From now until August 31st, Hedwig and the Angry Inch will be playing at the Jungle Theater. Featuring a cast of local talent, including Jairus Abts as Hedwig and Ann Michels as her husband Yitzhak, the production is most comfortable during the music numbers and flounders some during monologues. Though shrill and sluggish at times, … Read more
Notes From the (e) Mailbag: Subject: Ban Thai. "I went to the most wonderful Thai restaurant in White Bear Lake last night," wrote Julia Barton recently. "I live in White Bear Lake and I found out it’s been open and I’d never even heard of the place. I talked to the waiter/husband of the chef/owner … Read more
FRINGE FESTIVALDying in Public Places Lust. Terror. Violence. Outbursts of Song. All of these can happen when stuck in an invisible box… cannibalism too. Dying in Public Places: a darkly comic new musical, written by Keith Hovis and directed by Jenna Papke, premieres August 1st at 10:00 pm as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. … Read more
Local celebs in attendance tonight include Brenda Langton and some guy who’s supposed to be the funniest in the cities, whom I did see open at Acme for a genuinely funny (but non-local) guy. We three, and several others, were taking in the Fringe Festival Preview: Out-of-Towners’ Showcase at the West Bank’s Bedlam Theater. While … Read more
Those of you who claim to have known the Twins would be playing for first place on the next-to-last night in July, please stop lying. Other commitments prevented me from going down to the Dome for Slowey’s shutout on Monday and the marvelous manufacture of five runs in the fifth en route to a 6-5 … Read more
flickr/lloydletta **While there are scores of bloggers out there committed solely to Fringe Festival reviews, The Rake is striving to offer you a unique, insiders’ perspective. We won’t tell you, "Be sure not to miss…!" What we will provide is a behind the scenes glimpse of life as a local actor, director, everyday- theater-goer. The … Read more
THEATER Caviar on Credit Caviar on Credit, directed by Marcela Lorca (The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde), casts 14 players in the comedic mystery of swindler Walter Jackson Junior. A case of masked identity and repeat suckers, the actors take turns playing the protagonists, lending a Bourne Identity feel to it all. Perhaps the most … Read more
For nearly a month you’ve waited to learn who the newly crowned royalty of Minnesota politics might be. Exhibiting saint-like patience and a knack for painting profoundly inappropriate pictures and imagery of your favorite GOP Representatives, your votes have piled up in comments and emails, displaying a passion heretofore unknown for anything but basketball in … Read more
Award-winning musician and cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge will rock the O’Shaughnessy at the College of St. Catherine on Saturday, August 9th at 8 pm. Etheridge, whose hits include "Come to My Window", is a celebrated gay rights and environmental activist who has two Grammy Awards to her credit. She also recently won an Academy Award … Read more
Want to join a book club, but not exactly thrilled by the idea of having gabby TV talk show hosts telling you what to read? Try Books & Bars, a literary club that meets every month to read and discuss with good food and good drinks. All are welcome, even if you haven’t read the … Read more