Broadway Tour of "Pretty Woman: The Musical" at the Orpheum Theatre

Now playing in the "Broadway on Hennepin" season at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis: the 2018 musical adaptation of the iconic 1990 film Pretty Woman. Did Pretty Woman need to be made into a musical? Probably not. Is it fun? Sure. Is the cast bringing it and making the most of every moment? Absolutely. Was it worth driving through snowy Minnesota streets to see original RENT cast member Adam Pascal? You betcha! To be honest, he's the only reason I saw the show, not being a fan of movie adaptations in general. But I can't deny that it's a fun show with fantastic performances by the entire cast, and if you love the movie, you might love seeing it come to life on stage. Is it the best show in this 2021-2022 season? Not by a long shot, but I had a great time. It's only in town for a week; click here for more details and ticket info. 

"Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp: Acoustically Speaking" at the Ordway

Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp in Acoustically Speaking
(photo courtesy of the Ordway)

When someone asks me what my favorite musical is, my usual answer is: there are many musicals that I love, but only one whose lyrics are permanently tattooed on my body. That would be RENT: "no day but today." It's hard to say exactly why RENT has meant so much to me over the last 22 years. Growing up in suburban Minnesota, I didn't know much about Broadway, except for what I saw on the Tony Awards show. When RENT swept the Tonys in 1996 and went on to become a cultural phenomenon that year (think: Hamilton), I was in my early 20s, living on my own for the first time, trying to figure out this thing called life, much like the characters in the musical. For that and many other reasons, I really connected with it, and I fell in love with RENT - my first musical theater love.

Broadway Tour of "Something Rotten!" at the Orpheum Theatre

A must see magical new original musical!
A musical!
There's nothing as amazing as a musical
With song and dance and sweet romance
And happy ending happening by happenstance
And you'll see, it will be only the beginning
This glorious creation called a musical

How could anyone resist that?! Something Rotten! is the ultimate musical about musicals, which gloriously celebrates this truly American art form while hilariously poking fun at it (in a loving way). The miraculous thing is that it was written by two brothers with no previous experience in musical theater (but an obvious love for and knowledge of it). Screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick and songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick collaborated (with some help from John O'Farrell) to create this charming story of two brothers who wrote the world's first musical. One wonders how much of the show is art imitating life as the Bottom brothers struggle to write a hit. But whatever struggles the Kirkpatrick brothers went through, it paid off; they have succeeded in writing a "must see magical new original musical," something that's in short supply in the days of jukebox musicals and movie adaptations. If you love musicals (or love to hate them), make your way through the April snow to downtown Minneapolis to enjoy this super fun and fantastic show.