Month: August 2006

Done in the style of an old-fashioned radio play, this production comes replete with the sound effects that go beyond approaching footsteps and door slamming. The zinger part of Kid-Simple’s plot is that its protagonist, a high school science-fair champ named Moll, has invented a hypersensitive listening device that amplifies the world around us. Minneapolis-based playwright Jordan Harrison has written in all sorts of crazy effects that set up the show’s sound artist, another local named Mike Hallenbeck, with quite the challenge. How to realize the racket of batting eyelashes, or create the sound of a field mouse’s growing toenails? Tom Keith, the Prairie Home Companion sound-effects maestro, might have some competition waiting in the wings. 1501 4th St. S., Minneapolis; 612-338-6131; www.emigranttheater.org

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece is notoriously thorny where film and stage adaptations, even the recent premiere that inaugurated the Guthrie’s new theater, are concerned. Leave it to a group of avant-garde New Yorkers to set aside the adaptation imperative and take on the whole enchilada: Basically, Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz is an unabridged audio version of The Great Gatsby performed, word for word, onstage. The conceit is that an ordinary office worker has cracked open the book and, as he gets drawn in, prevails upon coworkers to play out the scenes; the goal is to have certain Gatsby images spring to life onstage as they do, so indelibly, in the minds of readers. And apparently these Service folks have hit on something, receiving wondrous reviews in Brussels, Amsterdam, and Zurich (this is Gatz’s American premiere). While the onstage antics do add some humor that F. Scott never intended, be aware that this undertaking goes for six and a half hours—no joke. View it on consecutive evenings or take it all in during one marathon performance. 612-375-7600; www.performingarts.walkerart.org

This show was initially set to wrap in July. But after critics laid it on thick with praise and audiences started lining up for their sultry Tennessee Williams fix, the Torch Theater cleared the way for a run into September. No doubt one of the production’s biggest attractions is Stacia Rice, who wowed audiences a couple of years ago with her portrayal of Blanche DuBois (and is also at the helm of this new-ish company). Apparently she knows her strengths, now sinking her teeth into Maggie, the desirable but ultimately sex-starved and childless—and thus, of course, hysterical—woman at the heart of this classic. 711 Franklin Ave. W., Minneapolis; 952-929-9097; www.torchtheater.com

Coming up from the rambunctious Hijackers: a duet exploring the “unique gender” of male figure skaters, and a ballet set to tunes from a polka songstress called Lady Hard On. By boldly approaching modern dance with a certain irreverence, the veteran duo of Kristin Van Loon and Arwen Wilder have become widely known, and quite respected for their oddball tastes (they’ve been at it for a dozen years now, so they’re obviously winning people over). For example, they’re fond of presenting pop-video-style miniatures to dance audiences accustomed to longer and more ponderous fare. For this program they’ve divided their powers, each choreographing in isolation to create pieces for the other to perform. 1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-340-1725; www.southerntheater.org

All The King’s Men provokes more questions than interest: Why another version of Robert Rossen’s Oscar-winning 1949 film? To show that Sean Penn can outdo Broderick Crawford’s iconic Willie Stark? To introduce Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to modern audiences, and perhaps draw likenesses to the stumblebum currently in the White House? If so, that’s a stretch—Willie Stark is nothing if not Huey Long, governor of Depression-era Louisiana and probable failed presidential candidate. With apologies to Lloyd Bentsen, George W. is no Kingfish. The remake boasts an all-star cast trolling for golden statuettes and looks like a pleasant diversion for folks who enjoy big-budget costume and set design, but something tells us you’re better off renting the original.

Showing as part of the Heights Theater’s eightieth-anniversary celebration, Vincente Minnelli’s masterpiece is not to be missed on the big screen. For all its nostalgic kitsch, this musical—one of the golden era’s finest—is surprisingly powerful. The gossamer plot, involving nothing more than Father Smith landing a job in New York, thus forcing his family to leave beloved St. Louie behind, meshes perfectly with the music and spot-on performances. Most notably, of course, Judy Garland plays one of the Smith daughters, falling in love, growing up, and singing all the way. Margaret O’Brien, who played younger sister “Tootie,” will introduce the film.

Even though it was filmed here and directed by a Norwegian native, Factotum, based on the Charles Bukowski novel, is anything but Minnesota Nice. Like this spring’s film version of Ask The Dust—based on the novel that got Bukowski started as a writer—Factotum offers up Hollywood beauties playing the bums. This time it’s Matt Dillon as Henry Chinaski, the alcoholic who can’t hold even the most menial job to support his booze and writing habits, and Marisa Tomei as Laura, the down-on-her-luck broad whom Chinaski will use and abuse. On one hand, we hope Factotum will retain at least some of Bukowski’s edgy humor and eye for squalor, but on the other hand, his treatment of women could, to say the least, use some softening.

“God will forgive them. He’ll forgive them and allow them into heaven. I can’t allow that.” So begins Shane Meadows’ haunting and violent revenge thriller, Dead Man’s Shoes. When a British soldier returns to his backwater Midlands village to find his mentally challenged brother has been violated by a gang of local goons, he takes it upon himself to eliminate the thugs one by one. The vengeful, steely intensity of Paddy Considine’s performance has been compared to DeNiro as Travis Bickle. Released in Britain in 2004 to high praise, and boasting an outstanding soundtrack, the film never gained traction here; it will undoubtedly slip onto the current-release shelf and then vanish. But like so many forgotten hard-boiled thrillers of the past—Edgar Ulmer’s Detour comes to mind—Dead Man’s Shoes stands a chance of gaining a much-deserved cult following.

Michel Gondry has used his camera to view the world with an inquisitive and child-like vision in features like Human Nature and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which he collaborated on with writer Charlie Kaufman. The Science of Sleep, in which the Frenchman also took on screenwriting duties, is another exercise in topsy-turvy reality. Here, Gael García Bernal’s lonely Stéphane is a guy who’s a little too caught up in his quirky dreams, creating an imaginary “Stéphane TV,” replete with cooking shows that feature recipes of the subconscious. Returning to his childhood home after the death of his father, he meets a kindred spirit in Stéphanie, played by the striking Charlotte Gainsbourg. When he falls in love with this woman, who grows frustrated at his odd behavior, Stéphane is forced to confront the “reality” of his life.

Dufner’s humbly makes a fantastic sandwich. Located in an unsexy Plymouth strip mall, it’s the destination for anyone looking for something beyond the average sub. First of all, the breads are fresh. And moving on from the basic deli menu, which includes tasty homemade soups, are serious offerings like the grilled salami hoagie with Swiss cheese and tart pepperoncini. The baked chicken sandwich with crispy bacon is beyond juicy, and the jalapeño burger is enough to provoke giddy jokes about “hot lunch.” If only there were more of these independent sandwich makers; they’d bring the chain shops, with their rubber-bread, mayo-drenched, uninspired creations, to their knees. 3900 Vinewood Ln. N., Plymouth; 763-553-9375