Summer does not last long enough around here, as everyone knows, and you should make any excuse to get Uptown and have a walk around Lake Calhoun. Here’s one: This Southern-themed restaurant on the shores of Minneapolis’ primary pond. We’ve had great luck with the carnivore-friendly fare on recent visits, enjoying the crab-cakes appetizer and … Read more
Classical canonical theater is, of course, what the Guthrie does best, even if upstarts like Jeune Leune are giving them a run for their money. Last year, Irish actor Alan Stanford developed this adaptation of one of the English language’s most beloved novels. It’s a natural fit for the stage, and the buzz from the … Read more
The jewel in the crown of the long collaboration between W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, The Mikado has been wowing musical-theater audiences for 118 years. Its take on Japanese culture lacks a certain amount of authenticity, perhaps, but pointing out that Nanki-Poo, Ko-Ko, and Yum-Yum aren’t real Japanese names would be missing the point of … Read more
Like the titular vamp of this summer’s production, the Showboat’s enjoying a new life after death, now in its second season in a new St. Paul barge built after the old one was destroyed in a devastating fire. Written and directed by longtime Showboat skipper Charles Nolte, Dracula matches the U of M theater’s traditionally … Read more
On the edge of an industrial zone in southeast Minneapolis, the Rogue Buddha’s found success off the beaten path, recently adding an extra 400-square-foot gallery space in its basement. Owner and artist Nicholas Harper makes a concerted effort to keep things from getting into a rut, displaying his most edgy and avant-garde artists next to … Read more
It was noted art critic Jack Handey who first noticed the relationship between boxing and fine art, describing it as “like a ballet, except there’s no music, no choreography and the dancers hit each other.” Except Handey’s not an art critic, he’s the guy who wrote “Deep Thoughts” for Saturday Night Live. Boxing and art … Read more
Three decades of existence is long enough for any art space to be proud of, and Groveland takes a well-deserved bow with this 30-artist showcase featuring many of the gallery’s longtime favorites. Much of the work on display is recent, but there are several notable pieces that go back even before Groveland existed, including a … Read more
Call him the Baryshnikov of—no, wait, this really is Mikhail Baryshnikov, the most famous ballet dancer in the world, and, in his prime, possibly the greatest. In recent years, the Russian expatriate has moved into modern dance—leading to inevitable (and weakly founded) whisperings that he’s too old for ballet. Choreographers have always clamored to work … Read more
Call him the Baryshnikov of North Indian dance. Still going strong well into his 60s, Birju Maharaj has been called the greatest living exponent of the kathak tradition, a family torch he took on from his father and uncles, all famous dancers themselves. He’s also an accomplished singer and drummer. His O’Shaughnessy visit, part of … Read more
Normally, we’re kind of cynical about pop sensations like Norah Jones, and honestly if we hear “Don’t Know Why” on the radio one more time, we’ll throw the infernal device out the window. (But we don’t hold it against her, we hold it against computerized program directors at computerized radio stations. Beethoven’s Ninth would drive … Read more