come with a tangy side of cheddar grits and the brick chicken is juicy and tender. Service can be spotty, but with a little more time, they should work out the kinks. 17805 Highway 7, Minnetonka; 952-380-0333

Judging by the elbowroom during a recent happy hour, this place hasn’t completely caught on yet. But it’s a short drive across the river to East Hennepin for the downtown set, and one that is amply rewarded. The signature martinis, which feature exotic infusions, defy easy categorization. This much we know: The tastes are complex and stunning. An organic fruit plate and a selection of vegetarian spreads were equally satisfying, while a turkey breast sandwich garnished with prosciutto and a chicken salad to go made the family at home very happy. (The happy-hour prices made us very happy.) The evening ended with a hot chocolate infused with ginger that did more for winter respiratory distress than the course of antibiotics we’d just finished. And the aroma in the adjacent boutique, stocked with Horst Rechelbacher’s elixirs, is the perfect cure for a long day in a downtown office. 983 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-617-2000