"Julius Caesar" by Minnesota Shakespeare Theater at the Crane Theater

There's a new theater company in town, and they have the boldness to call themselves Minnesota Shakespeare Theater. But it's true that we don't really have a theater company dedicated exclusively to Shakespeare. Classical Actors Ensemble mostly does Shakespeare (including their annual outdoor Shakespeare in local parks), but as their name implies they occasionally do other classics. Great River Shakespeare Festival has been doing great work by the river in Winona for over 20 years, but they're a summer festival and also do non-Shakespeare plays. So maybe it is time that #TCTheater had its own Shakespeare company, and judging by their first production, the historical tragedy Julius Caesar, Minnesota Shakespeare Theater (from the people behind Shakespearean Youth Theatre) is the one to fill that niche. The play is very well done, with impressive design, a talented cast of #TCTheater veterans and newer actors, and most importantly, a clear presentation of the dialogue and the story. This Julius Caesar is compelling and urgent, and like so many things these days, feels like an eerily prescient warning call about the dangers of unchecked power. But MST's inaugural production runs for two weekends only, with pretty full houses on opening weekend, so don't snooze if you want to check out the new Shakespeare game in town. I for one am impressed and intrigued, and can't wait to see what they'll do next.

"Eleemosynary" by Spacetime Theatre at Gremlin Theatre

There's a new theater company in town, and they're making a strong debut with Eleemosynary, a play by prolific local playwright Lee Blessing commissioned by Park Square Theatre in the '80s. It's such a great play, delving into the complex relationships between mother and daughter (and grandmother and granddaughter), that I wonder why I've never seen it before. But I'm glad that Spacetime Theatre (helmed by Christopher Kehoe, who's been working in #TCTheater for a couple of decades) has chosen it as their first production, and cast these three talented actors. Check it out at Gremlin Theatre weekends through June 23.