National Tour of "Dirty Dancing: The Musical" at the Ordway Center

One of the most beloved movies of all time (at least to those of us of a certain generation) is back on stage and LIVE! Eleanor Bergstein's stage adaptation of her hit 1987 movie Dirty Dancing is opening a brand new North American tour right here at the Ordway in St. Paul. What used to be known as Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage (and stopped at the Orpheum across the river in 2014) has been revamped with an all new creative team under director Lonny Price, and a new name: Dirty Dancing: The Musical. "The classic story on stage" is a more appropriate subtitle (and is still being used in the UK), but Americans love musicals, so Dirty Dancing: The Musical it is! Despite the fact that technically this is not a musical, it's a play with music, and in this case that's a very good thing. Meaning, they didn't turn this iconic story into a muuuuusical by writing new songs for the characters to sing to each other, it's really just the movie we love recreated live on stage with fantastically talented dancers, singers, actors, and musicians. If you love Dirty Dancing, as so many of us do, it's an absolute thrill to hear this iconic soundtrack played and sung live and watch the iconic dance moves, as this love story we know and love so well plays out exactly as we expect. It's a comfort, and a joy. And it's here for a nice long run, through September 6, so head to lovely downtown St. Paul, eat in one of the many restaurants (I love Ruam Mit), maybe even stay overnight at one of the downtown hotels (I recommend the charming boutique hotel Celeste, in an old convent), and have the time of your life. But please buy your tickets only from the Ordway's official site, not from any third-party vendor (which could be a scam).

"All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain" at Guthrie Theater

All the Devils Are Here is a masterclass in Shakespeare. Acclaimed stage actor Patrick Page does for Shakespeare what Bill Irwin did for Beckett in his solo show On Beckett, presented at the Guthrie earlier this year. That is, one of the nation's most experienced and knowledgeable experts giving a personable, entertaining, educational, and captivating oration on one of our greatest playwrights. Those of you who, like me, know Patrick mostly as Hades, or Scar, may be surprised to learn that he's been studying and performing Shakespeare for four decades. He created and performed in All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain Off-Broadway, and we are beyond lucky that his first tour stop is right here at the Guthrie Theater. If you're even a little bit interested in Shakespeare, or the acting process, or the depiction of evil in literature, or the presence of evil in our lives, All the Devils Are Here is a must-see. The 80-minute show, with an optional talkback after every performance, continues through November 17.

"If/Then" on tour at the Orpheum Theatre

I saw the new original musical If/Then on Broadway two years ago, written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (who also wrote Next to Normal), directed by Michael Greif (who also directed RENT), and reuniting RENT's original Maureen and Mark, Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp. While it doesn't match the brilliance of the Pulitzer Prize winners Next to Normal and RENT (both tough acts to follow), it is wonderful to see a new, original, ambitious, modern, grown-up musical on Broadway. Seeing it on tour last night (sans Idina but still starring the wonderful Anthony), I find I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Exploring intriguing themes of fate, chance, and choice, it's about how one seemingly insignificant choice can change our lives in ways we can never comprehend. And while it can be fun, or devastating, to wonder "What If?" as this musical does, at the end of the day we are where we are in life for whatever culmination of reasons. This is the life we have to live, and the characters in this musical, despite their flaws, do it to the fullest. The messages "no day but today" from RENT and "the price of love is loss, but still we pay, we love anyway" from Next to Normal are both present in this exciting new work.